Coastal Charms

Tiny Delaware's three counties line a sliver of the East Coast from the lower reaches of the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean. Sussex County, the one facing the sea, is a mix of farmland and quaint beach towns, where several times each week Barbara and David Patrick walk alongside a saltwater bay for its sights and serenity.

The bay's inlet is a wintering area for herons and ospreys. "On almost any day in winter, there will be a thousand snow geese flying overhead," says Mr. Patrick, age 72, who retired here with his wife in 2006.

Beaches, waterways and outdoor recreation have helped make Sussex County one of the most popular retirement destinations in the Northeast. It doesn't hurt that the area is more affordable than surrounding states (Delaware has no sales tax) and that several major cities (Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia) are within a two-hour drive, if one needs a cultural fix.

There's also the atmosphere of "slower, lower Delaware." Since retiring in Sussex County from eastern Pennsylvania last June, Ron and Carol Weber have learned that no one is in much of a hurry.

The Delaware shore has long been a magnet for families from the Northeast and Midwest on summer vacation. The state has preserved much of the Sussex County coastline for public use with boardwalks and bike trails. Birding, boating and crabbing, among other activities, have kept several generations of visitors pleasantly occupied.

Now, couples like the Webers, who first came here in summer, are returning in later life as year-round residents. While the county has 25 towns in all, best known are the communities along the 24-mile Atlantic seaboard—from historic Lewes in the north, to artsy Rehoboth Beach, to the quiet resorts of Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island in the south.

Gone are the days when the sleepy beach towns could turn off their traffic lights in the winter. Restaurants that catered to summer tourists are staying open, offering 2-for-1 deals in the winter, much to the delight of retirees. The county also is attracting chains, such as Harris Teeter supermarkets and BJ's Wholesale Club.

To find more elbow room, and more housing for their money, more retirees are settling inland.

Most retirees don't want to spend that much money to live waterfront." Just two or three miles off the coast, new homes can be found in the $200,000 range. The growing number of subdivisions has some builders marketing shuttle services to the beach.

Changes are evident, too, in Beebe Medical Center, also in Lewes. The hospital recently added a wing with more beds and has expanded specialties such as cardiology and orthopedics to serve an older population. A Beebe clinic just opened in Rehoboth Beach, and new facilities are slated for the communities of Millville and Georgetown. But the area is having a problem recruiting primary-care physicians.

"We are short doctors, and we know it," says Wallace Hudson, vice president of corporate affairs for Beebe. The slower lifestyle that attracts retirees doesn't necessarily appeal to young doctors, who want shopping, good schools and cultural attractions.