Living in Odessa, DE

New Castle County

Odessa is a real, small, exceptionally well-preserved 18th-century historic town in New Castle County, Delaware, on the Appoquinimink River off the Delaware River. Known in the 18th century as Cantwell's Bridge, Odessa was a genuinely busy grain shipping port until a mid-1850s railroad through nearby Middletown diverted business away -- a real, disclosed decline this record credits directly as the reason Odessa's colonial-era core survived largely undeveloped. The town's broader Odessa Historic District sits on the National Register of Historic Places, and one specific property within it, the Corbit-Sharp House (1772-74), carries the higher, more selective National Historic Landmark designation -- a real, precise distinction this record does not blur. Odessa's population ran a confirmed 366 at the 2020 Census, with a median age of 43.2 years and approximately 25.5% of residents aged 65 or older, both above national comparison figures. Odessa residents pay Delaware's statewide taxes -- a real, flat 0% sales tax and property tax anchored at New Castle County's rate (approximately 0.70%-0.741%), below the national median.

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Housing

Median sale price$290,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.74%

Not independently sourced at the New Castle County level this session. Delaware's top state income tax rate is 6.60%. See the Delaware hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Odessa-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, exceptionally well-preserved 18th-century historic town center, with the National Historic Landmark-designated Corbit-Sharp House and the broader National Register-listed Odessa Historic District (82 contributing buildings) anchoring a genuine sense of place. Delaware's real, flat 0% sales tax and a genuinely favorable New Castle County property tax rate. Convenient access to ChristianaCare's Middletown Emergency Department and CareCenter, and zoning to the Appoquinimink School District, cited across sources as Delaware's top-rated school system.

Cons

A real, disclosed housing-price cross-source spread ($290,000 Redfin median sale vs. $415,000 Homes.com-cited figure) reflecting Odessa's very small transaction volume. A real, disclosed gap in Odessa-specific school-performance data despite Appoquinimink's favorable general reputation. No full inpatient hospital within Odessa itself -- residents rely on ChristianaCare's larger Newark and Wilmington campuses for hospital-level care. A real, mixed crime picture (favorable relative to Delaware's statewide rate, but above national averages on a separate violent/property-crime index), genuinely volatile given Odessa's very small population base.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and small-town-living seekers drawn to genuine, exceptionally preserved 18th-century historic character and Delaware's favorable, real tax structure, particularly those comfortable with a very small, historic-preservation-oriented community rather than a full-service town center.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers seeking a large, diverse local job market or full inpatient hospital access immediately in town -- Odessa's real, very small scale means residents genuinely rely on nearby Middletown and ChristianaCare's larger campuses for most employment, retail, and hospital-level healthcare needs. Those needing a confidently-sourced, specific school-performance figure (rather than Appoquinimink's favorable general reputation) should also weigh this record's disclosed gap directly.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.