Harrington is the kind of town that people drive through on Route 13 and underestimate. It is a working crossroads for southern Kent County, home to the Delaware State Fairgrounds and the raceway, surrounded by farmland, and close enough to Dover, Milford, and the beaches that living here does not mean giving anything up. For a move, it is about as uncomplicated as this part of Delaware gets, with one exception that everyone in town can name.
Short answer
Harrington moves are easy to schedule and easy to run: no beach traffic, no parking permits, and a short drive from Milford. The two things to plan for are fair week in late July, when Route 13 through town crawls, and rural property access, where long driveways, soft ground, and full outbuildings shape the job more than the house does.
The fairgrounds set the one date to avoid
The Delaware State Fair runs for about ten days in late July, and for that stretch Harrington is a different town. Route 13 slows to a crawl near the fairgrounds, side streets fill with parked cars, and the roads in from Milford and Dover carry fair traffic morning and night. Motels and rentals fill. Nobody who lives here schedules anything that involves a truck during fair week if they can help it.
Outside of that window, the fairgrounds host events through the year, including racing at the track, and most of them barely register on traffic. Late July is the one to check before setting a date. If a closing lands in fair week, ask your mover about an early-morning start or a move the week before with a few days in short-term storage.
In town: straightforward homes on a grid
Harrington's in-town neighborhoods are laid out on a grid around the rail line and the fairgrounds, with a mix of older homes, mid-century houses, and some newer construction on the edges. Streets are wide enough for a truck, most homes have a driveway or reasonable curb space, and there are no seasonal parking rules to think about. Older two-story homes can still have stair turns and narrow doorways, so it is worth measuring the big pieces, but the access problems that come with beach-town moves do not exist here.
The daily-life consideration is Route 13 itself, which carries through traffic and gets busy at commute hours and around the schools. For a move, an early start avoids most of it.
Outside town: farm properties and outbuildings
Most of the land around Harrington is farmland, and a large share of the area's homes sit on it. Rural moves in southern Kent County follow the same pattern as the rest of the peninsula. The driveway is long and may be gravel or dirt, which turns soft after a hard rain. There may be nowhere to turn a truck around. Low wires and tree limbs on farm lanes can stop a tall truck before it reaches the house.
Outbuildings are the bigger factor. Barns, pole buildings, equipment sheds, and detached garages hold tools, machinery, feed, and decades of things that were put away for later. When you describe the property for an estimate, walk every building first and say what is in it. Whether the outbuildings are part of the move, part of a clean-out, or staying with the property changes the crew and the number of trips.
Harrington move checklist
- Check the State Fair dates and keep the move out of late July if possible.
- In town: measure stair turns and doorways in older homes and confirm driveway access.
- Rural: note driveway surface and length, turnaround space, and overhead clearance.
- Walk every outbuilding and decide what moves, what donates, and what stays.
- Confirm town water and sewer or well and septic for the address.
- Arrange electric and any propane or oil delivery before the first cold week.
- File the change of address and update mail with the county for any property notices.
Utilities and settling in
In-town addresses are on the city's water and sewer, and the account is set up through the town office. Farm properties are usually on a well and septic, so ask the seller about the last inspection and pumping. Electric service depends on the address, so confirm which utility bills the house. Many rural homes rely on propane or heating oil, which should be scheduled before the weather turns. Dover's state offices and Milford's hospital are both a short drive, which makes the practical errands of a first month easy to spread out.
The Harrington service page explains how Roger That schedules the town as part of its home territory. For most households the local moving service is the right fit, and because Harrington and Milford moves are so often the same crew and the same roads, the Milford moving checklist is a useful companion. Send the address, the date, and a note about any outbuildings through the free estimate form to get a plan built around the property.
FAQ
When should I avoid moving in Harrington?
Fair week, in late July. The Delaware State Fair brings heavy traffic to Route 13 through town and fills every nearby road with parking. Any other week of the year, Harrington is one of the easiest towns in the area to move in or out of.
How far is Harrington from Milford?
About fifteen minutes by road. Harrington is on Route 13 and Milford is on Route 113, with Route 14 connecting them, so Roger That crews treat Harrington as home-turf scheduling.
What should I know about farm properties around Harrington?
Long driveways, soft ground after rain, low wires, and outbuildings. The house is often the smaller part of the job when a barn or pole building is full. Describe the buildings and the driveway when you ask for an estimate.