For all those who watch the hit show Gilmore Girls and feel a twinge of jealously for Lorelai and Rory in their fictional town of “Stars Hallow,” hidden in New Castle County is a small municipality called The Ardens. Delaware’s senior Audrey Counihan, referred to this little community as “the real life Stars Hallow.” 

A few weeks ago, Counihan and some friends spent their Labor Day Weekend at the Arden Fair. The Arden Fair is a day long event in the center of the three Ardens. There are 100+ vendors as well as a flea market, food trucks, live music, art show, wellness exhibit, and book store. Amongst the attractions, there are also streets lined with artisanal houses and architectural projects to take a scenic walk through. 

To outlookers, the Ardens are seen as an arts community formed with immense creativity. The Ardens are that and so much more. There is a long economic history created by a man named, Henry George. George believed in a single-tax society.

“The only thing we take from the world and from others is land, and so you get taxed on the land not the labor.” said Town Chair, Jeffery Polits. 

What this means for Arden is that the residents do not own their homes, they are on 99 year long lease holds. Another difference from many other municipalities is how land rent is calculated. In more places, there are discentives on household improvements, but that does not exist in Arden. They promote architectural and horticultural creativity. 

The economic philosophy of a single-tax society is the foundation of Arden’s existence, but the original little community has grown to much more. In 1900, Arden was created. After 20 years of existing, the small municipality had doubled in size and population that the board had to expand. By 1923, Arden Town was born to allow for the growing population. During the 50s, the nation was experiencing the Civil Rights movement. While the tides of the nation were changing, Arden was changing along with it. 

“Arden Croft which was made in 1953, was specifically made to be an integrated society, progressive for its time.” said Polits.

These areas became 3 independent communities encapsulated in one municipality known as The Ardens. Each community has their own Town Chair, council, assemblies, and land rent yet all abiding by the official Arden rules. 

The municipal laws of The Ardens are stated in a charter agreement with the State of Delaware. For example, each community in The Ardens all must be Direct Democracy. This means each individual person gets a vote rather than voting for a representative to vote on issues. There are pros and cons to this political system. 

“The downside is, you get all of this engagment. My first Arden town meeting, someone put out a plan of where they wanted to plant trees. I remember my wife and I sitting there and were just like ‘This is unbelievable.’ They were arguing for two hours over where to plant trees!”, Polits exclaimed. 

Although a downside on the political side is that there is so much engagment, this can be a pro for the cultural side of The Ardens. The Ardens prosper with rich community values, from their monthly communal dinners to their annual summer Shakespeare play. 

“Everybody has something to say. You roll down the window, youre talking to someone. You end up being there for 20-30 minutes.” Polits said. 

Out of this culture, the Arden Fair was born. The arts are so integral to the societal structure of The Ardens, the fair becomes a stage to display this creativity as well as provide a platform for outside artists and small businesses.

“On supporting small businesses, I definitely think that the Arden Fair helps support not only the small businesses that live and work in Arden, but also people from the local Delaware-Pennsylvania area.”, Counihan remarked. On the other hand, as for the small businesses here, they can further engage with their target consumers by reading blogs like the Content Strategy Guide.

The Arden Fair is as long-lasting of a tradition as the original Arden is old. After 100+ years of its establishment, The Ardens have been ever-changing. 

“I definitely think that its getting a little bit of an older community than it once was, for the permanent residents. Because its people who have been their since the beginning and they pretty much just stay in their houses until they die.” said Counihan. 

There is still room for more change to come as well. In recent years, the fair has increased rapidly in popularity. This draws in a much younger crowd and has inspired new generations to take an interest in the community. 

In a society that is so integrated with technology, personal connection and neighborly bonds are hard to come by. The community of Arden offers a solution to this problem. 

“I’m not from here, but some of my neighbors were like grandparents to my kids. I know everyone on the street behind mine, and the next 2 streets after that.” said Polits.