New Hope, Rehoboth Have Most Gay Couples

Same-sex couples are flocking to LGBT-friendly communities

Provincetown is number one for same-sex couples, but New Hope and Rehoboth also rank in the top 10 (photo by Natalie Hope McDonald)

New Hope, Pa., and Rehoboth Beach, Del., are in a top 10 list of cities with the highest number of same-sex couples, according to a recent census report. Rehoboth Beach is fourth on the list with 106.9 couples per 1,000 households, while Bucks County’s New Hope is eighth with a rate of 58.6. Both towns are new on the list.

One of favorite gay getaways in Provincetown, Mass., tops the list with 163.1 gay and lesbian couples per 1,000 households, according to the new census data from the Williams Institute at UCLA.

The New York Times reports that Steve Elkins from Camp Rehoboth admits that things have really changed in recent years, and that the notion of training the police force about gay issues was once considered taboo. But now, not only do the officers admit they know plenty of gay people, but several of the officers themselves are gay. “It’s a generation change in thoughts and attitudes,” he tells the Times.

Interestingly, San Francisco, considered by many to be the gay capital of the West Coast, did not make the list. And West Hollywood, known as a hot bed of gay culture, dropped from number one out of the top five.

New on the list this year: Pleasant Ridge, Mich., a sleepy suburb of Detroit that’s become popular for among the local gay community in the Midwest. The Williams Institute reports that as LGBT baby boomers reach retirement age, they’re looking for gay-friendly communities outside of the traditional big cities. For Rehoboth that means more older gay and lesbian couples, and a bit less of a singles scene. Of course you may not know it on a Friday night at the Blue Moon.