Since they're practically adjoin each other, I don't think there's a great deal of difference between the two for shopping. Townsend is maybe 10 minutes from Kohl's, Wal-Mart and the Middletown shopping and a little further from Christiana Mall, but 5-10 minutes closer to Dover. Where the inconvenience comes in is the lack of an exit on Rt 1 for Townsend. You either have to exit at Middletown or Smyrna.

Hi Maria, Townsend is the town just below Middletown. Middletown, since its growth spurt, has restaurants, grocery stores, banks, and other shops, Lowes, Home Depot and some other stores, etc. Townsend does not have that luxury. They either go to Middletown or further south to Smyrna and Dover. Also, Route 1 has an ez access to Route 1. Hope this helps