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Delaware
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{{Short description|U.S. state}}{{About|the U.S. state}}{{Pp-move}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
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Etymology
Delaware was named after Delaware Bay, which in turn derived its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618), the first governor of the Colony of Virginia. The Delaware people, a name used by Europeans for Lenape people Indigenous to the Delaware Valley, also derive their name from the same source.The name de La Warr is from Sussex and of Anglo-French origin.BOOK, Ware DeGidio, Wanda, 2011, Ware Family History: Descendants from Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Kings and Queens, and Presidents of the United States, Wanda, Ware DeGidio, 10, Wanda DeGidio, 978-1-4010-9930-5, BOOK, Ware DeGidio, Wanda, 2011, Ware Family History: Descendants from Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Kings and Queens, and Presidents of the United States, Wanda, Ware DeGidio, 10, Wanda DeGidio, 978-1-4010-9930-5, It came probably from a Norman lieu-dit La Guerre. This toponymic likely derived from Latin (wikt:ager#Latin|ager), the Breton (wikt:gwern#Breton|gwern) or from the Late Latin (fallow). The toponyms Gara, Gare, Gaire, (the sound [ä] often mutated in [æ]) also appear in historical texts cited by Lucien Musset, where the word ga(i)ra means gore. It could also be linked with a patronymic from the Old Norse (wikt:verr#Old Norse|verr).History
{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2018}}Native Americans
Before Delaware was settled by European colonists, the present-day state was home to the Eastern Algonquian tribes known as the Unami Lenape, or Delaware, who lived mostly along the coast, and the Nanticoke who occupied much of the southern Delmarva Peninsula. John Smith also shows two Iroquoian tribes, the Kuskarawock and Tockwogh, living north of the Nanticoke—they may have held small portions of land in the western part of the state before migrating across the Chesapeake Bay.WEB,www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/captain-smith-virginia-map.jpg, Archived copy, October 24, 2017,www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/captain-smith-virginia-map.jpg," title="web.archive.org/web/20150320024903www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/captain-smith-virginia-map.jpg,">web.archive.org/web/20150320024903www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/captain-smith-virginia-map.jpg, March 20, 2015, live, The Kuskarawocks were most likely the Tuscarora.The Unami Lenape in the Delaware Valley were closely related to Munsee Lenape tribes along the Hudson River. They had a settled hunting and agricultural society, and they rapidly became middlemen in an increasingly frantic fur trade with their ancient enemy, the Minqua or Susquehannock. With the loss of their lands on the Delaware River and the destruction of the Minqua by the Iroquois of the Five Nations in the 1670s, the remnants of the Lenape who wished to remain identified as such left the region and moved over the Alleghany Mountains by the mid-18th century. Generally, those who did not relocate out of the state of Delaware were baptized, became Christian and were grouped together with other persons of color in official records and in the minds of their non-Native American neighbors.{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}}Colonial Delaware
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in present-day Delaware in the middle region by establishing a trading post at Zwaanendael, near the site of Lewes in 1631.BOOK, Myers, Albert Cook, Narratives of Early Pennsylvania, West New Jersey and Delaware, 1630–1707, Volume 13, C. Scribner’s Sons, 1912, 8, Within a year, all the settlers were killed in a dispute with Native American tribes living in the area. In 1638, New Sweden, a Swedish trading post and colony, was established at Fort Christina (now in Wilmington) by Peter Minuit at the head of a group of Swedes, Finns and Dutch. The colony of New Sweden lasted 17 years. In 1651, the Dutch, reinvigorated by the leadership of Peter Stuyvesant, established a fort at present-day New Castle and, in 1655, they conquered the New Sweden colony, annexing it into the Dutch New Netherland.BOOK, History of Delaware, John A, Munroe, 5th, illustrated, University of Delaware Press, 2006, 978-0-87413-947-1, 45,books.google.com/books?id=vs7NcOKnlNUC&q=%22Lower+counties%22+%22on+the+delaware%22&pg=PA46, 3. The Lower Counties on The Delaware, {{Citation |editor1-last = Scheltema |editor1-first = Gajus |editor2-last = Westerhuijs |editor2-first = Heleen |title = Exploring Historic Dutch New York |publisher = Museum of the City of New York/Dover |place = New York |year = 2011 |isbn = 978-0-486-48637-6}} Only nine years later, in 1664, the Dutch were conquered by a fleet of English ships by Sir Robert Carr under the direction of James, the Duke of York. Fighting off a prior claim by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, Proprietor of Maryland, the Duke passed his somewhat dubious ownership on to William Penn in 1682. Penn strongly desired access to the sea for his Pennsylvania province and leased what then came to be known as the “Lower Counties on the Delaware” from the Duke.Penn established representative government and briefly combined his two possessions under one General Assembly in 1682. However, by 1704 the province of Pennsylvania had grown so large their representatives wanted to make decisions without the assent of the Lower Counties, and the two groups of representatives began meeting on their own, one at Philadelphia, and the other at New Castle. Penn and his heirs remained proprietors of both and always appointed the same person Governor for their province of Pennsylvania and their territory of the Lower Counties. The fact that Delaware and Pennsylvania shared the same governor was not unique. From 1703 to 1738 New York and New Jersey shared a governor.{{Citation |last = Lurie |first = Mappen M |title = Encyclopedia of New Jersey |publisher = Rutgers University Press |year = 2004 |isbn = 978-0-8135-3325-4 |page = 327}} Massachusetts and New Hampshire also shared a governor for some time.{{Citation |last = Mayo |first = LS |title = John Wentworth, Governor of New Hampshire: 1767–1775 |publisher = Harvard University Press |year = 1921 |page = 5}}Dependent in early years on indentured labor, Delaware imported more slaves as the number of English immigrants decreased with better economic conditions in England. The colony became a slave society and cultivated tobacco as a cash crop, although English immigrants continued to arrive.American Revolution
(File:Recto Delaware 2 shillings 6 pence 1777 urn-3 HBS.Baker.AC 1085935.jpeg|alt=A two-shilling, six-pence banknote issued by Delaware in 1777 with the inscription: “Two Shillings & Six-pence. This Indented Bill shall pass current for Two Shillings and Six-pence, within the Delaware State according to an Act of Genera Assembly of the said State, made in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-six. Dated the First Day of May, 1777.”; Within border cuts: “Half a Crown“|thumb|A two-shilling, six-pence banknote issued by Delaware in 1777)Like the other middle colonies, the Lower Counties on the Delaware initially showed little enthusiasm for a break with Britain. The citizenry had a good relationship with the Proprietary government, and generally were allowed more independence of action in their Colonial Assembly than in other colonies. Merchants at the port of Wilmington had trading ties with the British.New Castle lawyer Thomas McKean denounced the Stamp Act in the strongest terms, and Kent County native John Dickinson became the “Penman of the Revolution”. Anticipating the Declaration of Independence, Patriot leaders Thomas McKean and Caesar Rodney convinced the Colonial Assembly to declare itself separated from British and Pennsylvania rule on June 15, 1776. The person best representing Delaware’s majority, George Read, could not bring himself to vote for a Declaration of Independence. Only the dramatic overnight ride of Caesar Rodney gave the delegation the votes needed to cast Delaware’s vote for independence.Initially led by John Haslet, Delaware provided one of the premier regiments in the Continental Army, known as the “Delaware Blues” and nicknamed the “Blue Hen’s Chicks”. In August 1777 General Sir William Howe led a British army through Delaware on his way to a victory at the Battle of Brandywine and capture of the city of Philadelphia. The only real engagement on Delaware soil was the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge, fought on September 3, 1777, at Cooch’s Bridge in New Castle County, although there was a minor Loyalist rebellion in 1778.Following the Battle of Brandywine, Wilmington was occupied by the British, and State President John McKinly was taken prisoner. The British remained in control of the Delaware River for much of the rest of the war, disrupting commerce and providing encouragement to an active Loyalist portion of the population, particularly in Sussex County. Because the British promised slaves of rebels freedom for fighting with them, escaped slaves flocked north to join their lines.{{Citation | first = Simon | last = Schama | author-link = Simon Schama | title = Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves, and the American Revolution | place = New York | publisher = Harper Collins | year = 2006| title-link = Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves, and the American Revolution }}Following the American Revolution, statesmen from Delaware were among the leading proponents of a strong central United States with equal representation for each state.Slavery and race
Many colonial settlers came to Delaware from Maryland and Virginia, where the population had been increasing rapidly. The economies of these colonies were chiefly based on labor-intensive tobacco and increasingly dependent on African slaves because of a decline in working class immigrants from England. Most of the English colonists had arrived as indentured servants (contracted for a fixed period to pay for their passage), and in the early years the line between servant and slave was fluid.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}Most of the free African-American families in Delaware before the Revolution had migrated from Maryland to find more affordable land. They were descendants chiefly of relationships or marriages between white servant women and enslaved, servant or free African or African-American men.{{citation |last=Heinegg |first=Paul |title=Free African Americans in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware |url=http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/ |url-status=dead |access-date=February 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807191511www.freeafricanamericans.com/ |archive-date=August 7, 2010}} Under slavery law, children took the social status of their mothers, so children born to white women were free, regardless of their paternity, just as children born to enslaved women were born into slavery. As the flow of indentured laborers to the colony decreased with improving economic conditions in England, more slaves were imported for labor and the caste lines hardened.By the end of the colonial period, the number of enslaved people in Delaware began to decline. Shifts in the agriculture economy from tobacco to mixed farming resulted in less need for slaves’ labor. In addition local Methodists and Quakers encouraged slaveholders to free their slaves following the American Revolution, and many did so in a surge of individual manumissions for idealistic reasons. By 1810, three-quarters of all blacks in Delaware were free. When John Dickinson freed his slaves in 1777, he was Delaware’s largest slave owner with 37 slaves. By 1860, the largest slaveholder owned 16 slaves.{{sfn|Kolchin|1994|pp=78, 81–82}}Although attempts to abolish slavery failed by narrow margins in the legislature, in practical terms the state had mostly ended the practice. By the 1860 census on the verge of the Civil War, 91.7% of the black population were free;{{sfn|Kolchin|1994|pp=81–82}} 1,798 were slaves, as compared to 19,829 “free colored persons”.{{citation |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/start.php?year=V1860 |contribution=1860 Federal Census |publisher=University of Virginia Library |access-date=November 30, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011024040mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/start.php?year=V1860 |archive-date=October 11, 2014 }}An independent black denomination was chartered in 1813 by freed slave Peter Spencer as the “Union Church of Africans”. This followed the 1793 establishment in Philadelphia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church by Richard Allen, which had ties to the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1816. Spencer built a church in Wilmington for the new denomination.WEB,www.udel.edu/BlackHistory/antebellum.html, Peter T., Dalleo, The Growth of Delaware’s Antebellum Free African Community, University of Delaware, June 27, 1997, June 21, 2008,www.udel.edu/BlackHistory/antebellum.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110905050734www.udel.edu/BlackHistory/antebellum.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110905050734www.udel.edu/BlackHistory/antebellum.html, September 5, 2011, live, This was renamed as the African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church and Connection, more commonly known as the A.U.M.P. Church. In 1814, Spencer called for the first annual gathering, known as the Big August Quarterly, which continues to draw members of this denomination and their descendants together in a religious and cultural festival.WEB, August Quarterly Festival CelebrationReconstruction and industrialization
During the Reconstruction Era that followed the Civil War, Democratic Redeemer governments led by the South’s Bourbon aristocracy continued to dominate the region and imposed explicitly white supremacist regimes in the former slave states. The Delaware legislature declared Black people to be second-class citizens in 1866 and restricted their voting rights despite the Fifteenth Amendment, ensuring continued Democratic success in the state throughout most of the nineteenth century.BOOK, Munroe, John, History of Delaware, 2001, University of Delaware Press, Newark, DE, 146–150, 4th, Fearful that the 1875 Civil Rights Act passed by Congress might establish racial equality, Delaware legislators passed Jim Crow laws that mandated segregation in public facilities. The state’s educational system was segregated by operation of law.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} Delaware’s segregation was written into the state constitution, which, while providing at Article X, Section 2,{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} that “no distinction shall be made on account of race or color”, nonetheless required that “separate schools for white and colored children shall be maintained.“{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}Beginning in the late nineteenth century, the Wilmington area grew into a manufacturing center. Investment in manufacturing in the city grew from $5.5 million in 1860 to $44 million in 1900.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 156, The most notable manufacturer in the state was the chemical company DuPont, which to this day is heavily credited with making the state what it is today in many ways.WEB, Editorial, 2020-06-23, The Dupont Legacy,delawarebusinesstimes.com/supplements/innovation/the-dupont-legacy/, 2022-10-14, Delaware Business Times, en-US, Because of Wilmington’s growth, local politicians from the city and New Castle County pressured the state government to adopt a new constitution providing the north with more representation. However, the subsequent 1897 constitution did not proportionally represent the north and continued to give the southern counties disproportionate influence.BOOK, Munroe, History of Delaware, 2001, 165–169, As manufacturing expanded, businesses became major players in state affairs and funders of politicians through families such as the Du Ponts. Republican John Addicks attempted to buy a US Senate seat multiple times in a rivalry with the Du Ponts until the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 173–180, The allegiance of industries with the Republican party allowed them to gain control of the state’s governorship throughout most of the twentieth century. The GOP ensured Black people could vote because of their general support for Republicans and thus undid restrictions on Black suffrage.BOOK, Munroe, History of Delaware, 2001, 180–181, Delaware benefited greatly from World War I because of the state’s large gunpowder industry. DuPont, the most dominant business in the state by WWI, produced an estimated 40% of all gunpowder used by the Allies during the war. It produced nylon in the state after the war and began investments into General Motors.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 185–189, Additionally, the company invested heavily in the expansion of public schools in the state and colleges such as the University of Delaware in the 1910s and 1920s. This included primary and secondary schools for Black people and women.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 190–205, Delaware suffered less during the Great Depression than other states, but the depression spurred further migration from the rural south to urban areas.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 216–217,World War II to present
Like in World War I, the state enjoyed a big stimulus to its gunpowder and shipyard industries in World War II. New job opportunities during and after the war in the Wilmington area coaxed Black people from the southern counties to move to the city. The proportion of blacks constituting the city’s population rose from 15% in 1950 to over 50% by 1980.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 219–223, The surge of Black migrants to the north sparked white flight, in which middle class whites moved from the city to suburban areas, leading to de facto segregation of Northern Delaware’s society. In the 1940s and 1950s, Delaware attempted to integrate its schools, although the last segregated school in the state did not close until 1970.WEB,segregationinamerica.eji.org/report/beyond-brown.html, Beyond Brown: Opposition Intensifies, The University of Delaware admitted its first black student in 1948, and local courts ruled that primary schools had to be integrated. Delaware’s integration efforts partially inspired the US Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which found racial segregation in United States public schools to be unconstitutional.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 225–227, The result of the Brown ruling was that Delaware became fully integrated, albeit with time and much effort.In October 1954, the city of Milford became the scene of one of the country’s first pro-segregation boycotts after eleven Black students were enrolled in the previously all-white Milford High School. Mass protests continued in Milford; the school board eventually ceded to the protestors, expelling the Black students.NEWS, 16 October 1954, White Supremacy Leader Arrested, Indianapolis Recorder,newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INR19541016-01.1.1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------, MAGAZINE, 11 October 1954, Education: Racial Flare-Up, Time (magazine), Time,content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,936456,00.html, BOOK, Webb, Clive, Rabble Rousers: the American Far Right in the Civil Rights Era, University of Georgia Press, 2010, Athens, The ensuing unrest, which included cross burnings, rallies, and pro-segregation demonstrations, contributed to desegregation in most of Southern Delaware being delayed for another ten years. Sussex County did not start closing or integrating its segregated schools until 1965, 11 years after the Brown ruling.WEB,www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/delaware/2015/02/05/historic-black-school-remains-fond-memory/22914463/, Historic black school remains a fond memory, Throughout the state, integration only encouraged more white flight, and poor economic conditions for the black population led to some violence during the 1960s. Riots broke out in Wilmington in 1967 and again in 1968 in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, after which the National Guard occupied the city for nine months to prevent further violence.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 228–230, Since WWII, the state has been generally economically prosperous and enjoyed relatively high per capita income because of its location between major cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 230, Its population grew rapidly, particularly in the suburbs in the north where New Castle county became an extension of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 242, Americans, including migrants from Puerto Rico, and immigrants from Latin America flocked to the state. By 1990, only 50% of Delaware’s population consisted of natives to the state.BOOK, Munroe, 2001, History of Delaware, 259,Geography
{{See also|#Counties|l1=“Counties” section below}}File:Twelve-mile-circle.gif|thumb|The Twelve-Mile CircleTwelve-Mile Circle(File:National-atlas-delaware.png|thumb|Map of Delaware)File:Woodbrook test.jpg|thumb|Sunset in Woodbrook, DelawareWoodbrook, DelawareFile:Blackbird pond.jpg|thumb|The Blackbird Pond on the Blackbird State Forest Meadows Tract in New Castle County, DelawareNew Castle County, DelawareFile:MiddleRunArea Field LenapeTrail.jpg|thumb|A field north of Fox Den Road along the Lenape Trail in Middle Run Valley Natural AreaMiddle Run Valley Natural AreaDelaware is {{convert|96|mi|km}} long and ranges from {{convert|9|to|35|mi|km}} across, with a land area of {{convert|1982|sqmi|km2}}WEB, Delaware, The State of, State of Delaware,de.gov/topics/facts/geo.shtml, dead,web.archive.org/web/20210818174548/https://de.gov/topics/facts/geo.shtml, August 18, 2021, August 18, 2021, delaware.gov, en, and a total area of {{convert|2489|sqmi|km2}},britannica.com/facts/Delaware-state making it the second-smallest state by either metric in the United States after Rhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania; to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey, and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west and south by Maryland. Small portions of Delaware are also situated on the eastern side of the Delaware River sharing land boundaries with New Jersey. The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland and two counties of Virginia, form the Delmarva Peninsula, which stretches down the Mid-Atlantic Coast.The definition of the northern boundary of the state is unusual. Most of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania was originally defined by an arc extending {{convert|12|mi|km|sigfig=3}} from the cupola of the courthouse in the city of New Castle.WEB, The story of how Delaware got its shape,www.delawareonline.com/story/life/2018/07/05/delaware-defined-story-how-first-state-got-its-shape/744188002/, 2023-05-24, The News Journal, en-US, This boundary is often referred to as the Twelve-Mile Circle.{{efn|Because of surveying errors, the actual line is several compound arcs with centers at different points in New Castle.}} Although the Twelve-Mile Circle is often claimed to be the only territorial boundary in the U.S. that is a true arc, the Mexican boundary with Texas includes several arcs,WEB,faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bi-51757.pdf, Treaty to resolve pending boundary differences and maintain the Rio Grande and Colorado River as the international boundary, February 1, 2019,faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bi-51757.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160410052222faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bi-51757.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160410052222faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bi-51757.pdf, April 10, 2016, live, and many cities in the South (such as Plains, Georgia)Frank Jacobs, “Enigma, Georgia: Mystery of the South’s Circular Towns” {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523230226bigthink.com/strange-maps/655-enigma-georgia-mystery-of-the-souths-circular-towns |date=May 23, 2014}}, Strange Maps, April 30, 2014. also have circular boundaries.This border extends all the way east to the low-tide mark on the New Jersey shore, then continues south along the shoreline until it again reaches the {{convert|12|mi|adj=on}} arc in the south; then the boundary continues in a more conventional way in the middle of the main channel (thalweg) of the Delaware River.To the west, a portion of the arc extends past the easternmost edge of Maryland. The remaining western border runs slightly east of due south from its intersection with the arc. The Wedge of land between the northwest part of the arc and the Maryland border was claimed by both Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921, when Delaware’s claim was confirmed.Topography
Delaware is on a level plain, with the lowest mean elevation of any state in the nation.WEB,www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/geo.pdf, 216, Extreme and Mean Elevations by State and Other Area, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004–2005, United States Census Bureau, March 16, 2011,www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/geo.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20110310194411www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/geo.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20110310194411www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/geo.pdf, March 10, 2011, live, Its highest elevation, located at Ebright Azimuth, near Concord High School, is less than {{convert|450|ft}} above sea level. The northernmost part of the state is part of the Piedmont Plateau with hills and rolling surfaces.The Atlantic Seaboard fall line approximately follows the Robert Kirkwood Highway between Newark and Wilmington; south of this road is the Atlantic Coastal Plain with flat, sandy, and, in some parts, swampy ground.WEB,www.dgs.udel.edu/delaware-geology/summary-geologic-history-delaware, A Summary of the Geologic History of Delaware, The Delaware Geological Survey, March 19, 2013,www.dgs.udel.edu/delaware-geology/summary-geologic-history-delaware," title="web.archive.org/web/20130312150937www.dgs.udel.edu/delaware-geology/summary-geologic-history-delaware,">web.archive.org/web/20130312150937www.dgs.udel.edu/delaware-geology/summary-geologic-history-delaware, March 12, 2013, live, A ridge about {{convert|75|to|80|ft}} high extends along the western boundary of the state and separates the watersheds that feed Delaware River and Bay to the east and the Chesapeake Bay to the west.Climate
{{further|Climate change in Delaware}}(File:Köppen Climate Types Delaware.png|thumb|The Köppen climate classification for Delaware)Since almost all of Delaware is a part of the Atlantic coastal plain, the effects of the ocean moderate its climate. The state lies in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) zone. Despite its small size (roughly {{convert|100|mi|km}} from its northernmost to southernmost points), there is significant variation in mean temperature and amount of snowfall between Sussex County and New Castle County. Moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, the southern portion of the state has a milder climate and a longer growing season than the northern portion of the state.Summers are long, hot, and humid in Delaware, often with intense (but brief) late day thundershowers. Delaware averages 2,300 hrs of sunshine annually (higher than the USA average). Winters are modestly cool to cold in northern Delaware, and cool to mild in southern Delaware. The normal seasonal snowfall ranges from about 20.0 inches in Wilmington to only 10.0 inches in Lewes. In many winters no snow will fall in coastal Delaware. Northern Delaware falls into USDA Garden Zone 7a, while southern and coastal areas fall into USDA zone 7b and 8a. The milder climate in southern Delaware allows for subtropical flora such as the windmill palm, needle palm, and dwarf palmetto.Delaware’s all-time record high of {{convert|110|F|C}} was recorded at Millsboro on July 21, 1930. The all-time record low of {{convert|-17|F|C}} was also recorded at Millsboro, on January 17, 1893. The hardiness zones are 7B and 8A at the Delaware Beaches.Environment
The transitional climate of Delaware supports a wide variety of vegetation. In the northern third of the state are found Northeastern coastal forests and mixed oak forests typical of the northeastern United States.JOURNAL, Olson, Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth, BioScience, 2001, 51, 11, 933–938, 10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2, D. M, E. Dinerstein, 3, 0006-3568, Burgess, Neil D., Powell, George V. N., Underwood, Emma C., d’Amico, Jennifer A., Itoua, Illanga, Strand, Holly E., free, In the southern two-thirds of the state are found Middle Atlantic coastal forests. Trap Pond State Park, along with areas in other parts of Sussex County, for example, support the northernmost stands of bald cypress trees in North America.Environmental management
Delaware provides government subsidy support for the clean-up of property “lightly contaminated” by hazardous waste, the proceeds for which come from a tax on wholesale petroleum sales.NEWS, Cleaning up contamination, Jeff, Montgomery, The News Journal, May 14, 2011, May 14, 2011,www.delawareonline.com/article/20110514/NEWS02/105140360/-1/NLETTER01/Cleaning-up-contamination, New Castle, Delaware, DelawareOnline,www.webcitation.org/5ygBz8xTN?url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110514/NEWS02/105140360/-1/NLETTER01/Cleaning-up-contamination, May 14, 2011, live, The first online page is archived; the page containing information related here is not in the archived version.Municipalities
{{Further|List of Delaware municipalities|List of counties in Delaware}}Wilmington is the state’s most populous city (70,635) and its economic hub. It is located within commuting distance of both Philadelphia and Baltimore. Dover is the state capital and the second most populous city (38,079).Counties
{{colbegin|colwidth=12em}} {{colend}}Cities
{{colbegin|colwidth=12em}}- Delaware City
- Dover
- Harrington
- Lewes
- Middletown
- Milford
- New Castle
- Newark
- Rehoboth Beach
- Seaford
- Wilmington
Towns
{{colbegin|colwidth=12em}}- Bellefonte
- Bethany Beach
- Bethel
- Blades
- Bowers
- Bridgeville
- Camden
- Cheswold
- Clayton
- Dagsboro
- Delmar
- Dewey Beach
- Ellendale
- Elsmere
- Farmington
- Felton
- Fenwick Island
- Frankford
- Frederica
- Georgetown
- Greenwood
- Hartly
- Henlopen Acres
- Houston
- Kenton
- Laurel
- Leipsic
- Little Creek
- Magnolia
- Millsboro
- Millville
- Milton
- Newport
- Ocean View
- Odessa
- Selbyville
- Slaughter Beach
- Smyrna
- South Bethany
- Townsend
- Viola
- Woodside
- Wyoming
Villages
{{colbegin|colwidth=12em}} {{colend}}Unincorporated places
{{colbegin|colwidth=12em}}- Bear
- Brookside
- Christiana
- Clarksville
- Claymont
- Dover Base Housing
- Edgemoor
- Glasgow
- Greenville
- Gumboro
- Harbeson
- Highland Acres
- Hockessin
- Kent Acres
- Lincoln City
- Long Neck
- Marshallton
- Mount Pleasant
- North Star
- Oak Orchard
- Omar
- Pennyhill
- Pike Creek
- Pike Creek Valley
- Rising Sun-Lebanon
- Riverview
- Rodney Village
- Roxana
- Saint Georges
- Sandtown
- Stanton
- Wilmington Manor
- Wooddale
- Woodland
- Woodside East
- Yorklyn
Demographics
{{See also|Largest municipalities in Delaware}}(File:Delaware population map.png|thumb|The population density map for Delaware){{US Census population|1790= 59096|1800= 64273|1810= 72674|1820= 72749|1830= 76748|1840= 78085|1850= 91532|1860= 112216|1870= 125015|1880= 146608|1890= 168493|1900= 184735|1910= 202322|1920= 223003|1930= 238380|1940= 266505|1950= 318085|1960= 446292|1970= 548104|1980= 594338|1990= 666168|2000= 783600|2010= 897934|2020= 989948|align-fn=center- WEB,www.csg-erc.org/about-csg/, About – CSG, csg-erc.org, June 29, 2016, June 23, 2016,www.csg-erc.org/about-csg/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160623221327www.csg-erc.org/about-csg/,">web.archive.org/web/20160623221327www.csg-erc.org/about-csg/, dead,
- WEB,www.bls.gov/regions/home.htm, Home : Geographic Information : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, bls.gov, June 29, 2016,
- WEB,www.ncdc.noaa.gov/customer-support/partnerships/regional-climate-centers, Regional Climate Centers – National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) formerly known as National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), noaa.gov, June 29, 2016,
- WEB,www.scouting.org/Home/OutdoorProgram/Properties/Region%20and%20Area%20Maps.aspx, Region and Area Maps, scouting.org, June 29, 2016,
- WEB,www.nps.gov/nhl/contact/nero.htm, Northeast Regional Office – National Historic Landmarks Program, nps.gov, June 29, 2016,
Race and ethnicity
(File:Ethnic Origins in Delaware.png|left|thumb|Ethnic origins in Delaware)According to the 2010 United States census, the racial composition of the state was 68.9% White American (65.3% Non-Hispanic White, 3.6% White Hispanic), 21.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian American, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 3.4% some other race, and 2.7% of multiracial origin. People of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race, made up 8.2% of the population.WEB,www.census.gov, U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau, October 5, 2010, August 17, 2011, The 2022 American Community Survey estimated the state had a racial and ethnic makeup of 60.6% non-Hispanic whites, 23.6% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.9% multiracial, and 10.1% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.WEB, 2022 QuickFacts,www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/DE/PST045219, live, U.S. Census Bureau,web.archive.org/web/20200127141137/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/DE/PST045219, January 27, 2020, In the Native American community, the state has a Native American group, called in their own language Lenape, which was influential in the colonial period of the United States and is today headquartered in Cheswold, Kent County, Delaware.WEB, Bies, Jessica, Lenape Indian Tribe looks to reclaim historic Delaware land, establish sovereignty,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/education/2018/07/16/lenape-indian-tribe-looks-reclaim-land-establish-sovereign-delaware/775992002/, May 23, 2021, The News Journal, A band of the Nanticoke tribe of American Indians today resides in Sussex County and is headquartered in Millsboro, Sussex County, Delaware.WEB, Duvernay, Adam, Nanticoke tribe converges for 40th powwow in Millsboro,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2017/09/10/nanticoke-tribe-40th-powwow-delaware/651191001/, May 23, 2021, The News Journal, Delaware’s population mainly consisted of people from the British Isles, African slaves, Germans and a few remaining Native Americans during the colonial era. Irish, Germans, Italians, Poles, and Russian Jewish immigrants were attracted by the industries in the Wilmington area. In the late 20th century a Puerto Rican community formed in Wilmington. Guatemalan people migrated to Sussex county to work in Delaware’s poultry industry. A group of Native Americans in Delaware of mixed ethnicity, the Moors, live in Cheswold. The descendants of the Nanticoke people live around Millsboro. There is also a small numbers of Asians in New Castle county who work as scientific and engineering professionals.WEB,www.britannica.com/place/Delaware-state/Climate, Delaware - Humid, Temperate, Coastal | Britannica, www.britannica.com, {| class=“wikitable sortable collapsible” style="font-size: 90%;“|+ Delaware racial breakdown of populationBirth data
Note: Births in table do not add up because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.{| class=“wikitable sortable” style="font-size:90%“|+ Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother- Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Languages
In 2000, 91% of Delaware residents of age{{spaces}}5 and older spoke only English at home; 5% spoke Spanish. French was the third most spoken language, used by 0.7% of the population, followed by Chinese (0.5%) and German (0.5%). Legislation has been proposed in both the House and the Senate in Delaware to designate English as the official language.{{citation |title=SB 129 |url=http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS144.NSF/vwLegislation/SB+129?Opendocument |publisher=State of Delaware |access-date=May 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310075049legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS144.NSF/vwLegislation/SB+129?Opendocument |archive-date=March 10, 2010 |url-status=live}}, assigned on June 13, 2007, to Senate Education Committee.{{citation |title=HB 436 |url=http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS143.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+436?Opendocument |url-status=live |publisher=State of Delaware |access-date=May 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310075025legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS143.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+436?Opendocument |archive-date=March 10, 2010}}, stricken on June 15, 2006, Neither bill was passed in the legislature.Sexual orientation
A 2012 Gallup poll found that Delaware’s proportion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults stood at 3.4% of the population. This constitutes a total LGBT adult population estimate of 23,698 people. The number of same-sex couple households in 2010 stood at 2,646. This grew by 41.65% from a decade earlier.WEB, February 15, 2013, LGBT Percentage Highest in D.C., Lowest in North Dakota,news.gallup.com/poll/160517/lgbt-percentage-highest-lowest-north-dakota.aspx, November 18, 2020, Gallup.com, {{nonspecific|date=November 2013}} On July 1, 2013, same-sex marriage was legalized, and all civil unions would be converted into marriages.NEWS, Ford, Zack, May 7, 2013, BREAKING: Delaware To Become 11th State With Marriage Equality, Think Progress,thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/05/07/1975311/breaking-delaware-to-become-11th-state-with-marriage-equality/, dead,web.archive.org/web/20140407083938/https://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/05/07/1975311/breaking-delaware-to-become-11th-state-with-marriage-equality/, April 7, 2014,Religion
{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Religion in Delaware per the Public Religion Research Institute’s 2022 American Values Atlas survey{{efn|Note: there is a glitch surrounding the display of Delaware’s religious tradition data on Public Religion Research Institute. Click the “list” option if results show “N/A”. Do not remove pie chart.}}WEB, Staff, February 24, 2023, 2022 American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition,ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-DE, April 15, 2023, Public Religion Research Institute, April 4, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-DE, dead,Economy
{{See also|Economy of Delaware|Delaware locations by per capita income}}{{For|taxes|#Taxation}}Affluence{| class“wikitable” style@float: right; margin: 10px”
Agriculture
File:Peach delaware.jpg|thumb|Picking Peaches in Delaware, an illustration in an 1878 issue of Harper’s WeeklyHarper’s WeeklyDelaware’s agricultural output consists of poultry, nursery stock, soybeans, dairy products and corn.Industries
{{as of|2019|October|}}, the state’s unemployment rate was 3.7%.WEB,www.bls.gov/eag/eag.de.htm, Delaware Economy at a Glance, database report, United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 10, 2015,www.bls.gov/eag/eag.de.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20150315161346www.bls.gov/eag/eag.de.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20150315161346www.bls.gov/eag/eag.de.htm, March 15, 2015, live, The state’s largest employers are:{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}- government (State of Delaware, New Castle County)
- education (University of Delaware, Delaware Technical Community College)
- banking (Bank of America, M&T Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank)
- chemical, pharmaceutical, technology (DuPont de Nemours Inc., AstraZeneca, Syngenta, Agilent Technologies)
- healthcare (ChristianaCare (Christiana Hospital), Bayhealth Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware)
- farming, specifically chicken farming in Sussex County (Perdue Farms, Mountaire Farms, Allen Family Foods)
- retail (Walmart, Walgreens, Acme Markets)
Industrial decline
Since the mid-2000s, Delaware has seen the departure of the state’s automotive manufacturing industry (General Motors Wilmington Assembly and Chrysler Newark Assembly), the corporate buyout of a major bank holding company (MBNA), the departure of the state’s steel industry (Evraz Claymont Steel), the bankruptcy of a fiber mill (National Vulcanized Fiber),WEB,www.delawareonline.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/04/22/national-vulcanized-fibre-corp-site-in-yorklyn/26175401/, December 12, 2015, National Vulcanized Fibre Corp. site in Yorklyn,web.archive.org/web/20180803220420/https://www.delawareonline.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/04/22/national-vulcanized-fibre-corp-site-in-yorklyn/26175401/, August 3, 2018, live, and the diminishing presence of AstraZeneca in Wilmington.WEB,www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/11/19/astrazeneca-lays-off-workers-delaware-headquarters/76048454/, AstraZeneca lays off workers at Delaware headquarters, December 12, 2015,www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/11/19/astrazeneca-lays-off-workers-delaware-headquarters/76048454/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160205095218www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/11/19/astrazeneca-lays-off-workers-delaware-headquarters/76048454/,">web.archive.org/web/20160205095218www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/11/19/astrazeneca-lays-off-workers-delaware-headquarters/76048454/, February 5, 2016, live, WEB,www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/02/20/delaware-officials-concerned-astrazeneca-dupont-threats/23763597/, Delaware officials concerned about AstraZeneca, DuPont threats, December 12, 2015,www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/02/20/delaware-officials-concerned-astrazeneca-dupont-threats/23763597/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160205095218www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/02/20/delaware-officials-concerned-astrazeneca-dupont-threats/23763597/,">web.archive.org/web/20160205095218www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/02/20/delaware-officials-concerned-astrazeneca-dupont-threats/23763597/, February 5, 2016, live, In late 2015, DuPont announced that 1,700 employees, nearly a third of its footprint in Delaware, would be laid off in early 2016.WEB, DuPont to cut 1,700 jobs in Delaware in January, December 29, 2015,www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/DuPont-to-cut-1700-jobs-in-Delaware-this-winter.html, December 29, 2015,www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/DuPont-to-cut-1700-jobs-in-Delaware-this-winter.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151231231119www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/DuPont-to-cut-1700-jobs-in-Delaware-this-winter.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151231231119www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/DuPont-to-cut-1700-jobs-in-Delaware-this-winter.html, December 31, 2015, live, The merger of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and Dow Chemical Company into DowDuPont took place on September 1, 2017.WEB, DuPont merger called ‘catastrophic’ for Delaware,www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/delaware/89056-dupont-merger-called-catastrophic-for-delaware, December 12, 2015,www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/delaware/89056-dupont-merger-called-catastrophic-for-delaware," title="web.archive.org/web/20151217064717www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/delaware/89056-dupont-merger-called-catastrophic-for-delaware,">web.archive.org/web/20151217064717www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/delaware/89056-dupont-merger-called-catastrophic-for-delaware, December 17, 2015, dead, WEB, DuPont merger: A ‘sad day’ for Delaware,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/12/11/dupont-and-dow-combine-merger/77138022/, December 12, 2015,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/12/11/dupont-and-dow-combine-merger/77138022/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160131030704www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/12/11/dupont-and-dow-combine-merger/77138022/,">web.archive.org/web/20160131030704www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/12/11/dupont-and-dow-combine-merger/77138022/, January 31, 2016, live, WEB, DuPont-Dow merger ‘catastrophic’ for Delaware,www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/11/dupont-dow-merger-catastrophic-delaware-markell.html, December 12, 2015,www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/11/dupont-dow-merger-catastrophic-delaware-markell.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20151231231119www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/11/dupont-dow-merger-catastrophic-delaware-markell.html,">web.archive.org/web/20151231231119www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/11/dupont-dow-merger-catastrophic-delaware-markell.html, December 31, 2015, live, WEB, Chemours will lay off 400, including some in Delaware,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/11/30/chemours-lays-off-400-workers-including-some-delaware/76580028/, December 12, 2015,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/11/30/chemours-lays-off-400-workers-including-some-delaware/76580028/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160203144602www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/11/30/chemours-lays-off-400-workers-including-some-delaware/76580028/,">web.archive.org/web/20160203144602www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/11/30/chemours-lays-off-400-workers-including-some-delaware/76580028/, February 3, 2016, live,Incorporation in Delaware
More than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies, and 63% of the Fortune 500, are incorporated in Delaware.WEB,corp.delaware.gov/, Delaware Division of Corporations, Government of DE, June 10, 2012,corp.delaware.gov/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110810011523corp.delaware.gov/,">web.archive.org/web/20110810011523corp.delaware.gov/, August 10, 2011, live, The state’s attractiveness as a corporate haven is largely because of its business-friendly corporation law. Franchise taxes on Delaware corporations supply about a fifth of the state’s revenue.WEB,finance.delaware.gov/publications/fiscal_notebook_07/Section02/sec2page24.pdf, Delaware 2007 Fiscal Notebook—State General Fund Revenues by Category (F.Y. 2002–2005), August 17, 2011, dead,finance.delaware.gov/publications/fiscal_notebook_07/Section02/sec2page24.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20110816093426finance.delaware.gov/publications/fiscal_notebook_07/Section02/sec2page24.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20110816093426finance.delaware.gov/publications/fiscal_notebook_07/Section02/sec2page24.pdf, August 16, 2011, Although “USA (Delaware)” ranked as the world’s most opaque jurisdiction on the Tax Justice Network’s 2009 Financial Secrecy Index,NEWS, Financial Secrecy Index, Tax Justice Network, November 1, 2009,www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2009/FSI-2009/FSI%20-%20Rankings%20-%202009.pdf, June 24, 2015,www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2009/FSI-2009/FSI%20-%20Rankings%20-%202009.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20150626125234www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2009/FSI-2009/FSI%20-%20Rankings%20-%202009.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20150626125234www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2009/FSI-2009/FSI%20-%20Rankings%20-%202009.pdf, June 26, 2015, dead, the same group’s 2011 Index ranks the U.S. fifth and does not specify Delaware.NEWS, Financial Secrecy Index, Tax Justice Network, October 4, 2011,www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2011/FSI-2011/FSI-Rankings.pdf, June 24, 2015,www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2011/FSI-2011/FSI-Rankings.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20150404031914www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2011/FSI-2011/FSI-Rankings.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20150404031914www.financialsecrecyindex.com/Archive2011/FSI-2011/FSI-Rankings.pdf, April 4, 2015, dead, In Delaware, there are more than a million registered corporations,WEB,corp.delaware.gov/, State of Delaware—Division of Corporations, June 10, 2012,corp.delaware.gov/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110810011523corp.delaware.gov/,">web.archive.org/web/20110810011523corp.delaware.gov/, August 10, 2011, live, meaning there are more corporations than people.Food and drink
s:Delaware Code/Title 4/Chapter 7|Title 4, chapter 7 of the Delaware Code]] stipulates that alcoholic liquor be sold only in specifically licensed establishments, and only between 9:00{{spaces}}a.m. and 1:00{{spaces}}a.m.WEB,delcode.delaware.gov/title4/c007/, June 26, 2013,delcode.delaware.gov/title4/c007/," title="web.archive.org/web/20130626194611delcode.delaware.gov/title4/c007/,">web.archive.org/web/20130626194611delcode.delaware.gov/title4/c007/, Chapter 7. Regulatory Provisions, September 13, 2011, Online Delaware Code, Delaware General Assembly, Until 2003, Delaware was among the several states enforcing blue laws and banned the sale of liquor on Sunday.NEWS, Aaron, Nathans, Del. package stores hope to benefit from Md. tax, The News Journal, New Castle, Delaware, July 9, 2011,www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011107100328,www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011107100328," title="web.archive.org/web/20120821195354www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011107100328,">web.archive.org/web/20120821195354www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011107100328, August 21, 2012, July 10, 2011, live,Media
Newspapers
Two daily newspapers are based in Delaware, the Delaware State News, based in Dover and covering the two southern counties, and The News Journal covering Wilmington and northern Delaware. The state is also served by several weekly, monthly and online publications.Television
No standalone television stations are based solely in Delaware. The northern part of the state is served by network stations in Philadelphia and the southern part by network stations in Salisbury, Maryland. Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate, WPVI-TV, maintains a news bureau in downtown Wilmington. Salisbury’s CBS affiliate, WBOC-TV, maintains bureaus in Dover and Milton. Three Philadelphia-market stations—PBS member WHYY-TV, Ion affiliate WPPX, and MeTV affiliate WDPN-TV—all have Wilmington as their city of license, but maintain transmitters at the market antenna farm in Roxborough, Philadelphia and do not produce any Delaware-centric programming.{{Philly TV}}Radio
There are a numerous radio stations licensed in Delaware. WDEL 1150AM, WHGE-LP 95.3 FM, WILM 1450 AM, WVCW 99.5, WMPH 91.7 FM, WSTW 93.7 FM, WTMC 1380 AM and WWTX 1290AM are licensed from Wilmington. WRDX 92.9 FM is licensed from Smyrna. WDOV 1410AM, WDSD 94.7 FM and WRTX 91.7 FM are licensed from Dover.Tourism
File:Rehoboth Beach looking north at Delaware Avenue August 2021.jpeg|thumb|Rehoboth Beach, a popular vacation spot during the summer months]]File:Fort Delaware LOC 384066pu.jpg|thumb|Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island, a popular spot during the spring and summer; a ferry takes visitors to the fort from nearby Delaware City.]]Delaware is home to First State National Historical Park, a National Park Service unit composed of historic sites across the state including the New Castle Court House, Green, and Sheriff’s House, Dover Green, Beaver Valley, Fort Christina, Old Swedes’ Church, John Dickinson Plantation, and the Ryves Holt House.WEB, First State National Historical Park-Frequently Asked Questions, National Park Service,www.nps.gov/frst/faqs.htm, June 20, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190620213847/https://www.nps.gov/frst/faqs.htm, June 20, 2019, live, Delaware has several museums, (:Category:National Wildlife Refuges in Delaware|wildlife refuges), (:Category:Parks in Delaware|parks), (:Category:Houses in Delaware|houses), (:Category:Lighthouses in Delaware|lighthouses), and other (:Category:National Register of Historic Places in Delaware|historic places).Rehoboth Beach, together with the towns of Lewes, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island, comprise Delaware’s beach resorts. Rehoboth Beach often bills itself as “The Nation’s Summer Capital” because it is a frequent summer vacation destination for Washington, D.C., residents as well as visitors from Maryland, Virginia, and in lesser numbers, Pennsylvania. Vacationers are drawn for many reasons, including the town’s charm, artistic appeal, nightlife, and tax-free shopping. According to SeaGrant Delaware, the Delaware beaches generate $6.9{{spaces}}billion annually and over $711{{spaces}}million in tax revenue.WEB, The Contribution of The Coastal Economy to the State of Delaware, SeaGrant Delaware,www.deseagrant.org/research/contribution-coastal-economy-state-delaware, April 1, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170402082704/https://www.deseagrant.org/research/contribution-coastal-economy-state-delaware, April 2, 2017, dead, Delaware is home to several festivals, fairs, and events. Some of the more notable festivals are the Riverfest held in Seaford, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin formerly held at various locations throughout the state since 1986, the Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral to mark the end of summer, the Apple Scrapple Festival held in Bridgeville, the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington, the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, the Sea Witch Halloween Festival and Parade in Rehoboth Beach, the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, the Nanticoke Indian Pow Wow in Oak Orchard, Firefly Music Festival, and the Return Day Parade held after every election in Georgetown.In 2015, tourism in Delaware generated $3.1{{spaces}}billion, which makes up five percent of the state’s GDP. Delaware saw 8.5{{spaces}}million visitors in 2015, with the tourism industry employing 41,730 people, making it the 4th largest private employer in the state. Major origin markets for Delaware tourists include Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, with 97% of tourists arriving to the state by car and 75% of tourists coming from a distance of {{convert|200|mi|km}} or less.WEB, The Value of Tourism 2015, Visit Delaware,www.visitsoutherndelaware.com/sites/default/files/The_Value_of_Tourism_2015_5e45388c-8bcf-428e-a246-8fbb26f6bb1d.pdf, February 6, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180207123022/https://www.visitsoutherndelaware.com/sites/default/files/The_Value_of_Tourism_2015_5e45388c-8bcf-428e-a246-8fbb26f6bb1d.pdf, February 7, 2018, dead, Delaware is also home to two large sporting venues. Dover Motor Speedway is a race track in Dover, and Frawley Stadium in Wilmington is the home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, a Minor League Baseball team that is currently affiliated with the Washington Nationals.Education
File:UDel Memorial and Magnolia Circle.JPG|thumb|The University of Delaware in Newark ]]In the early 1920s, Pierre S. du Pont served as president of the state board of education. At the time, state law prohibited money raised from white taxpayers from being used to support the state’s schools for black children. Appalled by the condition of the black schools, du Pont donated four million dollars to construct 86 new school buildings.BOOK, Okrent, Daniel, Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, 2010, Scribner, 978-0743277020, loc 5645(Kindle), Daniel Okrent, Delaware was the origin of Belton v. Gebhart (1952), one of the four cases which were combined into Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court of the United States decision that led to the end of officially segregated public schools. Significantly, Belton was the only case in which the state court found for the plaintiffs, thereby ruling that segregation is unconstitutional.Unlike many states, Delaware’s educational system is centralized in a state Superintendent of Education, with local school boards retaining control over taxation and some curriculum decisions. This centralized system, combined with the small size of the state, likely contributed to Delaware becoming the first state, after completion of a three-year, $30{{spaces}}million program ending in 1999, to wire every K-12 classroom in the state to the Internet.CONFERENCE, Millard, Sandra K., October 29, 1999, University of Delaware Library / Statewide K–12 Partnership Providing Online Resources and Training: UDLib/SEARCH,archive.org/details/ERIC_ED450718/, EDUCAUSE ‘99, Long Beach, CA, Internet Archive, {{As of|2011}}, the Delaware Department of Education had authorized the founding of 25 charter schools in the state, one of them being all-girls.NEWS, Dobo, Nichole, Delaware schools: Checkered past goes unchecked, June 13, 2011, The News Journal,www.delawareonline.com/article/20110612/NEWS03/106120369/-1/NLETTER01/Checkered-past-goes-unchecked?source=nletter-news, June 12, 2011,www.delawareonline.com/article/20110612/NEWS03/106120369/-1/NLETTER01/Checkered-past-goes-unchecked?source=nletter-news," title="web.archive.org/web/20110623091720www.delawareonline.com/article/20110612/NEWS03/106120369/-1/NLETTER01/Checkered-past-goes-unchecked?source=nletter-news,">web.archive.org/web/20110623091720www.delawareonline.com/article/20110612/NEWS03/106120369/-1/NLETTER01/Checkered-past-goes-unchecked?source=nletter-news, June 23, 2011, dead, All teachers in the State’s public school districts are unionized.NEWS, Dobo, Nichole, January 19, 2012, 2012, Charter votes to join union, The News Journal, delawareonline, January 19, 2012,www.delawareonline.com/article/20120119/NEWS03/201190345/-1/NLETTER01/Charter-votes-to-join-union,www.delawareonline.com/article/20120119/NEWS03/201190345/-1/NLETTER01/Charter-votes-to-join-union," title="web.archive.org/web/20150609103243www.delawareonline.com/article/20120119/NEWS03/201190345/-1/NLETTER01/Charter-votes-to-join-union,">web.archive.org/web/20150609103243www.delawareonline.com/article/20120119/NEWS03/201190345/-1/NLETTER01/Charter-votes-to-join-union, June 9, 2015, live, {{As of|January 2012}}, none of the State’s charter schools are members of a teachers union. One of the State’s teachers’ unions is Delaware State Education Association (DSEA).Colleges and universities
- Delaware College of Art and Design
- Delaware State University
- Delaware Technical & Community College
- Goldey-Beacom College
- University of Delaware—Ranked 63rd in the U.S. and in top 201–250 in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018)
- Widener University School of Law
- Wilmington University
Transportation
File:1969 Delaware license plate 000000 sample.jpg|thumb|Delaware’s license plate design, introduced in 1959, is the longest-running one in U.S. history.JOURNAL, Auto tag No. 6 likely to sell for $1 million, Harlow, Summer, The News Journal, January 20, 2008,www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/NEWS/801200351&template=printart,www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080120%2FNEWS%2F801200351&template=printart," title="web.archive.org/web/20150923213454www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080120%2FNEWS%2F801200351&template=printart,">web.archive.org/web/20150923213454www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080120%2FNEWS%2F801200351&template=printart, dead, September 23, 2015, ]]The transportation system in Delaware is under the governance and supervision of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).WEB,www.deldot.gov/index.shtml, State of Delaware Department of Transportation, June 30, 2006, State of Delaware,www.deldot.gov/index.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20060701234021www.deldot.gov/index.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20060701234021www.deldot.gov/index.shtml, July 1, 2006, live, BOOK, Staff (Delaware Department of Transportation Public Relations), 2005, Delaware Transportation Facts 2005, DelDOT Division of Planning,www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2005/2005_deldot_fact_book.pdf, dead,www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2005/2005_deldot_fact_book.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20080909223639www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2005/2005_deldot_fact_book.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20080909223639www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2005/2005_deldot_fact_book.pdf, September 9, 2008, Funding for DelDOT projects is drawn, in part, from the Delaware Transportation Trust Fund, established in 1987 to help stabilize transportation funding; the availability of the Trust led to a gradual separation of DelDOT operations from other Delaware state operations.NEWS, Montgomery, Jeff, January 29, 2011, Crisis ahead on Delaware roads, The News Journal, delawareonline, January 29, 2012,www.delawareonline.com/article/20120129/NEWS/201290341/-1/NLETTER01/Crisis-ahead-on-Delaware-roads,www.delawareonline.com/article/20120129/NEWS/201290341/-1/NLETTER01/Crisis-ahead-on-Delaware-roads," title="web.archive.org/web/20150609105718www.delawareonline.com/article/20120129/NEWS/201290341/-1/NLETTER01/Crisis-ahead-on-Delaware-roads,">web.archive.org/web/20150609105718www.delawareonline.com/article/20120129/NEWS/201290341/-1/NLETTER01/Crisis-ahead-on-Delaware-roads, June 9, 2015, live, DelDOT manages programs such as a Delaware Adopt-a-Highway program, major road route snow removal, traffic control infrastructure (signs and signals), toll road management, Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, the Delaware Transit Corporation (branded as “DART First State”, the state government public transportation organization), and others.In 2009, DelDOT maintained 13,507 lane-miles, totaling 89 percent of the state’s public roadway system, the rest being under the supervision of individual municipalities. This far exceeds the national average (20 percent) for state department of transportation maintenance responsibility.BOOK, Delaware Transportation Facts, Delaware Department of Transportation, 2009,www.deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2009/2009_fact_book.pdf, April 16, 2012, dead,deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2009/2009_fact_book.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20120511185126deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2009/2009_fact_book.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20120511185126deldot.gov/information/pubs_forms/fact_book/pdf/2009/2009_fact_book.pdf, May 11, 2012,Roads
{{Further|Delaware State Route System}}File:DE 1 NB from DE 299 overpass.jpeg|thumb|Delaware Route 1 (DE{{spaces}}1) is a partial toll road linking Fenwick Island and Wilmington.]]One major branch of the U.S. Interstate Highway System, Interstate{{spaces}}95 (I-95), crosses Delaware southwest-to-northeast across New Castle County. Two Auxiliary Interstate Highway routes are also located in the state. Interstate 495 (I-495) is an eastern bypass of Wilmington. Interstate 295 (I-295) is a bypass of Philadelphia which begins south of Wilmington. In addition to Interstate highways, there are six U.S. highways that serve Delaware: U.S.{{spaces}}9, U.S.{{spaces}}13, U.S.{{spaces}}40, U.S.{{spaces}}113, U.S.{{spaces}}202, and U.S.{{spaces}}301. There are also several state highways that cross the state of Delaware; a few of them include DE{{spaces}}1, DE{{spaces}}9, and DE{{spaces}}404. U.S.{{spaces}}13 and DE{{spaces}}1 are primary north–south highways connecting Wilmington and Pennsylvania with Maryland, with DE{{spaces}}1 serving as the main route between Wilmington and the Delaware beaches. DE{{spaces}}9 is a north–south highway connecting Dover and Wilmington via a scenic route along the Delaware Bay. U.S.{{spaces}}40 is a primary east–west route, connecting Maryland with New Jersey. DE{{spaces}}404 is another primary east–west highway connecting the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland with the Delaware beaches. The state also operates three toll highways, the Delaware Turnpike, which is I-95, between Maryland and New Castle; the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, which is DE{{spaces}}1, between Wilmington and Dover; and the U.S. 301 toll road between the Maryland border and DE{{spaces}}1 in New Castle County.A bicycle route, Delaware Bicycle Route 1, spans the north–south length of the state from the Maryland border in Fenwick Island to the Pennsylvania border north of Montchanin. It is the first of several signed bike routes planned in Delaware.WEB,www.deldot.gov/information/projects/bike_and_ped/bike_facilities/pages/regional_routes.shtml, Delaware Department of Transportation, Projects: Delaware Bicycle Facility Master Plan, September 28, 2010,web.archive.org/web/20100918130554/https://www.deldot.gov/information/projects/bike_and_ped/bike_facilities/pages/regional_routes.shtml, September 18, 2010, dead, Delaware has about 875 bridges,WEB, Anderson, Craig, Delaware’s bridges ranked fourth in nation, Bay to Bay News, February 6, 2022,baytobaynews.com/stories/bridges,70418, February 14, 2024, 95 percent of which are under the supervision of DelDOT. About 30 percent of all Delaware bridges were built before 1950, and about 60 percent of the number are included in the National Bridge Inventory.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}} Some bridges not under DelDOT supervision includes the four bridges on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,WEB, Mace, Ben, DelDOT announces St. Georges Bridge to be closed 18 months for repairs, Delawareonline.com, January 27, 2023,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2023/01/27/deldot-announces-st-georges-bridge-to-be-closed-18-months-for-repairs/69847264007/, February 14, 2024, WEB, Philadelphia District Civil Works – Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, August 22, 2023,www.nap.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Chesapeake-Delaware-Canal/, {{sfnref, “margin-left:16px;“> Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2023, | access-date=February 14, 2024}} and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which is under the bi-state Delaware River and Bay Authority.WEB, Feliciano, Octavia, Delaware River and Bay Authority plans a new ferry fleet, Delaware Currents, April 21, 2023,delawarecurrents.org/2023/04/21/delaware-bay-ferries/, February 14, 2024, WEB, Perez-Gonzalez, Johnny, $71 million Delaware Memorial Bridge resurfacing project complete, WHYY, November 11, 2023,whyy.org/articles/delaware-memorial-bridge-resurfacing-project-finished/, February 14, 2024,
It has been noted that the tar and chip composition of secondary roads in Sussex County makes them more prone to deterioration than are the asphalt roadways in almost the rest of the state.NEWS, Wilmington, Delaware, Anything Once: On the road, taking plenty of pot shots, Justin Williams,www.delawareonline.com/article/20110417/NEWS02/304170008/-1/NLETTER01/On-the-road--taking-plenty-of-pot-shots, News Journal, April 17, 2011, DelawareOnline, April 17, 2011, {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Among these roads, Sussex (county road) 236 is among the most problematic.Ferries
File:MV Delaware DEE1.jpg|thumb|The Cape May–Lewes FerryCape May–Lewes FerryThree ferries operate in the state of Delaware:- Cape May–Lewes Ferry crosses the mouth of Delaware Bay between Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.
- Woodland Ferry (a cable ferry) crosses the Nanticoke River southwest of Seaford.
- Forts Ferry Crossing connects Delaware City with Fort Delaware and Fort Mott, New Jersey.
Rail and bus
{{Delaware rail network}}File:Wilmington Station from parking garage, July 2014.JPG|thumb|Wilmington Station in Wilmington ]]Amtrak has two stations in Delaware along the Northeast Corridor; the relatively quiet Newark Rail Station in Newark, and the busier Wilmington Station in Wilmington. The Northeast Corridor is also served by SEPTA’s Wilmington/Newark Line, part of SEPTA Regional Rail, which serves Claymont, Wilmington, Churchmans Crossing, and Newark.Two Class I railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX, provide freight rail service in northern New Castle County. Norfolk Southern provides freight service along the Northeast Corridor and to industrial areas in Edgemoor, New Castle, and Delaware City. CSX’s Philadelphia Subdivision passes through northern New Castle County parallel to the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Multiple short-line railroads provide freight service in Delaware. The Delmarva Central Railroad operates the most trackage of the short-line railroads, running from an interchange with Norfolk Southern in Porter south through Dover, Harrington, and Seaford to Delmar, with another line running from Harrington to Frankford and branches from Ellendale to Milton and from Georgetown to Gravel Hill. The Delmarva Central Railroad connects with the Maryland and Delaware Railroad, which serves local customers in Sussex County.WEB, Delmarva Central Railroad, Carload Express,carloadexpress.com/railroads/delmarva-central-railroad/, March 27, 2017, November 8, 2016,carloadexpress.com/railroads/delmarva-central-railroad/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170524215403carloadexpress.com/railroads/delmarva-central-railroad/,">web.archive.org/web/20170524215403carloadexpress.com/railroads/delmarva-central-railroad/, May 24, 2017, live, CSX connects with the freight/heritage operation, the Wilmington and Western Railroad, based in Wilmington and the East Penn Railroad, which operates a line from Wilmington to Coatesville, Pennsylvania.The last north–south passenger trains through the main part of Delaware was the Pennsylvania Railroad’s local Wilmington-Delmar train in 1965.Pennsylvania Railroad local division timetable, 1965Freight only: JOURNAL, Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 155, Official Guide of the Railways, National Railway Publication Company, 99, 7, December 1966, This was a successor to the Del-Mar-Va Express and Cavalier, which had run from Philadelphia through the state’s interior, to the end of the Delmarva Peninsula until the mid-1950s.{{Citation |first = Christopher T |last = Baer |title = Named Trains of The PRR Including Through Services |year = 2009 |url =www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR%20NAMED%20TRAINS.pdf |publisher = PRRTHS |access-date = July 25, 2013 |archive-url =www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR%20NAMED%20TRAINS.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20131014024426www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR%20NAMED%20TRAINS.pdf">web.archive.org/web/20131014024426www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR%20NAMED%20TRAINS.pdf |archive-date = October 14, 2013 |url-status = live }}All named trains were gone by the end of 1957 JOURNAL, Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 65, Official Guide of the Railways, National Railway Publication Company, 90, 7, December 1957, The DART First State public transportation system was named “Most Outstanding Public Transportation System” in 2003 by the American Public Transportation Association. Coverage of the system is broad within northern New Castle County with close association to major highways in Kent and Sussex counties. The system includes bus, subsidized passenger rail operated by Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA, and subsidized taxi and paratransit modes. The paratransit system, consisting of a statewide door-to-door bus service for the elderly and disabled, has been described by a Delaware state report as “the most generous paratransit system in the United States”. {{As of|2012}}, fees for the paratransit service have not changed since 1988.Air
{{See also|Aviation in Delaware}}{{As of|2023}}, Delaware is served exclusively by Avelo Airlines out of Wilmington Airport, launching five routes to Florida on February 1.NEWS, Rains, Taylor, 2022-10-22, The only US state without commercial airline service is getting 5 new routes to Florida next year — see the full list,www.businessinsider.com/low-cost-startup-launching-5-new-routes-abandoned-delaware-list-2022-10, Business Insider, 2023-02-01, WEB,twitter.com/AveloAir/status/1620846236382134279, Avelo Airlines on Twitter: “âœˆï¸ Hello, Delaware! Today marks Avelo’s inaugural flight @FlyILG, the opening of our fourth base, and the return of commercial air service to Delaware! Avelo + Wilmington, DE = 😔, Avelo Airlines, 2023-02-01, Twitter, 2023-02-01, This put an end to an eight-month period during which Delaware had no scheduled air service, one of several since 1991.See Wilmington Airport for history and details. Various airlines had served Wilmington Airport, the latest departure being Frontier Airlines in June 2022.NEWS, Rains, Taylor, 2022-05-16, Frontier Airlines is ending flights to Delaware, leaving the state without any airline service,www.businessinsider.com/delaware-to-become-the-only-state-without-airline-service-2022-5, Business Insider, 2023-02-01, Delaware is centrally situated in the Northeast megalopolis region of cities along I-95. Therefore, Delaware commercial airline passengers most frequently use Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) for domestic and international transit. Residents of Sussex County will also use Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY), as it is located less than {{convert|10|mi|km}} from the Delaware border. Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) are also within a {{convert|100|mi|km|adj=on}} radius of New Castle County.Other general aviation airports in Delaware include Summit Airport near Middletown, Delaware Airpark near Cheswold, and Delaware Coastal Airport near Georgetown.Dover Air Force Base, one of the largest in the country, is home to the 436th Airlift Wing and the 512th Airlift Wing. In addition to its other responsibilities in the Air Mobility Command, it serves as the entry point and mortuary for U.S. military personnel (and some civilians) who die overseas.Law and government
Delaware’s fourth and current constitution, adopted in 1897, provides for executive, judicial and legislative branches.WEB, The Delaware Constitution of 1897 as amended,delcode.delaware.gov/constitution/, State of Delaware, August 22, 2016,www.delcode.delaware.gov/constitution/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160908150654www.delcode.delaware.gov/constitution/,">web.archive.org/web/20160908150654www.delcode.delaware.gov/constitution/, September 8, 2016, dead,Legislative branch
File:Delaware State Capitol.jpg|right|thumb|The Delaware General Assembly meets in Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover.]]The Delaware General Assembly consists of a House of Representatives with 41 members and a Senate with 21 members. It sits in Dover, the state capital. Representatives are elected to two-year terms, while senators are elected to four-year terms. The Senate confirms judicial and other nominees appointed by the governor.Delaware’s U.S. Senators are Tom Carper (Democrat) and Chris Coons (Democrat). Delaware’s single U.S. Representative is Lisa Blunt Rochester (Democrat).Judicial branch
The Delaware Constitution establishes a number of courts:- The Delaware Supreme Court is the state’s highest court.
- The Delaware Superior Court is the state’s trial court of general jurisdiction.
- The Delaware Court of Chancery deals primarily in corporate disputes.
- The Family Court handles domestic and custody matters.
- The Delaware Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over a limited class of civil and criminal matters.
Executive branch
{{See also|List of governors of Delaware}}The executive branch is headed by the Governor of Delaware. The current governor is John Carney (Democrat), who took office January 17, 2017. The lieutenant governor is Bethany Hall-Long. The governor presents a “State of the State” speech to a joint session of the Delaware legislature annually.WEB,www.delawarestatehouse.com/, 2010, Delaware House of Representatives Minority Caucus,www.delawarestatehouse.com/," title="web.archive.org/web/20090416030742www.delawarestatehouse.com/,">web.archive.org/web/20090416030742www.delawarestatehouse.com/, April 16, 2009, January 24, 2001, live, The executive branch also consists of the Attorney General of Delaware currently held by Kathy Jennings, the State Treasurer currently held by Colleen Davis, the Auditor of Accounts currently held by Lydia York and the Insurance Commissioner currently held by Trinidad Navarro.Counties
Delaware is subdivided into three counties; from north to south they are New Castle, Kent and Sussex. This is the fewest among all states. Each county elects its own legislative body (known in New Castle and Sussex counties as County Council, and in Kent County as Levy Court), which deal primarily in zoning and development issues. Most functions which are handled on a county-by-county basis in other states—such as court and law enforcement—have been centralized in Delaware, leading to a significant concentration of power in the Delaware state government. The counties were historically divided into hundreds, which were used as tax reporting and voting districts until the 1960s, but now serve no administrative role, their only current official legal use being in real estate title descriptions.WEB,history.delaware.gov/museums/vc/vc_hundreds.shtml, The Hundreds of Delaware, Department of State: Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Delaware State Archives, September 28, 2010, dead,history.delaware.gov/museums/vc/vc_hundreds.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20100617061234history.delaware.gov/museums/vc/vc_hundreds.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20100617061234history.delaware.gov/museums/vc/vc_hundreds.shtml, June 17, 2010,Politics
File:Joe Biden presidential portrait (cropped).jpg|thumb|Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States and a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009]]The Democratic Party holds a plurality of registrations in Delaware. Currently, Democrats hold all positions of authority in Delaware, as well as majorities in the state Senate and House. The Democrats have held the governorship since 1993, having won the last seven gubernatorial elections. Democrats presently hold all the nine statewide elected offices, while the Republicans last won any statewide offices in 2014, State Auditor and State Treasurer.During the First and Second Party Systems, Delaware was a stronghold for the Federalist and Whig Parties, respectively. After a relatively brief adherence to the Democratic Solid South following the US Civil War, Delaware became a Republican-leaning state from 1896 through 1948, voting for losing Republicans Charles Evans Hughes in 1916, Herbert Hoover in 1932, and Thomas Dewey in 1948.During the second half of the 20th century, Delaware was a bellwether state, voting for the winner of every presidential election from 1952 through 1996. Delaware’s bellwether status came to an end when Delaware voted for Al Gore in 2000 by 13%. Subsequent elections have continued to demonstrate Delaware’s current strong Democratic lean: John Kerry carried the First State by 8% in 2004; Barack Obama carried it by 25% and by 19% in his two elections of 2008 and 2012; and Hillary Clinton carried it by 11% as she lost the Electoral College in 2016. In 2020, Delaware native (and Barack Obama’s former vice president and running mate) Joe Biden headed the Democratic ticket; he carried his home state by just shy of 19% en route to a national 4.5% win.NEWS, November 3, 2020, Delaware Election Results, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-delaware.html, The dominant factor in Delaware’s political shift has been the strong Democratic trend in heavily urbanized New Castle County, home to 55% of Delaware’s population. New Castle County has not voted Republican in a presidential election since 1988, and has given Democrats over 60% of its vote in every election from 2004 on. In 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2016, the Republican presidential candidate carried both Kent and Sussex but lost by double digits each time in New Castle County, which was a large enough margin to tip the state to the Democrats. New Castle County also elects a substantial majority of the state legislature; 27 of the 41 state house districts and 14 of the 21 state senate districts are based in New Castle County.In a 2020 study, Delaware was ranked as the 18th hardest state for citizens to vote in.JOURNAL, J. Pomante II, Michael, Li, Quan, Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020, Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy, December 15, 2020, 19, 4, 503–509, 10.1089/elj.2020.0666, 225139517, free,Freedom of information
{{See also|Freedom of information in the United States#State legislation}}Each of the 50 states of the United States has passed some form of freedom of information legislation, which provides a mechanism for the general public to request information of the government.WEB,www.foiadvocates.com/records.html, State Public Record Laws, FOIAdvocates, In 2011 Delaware passed legislation placing a 15 business day time limit on addressing freedom-of-information requests, to either produce information or an explanation of why such information would take longer than this time to produce.{{Citation | last1 = Bennett | first1 = Rep. | first2 = Sen. | last2 = Peterson | first3 = Sen. | last3 = Katz | date = January 6, 2011 | publication-date = April 15, 2011 | contribution = An Act to Amend Title 29 of the Delaware Code Relating to the Freedom of Information Act | access-date = April 22, 2011 | contribution-url =legis.delaware.gov/lis/lis146.nsf/vwlegislation/HB+5 | edition = online | title = Delaware Code | volume = 78 | at = 10 | id = House Bill # 5 | url =legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis146.nsf/vwLegislation/HB+5/ | archive-url =legis.delaware.gov/lis/lis146.nsf/vwlegislation/HB+5" title="web.archive.org/web/20111002095945legis.delaware.gov/lis/lis146.nsf/vwlegislation/HB+5">web.archive.org/web/20111002095945legis.delaware.gov/lis/lis146.nsf/vwlegislation/HB+5 | archive-date = October 2, 2011 | url-status = dead }} A bill aimed at restricting Freedom of Information Act requests, Senate Bill 155, was discussed in committee.WEB,delawarelive.com/speakers-at-senate-meeting-strongly-oppose-changing-foia/, Speakers at Senate meeting strongly oppose changing FOIA | Delaware Live News, June 9, 2021,Taxation
Tax is collected by the Delaware Division of Revenue.WEB,revenue.delaware.gov/, Division of Revenue—Department of Finance—State of Delaware, Division of Revenue—State of Delaware, Delaware has six different income tax brackets, ranging from 2.2% to 5.95%. The state does not assess sales tax on consumers. The state does, however, impose a tax on the gross receipts of most businesses. Business and occupational license tax rates range from 0.096% to 1.92%, depending on the category of business activity.Delaware does not assess a state-level tax on real or personal property. Real estate is subject to county property taxes, school district property taxes, vocational school district taxes, and, if located within an incorporated area, municipal property taxes.Gambling provides significant revenue to the state. For instance, the casino at Delaware Park Racetrack provided more than $100{{spaces}}million to the state in 2010.NEWS, Delaware crime: Wave of brazen attacks sounds alarm at casino, Chris, Barrish,www.delawareonline.com/article/20110423/NEWS01/104230342/-1/NLETTER01/Wave-of-brazen-attacks-sounds-alarm-at-casino, Wilmington, DE, April 23, 2011, Delaware Online, April 23, 2011,www.webcitation.org/5ygCHfM0y?url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110423/NEWS01/104230342/-1/NLETTER01/Wave-of-brazen-attacks-sounds-alarm-at-casino, May 14, 2011, 1st page of online article archived via link provided, live, In June 2018, Delaware became the first U.S. state to legalize sports betting following the Supreme Court ruling to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA).WEB,www.bestbettingsites.uk/news/sports-betting/delaware-becomes-first-state-legalise-sports-betting.html, Delaware becomes the first state to legalise sports betting, June 22, 2018, June 2, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180622140539/https://www.bestbettingsites.uk/news/sports-betting/delaware-becomes-first-state-legalise-sports-betting.html, June 22, 2018, dead, 2024|April|lcy}}WEB, urelections.delaware.gov/candidates/regtotals.shtml, titleVoter Registration Totals - Delaware Department of Elections, access-dateMarch 3, 2023, url-statuslive, archive-urweb.archive.org/web/20220119195904/https://elections.delaware.gov/reports/regtotals/2022/vrt_PP20220101.pdf, archive-dateJanuary 19, 2022, “>Voter registration{| classwikitable2024|April|lcy}}WEB, urelections.delaware.gov/candidates/regtotals.shtml, titleVoter Registration Totals - Delaware Department of Elections, access-dateMarch 3, 2023, url-statuslive, archive-urweb.archive.org/web/20220119195904/https://elections.delaware.gov/reports/regtotals/2022/vrt_PP20220101.pdf, archive-dateJanuary 19, 2022,
Culture and entertainment
Festivals
Sports
File:2017 Apache Warrior 400 from turn 1.jpg|thumb|NASCAR racing at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover ]]- Professional teams{| class=“wikitable”
!Team!Sport!League |Delaware Black Foxes|Rugby League|USA Rugby League |Delaware Blue Coats|Basketball|NBA G League |Delaware Thunder Ice hockey>Hockey|Federal Prospects Hockey League |Diamond State Roller Girls|Roller derby|Women’s Flat Track Derby Association |Wilmington Blue Rocks|Baseball|High-A East As Delaware has no franchises in the major American professional sports leagues, many Delawareans follow either Philadelphia or Baltimore teams. In the WNBA, the Washington Mystics enjoy a major following due to the presence of Wilmington native and University of Delaware product Elena Delle Donne. The University of Delaware’s football team has a large following throughout the state, with the Delaware State University and Wesley College teams also enjoying a smaller degree of support.Delaware is home to Dover Motor Speedway and Bally’s Dover. Dover Motor Speedway, also known as the Monster Mile, is one of only 10 tracks in the nation to have hosted 100 or more NASCAR Cup Series races. Bally’s Dover is a popular harness racing facility. It is the only co-located horse- and car-racing facility in the nation, with the Bally’s Dover track located inside the Dover Motor Speedway track.Delaware is represented in rugby by the Delaware Black Foxes, a 2015 expansion club.Delaware has been home to professional wrestling outfit Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). CZW has been affiliated with the annual Tournament of Death and ECWA with its annual Super{{spaces}}8 Tournament.Delaware’s official state sport is bicycling.WEB,www.legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS147.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+235, An Act to Amend Title 29 of the Delaware Code Relating to the Designation of a State Sport, July 7, 2016,www.legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS147.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+235," title="web.archive.org/web/20160303213444www.legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS147.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+235,">web.archive.org/web/20160303213444www.legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS147.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+235, March 3, 2016, live,Foreign Affairs
Sister State
Delaware has had a foreign sister state in Japan, named Miyagi Prefecture.WEB, McDowell, Sen. McBride, Rep. George, March 22, 2011, March 23, 2011, Mourning Those Lost in the Recent Earthquake and Related Disasters that have Befallen Japan, and Expressing the Thoughts and Prayers of All Delawareans for the Citizens of Our Sister State of Miyagi Prefecture During These Difficult Times, April 22, 2011, Senate Joint Resolution # 3,legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS146.NSF/vwlegislation/58CC58989B6361AD8525785B005381FB,legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS146.NSF/vwlegislation/58CC58989B6361AD8525785B005381FB," title="web.archive.org/web/20111002100208legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS146.NSF/vwlegislation/58CC58989B6361AD8525785B005381FB,">web.archive.org/web/20111002100208legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS146.NSF/vwlegislation/58CC58989B6361AD8525785B005381FB, October 2, 2011, live, These two have shared relations since 1997, and have had exchange programs available for students that were briefly paused in wake of the earthquake and the tsunami that ensued in the prefecture during March 2011.WEB, Prado, Antonio, Delaware’s sister state in Japan, Miyagi Prefecture, thanks Diamond State for help,www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2012/01/24/delaware-s-sister-state-in/63999237007/, 2024-02-05, The News Journal, en-US,Delawareans
Prominent Delawareans include the du Pont family of politicians and businesspersons, and the 46th and current president of the United States Joe Biden, whose family moved to Delaware during his childhood, and who later represented Delaware for 36 years in the United States Senate before becoming the 47th vice president of the United States.See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}References
{{Reflist}}Bibliography
- {{Citation | first = Peter | last = Kolchin | title = American Slavery: 1619–1877 | place = New York | publisher = Hill & Wang | year = 1994}}
External links
{{Sister project links|voy=Delaware|Delaware}}History
- {{Citation | url =www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/delaware/ | title = Delaware State Guide | publisher = Library of Congress}}
General
- {{Citation | url =www.delaware.gov | title = State of Delaware | type = official website}}
- {{OSM relation|162110}}
- Delaware Tourism homepage
- datamil.delaware.gov/" title="web.archive.org/web/20080514074757datamil.delaware.gov/">Delaware Map Data
- tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=DE" title="web.archive.org/web/20080620004847tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=DE">Energy & Environmental Data for Delaware
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Delaware
- quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/10000.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20140222010344quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/10000.html">U.S. Census Bureau
- Delaware State Facts from USDA
- 2000 Census of Population and Housing for Delaware, U.S. Census Bureau
- {{Ballotpedia|Delaware|Delaware}}
- {{curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Delaware}}
- wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Delaware" title="web.archive.org/web/20080515221005wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Delaware">Delaware State Databases—Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Delaware state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association
- content above as imported from Wikipedia
- "Delaware" does not exist on GetWiki (yet)
- time: 3:57am EDT - Wed, May 22 2024
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