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Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington (Lenape: Paxahakink / Pakehakink) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area (synonymous with the Philadelphia metropolitan area). Wilmington was named by Proprietor Thomas Penn after his friend Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who was prime minister during the reign of George II of Great Britain.

As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 70,898. Wilmington is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area (which also includes Philadelphia, Reading, Camden, and other urban areas), which had a 2020 core metropolitan statistical area population of 6,228,601, representing the seventh largest metropolitan region in the nation, and a combined statistical area population of 7.366 million.

History
Wilmington is built on the site of Fort Christina and the settlement Kristinehamn, the first Swedish settlement in North America. The modern city also encompasses other Swedish settlements, such as Timmerön / Timber Island (along Brandywine Creek), Sidoland (South Wellington), Strandviken (along the Delaware River near Simonds Garden) and Översidolandet (along the Christina River, near Woodcrest and Ashley Heights).

The area now known as Wilmington was settled by the Lenape (or Delaware Indian) band led by Sachem (Chief) Mattahorn just before Henry Hudson sailed up the Len-api Hanna ("People Like Me River", present Delaware River) in 1609. The area was called "Maax-waas Unk" or "Bear Place" after the Maax-waas Hanna (Bear River) that flowed by (present Christina River). It was called the Bear River because it flowed west to the "Bear People", who are now known as the People of Conestoga or the Susquehannocks.

The Dutch heard and spelled the river and the place as Minguannan. When settlers and traders from the Swedish South Company under Peter Minuit arrived in March 1638 on the Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel, they purchased Maax-waas Unk from Chief Mattahorn and built Fort Christina at the mouth of the Maax-waas Hanna (which the Swedes renamed the Christina River after Queen Christina of Sweden). The area was also known as "The Rocks", and is located near the foot of present-day Seventh Street. Fort Christina served as the headquarters for the colony of New Sweden which consisted of, for the most part, the lower Delaware River region (parts of present-day Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey), but few colonists settled there. Dr. Timothy Stidham (Swedish:Timen Lulofsson Stiddem) was a prominent citizen and doctor in Wilmington. He was born in 1610, probably in Hammel, Denmark, and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. He arrived in New Sweden in 1654 and is recorded as the first physician in Delaware. The most important Swedish governor was Colonel Johan Printz, who ruled the colony under Swedish law from 1643 to 1653. He was succeeded by Johan Rising, who upon his arrival in 1654, seized the Dutch post Fort Casimir, located at the site of the present town of New Castle, which was built by the Dutch in 1651. Rising governed New Sweden until the autumn of 1655, when a Dutch fleet under the command of Peter Stuyvesant subjugated the Swedish forts and established the authority of the Colony of New Netherland throughout the area formerly controlled by the Swedes. This marked the end of Swedish rule in North America.

Beginning in 1664, British colonization began; after a series of wars between the Dutch and English, the area stabilized under British rule, with strong influences from the Quaker communities under the auspices of Proprietor William Penn. A borough charter was granted in 1739 by King George II, which changed the name of the settlement from Willington, after Thomas Willing (the first developer of the land, who organized the area in a grid pattern similar to that of its northern neighbor Philadelphia),  to Wilmington, presumably after the British Prime Minister Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who took his title from Wilmington, East Sussex, in southern England.

Although during the American Revolutionary War only one small battle was fought in Delaware, British troops occupied Wilmington shortly after the nearby Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. The British remained in the town until they vacated Philadelphia in 1778.

In 1800, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, a French Huguenot, emigrated to the United States. Knowledgeable in the manufacture of gunpowder, by 1802 DuPont had begun making the explosive in a mill on the Brandywine River north of Brandywine Village and just outside the town of Wilmington. The DuPont company became a major supplier to the U.S. military. Located on the banks of the Brandywine River, the village was eventually annexed by Wilmington city.

The greatest growth in the city occurred during the Civil War. Delaware, though officially remaining a member of the Union, was a border state and divided in its support of both the Confederate and the Union causes. The war created enormous demand for goods and materials supplied by Wilmington including ships, railroad cars, gunpowder, shoes, and other war-related goods.

By 1868, Wilmington was producing more iron ships than the rest of the country combined and it rated first in the production of gunpowder and second in carriages and leather. Due to the prosperity Wilmington enjoyed during the war, city merchants and manufacturers expanded Wilmington's residential boundaries westward in the form of large homes along tree-lined streets. This movement was spurred by the first horsecar line, which was initiated in 1864 along Delaware Avenue.

The late 19th century saw the development of the city's first comprehensive park system. William Poole Bancroft, a successful Wilmington businessman influenced by the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, led the effort to establish open parkland in Wilmington. Rockford Park and Brandywine Park were created due to Bancroft's efforts.

Both World Wars stimulated the city's industries. Industries vital to the war effort – shipyards, steel foundries, machinery, and chemical producers – operated around the clock. Other industries produced such goods as automobiles, leather products, and clothing. In desperate need of workers more and more minorities moved to the north and settled in places like Wilmington. This led to tensions that occasionally boiled over like the Wilmington, Delaware race riot of 1919.

The post-war prosperity again pushed residential development further out of the city. In the 1950s, more people began living in the suburbs of North Wilmington and commuting into the city to work. This was made possible by extensive upgrades to area roads and highways and through the construction of Interstate 95, which cut through several of Wilmington's neighborhoods and accelerated the city's population decline. Urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 1960s cleared entire blocks of housing in the Center City and East Side areas.

The Wilmington riot of 1968, a few days after the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., became national news. On April 9, Governor Charles L. Terry, Jr. deployed the National Guard and the Delaware State Police to the city at the request of Mayor John Babiarz. Babiarz asked Terry to withdraw the National Guard the following week, but the governor kept them in the city until his term ended in January 1969. This is reportedly the longest occupation of an American city by state forces in the nation's history.

In the 1980s, job growth and office construction were spurred by the arrival of national banks and financial institutions in the wake of the 1981 Financial Center Development Act, which liberalized the laws governing banks operating within the state, and similar laws in 1986. Today, many national and international banks, including Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, and Barclays, have operations in the city, typically credit card operations.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.0 mi2, of which 10.9 mi2 is land and 6.2 mi2 is water. The total area is 36.25% water.

The city sits at the confluence of the Christina and Delaware rivers, approximately 33 mi southwest of Philadelphia. Wilmington Train Station, one of the southernmost stops on Philadelphia's SEPTA rail transportation system, is also served by Northeast Corridor Amtrak passenger trains. Wilmington is served by I-95 and I-495 within city limits. In addition, the twin-span Delaware Memorial Bridge, a few miles south of the city, provides direct highway access between Delaware and New Jersey, carrying the I-295 eastern bypass route around Wilmington and Philadelphia, as well as US 40, which continues eastward to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

These transportation links and geographic proximity give Wilmington some of the characteristics of a satellite city to Philadelphia, but Wilmington's long history as Delaware's principal city, its urban core, and its independent value as a business destination makes it more properly considered a small but independent city in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Wilmington lies along the Fall Line geological transition from the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Plateau to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. East of Market Street, and along both sides of the Christina River, the Coastal Plain land is flat, low-lying, and in places marshy. The Delaware River here is an estuary at sea level (with twice-daily high and low tides), providing sea-level access for ocean-going ships.

On the western side of Market Street, the Piedmont topography is rocky and hilly, rising to a point that marks the watershed between the Brandywine River and the Christina River. This watershed line runs along Delaware Avenue westward from 10th Street and Market Street.

These contrasting topography and soil conditions affected the industrial and residential development patterns within the city. The hilly west side was more attractive for the original residential areas, offering springs and sites for mills, better air quality, and fewer mosquitoes.

Climate
Wilmington has a warm temperate climate or humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with hot and humid summers, cool to cold winters, and precipitation evenly spread throughout the year. In July, the daily average is 76.8 °F, with an average 21 days of 90 °F+ highs annually. Summer thunderstorms are common in the hottest months. The January daily average is 32.4 °F, although temperatures may occasionally reach 10 °F or 55 °F as fronts move toward and past the area. Snowfall is light to moderate, and variable, with some winters bringing very little of it and others witnessing several major snowstorms; the average seasonal total is 20.2 in. Extremes in temperature have ranged from -15 °F on February 9, 1934, up to 107 °F on August 7, 1918, though both 100 °F+ and 0 °F readings are uncommon; the last occurrence of each was July 18, 2012 and February 5, 1996, respectively.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 70,898 people, 31,754 households, and 13,572 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 70,851 people, 28,615 households, and 15,398 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,497.6 PD/sqmi. There were 32,820 housing units at an average density of 3,009.9 /sqmi and with an occupancy rate of 87.2%. The racial makeup of the city was 58.0% African American, 32.6% White, 0.4% Native American, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. 12.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites were 27.9% of the population in 2010, compared to 40.5% in 1990. As of the census of 2000, the largest ethnicities included: Irish (8.7%), Italian (5.7%), German (5.2%), English (4.4%), and Polish (3.6%).

There were 28,615 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.5% were married couples living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.2% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.4% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

According to ACS one-year estimates for 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $32,884, and the median income for a family was $37,352. Males working full-time had a median income of $41,878 versus $36,587 for females working full-time. The per capita income for the city was $24,861. 27.6% of the population and 24.9% of families were below the poverty line. 45.7% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government
The Wilmington City Council consists of thirteen members. The council consists of eight members who are elected from geographic districts, four elected at-large and the City Council President. The Council President is elected by the entire city. The Mayor of Wilmington is also elected by the entire city.

The current mayor of Wilmington is Mike Purzycki (D). The current city council members are listed in the table below.

The Delaware Department of Correction Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, renamed from Multi-Purpose Criminal Justice Facility in 2004 and housing both pretrial and posttrial male prisoners, is located in Wilmington. The prison is often referred to as the "Gander Hill Prison" after the neighborhood it is located in. The prison opened in 1982.

Many Wilmington City workers belong to one of several Locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.

Neighborhoods

The city of Wilmington is made up of the following neighborhoods:

North of the Brandywine River

 * Baynard Village
 * Brandywine Hills – This neighborhood of approximately 225 homes in northern Wilmington was started in the 1930s. The streets in the neighborhood are named after famous American and English authors, including Byron, Emerson, Hawthorne and Milton. It is bounded by Lea Boulevard, Rockwood Road, Miller Road, and Market Street

 * Brandywine Village

 * Eastlawn
 * Eastlake
 * Gander Hill - site of Howard R. Young Correctional Institution
 * Harlan
 * Ninth Ward – Originally a post-Civil War political creation, the city's Ninth Ward has long been an area with owner-occupied residences. The Ninth Ward was integrated as a result of population shifts in the 1960s and remains a stable, working-class neighborhood.
 * Prices Run - west of Northern Boulevard
 * Riverside–11th Street Bridge – in the northeastern part of the city between the Northeast Corridor and Northern Boulevard.
 * Triangle – a group of homes built in the 1920s whose corresponding streets along I-95 and Baynard Boulevard and 18th Street and Concord Avenue loosely form a triangle. It is bounded by W 18th St, Baynard Boulevard, Concord Ave, and Broom St.

East of I-95

 * Center City (Downtown)
 * East Side
 * Justison Landing
 * LOMA
 * Midtown Brandywine – Located on the banks of the Brandywine River, Midtown Brandywine is bordered by North Washington Street, East 11th Street, North French Street and South Park Drive. Homes in the neighborhood were first established in the late 1800s as the Brandywine River became home to several mills and trading posts. Midtown Brandywine's boundaries include the Brandywine Park, Fletcher Brown Park, the Hercules building, a neighborhood adopted pocket park, and several notable restaurants and eateries. The neighborhood is also home to "The Little Church", previously known as The Old Presbyterian Church. Originally built on Market Street between 9th and 10th streets, the gambrel-roofed church was relocated to its current site on South Park Drive in 1917 and has since become synonymous with Midtown Brandywine.

 * Quaker Hill – From a country hilltop in the 19th century to rows of city homes today, Quaker Hill (which surrounds the historical Quaker Friends Meeting House) has watched its neighborhood become much more modernized over the last three centuries. This city district was founded by Quakers William Shipley and Thomas West in the early 18th century. The nearby Meeting House keeps Quaker Hill closely tied to its rich history. The cemetery of the Wilmington Friends House is the burial site of the abolitionist Thomas Garrett and John Dickinson, signer of the U.S. Constitution.

 * Riverfront – Formerly a hub for manufacturing and the city's shipbuilding industry, which began to see a rapid series of state-sponsored urban renewal and gentrification projects beginning in the late 1990s. The neighborhood is currently home to landmarks such as the Wilmington Blue Rocks' Baseball Stadium and the Shipyard Shops.

 * Southbridge
 * Trinity Vicinity – This neighborhood is located in the center of Wilmington, next to the Trinity Church and Interstate 95. A collection of row homes and detached houses, many of which were originally built in the late 19th century. The revitalization of the neighborhood was aided by the Urban Homesteading Act in the 1970s. The neighborhood was designated as a historic district in the 1990s.

 * Upper East Side (East Brandywine)
 * West Center City
 * 11th St. Bridge

West of I-95

 * Bayard Square
 * Browntown – areas in the city that were originally populated by Polish immigrants. Today, the Polish community maintains a strong presence, while other ethnicities have moved in the neighborhood's borders.
 * Canby Park – About 1930 the Wilmington City Council renamed Southwest Park as Canby Park in honor of Henry and William Marriott Canby. Canby Park Estates is on one side of the park.
 * Cool Spring & Tilton Park – bounded loosely by Pennsylvania Avenue on the north, West 7th Street on the south, North Jackson Street on the east and North Rodney Street on the west. The neighborhood is home to two Catholic schools, Ursuline Academy and Padua Academy. The neighborhood is also the location of the private University & Whist Club and the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, which hosts an annual Greek cultural festival.

 * Delaware Avenue
 * The Flats – The Flats was founded by businessman William Bancroft who developed the neighborhood in 1901 under the Woodlawn Company, now known as the Woodlawn Trustees, with the intention of creating affordable homes for working class residents of Wilmington. The predominantly minority community is currently in the process of gaining authorization for a $100 million revitalization to be performed in seven phases over 12 years.
 * Forty Acres – This historically Irish neighborhood, rural until the mid-19th century, developed from the farmland of Joshua T. Heald. One of the city's first suburbs, the neighborhood is centered on the St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church. The name Forty Acres is taken from the fertility of the farmland. One acre of the land was said to be worth 40 acre one might find someplace else. The neighborhood exists northeast of Delaware Avenue, southwest of Riddle Avenue, east of Union Street and west of DuPont Street, with Lovering Avenue as its eastern boundary.

 * Greenhill
 * Happy Valley – a small collection of late 19th-century row houses on the southeastern slope to Brandywine Park, between Adams Street, Van Buren Street (I-95), Wawaset Street and Gilpin Avenue. This neighborhood also includes a significant number of more modern townhouses (1970's) designed by architect Richard Chalfant.
 * Hedgeville
 * The Highlands – located between Pennsylvania Avenue and Delaware Avenue, the Highlands neighborhood, centered on 18th Street southeast of Rockford Park, was developed by Joshua Heald in the 19th century for affluent, middle-class residents. It contains detached and semi-detached houses of exuberant architectural detailing, representing numerous popular styles of the time.
 * Hilltop – This area located along 4th Street and roughly bordered by Lancaster Avenue, Jackson Street, Clayton Street has remained one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city since the late 19th century. Today, this area is home to one of the city's fastest growing segments – the Hispanic community. Historically, Westside/Hilltop was one of the two of city's most crime and drug plagued neighborhoods based on the number of service calls for police. In the Westside/Hilltop area, drug related calls was 285 in 1989 and 808 in 1990. "This increase in reported drug activity coincides with similar increases in other cities which were related to the growth of the crack cocaine trade."

 * Little Italy – this neighborhood consists of the area around Union Street and Lincoln streets, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Lancaster Avenue. Anchored by the immigration waves of the late 19th century and early 20th century, Little Italy has retained its roots, even as neighborhood remodeling projects update the scenery. A central feature of the neighborhood is the St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church. The neighborhood hosts an annual Italian Festival in the summertime.

 * St. Elizabeth Area – The St. Elizabeth area is anchored by the St. Elizabeth Parish at 809 S. Broom St., considered the heart of the Catholic community. This historic church, built on the grounds of the Banning Estate, dates back to 1908.
 * Trolley Square – settled in the 1860s after the city's trolley line had extended into farmland once owned by the Shallcross and Lovering families. The city's former trolley depot and bus barn was located on the spot where the Trolley Square shopping complex now sits. The neighborhood lies between Harrison Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovering Avenue and the CSX Transportation railroad track. The depot and other buildings were demolished in 1974 and the mall opened in 1978.

 * Wawaset
 * Wawaset Heights
 * Wawaset Park – The neighborhood was constructed by the Dupont Company in 1918 to provide a residential community for their employees. Baltimore architect Edward L. Palmer, Jr. was chosen to design the community, which was to have a mix of single family homes and smaller attached Prior to the development of houses. The neighborhood was constructed on a 50 acre plot. Prior to its construction, the tract of land had been used as a horse racing track and a fairground. Wawaset Park was placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1986. The neighborhood is bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, West 7th Street, Woodlawn Avenue and Greenhill Avenue.

 * West Hill
 * Westmoreland – detached housing developed in the 1950s, as part of the suburban movement that followed the end of World War II. Its location is adjacent to the original Wilmington Country Club, bounded by Ogle Avenue, Dupont Road, the Wilmington High School property and the Ed "Porky" Oliver Golf Course.
 * Union Park Gardens

Historic districts and Conservation District
The City of Wilmington designates nine areas as historic districts and one area as a conservation district. The historic districts are the Baynard Boulevard, Kentmere Parkway, Rockford Park, Cool Spring/Tilton Park, the tri-part sections of the Eastside, St. Marys and Old Swedes Church, Quaker Hill, Delaware Avenue, Trinity Vicinity, and Upper/Lower Market Street. The conservation district is Forty Acres.

Crime
Wilmington has recently overcome its safety woes and is "safer now than it's ever been" with crime at its lowest rate in recent history. Prior to 2018, Wilmington was consistently ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States, along with several other cities in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, such as Camden, Trenton, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Chester, Pennsylvania. In the 2000s, while most cities had seen a decrease in crime and murder, Wilmington had broken its record for homicides in a single year multiple times. In 2017, Wilmington saw an even steeper increase in crime. By August 2017, Wilmington had already eclipsed the homicide total of 2016 despite only being 2/3 through the year. In 2014, Wilmington recorded 28 homicides, making for a rate of 39.5 per 100,000 residents, which is ten times the national average. Wilmington frequently appears on NeighborhoodScout's "Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the United States" list. In 2017, Wilmington was ranked as the 5th most dangerous city in the US. Nearby cities such as Camden, New Jersey, and Chester, Pennsylvania, also ranked in the top 15. In early 2017, the mayor's office as well as many public advocates called for comprehensive action to reduce astronomical crime rates in Wilmington, as the city saw a shooting almost every other day throughout the spring, and by May, the city had already seen 15 homicides. According to the WPD's 2018 Compstat report, shooting incidents have decreased to a level not seen in Wilmington in more than 15 years. When compared to the average number of shooting incidents from 2003 through 2017, which is 108, the 72 shooting incidents in 2018 represent a 33% decrease over the 15-year period average.

Police

The Wilmington Police Department (WPD), is authorized to deploy up to 289 officers in motor vehicles, on foot, and on bicycle. Its operations are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As of 2023, its chief of police is Wilfredo Campos.

In 2002, the Wilmington Police Department started a program known to some in the neighborhoods as jump-outs in which unmarked police vans would patrol crime-prone neighborhoods late at night, suddenly converge at street corners where people were loitering and detain them temporarily. Using loitering as probable cause, the police would then photograph, search, and fingerprint everyone present. Along with apprehending anyone with drugs or weapons, it was thought that this program would improve the police's database of fingerprints and eye-witnesses for use in future crime investigations. Some citizens protested that such a practice was a violation of civil rights.

Also in 2002, the entire downtown business district was placed under video monitoring. Wilmington was the first city in the United States to monitor the entire business district using video monitoring. The city claims this has helped prevent and reduce crime.

Fire department and EMS
The Wilmington Fire Department (WFD) is led by Chief John Looney and maintains five engine companies, two ladder companies, a rescue squad company, and a marine company (fireboat) fire fighting fleet.

Emergency medical services are provided through contract with the city's St. Francis Hospital, whose EMS division operates a minimum five BLS transport units at all times of the day. Advanced Life Support services in the City of Wilmington are provided by New Castle County's EMS Division with two city-based medic units. All Wilmington firefighters since 2002 are trained to the EMT-B level and serve as first responders for life-threatening emergencies.

Economy

Much of Wilmington's economy is based on its status as the most populous and city in Delaware, a state that  judicial system. Contributing to the economic health of the downtown and Wilmington Riverfront regions has been the presence of Wilmington Station, through which 665,000 people passed in 2009.

Wilmington has become a national financial center for the credit card industry, largely due to regulations enacted by former Governor Pierre S. du Pont IV in 1981. The Financial Center Development Act of 1981, among other things, eliminated the usury laws enacted by most states, thereby removing the cap on interest rates that banks may legally charge customers. Major credit card issuers such as Barclays Bank of Delaware (formerly Juniper Bank), are headquartered in Wilmington. The Dutch banking giant ING Groep N.V. headquartered its U.S. internet banking unit, ING Direct (now Capital One 360), in Wilmington. Wilmington Trust is headquartered in Wilmington at Rodney Square. Barclays and Capital One 360 have very large and prominent locations along the waterfront of the Christina River. In 1988, the Delaware legislature enacted a law which required a would-be acquirer to capture 85 percent of a Delaware chartered corporation's stock in a single transaction or wait three years before proceeding. This law strengthened Delaware's position as a

Wilmington's other notable industries include insurance (American Life Insurance Company [ALICO], Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Delaware), retail banking (including the Delaware headquarters of: Wilmington Trust (now a branch of M&T Bank, after Wilmington Trust merged with M&T in 2011), PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, Citizens Bank, Wilmington Savings Fund Society, and Artisans' Bank), and legal services. A General Motors plant was closed in 2009. Wilmington is home to one Fortune 500 company, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Science and Technology are also thriving as companies such as Incyte, Chemours, Corteva, Solenis and ZipCode call Wilmington home. In addition, the city is the corporate domicile of more than 50% of the publicly traded companies in the United States, and over 60% of the Fortune 500.

Delaware chartered corporations rely on the state's Court of Chancery to decide legal disputes, which places legal decisions with a judge instead of a jury. The Court of Chancery, known both nationally and internationally for its speed, competence, and knowledgeable judiciary as a court of equity, is empowered to grant broad relief in the form of injunctions and restraining orders, which is of particular importance when shareholders seek to block or enjoin corporate actions such as mergers or acquisitions. The Court of Chancery, as a statewide court, may hear cases in any of the state's three counties. A dedicated-use Chancery courthouse was constructed in 2003 in Georgetown, Sussex County. It has hosted high-profile complex corporate trials such as the Disney shareholder litigation.

Because Delaware is the official state of incorporation for so many American companies, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, located in Wilmington, is one of the busiest of the 94 federal bankruptcy courts located around the United States.

Delaware has among the strictest rules in the U.S. regarding out-of-state legal practice, allowing no reciprocity to lawyers who passed the bar in other states.

Top employers
According to Wilmington's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

In terms of growth, the city was seeing nearly $450M worth of private investments, multi-million dollars of city infrastructure improvements, and significant improvements to their transportation infrastructure.

Arts and culture
Wilmington has many museums, galleries, and gardens (see Points of Interest below), as well as many ethnic festivals and other events throughout the year. Notable among its museums is the Delaware Art Museum whose collection focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th to the 21st century, and on the English Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century.

Ethnic festivals
Wilmington has an active and diverse ethnic population, which contributes to several ethnic festivals held every spring and summer in Wilmington, the most popular of which is the Italian Festival. This event, run by St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, closes down six blocks in the west side of the city the second week of June for traditional Italian music, food, and activities, along with carnival rides and games. Another, somewhat smaller festival that draws large crowds is the Greek Festival, which is organized by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. The event features traditional Greek (Hellenic) crafts, food, drink, and music. Another notable annual festival is the Polish festival organized by St. Hedwig's Catholic Church, which features Polish cuisine with carnival rides and entertainment. Haneef's African Festival celebrates the heritage of the African American majority in the city. Wilmington is also home to the annual Big August Quarterly, which since 1814 has celebrated African American religious freedom. IndiaFest, another cultural festival, is hosted by the Indo American Association of Delaware. Wilmington also celebrates Hispanic Week, which coincides with National Hispanic Month festivities, September 15 – October 15. The festival culminates with a pageant and desfile (parade) along 4th Street. Concerts featuring Latin music acts, Latin cuisine and a carnival are held on the Riverfront on the last weekend. Activities are also held at St. Paul's Catholic Church.

Music festivals
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a week-long outdoor music festival held each summer in Wilmington's Rodney Square.

The Peoples' Festival is an annual tribute to Bob Marley, who once lived in Wilmington trying to earn money enough to establish his Tuff Gong music studio in Kingston, Jamaica. His son Stephen Marley was born in Wilmington 1972. Started in 1994, the Peoples' Festival features reggae and world beat musicians playing original music and Bob Marley and the Wailers songs. The festival is held on the Wilmington riverfront each summer.

The Riverfront Blues Festival, a three-day music festival held each August in the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, features prominent blues acts as well as artists from the local area.

Holiday events

 * Annual tree-lighting ceremony related to the Christmas holiday at Rockwood Museum and Park
 * The Nutcracker performed by the Wilmington Ballet at the Playhouse at the Hotel DuPont
 * Wilmington's memorial day parade is the oldest continuous parade in the country

Wilmington Riverfront

In the 1990s, the city launched a campaign to revitalize the former shipyard area known as the Wilmington Riverfront. Delaware Theatre Company was at the forefront of this movement, opening its current space on Water Street in 1985. The efforts were bolstered early by The Big Kahuna also known as Kahunaville (a restaurant, bar and arcade which has also since closed and been rebuilt in 2010 as the Delaware Children's Museum) and Daniel S. Frawley Stadium, the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball stadium. The Chase Center on the Riverfront opened as the First USA Riverfront Arts Center in 1998 to hold traveling exhibitions, but was repurposed into the city's convention center in 2005. The Wilmington Rowing Center boathouse is located along the Christina River on the Riverfront. Development continues as the Wilmington Riverfront tries to establish its cultural, economical, and residential importance. Recent high-rise luxury apartment buildings along the Christina River have been cited as evidence of the Riverfront's continued revival. On June 7, 2006, the groundbreaking of Justison Landing signaled the beginning of Wilmington's largest residential project since Bancroft Park was built after World War II. Outlets shops, restaurants and a Riverfront Market have also opened along the 1.2 mi Riverwalk.

Radio and television
The Wilmington area is home to five FM radio stations and four AM radio stations. A sixth FM radio station is located in Southern New Jersey and is included in the Wilmington radio market surveys:
 * 91.3-FM WVUD—Non-commercial radio (University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware)
 * 91.7-FM WMPH—Non-commercial high school radio
 * 93.7-FM WSTW—Pop contemporary hits
 * 96.9-FM W245CJ—Hispanic format
 * 99.5-FM WVCW—Christian
 * 101.7-FM WDEL-FM—News Talk Information (Canton, New Jersey)
 * 103.7-FM WXCY-FM—Country
 * 1150-AM WDEL—News Talk Information
 * 1290-AM WWTX—Sports talk
 * 1380-AM WTMC—Travel Information
 * 1450-AM WILM—News Talk Information

Additionally, many radio stations from Philadelphia reach Wilmington. Wilmington is part of the Philadelphia television market. Three of the market's stations are licensed to Wilmington: WPPX, WDPN-TV, and WHYY-TV.

Newspaper

 * The News Journal, founded as the Delaware Gazette in 1785. Daily circulation as of 2004 and 2007 exceeded 100,000, placing the newspaper among the top 100 in the United States, based on circulation.
 * Wilmington Sunday Star (1881–1954)
 * WilmToday, founded in 2016 to cover the latest news, posts, and all of the great things about the city of Wilmington.

Portrayal of Wilmington in popular culture

 * Wilmington's skyline and other aerial shots of the city stood in for the fictional town of Arcadia in the television program Joan of Arcadia.
 * The 1999 film Fight Club (adapted from Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same title) is set in Wilmington. City officials rejected the filmmakers' request to film in Delaware, so the movie's exterior shots were filmed in Los Angeles.
 * Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits portraying Joe Biden often mention his residency in Wilmington. For example, in the cold opening of the May 12, 2012, episode, Biden pouts in his Washington, D.C., bedroom, which features an aerial picture of the downtown Wilmington skyline with "DELAWARE" printed along the bottom.
 * Wilmington is so well known for crime that in November 2015, ABC announced a pilot for a legal drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith set in the city. The show would have been called Murder Town. Mayor Dennis Williams reacted strongly, calling the actors in the show "has beens". The pilot was passed over by ABC in August 2016.

Highways
Interstate 95, which splits Wilmington roughly into eastern and western halves, provides access to major markets in the Northeast and nationwide. Interstate 495 is a bypass passing through the east side of the city, and Interstate 295 is south of the city, crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey on the Delaware Memorial Bridge. U.S. Route 13 passes north–south through the eastern part of Wilmington, entering the city from the south along Dupont Highway before following Heald Street, the one-way pair of Church Street northbound and Spruce Street southbound, and Governor Printz Boulevard. U.S. Route 13 Business passes north–south through the center of Wilmington, entering the city from the south on Market Street before splitting into Walnut Street northbound and Market Street southbound, following Walnut Street northbound and King Street southbound in the downtown area, and following Market Street northeast out of the city to Philadelphia Pike. U.S. Route 202 follows I-95 through Wilmington before heading north onto Concord Pike through a business area to the north of the city. State routes serving Wilmington include Delaware Route 2, which follows the one-way pair of Lincoln Street eastbound and Union Street westbound in the western part of the city before heading west out of the city along Kirkwood Highway; Delaware Route 4, which heads southwest from the downtown area along Maryland Avenue; Delaware Route 9, which enters the city from the south along New Castle Avenue before crossing the Christina River and heading west through the center of the city along 4th Street; Delaware Route 9A, which provides access to the Port of Wilmington; Delaware Route 48, which heads west from the downtown area along Lancaster Avenue; Delaware Route 52, which follows Delaware Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue northwest out of the city to Kennett Pike; and Delaware Route 202, which follows Concord Avenue through the northern part of the city to connect to US 202 at Concord Pike.

In Wilmington, streets are laid out in a grid, with north–south streets named and east–west streets north of Lancaster Avenue/Front Street numbered from 2nd Street and increasing to the north, while east–west streets south of Lancaster Avenue/Front Street are named. Lancaster Avenue/Front Street serves as the divider between north and south while Market Street serves as the divider between east and west. There are 34 red light cameras in the city of Wilmington situated at 31 intersections. Parking in downtown Wilmington is regulated by on-street parking meters along with commercial parking lots and parking garages operated by the Wilmington Parking Authority, Colonial Parking, and SP Plus Corporation.

Railroads
Wilmington is served by the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Wilmington Rail Station, with frequent service between Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., via Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. SEPTA Regional Rail provides frequent additional local commuter rail service to Philadelphia along the Wilmington/Newark Line. Amtrak has a major maintenance shop and yard in northeast Wilmington that maintains and rebuilds the agency's Northeast Corridor electric locomotive fleet. The Amtrak Training Facility is also located in Wilmington, as well as Amtrak's Consolidated National Operations Center (CNOC).

Two freight railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, also serve Wilmington. Norfolk Southern serves Wilmington along trackage rights on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, the Shellpot Secondary line heading through the eastern part of Wilmington as a bypass of the Northeast Corridor, and the New Castle Secondary line heading south to New Castle and Porter. CSX serves Wilmington along its Philadelphia Subdivision line running between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Both CSX and Norfolk Southern have a major freight-yard in the area; CSX operates the Wilsmere Yard to the west of the city in Elsmere and Norfolk Southern operates the Edgemoor Yard to the northeast of the city in Edgemoor.

Buses
DART First State operates public bus service with approximately 30 bus lines serving the city and the surrounding suburbs as well as inter-county service to Dover, the state capital, and seasonal service to Lewes. Many DART First State bus routes operating in Wilmington serve Wilmington Transit Center and/or Rodney Square, the main bus transit hubs in the city. Greyhound Lines operates interstate bus service out of the Wilmington Bus Station at the rail station.

Airports
Wilmington Airport (ILG) is located a few miles south of downtown, and offers scheduled passenger service operated by Avelo Airlines. Wilmington Airport also serves as a base for both the Delaware Army National Guard and Delaware Air National Guard. The closest major international airport is Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

Seaport
Wilmington is also served by the Port of Wilmington, a modern full-service deepwater port and marine terminal handling over 400 vessels per year with an annual import/export cargo tonnage of 5 million tons. The Port of Wilmington handles mostly international imports of fruits and vegetables, automobiles, steel, and bulk products.

Utilities
Delmarva Power, a subsidiary of Exelon, provides electricity and natural gas to Wilmington. The city's Department of Public Works provides water and sewer service to Wilmington and some surrounding unincorporated areas. The city's water supply comes from the Hoopes Reservoir to the northwest of the city and from a dam along the Brandywine Creek in the city, with water mains pumping the water from these sources to facilities in the city, where the water is treated and stored or distributed to customers. The city's Department of Public Works also provides trash collection and recycling to Wilmington.

Health care
Christiana Care Health System, a health network headquartered in Wilmington, runs Wilmington Hospital on the edge of downtown Wilmington and Christiana Hospital in suburban Christiana, as well as various satellite health centers throughout the area. St. Francis Hospital, a member of Trinity Health, is located in the west end of Wilmington. The Nemours Foundation runs Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware in North Wilmington, just outside the city proper.

The city has one of the highest per capita rates of HIV infection in the United States, with disproportionate rates of infection among African-American males. Efforts by local advocates to create needle exchange programs to reduce the spread of infection were obstructed for several years by downstate and suburban state legislators but a program was finally approved in June 2006.

Sports

The Wilmington Blue Rocks, a Minor League Baseball team affiliated with the Washington Nationals, plays at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium.

The stadium is also the home of the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame.

Since their founding in 2015, the USA Rugby League expansion club Delaware Black Foxes have been based in the city at Eden Park Stadium.

In 2013, Bearfight FC of Wilmington was founded as the only United States Adult Soccer Association hailing from Delaware, qualifying them as the sole representative of The First State in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Outdoor recreation
The Wilmington State Parks are a group of four parks in Wilmington operated by the Delaware State Park system. The four parks are Brandywine Park, including the Brandywine Zoo and Baynard Stadium, Alapocas Woods Natural Area, H. Fletcher Brown Park and Rockford Park. Admission to the parks is free, but a fee is charged for admittance to the zoo. The parks, within minutes of each other, are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. The zoo is open daily from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, May through November. Rockford Tower and Rockford Park is open from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, from May 1 until October 31. The parks are patrolled by Delaware State Park Rangers whose headquarters office is in Brandywine Park.

The City of Wilmington also operates 55 parks and recreational facilities across the city.

Running events
The Delaware Distance Classic is a 15K road race held in October by the Pike Creek Valley Running Club (PCVRC). The course has rotated every few years based on sponsorship and is currently located in nearby Delaware City. The event began in 1983 as a fundraiser for the PCVRC, and the Mike Clark Legacy Foundation has been the beneficiary for the last few years.

The Caesar Rodney Half Marathon is a 21.0975 km road race held annually since 1964 on the second Sunday in March. Billed by race organizers as the "granddaddy of Delaware road races", it generally draws more than 1,000 runners from 20 states and several countries. From the starting line at Wilmington's Rodney Square, runners flow past the scenic revitalized riverfront, through Rockford Park and back to Rodney Square at the Caesar Rodney statue. Proceeds benefit the American Lung Association of Delaware.

The Run for the Buds 1/2 Marathon, 1/2 Marathon Relay, and 5K Run/Walk is held annually at Rockford Park in mid-October. Proceeds benefit people with intellectual disabilities through the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware.

Cycling
The Wilmington Grand Prix is held annually and is considered one of the premier criterium-style bike races in the country. Now in its 11th year, it is part of USA Cycling's National Race Calendar, a collection of only the most elite races. Weekend festivities include a street festival, a time trial on Monkey Hill, criterium races in downtown Wilmington at both the amateur and pro level, a 50 km Media Fondo, a 100 km Gran Fondo, and a leisurely Governor's Ride.

Additionally, the East Coast Greenway passes through Wilmington and its immediate suburbs for 10.4 miles as part of the scenic Northern Delaware Greenway, which includes steep hills, heavily forested sections and paved portions that lead through downtown.

Golf
The Wilmington Country Club is a country club and golf course located just outside of the city in a suburb known as Greenville. .

Ed "Porky" Oliver Golf Club is a public course located within the city limits.

Rock Manor is a public course located just outside of the city limits.

Tennis
The Delcastle Tennis Center is a tennis center located in the city.

Public schools
Wilmington is served by the Brandywine, Christina, Red Clay, and Colonial school districts for elementary, junior high, and high school public education. Of those four, Colonial is the only one which has no schools located in the Wilmington city limits. Cab Calloway School of the Arts of the Red Clay district is in the Wilmington city limits. The New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District operates Howard High School of Technology in the city of Wilmington.

there are no comprehensive traditional public high schools in the Wilmington city limits, and most high school-aged students in the city attend high schools in suburban areas away from the city. Cris Barrish and Mark Eichmann of WHYY wrote that these suburban comprehensive high schools "struggle academically".

Wilmington also hosts several charter schools. there were 11 charter schools in the city limits. These include the Charter School of Wilmington, Great Oaks Charter School, Kuumba Academy Charter School, East Side Charter School, and a magnet school, Cab Calloway School of the Arts which focuses on the performing arts. The Charter School of Wilmington and Cab Calloway School of the Arts are housed in the building of the former Wilmington High School. Great Oaks Charter School and Kuumba Academy are housed in the Community Education Building (a/k/a "C.E.B"), formerly known as Bracebridge IV, acquired by Bank of America from MBNA Corp. in 1997 and donated to The Longwood Foundation in 2012.

Historically Wilmington High School, in the west of the city, and P.S. du Pont High School, in the north of the city, were schools for white children while Howard High School, in the east of the city, was the segregated school for black children. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court forced the then segregated schools of New Castle County to desegregate. However, the subsequent eleven school districts that were created in the county, including the Wilmington School District, soon became de facto segregated, as the Wilmington School District became predominately black, and the districts outside the city remained overwhelmingly white. A 1968 law from the Delaware General Assembly prevented a merger between the Wilmington district and other districts as the law prevented a merger involving a school district with over 12,000 pupils. In 1969 Wilmington, du Pont, and Howard were the three comprehensive high schools in Wilmington. In response to the segregation, the 1976 U.S. District Court decision Evans v. Buchanan implemented a plan by which students in Wilmington would be bused to attend school in the suburbs for certain grades, while suburban students would be bused into the City of Wilmington for other grades. By 1981, the four current districts in northern New Castle County, Brandywine, Christina, Colonial, and Red Clay, each composed of city and suburban areas, were established, all of which were majority white at the time. The idea was that no one district would be majority poor, black, and disadvantaged. Wilmington High remained in operation under the Red Clay district until 1999 and it now houses Calloway School of the Arts. Howard High became Howard High School of Technology, and P.S. du Pont became an elementary school of the Brandywine district. University of Delaware public policy professor Leland Ware wrote that Wilmington parents were divided, with many African-Americans preferring children be educated in the city while others liked the idea of their children attending integrated schools. According to Ware suburban parents generally disliked their children being bussed into Wilmington for desegregation as suburbanites perceived Wilmington as being unsafe.

In 2015, Mark Murphy, Delaware's secretary for Education, expressed support for re-establishing a comprehensive high school in Wilmington. In 2020, there were persons in Wilmington, including the mayor Mike Purzycki, advocating for this as well. Such a school would be majority African-American. Purzycki stated that fear of racial resegregation is the issue that causes community stakeholders to be reluctant to do so.

Private schools
There are many private elementary and secondary schools in Wilmington: Salesianum School, Serviam Girls Academy, Nativity Preparatory of Wilmington, Ursuline Academy, Tower Hill School, St. Elizabeth High School, and Padua Academy. With 17.6% of the area students enrolled in private schools, the Wilmington area ranks as one of the top ten metropolitan areas in the country for the percentages of students in private school.

The Tatnall School and Wilmington Friends School have Wilmington postal addresses but are located outside of the city limits

Universities and colleges
There are several colleges operating in the city of Wilmington:

 * Delaware College of Art & Design
 * Delaware State University – Wilmington Campus
 * Delaware Technical & Community College – Wilmington Campus
 * Goldey-Beacom College
 * University of Delaware – Wilmington Campus and Downtown Building
 * Wilmington University – Wilmington Campus
 * Widener University Delaware Law School

Points of interest

 * Brandywine Zoo
 * Delaware Art Museum
 * Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts
 * Delaware Center for Horticulture
 * Delaware Children's Museum
 * Delaware Children's Theatre
 * Delaware Historical Society
 * Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
 * Delaware Theatre Company
 * DuPont Playhouse
 * Frank Furness Railroad District, a collection of railroad buildings designed by Frank Furness
 * Fort Christina State Park
 * Grand Opera House
 * Kalmar Nyckel Foundation & Tall Ship
 * Holy Trinity (Old Swedes') Church
 * Riverfront Market
 * Rockford Tower
 * Rodney Square
 * Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery
 * Wilmington Blue Rocks, South Atlantic League baseball
 * Wilmington Drama League
 * The Wilmington Library
 * Wilmington Riverfront
 * Wilmington State Parks, which includes Brandywine Park

Sister cities

 * Fulda, Germany
 * Kalmar, Sweden
 * Olevano sul Tusciano, Salerno, Campania, Italy
 * Osogbo, Nigeria
 * Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom

Partner city

 * Nemours, Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France, France

title: Wilmington, Delaware


text:
Wilmington Manor, Delaware

Wilmington Manor is a census-designated place (CDP) in north-eastern New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 7,889 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Wilmington Manor is located at 39.68667°N, -75.58444°W (39.6867795, -75.5843695). It is just northwest of the city of New Castle and south of the City of Wilmington.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.6 sqmi, all land.

Neighborhoods
West Wilmington Manor
 * Wilmington Manor Park
 * Chelsea Estates
 * Leedom Estates
 * Hampton Walk

East Wilmington Manor
 * Penn Acres
 * Schoolside
 * Wilmington Manor Gardens
 * Stockton

Demographics
In 2010, Wilmington Manor had a population of 7,889 people. The racial makeup of the CDP was 68.6% White, 15.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 11.4% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 19.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

At the 2000 census there were 8,262 people, 3,040 households, and 2,173 families in the CDP. The population density was 5,088.2 PD/sqmi. There were 3,173 housing units at an average density of 1,954.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 79.33% White, 10.95% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 6.69% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.96%.

Of the 3,040 households 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 22.5% of households were one person and 10.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14.

The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.

The median household income was $43,434 and the median family income was $48,920. Males had a median income of $36,111 versus $27,743 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,934. About 5.5% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The CDP is part of the Colonial School District., which operates William Penn High School.

Wilmington University has its main campus in the CDP.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Wilmington Manor, Delaware


text:
Bethany Beach, Delaware

Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers. It is part of the Salisbury, MD-DE Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island are popularly known as "The Quiet Resorts". Contributing to Bethany Beach's reputation as a "quiet" place is the presence of Delaware Seashore State Park immediately to the north of the town.

Despite its small size, Bethany Beach contains the usual attractions of a summer seaside resort, including the short Joseph Olson Boardwalk, a broad, sandy beach, motels, restaurants, and vacation homes. Because Bethany Beach does not sit on a barrier island, residential areas continue some distance to the west of the town's limits.

Geography
Bethany Beach is located at 38.53944°N, -75.05528°W (38.5395564, −75.0551807). The town is bordered to the north by the Delaware Seashore State Park and by Salt Pond, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by South Bethany, and to the west by Ocean View.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 sqmi, of which 1.1 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (1.71%) is water.

Beaches
The town is bordered to the east completely by free public beaches, all guarded seasonally by professional lifeguards known as the Bethany Beach Patrol. The beach patrol, which consists of 30 members, is on duty daily from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day and on weekends in September. Within Bethany Beach, there is a half-mile area of private beachfront owned by Sea Colony.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bethany Beach has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Communities

 * Cotton Patch Hills

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 903 people, 473 households, and 281 families residing in the town. The population density was 782.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,376 housing units at an average density of 2,058.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.90% White, 0.78% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 473 households, out of which 10.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.40.

In the town, the population is spread out, with 10.3% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 39.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 59 years. For every 100 females, there are 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $51,875, and the median income for a family is $67,500. Males have a median income of $41,705 versus $35,909 for females. The per capita income for the town is $41,306. About 2.9% of families and 4.7% of the population are below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.

The beach is extremely popular in the summer making it difficult to get a spot on sunny summer days. Bethany Beach is known as a "family beach" as there are not as many bars or other college student attractions.

City council and mayor
Bethany Beach is governed by a city council made up of seven resident and non-resident property owners elected to two-year terms. One of them serves as Council President and is considered the mayor of the town. None of the council members are paid. The council tends to err on the side of tradition in governing the town and seeks to maintain Bethany Beach's "Quiet Resort" atmosphere and reputation.

Mayors of Bethany Beach
Also referred to as Council President:

 * 1923–1926 George Townsend
 * 1926–1927 John W. Ellis
 * 1927–1930 Walter S. Ringler
 * 1930–1937 Ebe T. Chandler
 * 1937–1938 Carroll R. Jaggar
 * 1938–1939 William P. Short, Sr.
 * 1939–1940 Walter G. Moyle
 * 1940–1945 William P. Short, Sr.
 * 1945–1948 William F. Wilgus
 * 1948–1949 James B. Rutter
 * 1949–1953 Horace J. VanAuken
 * 1953–1954 Edison Gray
 * 1954–1956 Charles L. Martin, Jr.
 * 1956–1960 James Whaley
 * 1960–1966 James C. Popham
 * 1966–1970 Martin T. Wiegand
 * 1970–1971 Ralph K. Graves
 * 1971–1972 Tilton D. McNeal
 * 1972–1973 William J. Collins
 * 1973–1974 Louis Brilliant
 * 1974–1977 Sidney A. Bennett
 * 1977–1978 Robert C. Maxwell
 * 1978–1981 Vernon H. Dibeler
 * 1981–1982 William J. Collins
 * 1982–1983 Millard P. Rummel
 * 1983–1984 Jesse A. Rawley, Jr.
 * 1984–1991 Dr. Robert Parsons
 * 1991–1997 Charles J. Bartlett
 * 1997–2005 Joseph F. McHugh
 * 2005–2006 Jack Walsh
 * 2006–2008 Carol Olmstead
 * 2008–2014 Tony McClenny
 * 2014–present Jack Gordon

Alderman's Court
The town's Alderman's Court consists of two appointed judges. They adjudicate violations of town ordinances.

Police department
The Bethany Beach Police Department has a staff of nine full-time officers. During the summer, it also employs 15 to 17 seasonal officers, some of them college students in training. The department operates seven cars, five of them patrol cars, and once won a national award from Law and Order magazine for the design of its patrol cars. The police department maintains a low-key but highly visible presence.

Fire department
The Bethany Beach Fire Department is a combination fire department that operates two quints, two engines, a rescue pumper, an aerial unit, a brush truck, three ambulances, and multiple other utility pieces.

The fire department serves the entire area south of Indian River Inlet, east of the Assawoman Canal, and north of the Maryland state line at the southern edge of Fenwick Island, Delaware. It has a fire station in Bethany Beach and a substation in Fenwick Island and offers an emergency medical center, operated for it by the Beebe Medical Center of Lewes, Delaware. It cooperates fully with the fire departments of Dagsboro, Frankford, Millville, Rehoboth Beach, Roxana, and Selbyville, Delaware, and Ocean City, Maryland.

The fire department was formed in June 1948 with ten members. It received its first equipment, a single used pumper, later that summer and answered its first call in September 1948. The town purchased property for its fire station in 1949, and the fire department held its first bingo game in March 1957. Its emergency medical center opened in the early 1980s, and its Fenwick Island substation began operations in July 1987.

Transportation
The main north–south road in Bethany Beach is Delaware Route 1 (Coastal Highway). This route runs north along the coast through Delaware Seashore State Park, crossing the Indian River Inlet on the Indian River Inlet Bridge, toward Rehoboth Beach, and south along the coast toward Ocean City, Maryland. The main east–west road in Bethany Beach is Delaware Route 26 (Garfield Parkway), which provides access from inland towns to the west such as Ocean View, Millville, and Dagsboro. There are a total of 1,000 public parking spaces in the beach and downtown areas of Bethany Beach, with parking meters in effect or parking permits required between May 15 and September 15. Outside of the public parking spaces, residential parking permits are required on east–west streets between May 15 and September 15; these permits are only available to people who own property in Bethany Beach. Business parking permits are also available for business owners and their employees.

DART First State provides bus service to Bethany Beach in the summer months along Beach Bus Route 208, which heads north to the Rehoboth Beach Park and Ride and the Lewes Transit Center Park and Ride near Lewes to connect to other Beach Bus routes and the Route 305 bus from Wilmington and south to the 144th Street Transit Center in Ocean City, Maryland to connect to Ocean City Transportation's Coastal Highway Beach Bus.

The town operates the Bethany Beach Trolley along two routes between the beach area and the residential western section of the town between Memorial Day weekend and the middle of September. The North Trolley Route runs along Atlantic Avenue and west to the residential areas to the north of Garfield Parkway while the South Trolley Route runs along Atlantic Avenue and west to the residential areas to the south of Garfield Parkway.

Utilities
Delmarva Power, a subsidiary of Exelon, provides electricity to Bethany Beach. Chesapeake Utilities provides natural gas to the town. The Town of Bethany Beach Water Department provides water to the town, operating a water filtration plant and standpipe, six wells, and a distribution system. Sussex County operates the Bethany Beach Sanitary Sewer District, which provides sewer service to the town. The Town of Bethany Beach Public Works Department provides trash and recycling collection to the town.

Before 1900
There is a lack of evidence of Native American activity in the Bethany Beach area. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in North America, Native American settlements appear to have been limited to the area north of the Indian River, north of what is now Bethany Beach; even after Europeans pushed the Native Americans—mostly Nanticokes—out of their coastal settlements in the mid-17th century, the Native Americans moved west to settle around Oak Orchard, Delaware, and in the Millsboro, Delaware, area rather than south toward what would become Bethany Beach. However, Native Americans are known to have visited the bays and rivers of the Atlantic coast of Delaware during the summer to fish, and it is possible that this included visits to the Bethany Beach area.

Europeans also did not settle the area prior to 1900, probably because Indian River Inlet cut the area off from their settlements to the north and because the town of Ocean View, founded in 1889 and now Bethany Beach's neighbor to the west, did not expand its boundaries eastward toward the coast.

The portion of Delaware in which Bethany Beach lies was subject to a lengthy legal dispute, Penn vs. Baltimore, that broke out in 1683, as to whether the land belonged to the Province of Maryland or the Province of Pennsylvania. While it dragged on, William Penn granted the Delaware Colony its own legislature in 1701, establishing it as a separate colony. The dispute over the boundaries of the three colonies was not resolved until 1759, when the parties to the dispute agreed that the area where Bethany Beach now lies was part of Delaware.

The founding of Bethany Beach
In 1898, F. D. Powers—a minister at the Vermont Avenue Christian Church (today the National City Christian Church), a congregation of the Disciples of Christ in Washington, D.C.—was serving as president of the annual convention of Washington-area Disciples when he suggested that a Christian meeting place be established on the Atlantic coast of the United States. He envisioned it as analogous to the Chatauqua adult-education summer-camp movement popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and played a key role in selecting the site of what would become Bethany Beach. The Christian Missionary Society endorsed his idea in 1898 and established a committee to study the matter; under his leadership, it recommended the Delmarva Peninsula as a suitable location for such a settlement, and later selected the empty coastal area east of Ocean View owned by the Ocean View landowner Ezekiel Evans as the specific site for the community.

In 1900, the Disciples of Christ held a nationwide contest to name the proposed community, the winner to receive an oceanside lot there. A committee of three men from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was responsible for choosing a name from among the entries; although it considered the names "Wellington" and "Gladmere", it chose the name "Bethany Beach" suggested by H. L. Atkinson of the University of Chicago. Powers supposedly also suggested the name "Bethany Beach," but the committee received Powers' entry two weeks after Atkinson's and thus Atkinson was deemed the winner. Also in 1900, the Disciples of Christ formed the Bethany Beach Improvement Company, which raised the money to purchase the land for the new town from Evans. Marketing the new community aggressively, the company sold 150 lots—mostly to families from Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Scranton—in Bethany Beach. It laid out streets and began the construction of the Tabernacle, an octagonal auditorium which was dedicated on July 24, 1901, while still under construction and would serve as the town's central meeting place and cultural center, hosting both church services and entertainment events. The company also made plans to build cottages on the lots it had sold and to establish a railroad branch line passing through Ocean View and Millville that would connect Bethany Beach with the main line to the west at either Dagsboro or Frankford, Delaware, promising that the railroad would begin operations on July 4, 1901; however, the 1901 season came and went with no railroad in operation.

A temporary town government began to operate in 1901. This event is celebrated as the founding of Bethany Beach, although the town would not be incorporated for another eight years.

On July 12, 1901, Bethany Beach's inaugural summer season officially began with a crowd at the incomplete Tabernacle singing a song written especially for the occasion and sung to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia."

The financial crisis of 1902–1903
Bethany Beach soon encountered financial problems which threatened to bring the planned town to an end almost before it could begin. Bankers in Georgetown, Delaware, hesitated to loan money for the development of Bethany Beach because they had lost money on the development of Rehoboth Beach to the north. Without sufficient financial backing, the Bethany Beach Improvement Company was unable to act on its plans, and little development occurred in Bethany Beach; basic services were lacking, construction stalled, work on the hoped-for railroad never began, and there was little agreement on how to address the new community's problems. In May 1902 the Christian Missionary Society withdrew its endorsement of Bethany Beach. Twenty-three landowners, mostly from the Pittsburgh area, concerned that the value of their Bethany Beach lots would drop, selected a committee to address the situation. The committee studied the problem, communicated with the Christian Missionary Society, and in September 1902 organized a meeting in Washington, D.C., which led to lengthy negotiations about putting Bethany Beach on a firm financial footing. The negotiations dragged on until 1903, when six Pittsburgh-area investors agreed to buy all of the Bethany Beach Improvement Company's stock, selling three shares to a Delaware resident so that there would be at least some local ownership. This put the company on a firm financial footing and allowed the development of Bethany Beach to resume.

The Christian Missionary Society eventually restored its endorsement of Bethany Beach, and summer programs modeled on the Chatauqua movement began in the town, meeting with modest success. Soon, the Bethany Beach Improvement Company dug a well to provide the town with fresh water. In 1903, the company completed the Tabernacle and built a surface-level boardwalk along the beach.

The "Quiet Years"
Longtime residents and regular visitors came to refer to Bethany Beach's history prior to the early 1950s as the "Quiet Years." Despite the plans of the town's founders to build one, no railroad ever came to Bethany Beach because traffic was insufficient to make such a railroad profitable, so visitors typically had to travel by train to Baltimore, Maryland, spend the night there, then travel by boat across the Chesapeake Bay to the Delmarva Peninsula and by train across the peninsula to Rehoboth Beach. Until 1910, they then had to take the steamer Atlantic across Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay to Ocean View, and then travel by horsedrawn carriage to Bethany Beach. On July 8, 1910, the Loop Canal was completed in Bethany Beach, allowing the motorboat Allie May—replaced in 1912 by the motorboat Helen Marie II—to dock at the town itself. Even with this improvement, however, the trip to Bethany Beach was uncomfortable and exhausting and from anywhere outside Delaware took at least a full day; from Pittsburgh it took two.

Bethany Beach's remote location meant that most beachgoers preferred to visit Rehoboth Beach to the north or Ocean City, Maryland, to the south, both of which they could reach directly by train. The small population of permanent residents of and regular visitors to Bethany Beach came to know one another well, and the town remained a quiet place that contrasted with the busier and more crowded atmosphere of Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City. Throughout the Quiet Years, it was unusual to find more than 20 people on Bethany Beach's wide beach at any one time. Bethany Beach's origin as a Christian community also tended to favor a quieter lifestyle; in its early years, for example, the religious character of Bethany Beach was expressed through the prohibition of non-religious activities on Sunday, although swimming in the ocean was permitted on Sundays between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. Although Bethany Beach became more and more secular and more developed over the years, it retains its "Quiet Resort" reputation to this day.

Many of the property owners during the Quiet Years were from Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh. Those from Pittsburgh tended to have homes in the northern part of Bethany Beach—at least part of which became known as "Little Pittsburgh" for a time—while Washingtonians tended to build their houses on properties in the southern part of town.

During the Quiet Years, Bethany Beach gradually acquired more and more amenities and its government provided more and more services. The Ocean View Post Office established a branch in Bethany Beach in 1904, though it appears that a regular mail route including the town was not available until 1922. A town newspaper, the Bethany Herald, began publication in 1904; later renamed the Bethany Booster, its name eventually was switched back to Bethany Herald, and it published until the late 1980s. The boardwalk was reconstructed in 1905, a United States Lifesaving Service station began operations in the town in 1907, and the Town of Bethany Beach was incorporated in 1909. The Bethany Beach School was established for students in grades one through six; after the sixth grade they had to attend Lord Baltimore School in Ocean View. The boardwalk underwent yet another reconstruction in 1912.

When the U.S. Lifesaving Service merged with the United States Revenue Cutter Service to form the United States Coast Guard in 1915, the town's lifesaving station became a Coast Guard station. The Delaware National Guard established a summer training camp just north of town in the early 1920s. The Ringler Theater, which showed movies and hosted dance parties, opened on the boardwalk in 1923; generally considered to be the first commercial enterprise on the boardwalk, it became one of the town's major attractions. A privately owned electric lighting plant began operations in 1924, lighting the town hall and street lamps; in 1926, the town bought the plant and began garbage collection. The town's lone bowling alley opened in 1930 and became a popular social attraction, The first restaurant on the boardwalk that was not part of a hotel opened in 1933 and stood until destroyed by a fire in 1953. Bethany Beach's first tennis court was completed in the mid-1930s. A dirt road between Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach, the first road between the two towns, opened in 1934. The Quiet Years were not without dramatic events. Shipwrecks had occurred along the Delaware coast for centuries, and were not uncommon in Bethany Beach's area even in the early 20th century. A 1920 storm destroyed some beachfront houses and the original surface-level boardwalk, which soon was replaced by a new, elevated boardwalk. Another damaging storm struck in 1927. The intense 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane passed through the area in August 1933, causing flooding in Bethany Beach but no deaths anywhere in Delaware.

No church came to Bethany Beach other than that of its founders, the Disciples of Christ, until 1940, when an Episcopalian church opened in the town. A Roman Catholic church opened in Bethany Beach in 1956.

World War II era
World War II temporarily interrupted the Quiet Years. The United States Government took an increasing interest in defending the Delaware coast after war broke out in Europe in 1939 and paved the road from Rehoboth Beach to a point south of Bethany Beach in 1940. The impact of the war on the area increased after the United States entered the war in December 1941: the town was blacked out at night beginning in 1942 to reduce the chance of German submarine attacks on ships offshore, and the beach and boardwalk closed at 9:00 p.m. to make it easier for military personnel to patrol against landings by enemy agents and saboteurs. Many personnel of the various armed forces were billeted in the town or based nearby, German prisoners of war were held in the area, a radar station was built nearby to the west, and the United States Army built a gunnery control tower south of town to support the Coast Artillery guns at Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen. Patrol dogs intended for use along the entire United States East Coast were trained just north of Bethany Beach. Wartime gasoline rationing made frequent short trips to Bethany Beach impractical, and many of the visitors during the war years spent entire summers at Bethany Beach instead.

During the war, a destructive storm struck Bethany Beach in mid-September 1944. It destroyed the Ringler Theater, which was not rebuilt, and badly damaged the boardwalk and the town's pavilion. The boardwalk was rebuilt later that year.

The customary atmosphere of the Quiet Years resumed soon after World War II ended in 1945. By 1946, all Bethany Beach residents received water service. In 1948, the all-volunteer Bethany Beach Fire Department was established, and the town acquired property for a fire station in 1949.

The 1950s and early 1960s
In 1952, the first span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened, heralding the end of the Quiet Years and the beginning of accelerated development of the area as a beach resort. The bridge allowed motorists for the first time to drive from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore to the Delmarva Peninsula without a lengthy drive circling around the northern tip of the Chesapeake Bay. This made the Delaware coast a more popular vacation destination, and the development of real estate in and around Bethany Beach began in earnest. A real estate boom began, and was in full swing by the late 1960s; banking flourished in the area. The opening of the bridge's second span in 1973 made access even easier and, if anything, accelerated development further. Bethany Beach residents generally opposed the development of the area sparked by the opening of the bridge, and much political fighting occurred over the various real estate projects proposed for the area. Ultimately, economic pressure to develop the area was too great, and the Quiet Years came to end.

The first development north of Bethany Beach, Sussex Shores, opened in either 1953 or 1958. South of town, the Middlesex Beach community was built in 1958–1959. South Bethany, to the south of Middlesex Beach, considered the first major new development in the area, was built in 1962 and incorporated as a town in its own right in 1969.

In 1961, the original Tabernacle, which had deteriorated badly since its completion 58 years earlier, was demolished.

The most destructive storm in Bethany Beach's history, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, was a surprise nor'easter that struck in March 1962. Created by the combination of what had been two separate storms, the nor'easter arrived on the evening of March 5, with 80-mile-per-hour (129-kilometer-per-hour) winds and 30-foot (9.1-meter) waves. The storm continued through three high tides while the tides were at their monthly peak before abating on March 7. Destruction was widespread; many of the beachfront structures that had stood since Bethany Beach's early decades were destroyed, including the bowling alley and many of the inns and houses, as were the boardwalk and town pavilion. Only one beachfront house in the southern part of town survived. Flood waters penetrated as far inland as Ocean View, and only three houses anywhere in Bethany Beach escaped flooding. Extensive beach erosion occurred, and sand several feet (over a meter) deep buried streets and cars and filled entire rooms in some houses. Damages along the Delmarva Peninsula's Atlantic coastline exceeded $50 million (USD). After the storm, the town rebuilt the boardwalk and put new regulations in place requiring that beach houses be built on 30-foot (9.1-meter) pilings. The 1962 storm had a lasting effect on Bethany Beach. Some longtime residents left Bethany Beach for good, while others noted that much of the old Bethany Beach of the Quiet Years had been destroyed, changing the character of the town forever.

1962–1979
Development of the area resumed after the 1962 storm. A new post office opened in 1965 and the town's first bank in 1966. Construction of Bethany West, a major new development in the western part of Bethany Beach proper, began in 1966–1967. A new town hall and police station opened in 1970.

Plans for a beach and tennis community, Sea Colony, centered on nine high-rise condominiums situated on a private beach between Bethany Beach and South Bethany, began in 1969; these buildings, the Bethany Beach area's first and only high-rises, opened in the early 1970s. The 1,200-townhome Sea Colony West low-rise beach and tennis resort development later was added just inland. Plans for Sea Colony met bitter opposition from longtime Bethany Beach residents, who were dismayed at the thought of high-rises and large crowds in the area; town regulations had been designed to prevent the construction of high-rises within town limits. Opponents of Sea Colony marched in protest and engaged in protracted legal efforts to block construction of the resort, but the property lay outside the town limits and their efforts to block the construction of Sea Colony failed. Sea Colony went on to become a very successful resort.

Bethany Beach installed its first parking meters in 1974, and they have become a major source of seasonal revenue for the town. In 1975, Bethany Beach installed a sewerage system and repaved its roads. A bandstand was built on the boardwalk in 1976, and serves to this day as the venue for musical performances and cultural events. The Bethany Beach-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce began operations in 1976.

On December 22, 1976, a sculpture (widely but incorrectly referred to as a "totem pole") created by Hungarian sculptor Peter Toth – who erected a sculpture in each of the 50 U.S. states as a tribute to Native Americans – was dedicated at the intersection of Delaware Avenue (Route 1) and Garfield Parkway. The installation of the sculpture was controversial; many residents viewed it as irrelevant to Bethany Beach, where no history of Native American activity has been found. Although opponents of the sculpture suggested that its installation at Oak Orchard, the hub of Nanticoke settlement since the mid-17th century, would be much more appropriate, Toth wanted a more visible location and the sculpture was erected in Bethany Beach.

1980s and 1990s
Given its Christian roots and its secular desire to remain a "Quiet Resort," Bethany Beach historically had resisted the sale of alcoholic beverages within its jurisdiction. In 1982, the State of Delaware granted the Holiday House in Bethany Beach a liquor license, the first to an establishment in the town, prompting a lawsuit by the town and local landowners. Ultimately, Bethany Beach accepted the sale of alcohol, but the town strictly limits the number of bars within town limits, generally limits alcohol sales to restaurants, and permits no sale of alcoholic beverages after 11:30 pm.

In the early 1980s, the Bethany Beach Fire Department offered the town's first emergency medical center, operated for the fire department by the Beebe Medical Center of Lewes, Delaware.

Hurricane Gloria struck Bethany Beach in September 1985, badly damaging the boardwalk.

In July 1987, the Bethany Beach Fire Department opened a substation in Fenwick Island, Delaware, on the coast a few miles south of Bethany Beach. A major beach replenishment project took place in 1989.

On January 4, 1992, a destructive nor'easter struck Bethany Beach with 85-mile-per-hour (137-kilometer-per-hour) winds. It inflicted $250,000 in damage to the boardwalk, severely damaged beachfront structures, flooded eastern Bethany Beach and the fire station, and caused Toth's Native American sculpture to lean over dangerously. A victim of termite as well as storm damage, the sculpture was replaced in 1994 by a new one known as "Chief Little Owl" created by Dennis Beach.

The town's library, the South Coastal Library, opened on January 17, 1994. The town inaugurated a "Concerts at the Beach" program in 1995. On September 11, 1996, Bethany Beach broke ground for its new town hall and community center on what had been the site of its water tower. The building was dedicated on May 24, 1997.

Severe nor'easters struck a week apart in 1998. The first, on January 28, was damaging, but the second, on February 4, was worse, and prompted the evacuation of low-lying areas due to the danger of flooding, those areas not having recovered from the first storm a week earlier. Severe beach erosion resulted from the 1998 storms.

Since 2000
In 2001, Bethany Beach celebrated its centennial and completed a new tabernacle. Also in that year, Dennis Beach's Chief Little Owl statue, badly damaged by termites, was replaced by a new Native American sculpture created by Peter Toth.

Over the winter of 2008–2009, the town's beaches underwent a vast beach replenishment program that cost the U.S. federal government approximately $20 million. The dunes put in place with the program are controversial because they reach over the height of the boardwalk, blocking most views of the ocean. Much of the criticism of them came from editorials in newspapers such as the local Delaware Wave and Coastal Point, along with Washington, D.C. media outlets. Remnants of Tropical Storm Ida hit the town in November 2009, destroying most of the dunes, leaving cliffs, making the beach significantly narrower, and revealing old jetties. Losses were estimated to cost the state of Delaware $40 million {USD} and repairs were not made until after the 2010 summer beach season.

By 2011, Bethany Beach had joined a growing number of communities in instituting a smoking ban, covering most of the beach and boardwalk areas.

A nor'easter hit Bethany Beach from October 2 to 4, 2015, and severely eroded the beach and dune and flooded parts of the town, especially in its northern section. A winter storm that struck the town from January 22 to 24, 2016, washed away major sections of what was left of the town's dune and breached it in some places, again causing flooding. In February 2016, officials announced that there was no funding available for replenishment of Bethany Beach's dune and beach during 2016, and that replenishment would not take place until 2017, in accordance with the schedule established before the two storms hit.

Education
Residents are in the Indian River School District.

In "the Quiet Years" Bethany Beach School was established for students in grades one through six; after the sixth grade they had to attend Lord Baltimore School in Ocean View.

Notable people

 * Henry Clay Drexler, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Liane Hansen, journalist
 * Butch Lewis, boxing promoter
 * Edward P. Lilly, historian

Historic sites
The Indian River Life Saving Service Station, Poplar Thicket, and the Wilgus Site all are in the vicinity of Bethany Beach and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

title: Bethany Beach, Delaware


text:
Bethel, Delaware

Bethel is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 171. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Bethel is a small, well-preserved 19th century shipbuilding and trading community. Wooden sailing vessels were constructed by Bethel's skilled ship carpenters until the early-20th century. The most significant class of Bethel craft were the Chesapeake sailing rams, which originated from this Broad Creek port.

The town of Bethel was formerly known as both Lewis' Wharf and Lewisville. The site was originally part of five hundred acres granted by the province of Maryland to James Caldwell in 1728. Settlement of this area was inhibited by the continuous boundary disputes between Maryland and the Penn family. In 1795, Kendal Major Lewis, the founder of Bethel, acquired much of James Caldwell's original grant as well as a smaller tract on Broad Creek, known as Mitchell's Harbor. Here he established a landing that grew to become a prosperous trading center. In the 1840s, Lewis' Wharf developed into a thriving community known as Lewisville.

Within the next 20 years, Lewisville was to become an important shipbuilding center. The extensive forests along the Nanticoke provided abundant supplies of virgin pine, oak and cypress. In 1869, Jonathan Moore of Lewisville established the most important marine railway on the peninsula south of Wilmington. John M. C. Moore, superintendent of Lewisville's Marine Railway Company, originated the well-known Chesapeake sailing ram. This class of sailing vessel was designed as an economical, flatbottom, three masted schooner; its operation required only a small crew. Rams were used for coastal freight primarily on the Chesapeake Bay. Between 1871 and 1918, as many as thirty rams were built in Lewisville shipyards.

In 1880, when the village applied for a post office, its name was changed to Bethel, since another Lewisville, Delaware, post office already existed.

Bethel's population was 400 in 1890, and was 387 in 1900.

The Bethel Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Geography
Bethel is located at 38.57056°N, -75.61944°W (38.5706707, –75.6193717).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 184 people, 78 households, and 56 families living in the town. The population density was 413.2 PD/sqmi. There were 97 housing units at an average density of 217.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.20% White, 2.72% African American and 1.09% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54%.

Of the 78 households 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.4% of households were one person and 12.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median household income was $34,107 and the median family income was $58,750. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,254. About 3.6% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 14.3% of those sixty five or over.

Education
Bethel's school district is the Laurel School District. Laurel High School is the local high school.

Transportation
The main modern transportation mode in Bethel is by road. However, no state highways serve the town directly. The closest state highway is Delaware Route 24, which is linked to Bethel by Shell Bridge Road.

title: Bethel, Delaware


text:
Blades, Delaware

Blades is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 1,241, a 29.8% increase over the previous decade. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Blades' population was 143 in 1900.

Geography
Blades is located at 38.63556°N, -75.61°W (38.6356701, –75.6099270).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 956 people, 353 households, and 236 families living in the town. The population density was 2,201.4 PD/sqmi. There were 393 housing units at an average density of 905.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 69.77% White, 21.76% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 3.97% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.59%.

There were 353 households, 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 23.8% of households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70 people and the average family size was 3.23 people.

The age distribution was 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median household income was $28,864 and the median family income was $33,194. Males had a median income of $25,139 versus $21,339 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,495. About 15.9% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Blades is in the Seaford School District. Its high school is Seaford Senior High School.

Transportation
Roads are the primary method of travel into and out of Blades. U.S. Route 13 (Sussex Highway) is the main highway serving the town, brushing the eastern edges on its way northward towards Dover and southwards towards Salisbury. Delaware Route 20 also brushes the northeast edge of town as it follows a generally east-west alignment through the region. DART First State operates the Route 212 bus that connects Blades with Delmar and Georgetown. The Delmarva Central Railroad's Delmarva Subdivision line passes north-south along the western edge of Blades.

title: Blades, Delaware