Delaware
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State flag
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DELAWARE,
one of the South Atlantic states of the U.S., bounded on the
N by Pennsylvania, on the E by the Delaware R., Delaware Bay, and
the Atlantic Ocean, and on the S and W by Maryland.
Delaware is known as the First State because on Dec. 7,
1787, it became the first of the original 13 states to ratify the U.S.
Constitution and thereby enter the Union. In the 1990s,
Delaware’s economy was dominated by services and
manufacturing; the state was noted as the home of the huge E. I. du
Pont de Nemours & Co. chemical firm. The state is named after
Delaware Bay and the Delaware R., both named in honor of
[fw..de031100.a]Thomas West, 3d baron De La Warr, the first colonial
governor of Virginia.
| DELAWARE STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
December 7, 1787; 1st state |
| CAPITAL: |
Dover |
| MOTTO: |
Liberty and independence |
| NICKNAME: |
First State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Our Delaware†(words by George B. Hynson; music by William M. S. Brown) |
| STATE TREE: |
American holly |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Peach blossom |
| STATE BIRD: |
Blue hen chicken |
| POPULATION: (2000 census) |
783,600; 45th among the states |
| AREA: |
6447 sq km (2489 sq mi); 49th largest state;
includes 1387 sq km (536 sq mi) of inland water |
| COASTLINE: |
45 km (28 mi) |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
137 m (448 ft), at137 m (448 ft), at the northern boundary |
| LOWEST POINT: |
Sea level, at the Atlantic coast |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
3 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 1 representative |
| GOVERNOR: |
Ruth Ann Minner (Dem.)
Took office January 2001 |
Delaware, the second smallest state of the U.S., has an
area of 6447 sq km (2489 sq mi); 2.1% of its land area is owned by the
federal government. The state is roughly triangular in shape, and its
extreme dimensions are about 154 km (about 96 mi) from N to S and about
58 km (about 36 mi) from E to W. Elevations range from sea level to 137
m (448 ft) on Ebright Rd. at the N boundary with Pennsylvania. The
approximate mean elevation is 18 m (60 ft), lower than that of any
other state. Delaware’s Atlantic coast extends 45 km (28 mi); it has
613 km (381 mi) of tidal shoreline.
About 95% of Delaware lies on the Delmarva Peninsula,
in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, atop a wedge of sands, silts, and
clays that thickens toward the SE, reaching a depth of about 3000
m (about 9850 ft) at the Atlantic shoreline. No point is higher
than 30 m (100 ft) in the coastal plain; the soils there generally
have a low natural fertility. Extensive areas of wetlands occur
along the E fringes of the state, and Cedar Swamp is in the S interior.
Delaware’s N tip, part of the Piedmont Plateau), is an area
of rolling hills, underlain by metamorphic rock, with summits typically
75 to 125 m (246 to 410 ft) high. The soils in this area are somewhat
more fertile than those of the coastal plain.
No large rivers are found in the interior of Delaware, but
the NE boundary of the state is formed by the lower Delaware R.
and its estuary, Delaware Bay. Most of the state’s streams
flow E toward the Delaware R., Delaware Bay, or the Atlantic Ocean;
these streams include the Christina, Smyrna, Leipsic, Saint Jones,
Broadkill, and Indian rivers. The W and S fringes of the state, especially
the SW corner, are drained W toward Chesapeake Bay; the Nanticoke
R. is in this region. Delaware has no large lakes, but several of
its small water bodies are used for swimming and fishing.
Delaware has a humid, temperate climate, with little variation
from place to place. Winter temperatures average about 1.7� C
(about 35� F), but daily minimum temperatures fall below freezing
(0� C/ 32� F) about 100 days per year.
The average summer temperature in Delaware is about 24� C (about
75� F); the maximum daily temperature exceeds 32.2� C
(90� F) on about 30 days each year. The recorded temperature
in Delaware has ranged from –27.2� C (–17� F),
in 1893, to 43.3� C (110� F), in 1930; both readings
were taken at Millsboro. The yearly growing season lasts about 190
days. Average annual precipitation in Delaware amounts to about
1145 mm (about 45 in), distributed evenly throughout the year. Snowfall
averages less than 508 mm (20 in) a year, and when snow does fall,
it usually stays on the ground only a few days.
| DELAWARE AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Wilmington |
| Average January temperature range |
–4.4� to 4.4� C |
24� to 40� F |
| Average July temperature range |
23.3� to 30� C |
74� to 86� F |
| Average annual temperature |
12.2� C |
54� F |
| Average annual precipitation |
1016 mm |
40 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
508 mm |
20 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
116 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
67% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
94 |
About 30% of Delaware is forested, with oak and pine
forests predominating in the coastal plain and oak and tulip tree
forests predominating in the Piedmont Plateau region. Common trees
include red, white, and willow oak; shagbark, mockernut, pignut,
and bitternut hickory; loblolly, Virginia, and pitch pine; tulip
tree; sweet gum; and red maple. The state also has many kinds of
rhododendron, holly, water lilies, and wild flowers. White-tailed
deer, red and gray fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum, cottontail rabbit,
groundhog, gray squirrel, woodchuck, and muskrat live in most parts
of the state, as do a variety of birds. Delaware Bay is an important
wintering area for waterfowl. It is also a fishing area, yielding
striped bass, bluefish, alewives, menhaden, flounder, shad, Norfolk
spot, perch, blue crabs, and oysters.
The only significant mineral resources in Delaware are sand
and gravel. These are found throughout the state, but the major
deposits are in the N. Deposits of magnesium compounds, clays, gemstones,
and iron ore are of minor importance.
According to the 2000 census, Delaware had 783,600 inhabitants,
an increase of 17.6% over 1990. The average population
density in 2000 was 154.9 per sq km (401.1 per sq mi) of land area. The greater
part of the population was concentrated in the N half of the state, in the Wilmington-Newark metropolitan area.
Whites accounted for 74.6% of the population and blacks
19.2%; additional population groups included 2731 American
Indians and Alaska Natives, 16,259 Asians, and 283 Native Hawaiians
and other Pacific Islanders. (These figures do not include the 1.7% of people
who reported more than one race.) A total of 37,277 persons reported
being of Hispanic ancestry. Wilmington was, by far, the state’s
largest city. Other cities and towns were Dover, the capital; Newark; Milford;
and Seaford.
As of 1990, Methodists (26.5%) and Roman Catholics
(26.4%) were the leading religious groups in Delaware. In 1990
approximately 73% of Delaware’s residents lived in areas defined as
urban, the rest in rural areas.
| POPULATION OF DELAWARE SINCE 1790 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1790 |
59,000 |
0% |
| 1820 |
73,000 |
0% |
| 1850 |
92,000 |
15% |
| 1880 |
147,000 |
33% |
| 1900 |
185,000 |
46% |
| 1920 |
223,000 |
54% |
| 1940 |
267,000 |
52% |
| 1960 |
446,000 |
66% |
| 1980 |
594,000 |
71% |
| 1990 |
666,168 |
73% |
| 2000 |
783,600 |
— |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST COMMUNITIES IN DELAWARE |
|
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Wilmington |
72,664 |
71,529 |
| Dover |
32,135 |
27,630 |
| Newark |
28,547 |
25,098 |
| Milford |
6,732 |
6,040 |
| Seaford |
6,699 |
5,689 |
| Middletown |
6,161 |
3,834 |
| Elsmere |
5,800 |
5,935 |
| Smyrna |
5,679 |
5,231 |
| New Castle |
4,862 |
4,837 |
| Georgetown |
4,643 |
3,732 |
Although it is a small state, overshadowed by such nearby
urban centers as Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD., and Philadelphia,
Delaware has a number of educational and cultural institutions.
The state legislature created a public education fund
in 1796, but it was not until 1829 that a public school system was
established in Delaware. In the early 2000s, the state had about 190
public elementary and secondary schools. More than 81,000 pupils were
enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade, and some 34,200 students
were in grades 9-12. In addition, some 27,300 students attended private
schools, and nearly 2300 students were home-schooled.
The first state institution of higher education, Newark
College (now the University of Delaware, at Newark) was founded in
1833. In the late 1990s, Delaware had ten degree-granting institutions
of higher education, with a combined enrollment of about 45,000
students. Among the most notable of these, besides the University of
Delaware, were Delaware State College (1891) and Wesley College (1873),
both in Dover; Goldey-Beacom College (1886), in Wilmington; and
Wilmington College (1968), with its main campus in New Castle.
Delaware has several noted cultural institutions. Best
known are the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum (1930), near
Wilmington, displaying, in some 175 period rooms, American decorative
arts from the early 17th century through 1860, and the Hagley Museum
and Library (1952), in Wilmington, featuring American industry. Also of
note are the Delaware Museum of Natural History (1957), the Delaware
Art Museum (1912), and the Delaware History Museum, all in Wilmington;
and several sites maintained by the Delaware State Museums in Dover.
The Research Library of the Historical Society of Delaware, in
Wilmington, and the Wilmington Public Library have important
collections.
Many of Delaware’s historical sites date from before
the [fw..am086000.a]American Revolution. Among these are the Old Dutch
House (c. 1700), in New Castle; the John Dickinson Mansion (c. 1740,
the boyhood house of [fw..di052600.a]John Dickinson, the American
founding father and author of Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania),
near Dover; and the Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church (1698), in
Wilmington. The Zwaanendael Museum (1931), in Lewes, commemorates the
arrival of the Dutch founders of the town 300 years earlier.
Delaware’s fine ocean beaches make it a center for
outdoor activities, such as swimming, boating, and fishing. Although
Rehoboth Beach is considered the recreational capital of the state,
Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island are also popular. Other attractions
include horse-racing at Delaware Park, in Wilmington, and auto racing
at the Dover Downs International Speedway, in Dover.
The state’s first radio station, WDEL, in Wilmington,
began operations in 1922. Today, the population of N Delaware is served
not only by the Wilmington media but also by radio and television
stations in Philadelphia. The
Delaware Gazette,
the ancestor of today’s
News Journal, began publication in 1785, in Wilmington. In the late 1990s, Delaware had two daily newspapers—the
News Journal,
still published in Wilmington, and the
Delaware State News, published in Dover—with a total daily circulation of about 143,500.
Delaware is governed under a constitution of 1897, as amended.
Three earlier constitutions had been adopted in 1776, 1792, and
1831. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by either
the state legislature or by a constitutional convention. Delaware
is the only state of the U.S. that does not require a popular vote
for the ratification of an amendment to the constitution.
The chief executive of Delaware is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and may not serve more than two terms.
The lieutenant governor, who succeeds the governor should the latter
resign, die, or be removed from office, is also elected to a 4-year
term, but that office is not limited to two terms. Other elected
state executive officers are the attorney general, treasurer, auditor,
and insurance commissioner.
The bicameral Delaware General Assembly is composed of a senate
and a house of representatives. The 21 members of the senate are
popularly elected to 4-year terms, and the 41 members of the house
are popularly elected to 2-year terms.
Delaware’s highest court, the supreme court, is made up
of a chief justice and four associate judges. The state’s major trial
courts are the court of chancery and the superior court. Judges of all
these courts are appointed by the governor, with the consent of the
state senate, to 12-year terms. Courts of limited jurisdiction include
the family court, court of common pleas, justice of the peace courts,
and alderman’s courts.
Delaware is divided into three counties, each of which
is governed by a council plus either an elected executive or an
appointed administrator. The counties are divided into units called
hundreds for assessment and tax purposes. The state had 57
municipalities in the late 1990s.
Delaware elects two senators and one representative to the U.S.
Congress. The state has three electoral votes in presidential elections.
An era of Democratic party prominence after the Civil
War was followed by a period of Republican predominance during the
first third of the 20th century. In contests for the governorship as
well as in presidential elections, the two major parties have been
about equally balanced since the mid-1930s, but a Democratic trend was
evident in the late 1990s. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, at
the age of 29, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (1942- ) is one of the most
influential Democrats in Congress; he ran unsuccessfully for the
party’s presidential nomination in 1988.
Delaware is a small but prosperous state, the economy
of which benefits from the large urban markets nearby. Since the 19th
century, manufacturing has been a leading activity; rapid development
of the state’s poultry industry dates from the 1920s. A 1981 law that
eased regulation of financial institutions led to a boom in the
multibillion-dollar credit card business. Because Delaware’s
corporate-tax laws are relatively lenient compared to the rest of the
country, many businesses are incorporated in the state even though
virtually all their activities are carried on elsewhere. By the end of
the 1990s, more than half of the 500 leading U.S. industrial
corporations were chartered in Delaware.
| DELAWARE STATE ECONOMY |
| STATE BUDGET |
|
| General revenue |
$4.1 billion |
| General expenditure |
$3.7 billion |
| Accumulated debt |
$3.7 billion |
 |
| STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, PER CAPITA |
$3,154 |
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$31,074 |
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
10.4% |
| ASSETS, INSURED COMMERCIAL BANKS (48) |
$153.1 billion |
|
| EMPLOYEES ON NONFARM PAYROLLS |
427,100 |
| Employed in services |
29% |
| Employed in wholesale and retail trade |
22% |
| Employed in manufacturing |
20% |
| Employed in government |
13% |
| Employed in finance, insurance, and real estate |
12% |
| Employed in transportation and public utilities |
4% |
|
| MAJOR INDUSTRIES |
% CONTRIBUTED TO GSP* |
| Private service-producing industries |
72% |
| Manufacturing and construction |
18% |
| Government |
9% |
| Agriculture, forestry,fishing, mining |
1% |
* Gross State Product = total value of goods and services produced in a year
Sources: U.S. government publications. Based on most recent data available as of 2002. |
| PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF DELAWARE |
| |
Quantity Produced |
Value |
| FARM PRODUCTS |
|
$741 million |
|
| CROPS |
|
$184 million |
| Soybeans |
249,000 metric tons |
$38 million |
| Corn |
642,000 metric tons |
$35 million |
| Greenhouse and nursery products |
— |
$30 million |
| Potatoes |
51,000 metric tons |
$10 million |
|
| Livestock and Livestock Products |
|
$557 million |
| Chickens (broilers) |
663,000 metric tons |
$497 million |
| Eggs (chicken) |
386 million |
$22 million |
| Dairy products |
— |
$20 million |
|
| MINERALS |
|
$12 million |
| Sand, gravel |
2.2 million metric tons |
$12 million |
|
| FISHING |
6700 metric tons |
$7 million |
|
| |
|
Annual Payroll |
| MANUFACTURING |
|
$1.8 billion |
| Transportation equipment |
|
$461 million |
| Chemicals |
|
$346 million/td>
|
| Food |
|
$203 million |
| Plastics and rubber |
|
$159 million |
|
|
$79 million |
| Computer and electronic products |
|
$106 million |
| Fabricated metal products |
|
$101 million |
|
| OTHER |
|
|
| Finance, insurance, and real estate |
|
$736 million |
| Government |
|
$2.0 billion |
| Management of companies and enterprises |
|
$1.4 billion |
| Health care and social services |
|
$1.3 billion |
| Retail trade |
|
$700 million |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services |
|
$959 million |
| Wholesale trade |
|
$835 million |
| Construction |
|
$727 million |
| Information |
|
$353 million |
| Sources: U.S. government publications. Based on most recent data available as of 2002. |
Delaware contains about 2600 farms, which have an
average size of 96 ha (236 acres). More than 75% of its relatively
small farm income is derived from the sale of livestock and livestock
products, and the rest comes from the sale of crops. The state is a
major U.S. producer of broiler chickens and poultry products and also
supplies dairy items, greenhouse and nursery products, and various
fruits and vegetables for sale in nearby cities. Sussex Co., where the
poultry industry is concentrated, ranks among the top U.S. agricultural
counties in terms of the value of production. Soybeans and corn are
raised in Delaware mainly for livestock feed.
Lumbering in Delaware is practiced on a small scale, largely
in woodlots scattered through farmland. Saw logs of yellow pine,
red oak, and sweet gum are harvested, and yellow poplar and other
trees are cut for making veneers. The state also produces limited
amounts of pulpwood.
The fishing industry in Delaware annually lands a catch
worth about $7 million. Crabs are the most valuable catch, but oysters,
clams, and sea trout are also harvested.
The small mining sector of Delaware’s economy is
dominated by the production of sand and gravel. Magnesium compounds
are extracted from seawater for use in various chemical and pharmaceutical products.
Delaware’s economy relies heavily on manufacturing,
which, as of 2000, accounted for the employment of more than 58,000
persons. The state has a history as an important center of the chemical
industry, and it remains a leading chemical research center. E. I. du
Pont de Nemours & Co., an important chemical manufacturing firm
founded by the Franco-American industrialist Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
de Nemours in 1802, has its headquarters in Wilmington, which is
Delaware’s chief manufacturing hub. Chemicals and related items, such
as synthetic fibers and pharmaceuticals, are the state’s leading
products. Also important are motor vehicles and parts, processed food,
precision instruments, plastics and rubber goods, paper products, and
industrial equipment.
Tourism annually contributes about $1 billion to the
state’s economy. Delaware’s ocean beaches are popular attractions for
people from nearby urban areas, and its resort centers, such as Bethany
Beach, Fenwick Island, and Rehoboth Beach, are heavily populated
throughout the summer. Delaware maintains a system of 14 state parks.
Delaware is served by some 9300 km (some 5780 mi) of
public roads, including 502 km (312 mi) of national highway system
roads. Major highways link the urban N part of the state with the coast
and the S agricultural region. The first railroad was completed in the
early 1830s, and today about 370 km (about 230 mi) of railroad tracks
are in use. Water transport plays an important role in the state’s
economy, with freight moving on the Delaware R. and the Chesapeake and
Delaware Canal, which links the Delaware R. with Chesapeake Bay.
Wilmington is the chief deepwater port. There are 23 airports and 11
heliports. The largest civilian air facility is New Castle Airport,
operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA), about 8 km
(about 5 mi) S of Wilmington. The DRBA also operates a civil air
terminal at Dover Air Force Base.
Electricity generating facilities in Delaware have a
total capacity of about 2.0 2.6 million kw and produce nearly 6 billion
kwh of electricity each year. Almost all the power is produced by
installations burning coal, natural gas, or petroleum products.
The Leni-Lenape Indians, later known as the Delaware Indians to the English,
occupied what is now the state of Delaware before the coming of
the Europeans. As white settlements began to encroach on their hunting lands,
they gradually moved to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and finally beyond the
Mississippi River.
The first European known to have visited Delaware was the
English explorer Henry Hudson, who located the Delaware River in
1609. A year later, when the English adventurer Samuel Argall (c.
1580–c. 1626) entered the bay, he named the area after
the governor of Virginia, Lord De La Warr. The first permanent settlement,
Fort Christina (present-day Wilmington), was established in 1638
by a group of Swedes. It came into being as a joint business venture
by Dutch and Swedish interests after former members of the Dutch
West India Co. (1621-74) interested Gustav II Adolph (d. 1632), king of Sweden, in colonization.
The resulting colony was called New Sweden. Finns constituted a
good portion of the settlers; they and the Swedes introduced the
construction of log houses to America.
Considering it a commercial rival, Gov. Peter Stuyvesant of
New Netherland occupied New Sweden in 1655 and renamed it New Amstel.
The Dutch were followed by the English, who seized the settlements
in 1664. Under English rule, Delaware was at first governed as part
of the proprietary colony of New York, and the town of New Castle
was the local governmental center.
After 1682, Delaware became part of Pennsylvania and was referred
to as the Lower Counties or the Territories. After 1704 the Lower
Counties established their own independent legislature. In addition
to the English, large numbers of indentured Scotch-Irish settled
in the area before the American Revolution. A continued labor shortage
led to a slave trade, which flourished until it was prohibited by
state law in 1776.
The Lower Counties reluctantly moved toward independence along
with the other colonies. In 1776 they adopted a constitution as
the state of Delaware. During the Revolution the British occupied
Wilmington, seizing the public treasury, and Delaware Bay was blockaded
by the Royal Navy.
On Dec. 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the
U.S. Constitution. A new state constitution was adopted in 1792.
In politics, the state remained solidly Federalist until 1820. Soon
after the Revolution, Quaker and Methodist groups moved to eliminate
slavery in the state. As of 1790, blacks constituted 21.6 percent
of the population. Although abolition was not forthcoming, many
owners freed their slaves before 1840.
During the War of 1812, British vessels patrolled Delaware
Bay, shelled the port of Lewes, and carried out raids along the
shores of the Chesapeake. At that time the munitions industry was
already important to the state’s economy, largely because
of du Pont gunpowder factory that had been founded near Wilmington in 1802 (see Manufacturing above).
With an increasing Northern commercial orientation, Delaware
sided with the Union during the American Civil War, but many of
the state’s residents were Confederate sympathizers; units
of the state militia were twice disarmed because of presumed disloyalty.
Delaware retained slavery until it was abolished by the 13th Amendment
in 1865. State representatives in Congress so opposed Reconstruction
policies that Delaware was labeled as part of the “Solid
South.†Within the state, the ruling Democrats maintained
black disfranchisement through property and capitation taxes. In
1872 President Ulysses S. Grant ordered federal troops into Delaware
to supervise elections.
After the Civil War, a major demographic change occurred.
The state’s natives left in large numbers and were replaced
by Irish Roman Catholics and Germans. Concentrated in urban areas,
the Irish joined the Democratic party but opposed some of its pro-Southern
policies.
As time went on, the du Pont gunpowder works diversified its
activities and became a national corporation. Transportation facilities
enhanced Delaware’s move toward industrialization. Serviced
by the Pennsylvania and the Baltimore and Ohio railroads and local
subsidiaries, Delaware’s agricultural and industrial products
were readily carried to market. By the 1920s, new industries such as
synthetics and mass poultry production, along with continued growth
in older industries, brought additional immigrant newcomers to Delaware,
including many Italians, Poles, and Russian Jews. The Great Depression
ended this influx.
After World War II a significant population shift again occurred
with the migration of blacks to urban areas. The University of Delaware
was integrated in 1948, and the public school system during the
1950s. Some racial tensions, however, were evident throughout the
1960s.
Delaware’s economy benefited from expansion in the
petrochemical, automotive, and poultry processing industries. Lenient
incorporation laws have encouraged the establishment of many company
headquarters within the state since the 1970s, and the banking and
credit-card industries have grown rapidly in recent decades. State
investment incentives and a well-educated and highly skilled work force
contributed to a positive business climate as the 21st century began.