Portal:Delaware

The Delaware Portal

Delaware (/ˈdɛləwɛər/ ^ⓘ DEL-ə-wair) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state's name derives from the adjacent Delaware Bay, which in turn was named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Colony of Virginia's first colonial-era governor.

Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, and some islands and territory within the Delaware River. It is the second-smallest and sixth-least populous state, but also the sixth-most densely populated. Delaware's most populous city is Wilmington, and the state's capital is Dover, the second-most populous city in Delaware. The state is divided into three counties, the fewest number of counties of any of the 50 U.S. states; from north to south, the three counties are: New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. The southern two counties, Kent and Sussex, have historically been predominantly agrarian economies. New Castle is more urbanized and is considered part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Delaware is considered part of the Southern United States by the U.S. Census Bureau, but the state's geography, culture, and history are a hybrid of the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, and Southern regions of the country.

Before the Delaware coastline was explored and developed by Europeans in the 17th century, the state was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. The state was first colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near present-day Lewes, Delaware, in 1631. Delaware was one of the Thirteen Colonies that participated in the American Revolution against Great Britain, which established the United States as an independent nation. On December 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, earning it the nickname "The First State". (Full article...)

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Great Seal of the State of Delaware

The governor of Delaware (known as the president of Delaware from 1776 to 1792) is the head of government of Delaware and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Delaware Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment, and only with the recommendation of the Board of Pardons.

There have been 71 people who have served as governor, over 74 distinct terms. Three (Joseph Haslet, Charles Polk Jr. and Elbert N. Carvel) served non-consecutive terms. Additionally, Henry Molleston was elected, but died before he could take office. Only four governors have been elected to two consecutive terms, with the longest-serving being Ruth Ann Minner, who was elected twice after succeeding to the office, serving a total of just over eight years. The shortest term is that of Bethany Hall-Long, who served 15 days following her predecessor's resignation; Dale E. Wolf served 18 days and David P. Buckson served 19 days under similar circumstances. The current governor is Democrat Matt Meyer, who took office on January 21, 2025. (Full article...)

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The history of Delaware as a political entity dates back to the early colonization of North America by European settlers. Delaware is made up of three counties established in 1638, before the time of William Penn. Each county had its own settlement history. The state's early colonists tended to identify more closely with their county than Delaware as a whole. Large parts of southern and western Delaware were thought to have been in Maryland until 1767. The state has existed in the wide economic and political circle of the nearby Pennsylvanian city of Philadelphia. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Delaware-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Wilmington Station in Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 2The Delaware General Assembly meets in Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover. (from Delaware)
Image 3The Twelve-Mile Circle (from Delaware)
Image 4Nautical chart of the Dutch colony Zwaanendael and Godyn's Bay (Delaware Bay), 1639 (from History of Delaware)
Image 5Ethnic origins in Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 6Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States and a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009 (from Delaware)
Image 7Fort Delaware, painted circa 1870 by Seth Eastman. (from History of Delaware)
Image 8Picking Peaches in Delaware, an illustration in an 1878 issue of Harper's Weekly (from Delaware)
Image 9Sunset in Woodbrook, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 10Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island, a popular spot during the spring and summer; a ferry takes visitors to the fort from nearby Delaware City. (from Delaware)
Image 11The population density map for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 12The University of Delaware in Newark (from Delaware)
Image 13Dover (from Delaware)
Image 14NASCAR racing at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover (from Delaware)
Image 15Newark (from Delaware)
Image 16Seaford (from Delaware)
Image 17Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 18The Twelve-Mile Circle (from Delaware)
Image 19Delaware's license plate design, introduced in 1959, is the longest-running one in U.S. history. (from Delaware)
Image 20Map of Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 21A field north of Fox Den Road along the Lenape Trail in Middle Run Valley Natural Area (from Delaware)
Image 22The population density map for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 23Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States and a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009 (from Delaware)
Image 24Wilmington Station in Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 25The Köppen climate classification for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 26Newark (from Delaware)
Image 27Rehoboth Beach, a popular vacation spot during the summer months (from Delaware)
Image 28Delaware was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English merchant and governor of the Colony of Virginia from 1610 to 1618. (from History of Delaware)
Image 29The Köppen climate classification for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 30A two-shilling, six-pence banknote issued by Delaware in 1777 (from Delaware)
Image 31The Cape May–Lewes Ferry (from Delaware)
Image 32Delaware's license plate design, introduced in 1959, is the longest-running one in U.S. history. (from Delaware)
Image 33The Blackbird Pond on the Blackbird State Forest Meadows Tract in New Castle County, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 34The University of Delaware in Newark (from Delaware)
Image 35A field north of Fox Den Road along the Lenape Trail in Middle Run Valley Natural Area (from Delaware)
Image 36Picking Peaches in Delaware, an illustration in an 1878 issue of Harper's Weekly (from Delaware)
Image 37Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is a partial toll road linking Fenwick Island and Wilmington. (from Delaware)
Image 38Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island, a popular spot during the spring and summer; a ferry takes visitors to the fort from nearby Delaware City. (from Delaware)
Image 39Map of Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 40Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is a partial toll road linking Fenwick Island and Wilmington. (from Delaware)
Image 41Dover (from Delaware)
Image 42Ethnic origins in Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 43Rehoboth Beach, a popular vacation spot during the summer months (from Delaware)
Image 44The Cape May–Lewes Ferry (from Delaware)
Image 45The Delaware General Assembly meets in Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover. (from Delaware)
Image 46Sunset in Woodbrook, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 47Seaford (from Delaware)
Image 48Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 49The Blackbird Pond on the Blackbird State Forest Meadows Tract in New Castle County, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 50NASCAR racing at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover (from Delaware)
Image 51A two-shilling, six-pence banknote issued by Delaware in 1777 (from Delaware)

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... that residents of Port Mercer, New Jersey, profited from passing vessels by dragging their tow mules into the Delaware and Raritan Canal and having local boys "rescue" them for a fee?
... that a candidate in the 1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware took his dog on the campaign trail?
... that a Delaware TV station that had once hoped to present the "best of television" was forced to switch to home shopping after less than five months on the air?
... that Laura LeRoy Travis was the first woman at the University of Delaware to coach a men's sports team?
... that the 2024 inductees to the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame include a man with Down syndrome who has lifted 425 pounds (193 kg), an "average gymnast" turned Olympics judge, a "preeminent sportswriter", the state's "greatest high hurdler", the "inventor" of the modern sports mascot, a record-setting 10-year-old, a champion gymnast, an Olympic field hockey player, and a pro baseball player in five countries?
... that United States senator Joe Biden felt that his decision to run for a fourth term in 1990 was less difficult than deciding to run for his previous terms?

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Delaware Route 10 (DE 10) is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 287 (MD 287) at the Maryland border in Sandtown east to an interchange with the DE 1 freeway at the North Gate of Dover Air Force Base in the southeastern part of the city of Dover. The route passes through the towns of Camden and Wyoming along the way. From the Maryland border to Camden, it is a two-lane undivided road that passes through rural areas. DE 10 is a four-lane divided highway called Lebanon Road between U.S. Route 13 (US 13) in Camden and DE 1. DE 10 has one alternate route, DE 10 Alternate (DE 10 Alt.), which runs between Willow Grove and Highland Acres along an alignment further to the south, passing through Woodside and Rising Sun.

What is now DE 10 between the Maryland border and Camden was constructed as a state highway in stages in the 1920s and early 1930s. The route was first designated by 1936 to follow its current alignment between the Maryland border and Camden and current Rising Sun Road to US 113 Alt. in Rising Sun. By 1969, DE 10 was rerouted to follow Lebanon Road, a road completed by 1966, to US 113 (now DE 1) at Dover Air Force Base. Lebanon Road was improved into a divided highway by 1981. (Full article...)

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Largest cities

Largest cities or towns in Delaware 2018 United States Census Bureau Estimate
Rank	Name	County	Pop.
1	Wilmington	New Castle	70,635
2	Dover	Kent	38,079
3	Newark	New Castle	33,673
4	Middletown	New Castle	22,582
5	Smyrna	New Castle/Kent	11,580
6	Milford	Kent/Sussex	11,353
7	Seaford	Sussex	7,861
8	Georgetown	Sussex	7,427
9	Elsmere	New Castle	5,981
10	New Castle	New Castle	5,529

See List of municipalities in Delaware for a full list.

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