Dover is the capital and second largest city of the US state of Delaware. In the 2000 census, it had a population of 32,135 inhabitants. It is located in Kent County, located in turn on the Delmarva Peninsula. The city of Dover is geographically located in the center of the state of Delaware.
Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, 1131 N Dupont Hwy. Tel. toll-free:
+1-800-711-5882 The Dover Downs complex consists of a hotel, casino and
harness racing track. The hotel offers upscale full-service
accommodations with an indoor pool, exercise room, room service and a
concierge. The rooms offer either a view of the race track or the city
and feature numerous amenities such as a safe, free internet and
voicemail, refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, magnifying mirror and
iron and ironing board. Dover Downs Casino offers a variety of games
including over 2,300 slots, table games such as baccarat, roulette and
blackjack and an 18-table poker room. The racecourse offers live
trotting races from November to April, as well as simulcasts of races
from other courses throughout the year. The Race & Sports Book offers
sports betting on horse racing, pro and college sports. Dover Downs
offers restaurants such as Michele's, Pearl Oyster Grill, Frankie's,
Festival Buffet, Garden Cafe, gr8 Burgers & Shakes, Sweet Perks, Sweet
Perks Too and Winner's Circle Restaurant. Bars and clubs in Dover Downs
include Fire & Ice, Race & Sports Book, The Lobby Bar, The Gazebo Bar
and The Terrace Bar. Dover Downs offers entertainment from comedians to
singers. The Colonnade offers upscale shopping like Colonnade Fashion,
Godiva, Swarovski, Colonnade Market, and Sweet Perks Too.
Dover
International Speedway, 1131 N Dupont Hwy. Tel: 1.302.883-6500
Toll-free: 1.800.441-7223 The Monster Mile hosts a NASCAR race twice a
year, once in late spring and once in late summer. Spring weekend
features the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race on Friday,
the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, and the NASCAR Cup Series
race on Sunday. The summer weekend features the NASCAR K&N Pro Series
East race on Friday, the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, and the
NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. In addition to on-track racing
activities, Dover International Speedway features a FanZone which
features a range of activities, live music and driver performances. The
FanZone revolves around the Monster Monument in Victory Plaza, a statue
of the mascot Miles the Monster. Dover International Speedway offers
both standard RV and tent camping, as well as carefree camping where
campers are provided with a tent containing a bed with linens, chairs, a
table and a rug. Additional RV and tent camping is available off-site.
Firefly Music Festival, 1131 N Dupont Hwy (The Woodlands at Dover
International Speedway) . Open air music festival held in mid-June at
The Woodlands at Dover International Speedway, attracting nationally
renowned music acts. The festival includes seven stages and features
outdoor camping and a carpet. Additional RV and tent camping is
available off-site.
Killen's Pond Water Park. - at Felton, 10 miles
south of Dover on US 13.
Pre-Colonial and Early Settlement
The area that would become
Wilmington, Delaware, was originally inhabited by the Lenape (also known
as Delaware Indians), specifically a band led by Sachem Mattahorn. The
Lenape referred to the region as "Maax-waas Unk" or "Bear Place," named
after the Maax-waas Hanna (Bear River), which is the present-day
Christina River. This river flowed westward toward the territory of the
Susquehannocks, or "Bear People." European exploration began when Henry
Hudson sailed up the Delaware River in 1609, but permanent settlement
came later.
In March 1638, Swedish and Finnish settlers, led by Peter
Minuit (a former director of the Dutch West India Company), arrived
aboard the ships Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel. They purchased land from
Chief Mattahorn and established Fort Christina (named after Queen
Christina of Sweden) at the confluence of the Christina River and
Brandywine Creek, where they meet the Delaware River. This marked the
first permanent European settlement in the Delaware River valley and the
only Swedish colony in North America, intended as the capital of New
Sweden. The colony encompassed parts of present-day Delaware,
Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Fort Christina served as the headquarters,
though initial settlement was sparse. Other Swedish outposts included
Timmerön (Timber Island along Brandywine Creek), Sidoland (South
Wilmington), Strandviken (along the Delaware River), and Översidolandet
(along the Christina River). The Swedes introduced log cabins to America
here and governed under Swedish law, with notable figures like Governor
Johan Printz (1643–1653) and his successor Johan Rising (1654). Dr.
Timothy Stidham, who arrived in 1654, became the first physician in
Delaware.
Swedish control was short-lived. In 1655, after Rising
seized the Dutch Fort Casimir (near present-day New Castle), Dutch
forces under Peter Stuyvesant captured Fort Christina, ending New Sweden
and incorporating the area into New Netherland. The Dutch renamed Fort
Christina to Altena. By 1664, following Anglo-Dutch wars, the English
took control, stabilizing the region under British rule with significant
Quaker influences from William Penn, the proprietor of Pennsylvania.
Colonial Period and Founding (Late 17th to Mid-18th Century)
For
its first century under European control, the area remained a small
agricultural hamlet. Growth accelerated in the 1730s with the arrival of
Quakers, who contributed to its development. In 1731, Thomas Willing, an
English merchant, laid out the initial grid pattern for the settlement
(modeled after Philadelphia) and named it Willingtown (or Willington).
By 1739, with over 600 residents, it received a borough charter from
King George II through Thomas Penn, renaming it Wilmington in honor of
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (a British Prime Minister and
Penn's patron). William Shipley was elected as the first Burgess (chief
official).
The city's topography influenced early development: flat,
marshy land east of Market Street along the Christina River contrasted
with healthier, hilly terrain to the west, rising toward the watershed
between the Brandywine and Christina Rivers along Delaware Avenue. This
led to early residential growth on the west side, such as Quaker Hill
from the mid-18th century. Wilmington grew into a prosperous business
and residential community, supported by milling industries, its
strategic location, key leaders, and natural resources.
Revolutionary War Era
By the time of the American Revolution,
Wilmington had become Delaware's largest town. It played a minor but
notable role in the conflict. Following the Battle of Brandywine on
September 11, 1777, British forces under General William Howe occupied
Wilmington, capturing Delaware's state president John McKinly. The
occupation lasted until the British evacuated Philadelphia in June 1778.
In 1781, Generals George Washington and the Comte de Lafayette marched
troops through Wilmington en route to their victory at Yorktown.
Delaware's only Revolutionary War battle occurred elsewhere in the
state, but Wilmington's proximity to major events underscored its
importance.
19th Century: Industrial Growth and Civil War
Post-Revolution expansion was fueled by access to ports (especially
Philadelphia, 25 miles northeast), waterpower from Brandywine Creek, and
fertile farmlands. Sawmills, gristmills, and paper mills proliferated
along the creek, and by the 1790s, Wilmington's flour mills were the
largest in the United States. In 1802, French immigrant Eleuthère Irénée
du Pont established a gunpowder mill on the Brandywine River just north
of the city (later annexed), marking the start of the DuPont company,
which became a major U.S. military supplier and a cornerstone of
Wilmington's economy.
Wilmington was incorporated as a city in 1832
by the state legislature. The Industrial Revolution transformed it, with
the 1837 completion of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad
providing vital north-south connectivity by water, road, and rail.
Shipping and industry flourished along the rivers, attracting European
immigrants. The city gained cultural amenities like an opera house,
expanded library, park system, and public education. Pre-Civil War,
Wilmington was a hotbed of abolitionist activity and a key stop on the
Underground Railroad.
The American Civil War (1861–1865) dramatically
boosted Wilmington's economy. Though Delaware remained a Union border
state with divided loyalties, Wilmington was a northern partisan center.
Its industries expanded to produce ships, railroad cars, gunpowder,
shoes, tents, uniforms, blankets, and other war materials. By 1868, the
city produced more iron ships than the rest of the U.S. combined, led in
gunpowder production, and ranked second in carriages and leather.
Post-war prosperity drove westward residential expansion, with wealthy
industrialists building ornate mansions along Delaware Avenue after the
introduction of the first horsecar line in 1864. Population grew from
21,250 in 1860 to 110,168 in 1920.
In the late 19th century,
businessman William Poole Bancroft, inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted,
spearheaded Wilmington's first comprehensive park system, donating land
for Rockford Park and Brandywine Park.
Early to Mid-20th Century:
World Wars, Racial Tensions, and Urban Renewal
The early 20th century
saw continued industrial diversification, with new firms in automobiles,
leather, and clothing. Both World Wars stimulated round-the-clock
operations in shipyards, steel foundries, machinery, and chemical
production. Migrations of minority groups northward during this period
heightened racial tensions, leading to the Wilmington race riot of 1919.
Post-World War II, Delaware's liberal tax laws attracted corporations,
solidifying Wilmington's status as the "Corporate Capital of the World."
However, manufacturing declined, and the mid-1900s brought challenges:
Wilmington became a battleground for civil rights and desegregation. The
1950s saw suburban growth in areas like North Wilmington, enabled by
automobiles and road improvements, but this contributed to urban
population decline. "Urban renewal" projects in the 1950s–1970s cleared
housing in Center City and the East Side, while the 1963 construction of
Interstate 95 bisected stable neighborhoods, exacerbating decay.
The Wilmington Riot of 1968 and Its Aftermath
The assassination of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, triggered nationwide
unrest, including in Wilmington. Civil disturbances erupted, expressing
grief, anger, and frustration over persistent racism, lack of societal
change, poverty, and shifts in resources away from jobs and education.
Protests involved young people influenced by the Civil Rights Movement,
SNCC veterans, anti-colonial struggles, and the Vietnam War, as well as
working-class communities challenging authority. On April 9, at the
request of Mayor John Babiarz, Governor Charles L. Terry Jr. deployed
the National Guard and Delaware State Police. Although Babiarz sought
their withdrawal the following week, the Guard remained until Terry's
term ended in January 1969—marking the longest occupation of a U.S. city
by state forces in history. Patrols focused on West Central City and
Eastside neighborhoods, deepening racial and class divisions with
lasting impacts. The events inspired a new generation of activists but
highlighted ongoing issues like discrimination, gun violence,
homelessness, and the need for economic and educational equity.
Late 20th Century to Modern Times
In the 1980s, Wilmington's economy
shifted toward finance. The 1981 Financial Center Development Act and
1986 legislation liberalized banking laws, attracting national and
international banks (e.g., Bank of America, Capital One, Chase,
Barclays) for credit card and financial operations. This spurred job
growth, office construction, and positioned Wilmington as a hub for
services, with headquarters for many large corporations. Manufacturing
continued in chemicals, automobiles, leather goods, textiles, vulcanized
fiber, rubber hose, and processed foods, but services dominated.
The
"Back to the Cities" movement in recent decades has driven
revitalization through redevelopment projects, signaling urban recovery.
Architecturally, Wilmington is conservative, adopting styles like
Federal, Queen Anne, Second Empire, Greek Revival, Georgian, Art Deco,
and International about a decade after their emergence. Vernacular row
houses define stable neighborhoods, protected by ten historic districts
with overlay zoning. Historic sites include the Fort Christina Monument,
Old Swedes Church (1698), Old Town Hall Museum (1798), Hagley Museum at
the DuPont mill, Delaware Art Museum, and Winterthur Museum nearby.
Educational institutions like Goldey-Beacom College (1886) and Widener
University School of Law (1971) are based here.
Population has
fluctuated: from 72,664 in 2000 to 70,851 in 2010, within a larger metro
area of over 5 million. Today, Wilmington remains Delaware's largest
city, a key port, and a center for industry, finance, and culture,
evolving from its colonial roots into a modern urban hub.
Wilmington, the largest city in Delaware and the county seat of New Castle County, is situated at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina River empties into the Delaware River. Positioned approximately 33 miles southwest of Philadelphia, it forms part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, benefiting from strong transportation connections. The city's coordinates are around 39°44′45″N 75°32′48″W, and it serves as a key urban hub in the Brandywine Valley region. With a population of about 70,898 as of recent estimates, Wilmington covers a total area of 17.19 square miles (44.52 km²), including 10.90 square miles (28.22 km²) of land and 6.29 square miles (16.30 km²) of water, accounting for roughly 36.25% water coverage. Its urban area extends to 213.35 square miles (552.58 km²), while the broader metropolitan statistical area spans 1,104 square miles (2,859 km²).
Wilmington straddles the Fall Line, marking a transition from the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Plateau to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. This geological boundary creates a distinct east-west divide in the city's terrain. To the east of Market Street and along the Christina River, the landscape is characteristic of the Coastal Plain: flat, low-lying, and occasionally marshy, with elevations near sea level. In contrast, the western side, part of the Piedmont, is rocky and hilly, rising to a watershed divide between the Brandywine and Christina Rivers along Delaware Avenue westward from 10th Street and Market Street. The average elevation of the city is 92 feet (28 m) above sea level, but the highest point reaches 330 feet (100 m) at Mount Salem Hill. This topographic variation historically influenced settlement patterns, with the hilly west favored for residences due to natural springs, better air circulation, and reduced mosquito presence, while the flatter east supported industrial development.
Water features dominate Wilmington's geography, with the Christina River, Brandywine Creek (a tributary of the Christina), and the Delaware River playing central roles. The Delaware River at this point is an estuary at sea level, experiencing twice-daily tides and enabling ocean-going vessels to access the Port of Wilmington. The confluence of these waterways has historically supported trade, industry, and navigation, making Wilmington a vital port city. The Brandywine Creek, in particular, carves a deep gorge through the Piedmont with about 120 feet of relief, providing water power that fueled over 130 mills in the 18th century for flour, paper, and textiles, and later gunpowder production in the 19th century. Surrounding areas include marshlands along the Coastal Plain edges, contributing to biodiversity and occasional flooding risks.
The bedrock underlying Wilmington and the surrounding Delaware
Piedmont is known as the Wilmington Blue Rocks, or Brandywine Blue
Granite locally, primarily consisting of metamorphic gneisses with
lesser amounts of plutonic igneous rocks. These rocks are mapped as the
Brandywine Blue Gneiss within the Wilmington Complex. The gneisses
appear black or dark gray when weathered but reveal a bright royal blue
color when freshly exposed, composed mainly of quartz, feldspar,
pyroxene, and magnetite, with weak light-dark banding and mineral
streaks up to an inch long. Coarse-grained igneous intrusions, such as
gabbros, are also present, likely emplaced into the gneisses later and
showing minimal deformation.
Geologically, these formations
originated around 570 million years ago in the deep root of a volcano
associated with an east-dipping subduction zone, as part of early
tectonic activity in the Appalachian Mountain System. Between 480 and
440 million years ago, continental collisions involving North America,
Europe, and Africa buried the rocks to depths of 10 to 12 miles,
subjecting them to high-grade metamorphism at temperatures around
1,300°F (700°C). This process caused recrystallization, deformation, and
the development of a massive, monotonous structure. Since then, uplift
and erosion have exposed these rocks, with the region remaining
tectonically stable. The Wilmington Complex contacts the Wissahickon
Formation—a sequence of metamorphic sedimentary rocks—to the north, with
the boundary possibly involving thrusting, strike-slip faulting, or
intrusion. At the eastern edge, the hard crystalline Piedmont rocks
plunge beneath softer Coastal Plain sediments along the Fall Line. These
durable rocks have practical significance, used historically for
building stone in structures and fences, though their hardness made them
challenging for road construction.
Wilmington experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen classification: Cfa), characterized by hot, humid summers; cool to cold winters; and relatively even precipitation throughout the year. Summers are warm, with July averaging 76.8°F (24.9°C) and featuring about 21 days exceeding 90°F (32°C), often accompanied by thunderstorms. Winters are cooler, with January averaging 32.4°F (0.2°C), occasional lows to 10°F (−12°C), and highs up to 55°F (13°C). Annual snowfall averages 20.2 inches (51 cm), though it varies significantly by year. Precipitation is fairly consistent, ranging from 2.83 inches (72 mm) in February to 4.67 inches (119 mm) in June, based on 1991–2020 normals from New Castle County Airport. Temperature extremes include a record low of −15°F (−26°C) on February 9, 1934, and a high of 107°F (42°C) on August 7, 1918. The proximity to the Delaware River and Atlantic Ocean moderates temperatures and contributes to humidity.
Wilmington's layout follows a grid pattern shaped by its natural features. North-south streets are named, while east-west streets north of Lancaster Avenue/Front Street are numbered starting from 2nd Street and increasing northward; south of this divide, they are named. Market Street separates east from west, and Lancaster Avenue/Front Street divides north from south. Interstate 95 bisects the city into eastern and western halves, with I-495 bypassing downtown along the Delaware River. Neighborhoods are often defined by these features, such as those north of the Brandywine River (e.g., Brandywine Village, Ninth Ward), east of I-95 (e.g., Center City, Quaker Hill, Riverfront), and west of I-95 (e.g., Little Italy, The Highlands, Trolley Square). Historic districts like Baynard Boulevard, Rockford Park, and Quaker Hill preserve architectural and cultural elements tied to the geography. The Fall Line and rivers have historically driven economic activities, from milling to modern port operations, while parks and green spaces along waterways enhance recreational opportunities.