Last updated on September 17th, 2022
Delaware is the 45th most populous and the 49th most extensive of the 50 states of the United States. It lies in the Mid-Atlantic or Northeastern region of the United States. The state attained statehood on December 7, 1787, becoming the 1st state to join the union. Its three bordering states are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. See the full list of the 50 states and their borders here. Delaware (nicknamed: the First State, the Small Wonder, the Blue Hen State) has 3 counties. The postal abbreviation for Delaware is DE. The state’s capital is Dover. People who live in DE or who come from Delaware are referred to as Delawareans. With these facts about Delaware, let us learn more about its history, geography, people, economy and more.
Facts about Delaware
1. Wilmington is Delaware’s largest city.[1]
2. Wilmington was once home to Bob Marley, the godfather of Reggae. Moving into the city in 1965, he resided at 2313 N Tatnall for 12 years together with his mom. At some point during this period, Bob worked for DuPont and Chrysler as a lab assistant/forklift driver respectively. Bob’s mom ran the Roots Music Store on market street till 1976.
3. Did you know that Del. has only three counties (they are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex), the lowest number of any state? On the other hand, Texas (254 counties) has the most number of counties in the United States.[1]
4. Sussex (950 square miles) is the largest county of the three, followed by Kent (594 square miles) and then New Castle (438 square miles).[18]
Delaware on the map
5. First settled by the Dutch in 1631, Lewes is the first town in the first state.[23]
6. Did you know that in 1638, near the mouth of the Delaware River, Swedish and Finnish people built the first log cabin in North America?[27]
7. On December 7, 1787, DE became the first state to ratify the constitution of the United States. The state is also nicknamed the “First State”.[1]
8. Dover played a pivotal role in shaping the US Constitution. Delegates from the 13 original colonies often met at the Golden Fleece Tavern to review the draft, eventually coming to an agreement on 7 Dec 1787. The tavern no longer stands, but there’s a commemorative marker on its original site.
9. According to legend, Thomas Jefferson called Delaware a “jewel” among states because of its strategic location along the East Coast.[26]
10. Middletown, despite not having a navigable waterway itself, still traces its roots to water-borne trade. It started as a tavern stop located midway on an old cart road linking Bohemia Landing in Maryland to Appoquinimink Creek in Odessa – hence the name Middletown.
11. Henry Hudson, sailing under the Dutch flag, is credited with Delaware’s discovery in 1609.[5]
12. Seven of Delaware’s 74 governors to date — just under 10 percent — have come from Milford City. They include Ruth Ann Minner, who served as the first female governor of the state. Milford has also contributed to power elsewhere, being home to the largest solar-harnessing farm in DE.
13. In 1610, Delaware was named after the first governor of Virginia, Sir Thomas West, Lord De La Warr.[3]
14. Did you know that Sussex County raises more broiler chicken than any other county in the United States? It is home to the headquarters of 3 of the Top 20 broiler-producing companies in the country.[24]
15. Did you know that after Rhode Island, Delaware it is the second smallest state in the United States? However, due to its small size, it is also the sixth most densely populated of the fifty states of the U.S.[1,15]
16. Interestingly, in 1776, the deciding vote for the American Independence was cast by Caesar Rodney who had to ride eighty miles to Philadelphia through rain and thunder.[28]
17. Newark witnessed the first flying of the US flag in battle. This happened during the Revolutionary War when British and American forces engaged in the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge. Outnumbered 4-to-1, the Revolutionaries suffered defeat and retreated back to Wilmington. Still, the experience earned in course of the crash did come in handy later on.
18. Ebright Azimuth – 447.85 ft. above sea level near Ebright Road in New Castle County is the highest elevation in DE. The lowest point is the Sea level along the coast.[18]
19. Delaware has the lowest mean elevation (450 feet) of any state. Colorado has the highest mean elevation (14,440 feet) of all the states.[2]
20. Delaware is the third most bike-friendly state in the U.S.
21. Smyrna has about 490 houses that qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of these are incredibly well-preserved; visit the Pope-Mustard Mansion and you can still catch a whiff of the Underground Railroad Era. Other interesting buildings include the mid 18th Century Allee House and Lindens.
22. The majority (almost 91%) of the population of Del. age 5 years and older speak only English at home. Nearly 5% of the state’s population speaks Spanish.[1]
23. Delaware has the ninth-largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States. Maryland, New Jersey, and Connecticut have the largest number of millionaires per capita respectively.[12]
24. Delaware is also corporate heaven because of its business-friendly corporation laws. In fact, more than 50% of all the U.S. publicly traded companies and 66% of the Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware. It is easier and cheaper for a company to incorporate in Delaware than in most other states, even if the company conducts most of its business outside of the state.[3]
25. Did you know that Annie Jump Cannon, born in Dover, classified more than 225,000 stars? She classified stars according to their temperature. She was also the first woman to become an officer in the American Astronomical Society.[31]
26. It is an interesting fact to note here that in DE there are more than a million registered corporations, meaning there are more corporations than people.[10]
27. Pea Patch Island in Delaware was named when a ship carrying peas ran aground and lost its cargo, which sprouted new pea plants.[30]
28. Delaware Bay is home to the largest population of horseshoe crabs in the world.[29]
29. The Du Pont Chemical Company (one of the world’s largest chemical companies) plays a significant role in Delaware’s economy.[3]
30. Did you know that several ships have been named USS Delaware in honor of Delaware?[19]
31. Delaware is one of the only five states without a sales tax. Other states that do not have a sales tax are Alaska, Oregon, Montana, and New Hampshire.[11]
32. The Delaware Memorial Bridge that connects Del. with New Jersey is one of the world’s longest suspension bridges.[6]
33. If you pay attention to the geography of the state, Delaware is 96 miles long and varies from 9 to 35 miles in width.[18]
34. Did you know that the world’s first Nylon plant was located in Seaford, Delaware? Invented in 1937 by DuPont chemist Wallace Hume Carothers, this is where one of the world’s most famous fibers was first produced on a large scale. The town is also known as the “Nylon Capital of the World.”[8,9]
35. Seaford city, along with all land in the current southern and western Sussex County were originally settled as part Maryland Province. A mapping error however shifted Delaware’s east-west boundary from Delmar to Fenwick. Courts ruled out reverting to the original lines, and Seaford officially became part of the Diamond State.
36. Did you know that DE has the largest population of horseshoe crabs in the world? It is estimated that they (horseshoe crabs) predate the dinosaurs by more than 200 million years. The blood of these creatures is used by medical researchers to test intravenous drugs, vaccines, and medical devices.[12]
37. Did you know that there is a county named “Delaware County” in Pennsylvania?[13]
38. With an average speed of 25.2 Mbps, Delawareans enjoy the second-fastest internet speeds in the United States. At 28.1 megabits per second, the District of Columbia retains the top spot for the fastest wire line internet in the country.[14]
39. The state’s geographic center is in Kent County, 11 mi (18 km) S of Dover.[16]
40. Did you know that at 28 mi (45 km) Delaware has the 22nd-longest coastline among all U.S. states? Alaska, Florida, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, Oregon, Maine, and Massachusetts are the ten states with the longest coastline in the U.S., respectively.[17]
41. Did you know that agriculture is state’s number 1 industry with a worth of $8 billion?[20]
42. Did you know that the privately owned Wolf Cave in Beaver Valley is the only natural cave in the state?[25]
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