Wilmington, Delaware

Profile:

In 1739 King George II of England granted a charter to “the People of Wilmington,” renaming the community that had previously been known as Willington. Quakers were among the early settlers, and they worked to make the new town prosperous with industries such as brick-making, pottery, tanning, and flour-milling.

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Trade greatly increased with the building of five turnpikes in the early 19th century and the opening of the Newcastle & Frenchtown Railway in 1831—one of the first in the U.S. Gunpowder-maker E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company made the city even more prosperous in World War One, eventually turning Wilmington into “the Chemical Capital of the World.”

Now Wilmington is known as a financial center, home of 60 banks and credit-card issuers such as Bank of America and Chase & Co. Since the mid-1990s more than $1 billion has been invested in downtown redevelopment projects, including the First USA Riverfront Arts Center, a 1.7-mile Riverwalk, the Shipyard Shops along the riverfront, and in 2003 a trolley connecting the riverfront with the business area.

Population:

City population: 73,000 in 2005 (estimated), 417th-most populous in the U.S. in 2000
Metro area: 6.2 million in 2000 (CMSA), 6th-most populous in the U.S.
Change in Wilmington’s population in the 1990s: +1,089 (+1.5%)

Interesting Facts:

Elevation: 74 feet
Median value of a Wilmington house/condo in 2005: $141,600
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2005: $936
Number of single-family new-home construction permits issued in 2005: 79 buildings, average cost: $58,400
The average annual temperature in Wilmington is 54.0º F
The site of Wilmington was first occupied by the Swedes, then the Dutch, and then the English

Demographic:

The racial makeup of Wilmington:
- Black (56.4%)
- White (32.1%)
- Hispanic (9.8%)
- Other race (5.2%)
- Two or more races (2.0%)
- American Indian (0.8%)
Median age: 33.7
Ancestries: Irish (8.7%), Italian (5.7%), German (5.2%), English (4.4%), Polish (3.6%), sub-Saharan African (2.6%)
Among people in Wilmington age 25 and above, 21.4% have a college degree
Average household size: 2.39

Avg. Family Income:

Median household income in 2005: $33,240

Transportation:

Wilmington is located in the middle of the heavily traveled northeast corridor. I-95, the major north–south route from Maine to Florida, cuts through the western part of the city. With the completion of limited-access Delaware-1, central and south Delaware are connected to I-95
The Delaware Authority for Regional Transit (DART) operates 63 bus routes serving northern Delaware, including Wilmington and Newark
More than 580 flights arrive daily at the Philadelphia International Airport, 25 minutes away from Wilmington
Travelers arriving from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington, DC, can ride the high-speed Acela Express rapid metroliner as well as conventional Amtrak and SEPTA (commuter) trains