Wilmington, Delaware
- For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington
Wilmington, a seaport in northern Delaware, is the largest city in the state. As of the 2000 census, Wilmington had a total population of 72,664. It is the county seat of New Castle County Template:GR. It was named by Thomas Penn for his friend Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who was prime minister in the reign of George II of Great Britain.
This city is an anchor city for the Delaware Valley metropolitan area.
History
The area now known as Wilmington was first colonized by settlers from Sweden and Finland about 1638, establishing the colony on New Sweden. In 1655 the Dutch arrived and took over the colonies from the Swedes and Finns. Then in 1644 British colonization began, the area stabilized under British rule, with strong influences from the Quaker communities, and was granted a borough charter in 1739 by the King George II which changed the name from Willington, after Thomas Willing the first 'developer" of the land who organized the area in a grid pattern similar to that of its northern neighbor Philadelphia, to Wilmington, presumably after Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.
Geography
Wilmington is located at 39°44'55" North, 75°33'6" West (39.748563, -75.551581)Template:GR. The city is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.1 km² (17.0 mi²). 28.1 km² (10.9 mi²) of it is land and 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 36.25% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 72,664 people, 28,617 households, and 15,882 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,585.8/km² (6,698.1/mi²). There are 32,138 housing units at an average density of 1,143.6/km² (2,962.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 35.52% White, 56.43% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.16% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. 9.84% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 28,617 households out of which 27.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.6% are married couples living together, 23.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% are non-families. 37.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.19.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,116, and the median income for a family is $40,241. Males have a median income of $34,360 versus $29,895 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,236. 21.3% of the population and 16.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.4% of those under the age of 18 and 20.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Wilmington also has a very active and diverse ethnic population. Many pockets of the city are populated by different groups of people with various European heritages. This ethnic diversity contributes to several very popular ethnic festivals held every spring and summer in Wilmington. The most popular festival is the Italian festival. This event, which is run by St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, closes down 6 blocks in the west side of the city for traditional Italian music, food, and activities, along with typical carnival rides and games. Another festival that draws large crowds is the Greek Festival, which is run by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. This festival is on a smaller scale than the Italian festival but features traditional Greek food and drink along with a crafts area.
Crime
Given Wilmington's central location between Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City, the city saw a massive rise in drug sales in the early 1990's. Dealers would use Wilmington's poorly patrolled streets and underfunded police force (at one time only eight police cars would monitor the city at night) as an easy hideout or stop-off from the major cities that were less than two hours away.
With drugs and gangs appearing more and more on the streets, violent crimes such as murder, assualt, and armed robbery rose at a frightening pace, putting Wilmington among the most dangerous cities for its size nationally. Many local residents, living in Victorian homes in Wilmington's WestSide and Hilltop neighborhoods, petitioned the local government to address these matters, but often gave up and moved out, leaving rows of abandoned homes open to dealers, users, and criminals.
To make matters worse, the segregation of Wilmington's blocks made it easy for residents to turn a blind eye. As in most northeast cities, the dense neighborhoods juxtapose the poor against the relatively affluent areas only blocks apart. Ursuline and Padua Academy, two of the cities best female private schools, and even once Tom Carper, the Governor of Delaware, lived only a handful of blocks away from some of the most violent streets, separated by elevation changes or parks.
To counter this crime wave Wilmington became the first city in the U.S. to have its entire downtown area under surveillance: some $800,000 worth of video cameras (some bought with public money, some by downtown businesses) have the exteriors of all the buildings in view, and the technicians who monitor them dispatch the city's police to the scene of any crime or suspicious activity they see, while it is still happening.
Among the residental streets the Wilmington Police Department started a controversial program known as jump-outs, in which unmarked police vans would cruise crime prone neighborhoods late at night, "jump-out" at corners where residents were loitering and detain them temporarily. Using loitering as probable cause, the police would then photograph, search, and fingerprint everyone present. This would improve the police's records in case fingerprints or eye-witnesses were available at future crimes, along with catching anyone with drugs or weapons on them. Controversy spread from a cry of violation of civil-rights and racial-profiling, while other residents claimed it was helping and the only way to counter the gangs' grip on their streets and homes.
Economy
As a result of the business laws of Delaware, Wilmington has become a national financial center for the credit card industry, largely because of regulations enacted by former governor Pierre S. du Pont IV. These laws eliminated the usuary laws enacted by most states, which removed the cap on interest rates that banks may legally charge customers. Many major credit card issuers, including MBNA Corporation, Chase Card Services (part of JP Morgan Chase & Co., formerly Bank One / First USA), and Juniper Bank, are headquartered in Wilmington. Many banks as well are "officially" headquartered in Wilmington, but operate out of other cities. The Dutch banking giant ING Groep N.V. headquartered its U.S. internet banking unit, ING Direct, in Wilmington.
Corporations also rely on the state's Court of Chancery to decide legal disputes, which places legal decisions with a judge instead of a jury. The Court of Chancery is know both nationally and internationally for its speed, competance, and knowledgable judiciaries. The Court of Chancery is based on a centuries old English legal system.
Transportation
Wilmington is served by the Wilmington Rail Station, with frequent service to New York, New York, and Washington, DC, via Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, with additional local service to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania via SEPTA Regional (commuter) Rail. The closest major airport is Philadelphia International Airport. Interstate 95, also known as the Delaware Turnpike, splits Wilmington roughly in half, and provides access to major markets in the Northeast and nationwide. Wilmington is also served by the Port of Wilmington, a modern facility handling mostly fruits and vegetables, automobiles, steel, and bulk products. Two freight railroads also serves Wilmington, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Both railroads operate major freight yards in the city; CSX operates the Wilsmere Yard, and Norfolk Southern operates the Edgemoor Yard.
Education Institutions
Wilmington is served by the Red Clay, Brandywine, and Christina School Districts for elementary, junior high, and high school public education. There are also private schools such as Salesianum, St. Mark's, Ursuline, Wilmington Friends, and Padua.
Universities and Colleges
- Wilmington College
- Delaware College of Art and Design
- Drexel University at Wilmington
- University of Delaware - Wilmington Campus
- Delaware Technical Community College
- Springfield College
- Widener University - Wilmington Campus (School of Law & University College)
Points of Interest
- Mt. Cuba Center
- Delaware Center for Contemporary Art
- Delaware Art Museum
- Cooch's Bridge (This is not in Wilmington)
- Old Swedes Church
- Kalmar Nyckel replica, Delaware's Tall Ship
- Grand Opera House
- Wilmington Blue Rocks, Carolina League baseball