During the First and Second Party Systems, Delaware was a stronghold for the Federalist and Whig Parties, respectively. The Democrats have held the governorship since 1993, having won the last seven gubernatorial elections. Currently, Democrats hold all positions of authority in Delaware, as well as majorities in the state Senate and House. The executive branch also consists of the Attorney General of Delaware currently held by Kathy Jennings, the State Treasurer currently held by Colleen Davis, the Auditor of Accounts currently held by Lydia York and the Insurance Commissioner currently held by Trinidad Navarro. The current governor is Matt Meyer (Democrat), who took office January 21, 2025. Delaware was the last U.S. state to use judicial corporal punishment, in 1952.
Peach farming is an important part of Delaware’s agricultural heritage, as the peach was introduced to Delaware in Colonial times and expanded as an industry in the nineteenth century. On July 30, 2009, peach pie was designated as Delaware’s official State dessert. Dryptosauridae bones have been found in the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.” Learn more about strawberries in the “Food for Thought” PSA brought to you by the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Delaware strawberries are bred for taste, not to be big or last a long time on a store shelf. Adopted May 13, 2010, the strawberry is an important product of Delaware’s agricultural industry.
Geographical Regions
- 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.
- Temperatures along the Atlantic Coast are about 10° degrees warmer in winter and 10° degrees cooler in summer.
- In 2011 Delaware passed legislation placing a 15 business day time limit on addressing freedom-of-information requests, to either produce information or an explanation of why such information would take longer than this time to produce.
- In Delaware, summer seems to shift everyone’s thoughts to soft, breezy days by the sea.
- A band of the Nanticoke tribe of American Indians today resides in Sussex County and is headquartered in Millsboro, Sussex County, Delaware.
Located in Kent County, along the St. Jones River, in the east-central part of the state is Dover – the capital city of Delaware. Although most of Delaware is flat, the northernmost tip of the state features rolling hills, forming the Appalachian Piedmont region. Delaware has a total land area of 2,489 square miles (6,446 square kilometers) making it the second smallest state in the country.
Law and government
The state is organized into three counties—from north to south, New Castle, Kent, and Sussex—all established by 1682. Real estate is subject to county property taxes, school district property taxes, vocational school district taxes, and, if located within an incorporated area, municipal property taxes. The last north–south passenger trains through the main part of Delaware was the Pennsylvania Railroad’s local Wilmington-Delmar train in 1965. A bicycle route, Delaware Bicycle Route 1, spans the north–south length of the state from the Maryland border in Fenwick Island to the Pennsylvania border north of Montchanin. DE 9 is a north–south highway connecting Dover and Wilmington via a scenic route along the Delaware Bay. U.S. 13 and DE 1 are primary north–south highways connecting Wilmington and Pennsylvania with Maryland, with DE 1 serving as the main route between Wilmington and the Delaware beaches.
In addition to Delaware Bay, Little Assawoman Bay and Rehoboth Bay are inland bays located along the southeastern coastline. The longest river in the state, the Delaware River, flows along the northeastern border before emptying into the Delaware Bay. The capital of Delaware is Dover, whereas Wilmington, with a population of approximately 71,000, is the state’s most populous city. The stability and conservatism that were once characteristics of Delaware, especially in the southern areas that lie adjacent to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, long maintained a grip on political life vastly out of proportion to their proponents’ numbers. Its population, like its industry, is concentrated in the north, around Wilmington, where the major coastal highways and railways pass through from Pennsylvania and New Jersey on the north and east into Maryland on the south and west.
The total tax for the year is the sum of all the prorated taxes for each portion of the year. The tax is then prorated for each portion of the year dividing the number of days the stock/par value was in effect by 365 days (366 leap year), then multiplying this result by the tax calculated for that portion of the year. If the assumed par value capital is less than $1,000,000, the tax is calculated by dividing the assumed par value capital by $1,000,000 then multiplying that result by $400.00. The tax rate under this method is $400.00 per million or portion of a million.
Explore Beaches
The Delaware General Assembly is comprised of 21 members of the Senate and 41 members of the House of Representatives. An alphabetical listing of all State Agencies under the Executive Branch of Delaware government. Review, research, monitor, and interact with Delaware’s transparency resources.
American Revolution
On July 2, 1996, belemnite was named as the official fossil of Delaware. With an estimated population of approximately 522.6 persons per square mile, as of 2022 U.S. The State Seal can only be used with permission from the Delaware Secretary of State. 1704, the year that Delaware established its General Assembly; 1776, the year that our independence from Great Britain was declared; and 1787, the year that Delaware became “the First State” by being the first colony to ratify the United States Constitution. Above the Ox, stands for the Delaware River, the main stay of the state’s commerce and transportation Taken from the Kent County seal, the corn also symbolizes the agricultural basis of Delaware’s economy
Over 90% of all U.S. based companies that went public in 2021 incorporated themselves in Delaware. On December 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, earning it the nickname “The First State”. 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. The state was first colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near present-day Lewes, Delaware, in 1631. Census Bureau, but the state’s geography, culture, and history are a hybrid of the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, and Southern regions of the country. Delaware (/ˈdɛləwɛər/ ⓘ DEL-ə-wair) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States.
The state’s name derives from the adjacent Delaware Bay, which in turn was named what is a subsidiary ledger after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Colony of Virginia’s first colonial-era governor. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. Delaware’s Governor State Directory Elected Officials General Assembly Delaware Courts State Employees Cities & Towns Delaware State Code State Regulations Business First Steps You may also use our Franchise Tax Calculator for estimating your taxes.
History & Heritage
There is also a small numbers of Asians in New Castle county who work as scientific and engineering professionals. A band of the Nanticoke tribe of American Indians today resides in Sussex County and is headquartered in Millsboro, Sussex County, Delaware. In the Native American community, the state has a Native American group, called in their own language Lenape, which was influential in the colonial period of the United States and is today headquartered in Cheswold, Kent County, Delaware. People of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race, made up 8.2% of the population.
The only real engagement on Delaware soil was the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge, fought on September 3, 1777, at Cooch’s Bridge in New Castle County, although there was a minor Loyalist rebellion in 1778. Initially led by John Haslet, Delaware provided one of the premier regiments in the Continental Army, known as the “Delaware Blues” and nicknamed the “Blue Hen’s Chicks”. Only the dramatic overnight ride of Caesar Rodney gave the delegation the votes needed to cast Delaware’s vote for independence. The person best representing Delaware’s majority, George Read, could not bring himself to vote for a Declaration of Independence. Like the other middle colonies, the Lower Counties on the Delaware initially showed little enthusiasm for a break with Britain. Dependent in early years on indentured labor, Delaware imported more slaves as the number of English immigrants decreased with better economic conditions in England.
Work in State Government.
Delaware’s history as a border state has led it to exhibit characteristics of both the Northern and the Southern regions of the United States. The United States Census Bureau determined that the population of Delaware was 989,948 on April 1, 2020, an increase from the 2010 census figure of 897,934. Delaware provides government subsidy support for the clean-up of property “lightly contaminated” by hazardous waste, the proceeds for which come from a tax on wholesale petroleum sales. In the southern two-thirds of the state are found Middle Atlantic coastal forests. The Atlantic Seaboard fall line approximately follows the Robert Kirkwood Highway between Newark and Wilmington; south of this road is the private school Atlantic Coastal Plain with flat, sandy, and, in some parts, swampy ground.
- As of January 2012update, none of the State’s charter schools are members of a teachers union.
- On July 4th, 2026, the United States of America will commemorate its historic milestone of 250 years of independence.
- Adapted from the Sussex County seal and signifies the agricultural vitality of Delaware
It shortens the water route between Philadelphia and Baltimore, Md., by several hundred miles and also brings Baltimore closer to the ocean than via Chesapeake Bay. Most of the Coastal Plain is fertile and level, seldom rising above 60 feet (18 meters) above sea level, but it becomes increasingly sandy to the south. The state’s main port, at Wilmington, is located at the confluence of the Delaware River and the Christina, one of its tributaries. The mouths of tributaries such as the Murderkill, the Mispillion, and the St. Jones are so shallow that only fishing boats find safe harbors north of Lewes.
In August 1777 General Sir William Howe led a British army through Delaware on his way to a victory at the Battle of Brandywine and capture of the city of Philadelphia. The fact that Delaware and Pennsylvania shared the same governor was not unique; from 1703 to 1738, New York and New Jersey shared a governor. Delaware was named income summary account after its location on the Delaware Bay, which in turn derived its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618), the first governor of the Colony of Virginia. Delaware’s most populous city is Wilmington, and the state’s capital is Dover, the second-most populous city in Delaware. Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, and some islands and territory within the Delaware River.
Appalled by the condition of the black schools, du Pont donated four million dollars to construct 86 new school buildings. Delaware saw 8.5 million visitors in 2015, with the tourism industry employing 41,730 people, making it the 4th largest private employer in the state. In 2015, tourism in Delaware generated $3.1 billion, which makes up five percent of the state’s GDP. Vacationers are drawn for many reasons, including the town’s charm, artistic appeal, nightlife, and tax-free shopping. Rehoboth Beach, together with the towns of Lewes, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island, comprise Delaware’s beach resorts.
Colleen has a rich history of working for the First State. A lifelong Delawarean, Commissioner Navarro has an extensive record of public service and is committed to protecting Delaware consumers. Attorney General Kathy Jennings was sworn in on January 1st, 2019 and serves as Delaware’s 46th Attorney General. She is Delaware’s 27th Lieutenant Governor.
