Delaware

Quick Facts

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by New Jersey, and to the north by Pennsylvania.

  • ABBREVIATION: DE
  • NICKNAME: The First State
  • POPULATION: 917,092 (2012 est.)
  • CAPITAL: Dover
  • STATE BIRD: Blue Hen Chicken
  • STATE FLOWER: Peach Blossom
  • AREA: 1,982 sq. mi.
  • TIME ZONE: Eastern
  • ENTERED UNION: Dec. 7, 1787
  • ALTITUDE: High, 447 ft. Near the Ebright Azimuth Marker
  • CLIMATE: Cool winters, hot summers; ample rainfall.
State Flag of Delaware
State Flag
State Seal
State Seal

To a poet of a century ago, Delaware was “like a diamond, diminutive, but having within it inherent value.” This tiny gem-only Rhode Island is smaller-rests almost entirely on the Atlantic coastal plain, a low-lying land of fertile loam and clay that is closely embraced by the long arm of Delaware bay. With a six month-long growing season, the state has been cultivated for countless generations.

Long before Henry Hudson piloted the Half Moon into the bay in 1609, Algonkin Indians were growing maize along the humid coast. To this day Delaware is a major producer of poultry, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Corn-still a valuable crop-brings the state an impressive $70,000,000 (2010) a year.

The General Assembly Complex, Delaware
The General Assembly Complex, Delaware

Delaware’s access to the sea and its routes to mineral-bearing areas inland through the Delaware River led to its early industrialization. The state still produces heavy machinery and primary metals, but most important is the chemical industry concentrated around Wilmington. Wilmington is called the “Chemical Capital of the World,” largely because of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., a chemical industry giant. Because of its location near the great cities of the eastern seaboard and its favorable corporation and tax laws, Delaware has become the titular headquarters of many of the largest U.S. corporations.

FUN FACTS:

  • In 1880 the country held the first Miss United States pageant in Delaware. Inventor Thomas Edison was one of the judges.
  • During the Revolutionary War, a company of soldiers under Captain Jonathan Caldwell amused themselves by staging cockfights with their captain’s blue hen chickens. The men distinguished themselves in several key battles and became known as the Blue Hen’s.
  • Delaware is sometimes called the Diamond State. This nickname can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson, who called Delaware a jewel among states because of its strategic position along the Atlantic coast.
  • Built by Swedish immigrants in 1683, Delaware is home to the first log cabins in North America, most of those ‘log cabins’ were a simple single-room, one story structure.
  • A portion of the Delaware-Pennsylvania border is the only rounded boundary in the United States.
  • Delaware’s nickname, First State, refers to the fact that it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
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