Wilmington

Wilmington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. Wilmington was named by Proprietor Thomas Penn after his friend Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who was prime minister during the reign of George II of Great Britain. The area now known as Wilmington was settled by the Lenape (or Delaware Indian) band led by Sachem (Chief) Mattahorn just before Henry Hudson sailed up the Len-api Hanna in 1609. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 70,898. Wilmington is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area, which also includes Philadelphia, Reading, Camden, and other urban areas. It had a 2020 population of 6,228,601, representing the seventh largest metropolitan region in the nation. The modern city also encompasses other Swedish settlements, such as Timmerön / Timber Island, Sidoland (South Wellington), Strandviken and Översidolandet (along the Christina river, near Woodcrest and Ashley Heights). Dr. Timothy Stidham (Swedish:Timen Lulofsson Stiddem) was a prominent citizen and doctor in Wilmington. He was born in 1610, probably in Hammel, Denmark, and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is recorded as the first physician in Delaware.

History

Wilmington is the primary city name, but also Bellefonte, Edgemoor are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Wilmington. Wilmington is built on the site of Fort Christina and the settlement Kristinehamn, the first Swedish settlement in North America. The area now known as Wilmington was settled by the Lenape (or Delaware Indian) band led by Sachem (Chief) Mattahorn just before Henry Hudson sailed up the Len-api Hanna in 1609. The Dutch heard and spelled the river and the place as Minguannan. Dr. Timothy Stidham (Swedish:Timen Lulofsson Stiddem) was a prominent citizen and doctor in Wilmington. In 1800, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, a French Huguenot, emigrated to the United States. The DuPont company became a major supplier to the U.S. military. Located on the banks of the Brandywine River, the village was eventually annexed by the city during the Civil War, though officially remaining a border state of the Union and divided in its support of both the Confederate Union and the Union state of Delaware. The city enjoyed the prosperity during the war, and merchants and manufacturers expanded westward in the form of large homes along the tree-lined streets. This spurred the development of large residential streets along the west side of the city. It was rated the first in the country in the production of gunpowder and second in leather and second carriages in 1868, and it rated first in gunpowder production in 1879, 1881, 1882, and 1883.

Geography

The city sits at the confluence of the Christina and Delaware rivers, approximately 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Philadelphia. Wilmington is served by I-95 and I-495 within city limits. The twin-span Delaware Memorial Bridge, a few miles south of the city, provides direct highway access between Delaware and New Jersey. The city has a warm temperate climate or humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with hot and humid summers, cool to cold winters, and precipitation evenly spread throughout the year. Snowfall is light to moderate, and variable, with some winters bringing very little of it and others witnessing several major snowstorms. The average seasonal total is 20.2 inches (51 cm). Extremes in temperature have ranged from 15 °F (26 °C) on February 9, 1934, up to 107 °F [42 °C] on August 7, 1918, though both 100 °F and 0 °C are uncommon; the last occurrence of each was July 18, 2012 and February 5, 1996, respectively. Wilmington Train Station is one of the southernmost stops on Philadelphia's SEPTA rail transportation system, is also served by Northeast Corridor Amtrak passenger trains. It is located along the Fall Line geological transition from the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Plateau to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Delaware River here is an estuary at sea level (with twice-daily high and low tides), providing sea-level access for ocean-going ships.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 70,851 people, 28,615 households, and 15,398 families residing in the city. There were 32,820 housing units at an average density of 3,009.9 per square mile (1,162.1/km²) Non-Hispanic Whites were 27.9% of the population in 2010, compared to 40.5% in 1990. The largest ethnicities included: Irish (8.7%), Italian (5.7%) and Polish (3.6%). The median income for a household in theCity was $32,884. The per capita income for the city was $24,861. 45.7% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5%. of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 70.898 people, 31,754 households and 13,572 families. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there are 90.5 males. The city has a population density of 6,497.6 per squaremile (2,508.8/ km²) The city's population is 58.0% African American, 32.6% White, 0.4% Native American, 1.0%. Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.4%. from other races, and 2.6%.

Government

The Wilmington City Council consists of thirteen members. The council consists of eight members who are elected from geographic districts, four elected at-large and the City Council President. The Mayor of Wilmington is also elected by the entire city. The Delaware Department of Correction Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, renamed from Multi-Purpose Criminal Justice Facility in 2004, is located in Wilmington. The prison is often referred to as the "Gander Hill Prison" after the neighborhood it is Located in. Many Wilmington City workers belong to one of several Locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union. The current city council members are listed in the table below. The mayor is Mike Purzycki (D), who has been in office since 2007. The city is home to the Delaware State Prison, which opened in 1982 and houses both pretrial and posttrial male prisoners. The state prison is also known as the Gander Hill prison, after the area where it is located. It is located on the Delaware River, near the town of Gander, and is known as one of the most secure prisons in the state. It has a maximum security unit with a maximum of 50 inmates per night and a minimum security unit of 20. It was the first prison in Delaware to be built in the 1970s and is currently the second largest prison in the United States, with a capacity of more than 1,000 inmates. It also houses the state's largest prison, the State Correctional Institution for Women, which has a total capacity of 1,200 inmates.

Neighborhoods

The city of Wilmington is made up of the following neighborhoods: Baynard Village, Brandywine Hills, Eastlawn, Eastlake, Gander Hill, Center City, Riverfront, Quaker Hill, Canby Park and Trinity Vicinity. The city is home to two Catholic schools, two private schools, and the Holy Orthodox Church & Holy Whistler Orthodox Church, which hosts an annual cultural festival. The predominantly minority community of Woodlawn is in the process of gaining authorization for a $100 million revitalization to be performed in seven phases over 12 years. Wilmington is also home to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, which is a federal prison for men and women who have committed violent crimes. The City of Wilmington was founded in 1788 and is now home to more than 100,000 people. The population of the city has grown from 1.2 million in the early 1900s to 1.4 million in 2010. The number of people living in the city is expected to reach 1.6 million by the end of the year, according to the city's 2010 population estimate. It is expected that the city will reach 2.1 million people by the year 2020, up from 2.3 million in 2000. The total population of Wilmington in 2010 was 1.7 million, up 0.7 percent from the previous year. The majority of people live in the Ninth Ward, which was created as a result of population shifts in the 1960s and remains a stable, working-class neighborhood.

Public safety

Wilmington was consistently ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States. In 2014, Wilmington recorded 28 homicides, making for a rate of 39.5 per 100,000 residents. By August 2017, Wilmington had already eclipsed the homicide total of 2016 despite only being 2/3 through the year. According to the WPD's 2018 Compstat report, shooting incidents have decreased to a level not seen in Wilmington in more than 15 years. In 2002, the Wilmington Police Department started a program known to some in the neighborhoods as jump-outs in which unmarked police vans would patrol crime-prone neighborhoods late at night, suddenly converge at street corners where people were loitering and detain them temporarily. The program was thought to improve the police's database of fingerprints and eye-witnesses for use in future crime investigations. The entire downtown business district was placed under video monitoring in 2002. The city claims this has helped prevent and reduce crime. The Wilmington Fire Department (WFD) is led by Chief John Looney and maintains five engine companies, two ladder companies, a rescue squad company, and a marine company (fireboat) fire fighting fleet. Emergency medical services are provided through contract with the city's St. Francis Hospital, whose EMS division operates a minimum five BLS transport units at all times of the day. Advanced Life Support services in the City of Wilmington are provided by New Castle County's EMS Division with two city-based medic units. All Wilmington firefighters since 2002 are trained to the EMT-B level and serve as first responders for life-threatening emergencies.

Economy

Wilmington is home to one Fortune 500 company, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. The city is the corporate domicile of more than 50% of the publicly traded companies in the United States. Science and Technology are also thriving as companies such as Incyte, Chemours, Corteva, Solenis and ZipCode call Wilmington home. In terms of growth, as of 2018 the city is seeing nearly $450M worth of private investments, multi-million dollars of city infrastructure improvements, and significant improvements to their transportation infrastructure. According to Wilmington's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: M&T Bank, American Life Insurance Company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Delaware, and ING Groep N.V. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware is located in Wilmington, and is one of the busiest of the 94 federal bankruptcy courts located around the U.S. The Court of Chancery, as a statewide court, may hear cases in any of the state's three counties. It has hosted high-profile complex corporate trials such as the Disney shareholder litigation. In 1988, the Delaware legislature enacted a law which required a would-be acquirer to capture 85 percent of a Delaware chartered corporation's stock in a single transaction or wait three years before proceeding. This law strengthened Delaware's position as a safe haven for corporate charters during an especially turbulent time filled with hostile takeovers.

Arts and culture

Wilmington has many museums, galleries, and gardens (see Points of Interest below), as well as many ethnic festivals and other events throughout the year. Notable among its museums is the Delaware Art Museum whose collection focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th to the 21st century. The city's memorial day parade is the oldest continuous parade in the country and is held every year on the last weekend of July. The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a week-long outdoor music festival held each summer in Wilmington's Rodney Square. The Peoples' Festival is an annual tribute to Bob Marley, who once lived in Wilmington trying to earn money enough to establish his Tuff Gong music studio in Kingston, Jamaica. The Nutcracker performed by the Wilmington Ballet at the Playhouse at the Hotel DuPont is one of the city's most famous events. The Riverfront Blues Festival is held each August in the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, featuring prominent blues acts as well and artists from the local area. It is also home to the annual Big August Quarterly, which since 1814 has celebrated African American religious freedom. It also celebrates Hispanic Week, which coincides with National Hispanic Month festivities, September 15 October 15. The festival culminates with a pageant and desfile (parade) along 4th Street. It features Latin music acts, Latin cuisine and a carnival on the Riverfront on the final weekend of the festival. The event features traditional Greek (Hellenic) crafts, food, drink, and music.

Wilmington Riverfront

In the 1990s, the city launched a campaign to revitalize the former shipyard area known as the Wilmington Riverfront. Delaware Theatre Company was at the forefront of this movement, opening its current space on Water Street in 1985. The efforts were bolstered early by The Big Kahuna also known as Kahunaville (a restaurant, bar and arcade which has also since closed and been rebuilt in 2010 as the Delaware Children's Museum) Daniel S. Frawley Stadium, the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball stadium. The Chase Center on the Riverfront opened as the First USA Riverfront Arts Center in 1998 to hold traveling exhibitions, but was repurposed into the city's convention center in 2005. On June 7, 2006, the groundbreaking of Justison Landing signaled the beginning of Wilmington's largest residential project since Bancroft Park was built after World War II. Outlets shops, restaurants and a Riverfront Market have also opened along the 1.2-mile (1.9 km) Riverwalk. Recent high-rise luxury apartment buildings along the Christina River have been cited as evidence of the River Front's continued revival. The Wilmington Rowing Center boathouse is located along the Christin River on the river. The city's largest public park, Bancriff Park, was built in the 1950s and 1960s. It is located in the heart of the city and was the site of the Wilmington Red Sox's first World Series game in 1961. The Red Sox won the game 3-1.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware = 9.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 12. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Wilmington = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 70,898 individuals with a median age of 36.5 age the population grows by 0.73% in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 6,510.38 residents per square mile of area (2,512.48/km²). There are average 2.37 people per household in the 29,040 households with an average household income of $38,517 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.30% of the available work force and has dropped -7.97% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 10.76%. The number of physicians in Wilmington per 100,000 population = 245.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Wilmington = 46.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 17.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 111. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 199. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 24.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware which are owned by the occupant = 44.05%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 61 years with median home cost = $145,130 and home appreciation of -1.75%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.21 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,213 per student. There are 15.9 students for each teacher in the school, 833 students for each Librarian and 549 students for each Counselor. 4.21% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.97% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.48% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).