Portal:Delaware

The Delaware Portal

Delaware (/ˈdɛləwɛər/ ^ⓘ DEL-ə-wair) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. 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.

Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, and some islands and territory within the Delaware River. It is the second-smallest and sixth-least populous state, but also the sixth-most densely populated. Delaware's most populous city is Wilmington, and the state's capital is Dover, the second-most populous city in Delaware. The state is divided into three counties, the fewest number of counties of any of the 50 U.S. states; from north to south, the three counties are: New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. The southern two counties, Kent and Sussex, have historically been predominantly agrarian economies. New Castle is more urbanized and is considered part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area that surrounds Philadelphia. Delaware is considered part of the Southern United States by the U.S. Census Bureau, but the state's geography, culture, and history are a hybrid of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the country.

Before the Delaware coastline was explored and developed by Europeans in the 17th century, the state was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. The state was first colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near present-day Lewes, Delaware, in 1631. 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. On December 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, earning it the nickname "The First State". (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

"Oliver Evans, the Watt of America"
Original portrait caption

Oliver Evans (September 13, 1755 – April 15, 1819) was an American inventor, engineer, and businessman born in rural Delaware and later rooted commercially in Philadelphia. He was one of the first Americans to build steam engines and an advocate of high-pressure steam (as opposed to low-pressure steam). A pioneer in the fields of automation, materials handling and steam power, Evans was one of the most prolific and influential inventors in the early years of the United States. He left behind a long series of accomplishments, most notably designing and building the first fully automated industrial process, the first high-pressure steam engine, first vapor compression refrigeration and the first (albeit crude) amphibious vehicle and American automobile.

Born in Newport, Delaware, Evans received little formal education and in his mid-teens was apprenticed to a wheelwright. Going into business with his brothers, he worked for over a decade designing, building and perfecting an automated mill with devices such as bucket chains and conveyor belts. In doing so Evans designed a continuous process of manufacturing that required no human labor. This novel concept would prove critical to the Industrial Revolution and the development of mass production. Later in life Evans turned his attention to steam power and built the first high-pressure steam engine in the United States in 1801, developing his design independently of Richard Trevithick, who built the first in the world a year earlier. Evans was a driving force in the development and adoption of high-pressure steam engines in the United States. Evans dreamed of building a steam-powered wagon and eventually constructing and running one in 1805. Known as the Oruktor Amphibolos, it was the first automobile in the country and the world's first amphibious vehicle, although it was too primitive to be a success as either. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

More recognized content

Selected article - show another

This is a list of broadcast television stations that are licensed in the U.S. state of Delaware.

Note: Delaware is served by four TV markets: Philadelphia (DMA #4), Salisbury/Dover (DMA #144), Baltimore (DMA #28), and Washington DC (DMA #9). See Template:Philly TV, Template:Salisbury TV, and Template:Baltimore TV, and Template:Washington TV for details. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various Delaware-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Map of Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 2Map of Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 3The Köppen climate classification for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 4Sunset in Woodbrook, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 5A field north of Fox Den Road along the Lenape Trail in Middle Run Valley Natural Area (from Delaware)
Image 6The Delaware General Assembly meets in Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover. (from Delaware)
Image 7Picking Peaches in Delaware, an illustration in an 1878 issue of Harper's Weekly (from Delaware)
Image 8The population density map for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 9Ethnic origins in Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 10The population density map for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 11The Blackbird Pond on the Blackbird State Forest Meadows Tract in New Castle County, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 12Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island, a popular spot during the spring and summer; a ferry takes visitors to the fort from nearby Delaware City. (from Delaware)
Image 13Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is a partial toll road linking Fenwick Island and Wilmington. (from Delaware)
Image 14Sunset in Woodbrook, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 15Rehoboth Beach, a popular vacation spot during the summer months (from Delaware)
Image 16Newark (from Delaware)
Image 17Delaware was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English merchant and governor of the Colony of Virginia from 1610 to 1618. (from History of Delaware)
Image 18Delaware's license plate design, introduced in 1959, is the longest-running one in U.S. history. (from Delaware)
Image 19Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States and a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009 (from Delaware)
Image 20Dover (from Delaware)
Image 21NASCAR racing at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover (from Delaware)
Image 22Wilmington Station in Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 23Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States and a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009 (from Delaware)
Image 24Rehoboth Beach, a popular vacation spot during the summer months (from Delaware)
Image 25The Blackbird Pond on the Blackbird State Forest Meadows Tract in New Castle County, Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 26Nautical chart of the Dutch colony Zwaanendael and Godyn's Bay (Delaware Bay), 1639 (from History of Delaware)
Image 27The Cape May–Lewes Ferry (from Delaware)
Image 28Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is a partial toll road linking Fenwick Island and Wilmington. (from Delaware)
Image 29NASCAR racing at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover (from Delaware)
Image 30The Delaware General Assembly meets in Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover. (from Delaware)
Image 31A two-shilling, six-pence banknote issued by Delaware in 1777 (from Delaware)
Image 32Newark (from Delaware)
Image 33Ethnic origins in Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 34Picking Peaches in Delaware, an illustration in an 1878 issue of Harper's Weekly (from Delaware)
Image 35A field north of Fox Den Road along the Lenape Trail in Middle Run Valley Natural Area (from Delaware)
Image 36The Cape May–Lewes Ferry (from Delaware)
Image 37Fort Delaware State Park on Pea Patch Island, a popular spot during the spring and summer; a ferry takes visitors to the fort from nearby Delaware City. (from Delaware)
Image 38The University of Delaware in Newark (from Delaware)
Image 39The Twelve-Mile Circle (from Delaware)
Image 40Wilmington Station in Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 41The Köppen climate classification for Delaware (from Delaware)
Image 42Seaford (from Delaware)
Image 43Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 44Dover (from Delaware)
Image 45Fort Delaware, painted circa 1870 by Seth Eastman. (from History of Delaware)
Image 46The University of Delaware in Newark (from Delaware)
Image 47A two-shilling, six-pence banknote issued by Delaware in 1777 (from Delaware)
Image 48The Twelve-Mile Circle (from Delaware)
Image 49Wilmington (from Delaware)
Image 50Delaware's license plate design, introduced in 1959, is the longest-running one in U.S. history. (from Delaware)
Image 51Seaford (from Delaware)

Did you know - load new batch

... that residents of Port Mercer, New Jersey, profited from passing vessels by dragging their tow mules into the Delaware and Raritan Canal and having local boys "rescue" them for a fee?
... that the 2024 inductees to the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame include a man with Down syndrome who has lifted 425 pounds (193 kg), an "average gymnast" turned Olympics judge, a "preeminent sportswriter", the state's "greatest high hurdler", the "inventor" of the modern sports mascot, a record-setting 10-year-old, a champion gymnast, an Olympic field hockey player, and a pro baseball player in five countries?
... that a candidate in the 1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware took his dog on the campaign trail?
... that Joe Biden has cited Wilmington, Delaware, and Syracuse, New York, as possible locations for the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Presidential Library?
... that United States senator Joe Biden felt that his decision to run for a fourth term in 1990 was less difficult than deciding to run for his previous terms?
... that Gary Tuggle, as head of Philadelphia's Drug Enforcement Administration division, led potentially the largest prepackaged heroin seizure in Delaware history?

Topics

Selected roadway article - show another

Entries here consist of Good articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Delaware Route 141 (DE 141) is a state highway that serves as a western bypass of Wilmington, Delaware. Its southern terminus is at DE 9 and DE 273 in New Castle and its northern terminus is an interchange with U.S. Route 202 (US 202) and DE 261 near Fairfax. The route heads north from DE 9 and DE 273 on four-lane divided Basin Road, becoming concurrent with US 202 at an interchange with US 13/US 40 in Wilmington Manor, and passes to the east of Wilmington Airport. The highway becomes a freeway and reaches an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95), at which point US 202 splits from DE 141. The DE 141 freeway continues north through Newport to Prices Corner. Here, the freeway segment ends and DE 141 continues northeast as a surface road, with another brief freeway segment in Greenville. The route heads east across the Brandywine Creek on the Tyler-McConnell Bridge and continues to US 202 and DE 261.

What is now DE 141 between New Castle and Newport was originally designated as part of DE 41 in the 1930s. DE 141 was designated as a surface bypass of Wilmington between New Castle and US 202 north of Wilmington in the 1950s, running concurrent with DE 41 south of Newport. DE 41 was removed from DE 141 by 1971. In the 1960s, DE 141 was proposed to be upgraded to a freeway. Construction on the freeway segments between Newport and Prices Corner and in Greenville began in the 1970s and was completed around 1980. In the 1990s, several improvements were planned for DE 141 north of Prices Corner, including grade separation at Rockland Road completed in 1997 and relocation of the northern terminus to its current location at an interchange with US 202 and DE 261 finished in 2007. (Full article...)

List of selected roadway articles

Largest cities

Largest cities or towns in Delaware 2018 United States Census Bureau Estimate
Rank	Name	County	Pop.
1	Wilmington	New Castle	70,635
2	Dover	Kent	38,079
3	Newark	New Castle	33,673
4	Middletown	New Castle	22,582
5	Smyrna	New Castle/Kent	11,580
6	Milford	Kent/Sussex	11,353
7	Seaford	Sussex	7,861
8	Georgetown	Sussex	7,427
9	Elsmere	New Castle	5,981
10	New Castle	New Castle	5,529

See List of municipalities in Delaware for a full list.

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2025-06-25 20:41 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.