Wilmington, Delaware | ||
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City | ||
Downtown Wilmington and the Christina River
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Etymology: Named after Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington | ||
Nickname(s): Corporate Capital of the World, Chemical Capital of the World | ||
Motto: In the middle of it all | ||
Location in New Castle County and the state of Delaware. |
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Location within the state of Delaware | ||
Coordinates: 39°44′45″N 75°32′48″W / 39.74583°N 75.54667°WCoordinates: 39°44′45″N 75°32′48″W / 39.74583°N 75.54667°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Delaware | |
County | New Castle | |
Founded | March 1638 | |
Incorporated | 1731 | |
Borough Charter | 1739 | |
City Charter | March 7, 1832 | |
Named for | Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington | |
Government | ||
• Type | Council-mayor | |
• Mayor | Mike Purzycki (D) | |
Area | ||
• City | 17.0 sq mi (44 km2) | |
• Land | 10.9 sq mi (28 km2) | |
• Water | 6.2 sq mi (16 km2) | |
Elevation | 92 ft (28 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• City | 71,948 | |
• Rank | US: 483rd | |
• Density | 6,497.6/sq mi (2,508.7/km2) | |
• Metro | 6,069,875 (US: 7th) | |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
ZIP codes | 19801-19810, 19850, 19880, 19884-19886, 19890-19899 | |
Area code(s) | 302 | |
GNIS feature ID | 214862 | |
Website | ci.wilmington.de.us |
Wilmington | |
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Crime rates* (2014) | |
Violent crimes | |
Homicide | 27 |
Robbery | 397 |
Aggravated assault | 727 |
Total violent crime | 1,174 |
Property crimes | |
Burglary | 900 |
Larceny-theft | 2,530 |
Motor vehicle theft | 335 |
Arson | 2 |
Total property crime | 3,765 |
Notes
*Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
2014 population: 71,713
Source: 2015 FBI UCR Data |
Wilmington (Lenape: Paxahakink, Pakehakink) is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine River, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Wilmington was named by Proprietor Thomas Penn after his friend Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who was prime minister in the reign of George II of Great Britain.
As of the 2015 United States Census estimate, the population of the city is 71,948, reflecting an increase of 1.5% from the 2010 Census. The Wilmington Metropolitan Division, comprising New Castle County, DE, Cecil County, MD and Salem County, NJ, had an estimated 2015 population of 723,341. And the Delaware Valley metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, had a 2015 population of 6,069,875, and a combined statistical area of 7,183,479.