Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware | |
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Flag Seal | |
| Nicknames: Corporate Capital of the World, Chemical Capital of the World | |
| Motto: "In the middle of it all" | |
Interactive map of Wilmington, Delaware | |
Wilmington Wilmington | |
| Coordinates: 39°44′45″N 75°32′48″W / 39.74583°N 75.54667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Delaware |
| County | New Castle |
| Settled | March 1638 as Fort Christina and Christinaham |
| Incorporated | 1731 as Willingtown |
| Chartered | 1739 (borough) March 7, 1832 (city) |
| Named after | Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | John Carney (D) |
| Area | |
• City | 17.19 sq mi (44.52 km2) |
| • Land | 10.90 sq mi (28.22 km2) |
| • Water | 6.29 sq mi (16.30 km2) |
| • Urban | 213.35 sq mi (552.58 km2) |
| • Metro | 1,104 sq mi (2,859 km2) |
| Elevation | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Highest elevation (Mount Salem Hill) | 330 ft (100 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 70,898 |
| • Density | 6,507.3/sq mi (2,512.48/km2) |
| • Urban | 484,926 (US: 87th) |
| • Urban density | 2,272.9/sq mi (877.57/km2) |
| • Metro | 723,993 (US: 82nd)(Wilmington Metropolitan Division) |
| • Metro density | 655.9/sq mi (253.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 19801–19810, 19850, 19880, 19884–19886, 19890–19899 |
| Area code | 302 |
| FIPS code | 10-77580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 214862 |
| Website | wilmingtonde |
Wilmington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It lies at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. The population was 70,898 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities near the Delaware Valley metropolitan area.
First settled by Swedish settlers in 1638, the modern city of Wilmington was built on the site of Fort Christina, which was the first Swedish settlement in North America, and Kristinehamn, which was planned to be the capital of New Sweden. Control of the area shifted before it was formally incorporated as the Village of Willingtown in 1731, then later granted Borough Charter within the Delaware Colony as Wilmington in 1739, named after Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Wilmington developed as an industrial hub with industries in shipbuilding, milling, and later chemical manufacturing, largely influenced by DuPont. Its modern economy is focused on national banking and finance institutions.