Delaware

Understand

Despite being only 100 miles (160 km) long and less than 30 miles (48 km) across at its widest point and covering just 2,489 square miles, Delaware is a surprisingly complex and diverse state. The C&D Canal, which bisects the state two-thirds of the way up, serves as a sort of internal Mason-Dixon Line, separating the more urban and industrialized northern portion of Delaware, closely associated with the Northern metropolis of Philadelphia, from the more rural "slower, lower" southern part, which is more part of the Delmarva Peninsula and synchronized with the rhythm of rural parts of Maryland and Virginia.

Fittingly for a surprisingly diverse state (and oddly enough for a small one), Delaware has a diverse economy, affecting the kinds of things available to visitors. The largest city, Wilmington, is a very business-oriented city; on account of Delaware's General Corporation Law, which is very favorable to managers of corporations, the majority of large US corporations are incorporated in the State of Delaware, and maintain a nominal presence in the state. Generally, this presence is in Wilmington, on account of its links to Philadelphia. This is especially true of banks, which also benefit from Delaware's laws respecting lending, and therefore maintain large workforces in Wilmington. Wilmington is therefore a very businesslike environment; most restaurants and bars downtown cater to those who work in Wilmington but live elsewhere ("elsewhere" often being Pennsylvania or even New Jersey).

In contrast to Wilmington, much of the state is essentially rural, and much of the non-agricultural economy is tourism-based. The Delaware coastline is a relatively popular destination for people from the region to go for vacations during the summer. Moreover, Delaware has developed a strong tradition of craft brewing, with seven significant breweries in the state.

Climate

You might be from Delaware if you once thought that you might have a White Christmas... and then it rained.

The weather in Delaware varies greatly from season to season. Summers are almost always hot, very humid, and unpleasant. The air quality is accordingly poor, but no more so than surrounding counties. Winters can get bitterly cold, although it rarely snows heavily. Spring and fall are generally the nicest seasons, although snow storms can arrive in April, and heat waves can hit in late November. Delaware weather is unpredictable, the only real way to prepare would be to carry an umbrella and pray for sunshine. Average monthly temperatures range from a high of 85.6°F to a low of 23.2°F.

Visitor information

• Visit Delaware
• Northern Delaware
• Central Delaware
• Southern Delaware

Cities

Northern (New Castle County)

• Claymont
• Wilmington
• New Castle
• Hockessin
• Newark

Central (Kent County)

• Dover, the capital, with much to see and do, in the middle of the state.
• Camden
• Hazlettville
• Magnolia

Delaware Beaches (Eastern Sussex County)

• Lewes, known for its historic district
• Rehoboth Beach, its beach is known for being gay friendly.
• Dewey Beach, popular beach with college students.
• Bethany Beach, is popular with families. Bethany Beach is part of what is referred to as "The Quiet Resorts".
• Fenwick Island

Southwestern (Western Sussex County)

• Bridgeville
• Georgetown
• Laurel

Get in

By plane

Commercial airline service into the state of Delaware is limited, but areas of the state are reasonably close to major international airports in either Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, or Virginia.

• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is 20 miles or about a half hour to the northeast of downtown Wilmington and serves as the main commercial aviation gateway for most visitors to Delaware. PHL is accessible to northern Delaware via SEPTA Regional Rail; passengers seeking to take SEPTA rail from PHL to Delaware should take the Airport Line to a Central Philadelphia station and purchase a ticket to Wilmington from there.
• Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), is less than 90 minutes away, and has many national and international flights. It is accessible via Amtrak from Delaware, but no commuter/regional rail line in Delaware connects to it.
• Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY) serves many visitors to southern Delaware's beaches and is about an hour south and west of Rehoboth Beach.

By train

Wilmington is a major stop for Amtrak trains running along the Northeast Corridor. There are frequent high-speed connections with premium Acela Express trains throughout the day from Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.. Slower Northeast Regional runs along the same with additional stops in-between the major cities, Delaware's third largest city Newark being one of them. Some regional trains also continue into northern Virginia. Even slower, but cheaper, SEPTA commuter trains runs throughout the day between Newark, Wilmington and Philadelphia.

Finally, several long-distance Amtrak trains terminating in either New York City or Washington, D.C. calls in Wilmington. These include the Carolinian from Charlotte, the Crescent from New Orleans, the Palmetto from Savannah as well as the Silver Meteor and Silver Star from Miami and finally the Vermonter from St. Albans in Vermont.

By bus

Greyhound has a few bus terminals throughout the state. There is also "Chinatown" bus service from Dover, Smyrna, and Wilmington to New York City, Albany, Baltimore, and VA which operates throughout most of the day.

By foot

• The American Discovery Trail crosses the entire country from coast to coast, connecting Delaware, ultimately, to California.

Get around

Cars are the main mode of transportation, except in the city of Wilmington, where ample mass transit is available. DART First State is the primary public transportation system that operates throughout Delaware. Although most of its routes run in and around Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County, DART also serves Dover (in Kent County) and Georgetown in Sussex County. In the summer months, DART provides Beach Bus service to the Delaware Beaches.

DART provides connecting service with the Wilmington/Newark line of SEPTA Regional Rail, which travels between Philadelphia and Wilmington; within Delaware, the Wilmington/Newark Line always stops in Claymont, and in any given day, a few trains will continue on to Newark. The Delaware Department of Transportation subsidizes Regional Rail operations into Delaware.

Information on Delaware Transit can be found here.

Stay safe

Staying safe in Delaware is a matter of staying smart. In Wilmington, city officials and downtown merchants have formed (armed with two-way radios but not guns) private security patrols that wander the restaurant and entertainment districts in the downtown area to supplement the city police. Most restaurants will summon a security person to escort you to your car if requested. In the city of Wilmington it is best to apply common sense and pay attention to your surroundings; listen to your inner voice. If it's telling you that you've wandered into a bad area, you probably have. In general, it's best to avoid walking alone after dark in the downtown area. Interestingly enough, Wilmington has one of the highest concentrations of remote security cameras of any city its size. Of course, these cameras are best at identifying criminals after the fact, so don't take much comfort in their presence.

Like everywhere else, common sense needs to be used. Outside of Wilmington, there is little to worry about outside of leaving your windows down when it starts to unexpectedly rain.

Go next

• New Jersey — Delaware's neighbor to the north, the Garden State offers a surprising amount of natural beauty in the southern and western parts of the state.
• Pennsylvania — The city of Philadelphia makes an easy day trip from Delaware and offers a glimpse into America's Revolutionary War-era history.
• Maryland — To the west and south of Delaware, Maryland offers "America in Miniature" with everything from history to nature to modern cities.