Delaware was the first state to ratify the new constitution in 1787 and earned its title of the First State. Delaware is comprised of only three counties: New Castle (North), Kent (middle), and Sussex (South). Wilmington,
located in New Castle County, is a city on the Christina and Delaware Rivers, with a population of over 72,000. Bordered by the Brandywine Valley, it lies approximately half way between New York City and Washington DC in the fertile Mid-Atlantic region.
Area Facts Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley is an area marked by sharp contrast. Town and Gardens. Past and Present. Historic and Hip. America’s corporate capital. America’s garden capital. In Wilmington, town and country have never been closer. Drive only a few miles from the meetinghouses and courtrooms of downtown Wilmington, and the hum of the city quickly gives way to the quiet of the Brandywine Valley, a place where countryside estates and gardens have been carefully preserved for more than a century. The best of both worlds co-exist here and living here means never having to choose one over the other. Dover,
located in Kent County, is the capital city of Delaware. The First State Heritage Park comprises several sites around the centuries-old Green. These include the 1791 Old State House and Biggs Museum of American Art. Dover International Speedway hosts NASCAR races. A variety of aircraft are displayed at the Air Mobility Command Museum, at Dover Air Force Base. Nearby, bird-rich Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is on Delaware Bay. Rehoboth Beach,
located in Sussex County, is an Atlantic Coast town. Fronting the beach is a boardwalk lined with restaurants, shops, hotels and amusements. In summer, the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand presents free concerts. The Rehoboth Beach Museum explores the town’s history with yearbooks and vintage postcards. To the north, Cape Henlopen State Park has dunes and an observation tower from 1941, when the park was a military base.