Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington (Lenape: Paxahakink / Pakehakink)[5] is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, 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 (aka the Philadelphia metropolitan area). Wilmington was named by Proprietor Thomas Penn after his friend Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who was prime minister during the reign of George II of Great Britain.
Wilmington, Delaware | |
|---|---|
| City of Wilmington | |
 Downtown Wilmington and the Christina River | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| 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[1] | |
 Location within New Castle County | |
  Wilmington Location within Delaware  Wilmington Location within the United States  Wilmington Wilmington (North America) | |
| Coordinates: 39°44′45″N 75°32′48″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 | 17.19 sq mi (44.52 km2) |
| • Land | 10.89 sq mi (28.22 km2) |
| • Water | 6.29 sq mi (16.30 km2) |
| Elevation | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City | 70,898 |
| • Rank | US: 483rd |
| • Density | 6,507.39/sq mi (2,512.48/km2) |
| • Metro | 6,069,875 (US: 8th)[3] |
| 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[4] |
| Website | wilmingtonde.gov |
At the 2020 census, the city's population was 70,898.[6] The Wilmington Metropolitan Division, comprising New Castle County, Delaware, Cecil County, Maryland and Salem County, New Jersey, had an estimated 2016 population of 719,887.[7] Wilmington is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area, which also includes Philadelphia, Reading, Camden, and other urban areas, which had a 2020 population of 6,228,601, representing the seventh largest metropolitan region in the nation.[8]