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Real Estate & Homes in Wilmington - Delaware - Wilmington, Delaware homes and communites
Wilmington
 
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Wilmington Background
Wilmington is the Northeast’s best-kept secret. This midsize riverfront city offers all of the advantages of a thriving metropolis without any of the big-city hassles. Located on the Christina Riverfront, less than an hour away from Delaware’s Atlantic Ocean beaches, Wilmington boasts not only a low cost of living but tax-free shopping and dining as well.
This gorgeous river valley is home to numerous chateau-mansions, art and history museums, and public gardens. The low housing costs make owning or renting very affordable, and whether you prefer to be in an urban historic row house or brownstone, or in an old stone Colonial in a more suburban location, your commute will never exceed 10 minutes. Each neighborhood has a strong sense of community and takes pride in the area’s appearance and traditions, hosting many festivals and working together to keep the city safe and beautiful.
 
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Wilmington History
In 1638, settlers aboard the Kalmar Nyckel, a Swedish ship under the command of Peter Minuit (former Dutch governor of New Amsterdam) docked on the shores of the Minquas Kill, now named the Christina River. They signed a treaty with the Lenni Lenape to found the colony of New Sweden and began building Fort Christina. Today you can visit the Fort Christina State Park located on the original site and explore the full-sized re-creation of the 139-foot Kalmar Nickel. The original ship made four round-trip Atlantic crossings, first bringing the families of the original settlers.
Fur trade and agriculture kept the settlers alive, and by the end of the 1600s, Brandywine Village was established along the banks of the nearby Brandywine River, with mills for corn and wheat. The area became a center for milling, distribution and shipbuilding. New Sweden passed to the Dutch and then to English control in 1655. In 1681, it became part of William Penn’s Pennsylvania Colony.
Just upstream from Fort Christina and New Sweden, Thomas Willing created a settlement in 1731 along the Christina River that he called “Willingtown.” The town was then chartered by the Crown in 1739 and renamed “Wilmington” in honor of Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, lord president of King George II’s Privy Council.
In 1776, the town joined the nation’s fight for independence from England, and on Dec. 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify the new Constitution, thus becoming the first state of the newly formed United States of America.
In 1802, Eleuthère Iréneé du Pont de Nemours purchased property from the Hagley family to build the first of several black powder mills. These gunpowder mills bore the modern chemical industry, still headquartered in Wilmington under the familiar names of The DuPont Company, Hercules, Inc. and ICI Americas.
The 1830s brought railroads, which gave birth to a booming passenger car industry, and today the city is home of Amtrak’s National Operations Center. The borough of Wilmington was officially chartered as a city in 1832, and the following decades brought further success as a major banking center.
Because of the city’s efforts to preserve its rich history, almost all of the original architecture still stands. Fine examples of Federal, Queen Anne, Greek Revival and Art Deco buildings lend an aura of classicism to this urban jewel.
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Wilmington Fast Facts
Location: Wilmington is 25 miles from Philadelphia, 72 miles from Baltimore and 120 miles from New York City.
*Population: 72,664
*Median household income: $35,116
Average temperatures: 76ºF in summer, 33ºF in winter
Annual rainfall: 45 inches; snowfall is moderate, usually occurring between January and March.
*Information provided by 2000 Census
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Business and Economy
Wilmington has been called “the corporate capital of the world,” not only because companies like MBNA, DuPont, Chase Manhattan, Citibank, Chrysler, General Motors and ING Direct call the city home, but also because of the tremendous effort to build a positive environment for business. A tradition of cooperation between businesses and city and state governments — combined with low operating costs, no sales tax and the best telecommunications infrastructure in the nation — take the stress out of industry.
With pro-business legislation, the renowned Court of Chancery and numerous financial incentives, success is simple, and Wilmington has the room and real estate to let your business grow. Home to more than half of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies and several institutions of higher education, the city offers a well-educated workforce and endless possibilities.
 
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Attractions and RecreationParks and Gardens
• Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, named after Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett for their lifelong work for the Underground Railroad
• Rockford Park
• Brandywine Park & Zoo, opened in 1905 and home to more than 150 animals from North America, South America and Asia
• Josephine Gardens
• Wilmington Square Historic Park, in the heart of the downtown cultural district, which is bordered by beautiful 18th- and 19th-century homes
Museums and Historic Homes
• Rockwood Mansion Park and Museum, a beautiful example of rural gothic architecture
• Delaware Art Museum
• Hagley Museum, on the site of the original DuPont Company powder mills
• Winterthur Museum, the former home of Henry B. du Pont, which features 18th- and 19th-century decorative arts
• Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church and Hendrickson House Museum, dating back to the 1690s
• Nemours, the country estate of Alfred I. du Pont
• Longwood Gardens, Pierre S. du Pont’s estate
• Greenbank Mill and the Philips House, a merchant mill built in the 1760s to export flour
• Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
 
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Culture and Sports
• DuPont Theatre, a 1913 venue for Broadway series shows
• First State Ballet Theatre
• Theatre N at Nemours, an art film theater
• Grand Opera House, built in 1871 and home to the Delaware Symphony and Orchestra
• Riverfront Arts Center
• Christina Cultural Arts Center
• Delaware History Center, which comprises the 500 block of Market Street and includes the History Museum and the Old Town Hall built in 1798
• Riverfront Market, a beautifully restored 1900 warehouse that's home to a farmers market, small vendors and boutiques
• Market Street Mall, a six-block pedestrian concourse in the heart of downtown
• Ships Tavern District, which offers riverfront dining, shopping and more
• Annual McDonald’s LPGA golf classic
• NASCAR-Dover International Speedway, only one hour south of Wilmington
• Frawley Stadium, home to the Blue Rocks Baseball
Festivals
• August Quarterly, the oldest African-American folk festival in the nation
• Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, free concerts in Rodney Square
• St. Anthony’s Italian Festival, eight days of cultural celebration
 
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Education There are several colleges and universities in the Wilmington area:
• Wilmington College, established in 1968
• University of Delaware, Wilmington Campus, chartered by the state in 1833
• Delaware College of Art and Design
• Delaware State University, established as the State College for Colored Students in 1891
• Springfield College, Wilmington Campus
• Delaware Technical and Community College
Where is Wilmington?
Written by Erin Johncox exclusively for HomesParadise.com.
(1) Photograph courtesy of the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau.
(2) Photograph courtesy of the City of Wilmington Tourism Office.
(3) Photograph courtesy of the Delaware Tourism Office.
(4) Photograph courtesy of the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware.
(5) Photograph courtesy of the Little Italy Neighborhood Association.
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