Delaware, on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, is one of the five Middle Atlantic States. At a mere 2,491 square miles, it is the smallest of the Mid-Atlantic States, and the second smallest state in country. There are almost 800,000 people in this tiny state – about 400 per square mile.
Since the state sits on the Atlantic Ocean, the water has a large effect on its climate and geography. Climatologically, the state is in a transition zone between the humid-subtropical climes of the southern Atlantic states and the cooler temperate zone to the north. Accordingly, snowfall and low temperatures can vary significantly throughout the state. The entire state, though, experiences hot, humid summers. Though there are some small, rolling hills in the north, the all of the state of Delaware is basically a lowland coastal plain. Not one part of it is more than 450 feet above sea level. Delaware has the second lowest high point in the nation; it used to have the lowest high point until a low high point in Florida fell into a sink hole. There are some forests in the Piedmont-Appalachian region in the north, and the coastal areas harbor a few swamps.
Delaware is a relatively wealthy state, with an average per capita income of about $34,000 – 9th in the nation. Delaware’s economy is quite varied, with the largest employers spread across several different industries: government; chemical and pharmaceutical; banking; automotive manufacturing; and agriculture. Delaware is famous for its permissive corporate laws so many large national and international companies are headquartered there. Wilmington Trust, First USA / Bank One / JPMorgan Chase, AIG, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, ING, DuPont and AstraZeneca are all located or headquartered there. The U.S. military also has a large presence in Delaware, which is home to Dover Air Force base, one of the largest Air Force bases in the country.
Interestingly, Delaware has no national parks, national seashores, national historic sites, national battlefields, national memorials or national monuments. As well, there are no local television stations in Delaware. Stations serving the state include Philadelphia’s WHYY (PBS) and WPVY (ABC), and Maryland’s WBOC (CBS). That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do in Delaware. In the summers, people sun themselves on Delaware’s many beaches and play in the salt spray of the Atlantic. Delaware has four botanical gardens, and lots of festivals. The Big August Quarterly, which has been running since 1814, is a large religious festival. Delaware’s 3-day long Oktoberfest attracts visitors from up and down the Atlantic Coast. Wilmington, Delaware’s largest city, hosts many ethnic festivals, and the state has two jazz festivals. Some of the unique agricultural festivals include Wilmington Flower Market, which serves as a fundraiser for children’s charities; the Annual Apple Scrapple; and the Punkin Chunkin, at which pumpkins are shot out of hydraulic cannons for prizes. Return Day, a unique Delaware tradition, is recognized by the U.S. Congress as the only festival of its kind in the nation. When Delaware was still a colony, the residents of Sussex County used to travel to Georgetown, the county seat, to cast their ballots. Then they would wait around in the following days for the returns to be read by the town crier. Every two years, following a general election, the tradition continues in Georgetown.
