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Overview
Wilmington, Delaware is a city that prides itself on its “neighborhood model” of living. Over a dozen unique neighborhoods make up Wilmington, which has an interesting affect on the city: It forges closer bonds among the residents and attracts more revenue into the city (from people shopping locally, from residents going “neighborhood hopping”, and from people outside the area who enjoy spending time in the city).
The Triangle Neighborhood is a good example. A community built in the 1920's, the area is known for its beautiful gardens, friendly neighbors, active neighborhood association, and proximity to commercial districts, making it one of Wilmington's most sought after neighborhoods. The Riverfront is another one. Luxury riverfront apartments and shops have sprung up, adding to the vital downtown life.
The population of Wilmington was just under 73,000 in 2006, making it the largest city in both New Castle County and the state of Delaware. It’s got a very cosmopolitan flavor, with a great mix of cultures from all over the world.
Wilmington is more than just a bedroom community to Philadelphia (a mere 25 miles away on I-295); the city stands on its own two strong economic feet, attracting banks (including new giant ING Direct), the credit card industry, and insurance companies.
Transportation
Wilmington's city planners developed amazingly well-considered freeway systems that keep our commute time to under 30 minutes each way in most directions. For short flights around the area, many business execs use New Castle Airport And trains, trains, trains! The mid-Atlantic is crazy about train travel, and rightfully so – it is one of the most comfortable ways to get around. Click here for a list of train services to and from Wilmington.
History
Wilmington has a very colorful and rich history and similar to other eastern cities, it has been evolving for over a 350 period! There have been periods of the Swedish (1638), then the Dutch (1655), then the British (1664) colonization. Once this occurred, the area stabilized under the British rule (along with Quaker influence). In 1739, a charter was granted by the King of England which changed the name from Willington (after Thomas Willing, the first 'developer" of the land) to Wilmington. This name presumably was created after Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, a favorite of the King.
From this time up to the Revolution, Wilmington developed steadily into a prosperous business and residential community. During the Revolution, Wilmington's milling industries, geographic location, key leaders who inhabited there and resources made a very attractive strategically.
Both World Wars had stimulated the City's industrial life by creation of shipyards, steel foundries, machinery and chemical producers which were needed to operate on a 24-hour basis. Other industries were also created including automobiles and leather products.
As Delaware offered a very liberal tax structure, Wilmington, was soon firmly established as the City "Corporate Capital" shortly after a decline of the previous large-scale manufacturing had occurred. In the 1950's, Wilmington did take a large loss on it's population as roadways developed and people preferred to live outside the city. In the 1960s and 70s, urban renewal projects were created that helped the shift once again and have helped to maintain a more steady growth in in Wilmington where the most stable neighborhoods, also left their mark on the City.
Source: Welcome to Wilmington, Delaware
