View source for Wilmington, Delaware

{{Short description|Largest city in Delaware, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Wilmington, Delaware
| settlement_type = [[List of municipalities in Delaware|City]]
| nicknames = Corporate Capital of the World, Chemical Capital of the World
| motto = "In the middle of it all"<ref>{{cite news|title=New signs welcome folks to Delaware's largest city|date=December 7, 2012|last=Min|first=Shirley|url=http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/delaware-feature/48043-new-signs-welcome-folks-to-delawares-largest-city|work=[[WHYY-FM]] News|access-date=March 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305045231/http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/delaware-feature/48043-new-signs-welcome-folks-to-delawares-largest-city|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border        = infobox
  | total_width   = 280
  | perrow        = 1/2/2/1
  | caption_align = center
  | image1        = Wilmington, Delaware, USA.jpg
  | alt1          = Downtown Wilmington
  | caption1      = Downtown Wilmington
  | image2        = Dam front web.jpg
  | alt2          = Delaware Art Museum
  | caption2      = [[Delaware Art Museum]]
  | image3        = Nemours Mansion and Gardens - Wilmington DE -juni 2012- (7654902150).jpg
  | alt3          = Nemours Mansion and Gardens
  | caption3      = [[Nemours Estate]]
  | image4        = Blue rocks in wilmington (3483188876).jpg
  | alt4          = Daniel S. Frawley Stadium
  | caption4      = [[Daniel S. Frawley Stadium]]
  | image5        = Quaker Hill HD.JPG
  | alt5          = Quaker Hill
  | caption5      =  [[Quaker Hill Historic District (Wilmington, Delaware)|Quaker Hill Historic District]]
}}
| image_flag = Flag of the City of Wilmington.png
| image_seal = Seal of Wilmington, Delaware.png
| image_map = File:New Castle County Delaware Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Wilmington Highlighted 1077580.svg
| mapsize = 250px
| map_caption = Location within New Castle County
| image_map1 = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=270|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q174224}}###{{coord|qid=Q1393}}###{{coord|39|44|45|N|75|32|48|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q174224;Q1393;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Wilmington;Delaware;the United States}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Delaware]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Delaware|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[New Castle County, Delaware|New Castle]]
| named_for = [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington]]
| government_footnotes =
| government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| leader_title = [[List of mayors of Wilmington, Delaware|Mayor]]
| leader_name = [[John Carney (Delaware politician)|John Carney]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| established_title = Settled
| established_date = March 1638
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1 = 1731
| established_title2 = Chartered
| established_date2 = 1739 (borough)<br>March 7, 1832 (city)
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_10.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 31, 2021|archive-date=October 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026060908/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_10.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_sq_mi = 17.19
| area_land_sq_mi = 10.89
| area_water_sq_mi = 6.29
| area_urban_sq_mi = 213.35
| area_total_km2 = 44.52
| area_land_km2 = 28.22
| area_water_km2 = 16.30
| population_density_km2 = 2512.48
| area_urban_km2 = 552.58
| area_metro_km2 = 2859
| area_metro_sq_mi = 1103.86
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 70,898
| population_urban = 484,926 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|87th]])
| population_metro = 723,993 (US: 82nd)([[Delaware Valley|Wilmington Metropolitan Division]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 877.57
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 2272.91
| population_density_metro_km2 = 253.23
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 655.87
| population_density_sq_mi = 6510.38
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_ft = 92
| elevation_max_m = 100
| elevation_max_ft = 330
| elevation_max_footnotes = <br>(Mount Salem Hill)
| timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset = −5
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = −4
| coordinates = {{coord|39|44|45|N|75|32|48|W|region:US-DE_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code = 19801–19810, 19850, 19880, 19884–19886, 19890–19899
| area_code = [[Area code 302|302]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 10-77580
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 214862<ref>{{cite gnis|214862|Wilmington}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|wilmingtonde.gov}}
}}

'''Wilmington''' is the [[List of municipalities in Delaware|most populous city]] in the U.S. state of [[Delaware]]. It lies at the [[confluence]] of the [[Christina River]] and [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River tributary)|Brandywine Creek]], near where the Christina flows into the [[Delaware River]]. 
The population was 70,898 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020Census">{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Delaware |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wilmingtoncitydelaware,DE/PST045219 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-date=July 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220717055323/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/wilmingtoncitydelaware,DE/PST045221 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the [[county seat]] of [[New Castle County, Delaware|New Castle County]] and one of the major cities in the [[Delaware Valley]] metropolitan area.

Wilmington was founded by [[Swedish colonization of the Americas|Swedish settlers]] in 1638 as Christinaham or spelled Kristinehamn, which was planned to be the capital of [[New Sweden]]. The city was built on the site of [[Fort Christina]], which was the first Swedish settlement in North America. Control of the area shifted before it was formally incorporated within the [[Delaware Colony]] as Wilmington in 1739, named after [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington]]. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Wilmington developed as an industrial hub with industries in shipbuilding, milling, and later chemical manufacturing, largely influenced by [[DuPont]]. Its modern economy is focused on national banking and finance institutions.

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2021}}
{{for timeline}}
[[File:FORT CHRISTIANA, WILMINGTON, NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Fort Christina]] monument, location of the first [[Swedish diaspora|Swedish]] settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the [[New Sweden]] colony]]
Wilmington is built on the site of the settlement Kristinehamn, which was planned by {{ill|Peter Mårtensson Lindeström|sv|Pedher Lindheström}} to be the capital of the colony of [[New Sweden]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Jacobsson|first=Nils|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I8hHAAAAIAAJ|title=Per Lindeström Resa Till Nya Sverige 1653—1656|trans-title=Per Lindeström's Journey to New Sweden 1653—1656|publisher=Wahlström & Wistrand|year=1923|publication-place=Stockholm|page=9|language=sv|quote=Han uppgjorde även planritningen till den svenska koloniens tilltänkta huvudstad, »Kristinehamn», ej långt från fort Kristina på den plats, där nu staden Wilmington ligger, och biträdde f. ö. den nye guvernören, Johan Rising, med råd och dåd.|trans-quote=He also drew up the plan for the intended capital of the Swedish colony, "Kristinehamn", not far from [[Fort Christina|Fort Kristina]] on the site where the city of Wilmington now stands, and assisted the new governor, [[Johan Risingh|Johan Rising]], with advice and action.}}</ref> and [[Fort Christina]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Kalm|first=Peter|author-link=Pehr Kalm|volume=II|publication-place=Stockholm|publisher=Lars Salvii|year=1756|title=En Resa Til Norra America Bå Kungliga Svenska Wetenskaps Academiens befallning Och Publici kostnad|trans-title=A Journey to North America by order of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and at the expense of the public|via=the [[Internet Archive]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/enresatilnorraam02kalm/page/272 272]|quote=Om morgonen reste jag ned til Wilmington, eller som det fordom kallades af de Svänska, Christina, hvilket är belägit 30 Ängelska mil frän Philadelphia uti SW.|trans-quote=In the morning I traveled down to Wilmington, or as it was formerly called by the Swedes, Christina, which is situated 30 English miles south west from Philadelphia.|language=sv}}</ref> the first [[Swedish colonization of the Americas|Swedish settlement]] in North America. The modern city also encompasses other Swedish settlements, such as Timmerön / Timber Island (along [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River tributary)|Brandywine Creek]]), Sidoland (South Wilmington), Strandviken (along the [[Delaware River]] near Simonds Gardens) and Översidolandet (along the [[Christina River]], near Woodcrest and Ashley Heights).

The area now known as Wilmington was settled by the [[Lenape]] (or Delaware Indian) band led by Sachem (Chief) Mattahorn just before [[Henry Hudson]] sailed up the Len-api Hanna (translated as "People Like Me River," now known as the Delaware River) in 1609. The area was called "Maax-waas Unk" or "Bear Place" after the Maax-waas Hanna (Bear River) that flowed by (present [[Christina River]]). It was called the Bear River because it flowed west to the "Bear People", who are now known as the People of [[Conestoga (people)|Conestoga]] or the [[Susquehannocks]].{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The Dutch heard and spelled the river and the place as '''Minguannan'''. When settlers and traders from the [[Swedish South Company]] under [[Peter Minuit]] arrived in March 1638 on the ''[[Fogel Grip]]'' and ''[[Kalmar Nyckel]]'', they purchased Maax-waas Unk from Chief Mattahorn and built [[Fort Christina]] at the mouth of the Maax-waas Hanna (which the Swedes renamed the [[Christina River]] after [[Queen Christina of Sweden]]). The area was also known as "The Rocks", and is located near the foot of present-day Seventh Street. Fort Christina served as the headquarters for the colony of [[New Sweden]] which consisted of, for the most part, the lower [[Delaware River]] region (parts of present-day [[Delaware]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[New Jersey]]), but few colonists settled there.<ref name="MONROE">{{Citation |last=Munroe |first=John A. |title=Colonial Delaware: A History |year=1978 |publisher=KTO Press |location=Millwood, New York |series=A History of the American colonies |isbn=978-0-527-18711-8 |oclc=3933326 |page=16 }}</ref><ref name="MCCORMICK">{{Citation |last=McCormick |first=Richard P. |author-link=Richard Patrick McCormick |title=New Jersey from Colony to State, 1609–1789 |series=New Jersey Historical Series |volume=1 |year=1964 |publisher=[[D. Van Nostrand Co.]] |location=Princeton, New Jersey |oclc=477450 |page=12 }}</ref> Dr. Timothy Stidham (Swedish:''Timen Lulofsson Stiddem'') was a prominent citizen and doctor in Wilmington. He was born in 1610, probably in Hammel, Denmark, and raised in [[Gothenburg]], Sweden. He arrived in [[New Sweden]] in 1654 and is recorded as the first physician in Delaware.<ref>{{Citation |last=Scharf |first=J. Thomas |author-link=John Thomas Scharf |title=History of Delaware, 1609–1888 |volume=1 |year=1888 |oclc=454559306 |page=471 |chapter=XXIV. Medicine and medical men |chapter-url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.39015011346874;page=root;seq=622;num=470 |publisher=L. J. Richards |location=Philadelphia |hdl=2027/mdp.39015011346874 |lccn=01013423 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820094922/http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.39015011346874;page=root;seq=622;num=470 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Stidham  |first=Jack  |year=2001  |title=The descendants of Dr. Timothy Stidham  |periodical=Swedish Colonial News  |place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  |publisher=[[The Swedish Colonial Society]]  |volume=2  |issue=5  |page=16  |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |oclc=37868632  |access-date=May 14, 2011 |url=http://www.colonialswedes.org/Images/Publications/SCNewsF01.pdf  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604051253/http://www.colonialswedes.org/Images/Publications/SCNewsF01.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Wilmington founding stamp.JPG|thumb|left|Founding of Wilmington stamp. (See [[New Sweden]].)]]
[[File:Old Town Hall Wilmington.JPG|thumb|left|[[Old Town Hall (Wilmington, Delaware)|Old Town Hall]], [[Georgian architecture|late-Georgian]] / [[Federal architecture|early-Federal]] style]]
The most important Swedish governor was Colonel [[Johan Printz]], who ruled the colony under Swedish law from 1643 to 1653. He was succeeded by [[Johan Rising]], who upon his arrival in 1654, seized the Dutch post [[Fort Casimir]], located at the site of the present town of [[New Castle, Delaware|New Castle]], which was built by the Dutch in 1651. Rising governed New Sweden until the autumn of 1655, when a Dutch fleet under the command of [[Peter Stuyvesant]] subjugated the Swedish forts and established the authority of the Colony of [[New Netherland]] throughout the area formerly controlled by the Swedes. This marked the end of Swedish rule in North America.

Beginning in 1664, [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] began; after a series of wars between the [[Anglo–Dutch Wars|Dutch and English]], the area stabilized under British rule, with strong influences from the [[Quaker]] communities under the auspices of [[Proprietor]] [[William Penn]]. A [[borough]] charter was granted in 1739 by [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]], which changed the name of the settlement from Willington, after Thomas Willing (the first developer of the land, who organized the area in a grid pattern similar to that of its northern neighbor Philadelphia),<ref>{{Citation |last=Munroe |first=John A. |title=History of Delaware |edition=5th |page=57
 |year=2006 |publisher=[[University of Delaware Press]] |location=Newark, Delaware |isbn=0-87413-947-3 |oclc=68472272
 |chapter=The Lower Counties on the Delaware |quote=Originally, the new community was called Willingtown, after Thomas Willing, an English merchant who settled there and began selling town lots in 1731 after marrying the daughter of a Swedish landowner, Andrew Justison
 }}</ref><ref>Justison, Willing's father-in-law, purchased the land from the family of [[Samuel Peterson]].</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ferris |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Ferris |publisher=Wilson & Heald (eBook: The Darlington Digital Library) |year=1846 |chapter-format=eBook |location=Wilmington, Delaware |oclc=124509564 |page=202 |title=A History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware from its Discovery by Hudson to the Colonization under William Penn |chapter=Part III. Chapter II. History of Wilmington |chapter-url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=31735054778653;view=toc;c=darltext |access-date=May 15, 2011 |archive-date=June 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623050312/http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=31735054778653;view=toc;c=darltext |url-status=live }}</ref> to Wilmington, presumably after the British Prime Minister [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|Spencer Compton]], [[Earl of Wilmington]], who took his title from [[Long Man#Wilmington, East Sussex|Wilmington, East Sussex]], in southern England.

Although during the [[American Revolutionary War]] only one small battle was fought in Delaware, British troops occupied Wilmington shortly after the nearby [[Battle of Brandywine]] on September 11, 1777. The British remained in the town until they vacated Philadelphia in 1778.

In 1800, [[Eleuthère Irénée du Pont]], a [[Huguenot|French Huguenot]], emigrated to the United States. Knowledgeable in the manufacture of [[gunpowder]], by 1802 DuPont had begun making the explosive in a mill on the Brandywine River north of [[Brandywine Village]] and just outside the town of Wilmington.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Powder Mill: 1802 |url=http://www2.dupont.com/Heritage/en_US/1802_DuPont/1802_first_powder_mill/1802_first_powder_mill_overview.html |work=DuPont home, English-US version |publisher=[[DuPont]] |location=Wilmington, Delaware |access-date=January 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608134448/http://www2.dupont.com/Heritage/en_US/1802_DuPont/1802_first_powder_mill/1802_first_powder_mill_overview.html |archive-date=June 8, 2009 |url-status=live }}  ''Archive attempt via WebCitation.org failed May 14, 2011.''</ref> The [[DuPont]] company became a major supplier to the U.S. military.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.hsd.org/DHE/DHE_what_industry_DuPont.htm  |title=The DuPont Company  |encyclopedia=Delaware History Online Encyclopedia  |publisher=[[Delaware Historical Society]]  |location=Wilmington, Delaware  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603235525/http://www.hsd.org/DHE/DHE_what_industry_DuPont.htm |archive-date=June 3, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Located on the banks of the [[Brandywine River]], the village was eventually annexed by Wilmington city.
[[File:Hagley DuPont Wagon.jpg|thumb|Original DuPont powder wagon]]

The greatest growth in the city occurred during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Delaware, though officially remaining a member of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]], was a [[Border states (American Civil War)|border state]] and divided in its support of both the Confederate and the Union causes. The war created enormous demand for goods and materials supplied by Wilmington including ships, railroad cars, gunpowder, shoes, and other war-related goods.

By 1868, Wilmington was producing more iron ships than the rest of the country combined{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} and it rated first in the production of gunpowder and second in carriages and leather. Due to the prosperity Wilmington enjoyed during the war, city merchants and manufacturers expanded Wilmington's residential boundaries westward in the form of large homes along tree-lined streets. This movement was spurred by the first horsecar line, which was initiated in 1864 along Delaware Avenue.

[[File:Wilmington, Del. (2674627824).jpg|thumb|right|Map of Wilmington, Delaware, 1874]]

The late 19th century saw the development of the city's first comprehensive park system. [[William Poole Bancroft]], a successful Wilmington businessman influenced by the work of [[Frederick Law Olmsted]], led the effort to establish open parkland in Wilmington. [[Rockford Park]] and [[Brandywine Park]] were created due to Bancroft's efforts.

Both World Wars stimulated the city's industries. Industries vital to the war effort – shipyards, steel foundries, machinery, and chemical producers – operated around the clock. Other industries produced such goods as automobiles, leather products, and clothing. In desperate need of workers more and more minorities moved to the north and settled in places like Wilmington. This led to tensions that occasionally boiled over like the [[Wilmington, Delaware race riot of 1919]].

The post-war prosperity again pushed residential development further out of the city. In the 1950s, more people began living in the suburbs of North Wilmington and commuting into the city to work. This was made possible by extensive upgrades to area roads and highways and through the construction of [[Interstate 95]], which cut through several of Wilmington's neighborhoods and accelerated the city's population decline. Urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 1960s cleared entire blocks of housing in the Center City and East Side areas.

The [[Wilmington riot of 1968]], a few days after the April 4 [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]], became national news. On April 9, Governor [[Charles L. Terry Jr.]] deployed the [[Delaware Army National Guard|National Guard]] and the [[Delaware State Police]] to the city at the request of Mayor John Babiarz. Babiarz asked Terry to withdraw the National Guard the following week, but the governor kept them in the city until his term ended in January 1969. This is reportedly the longest occupation of an American city by state forces in the nation's history.<ref name="Boyer">{{Citation |last=Boyer |first=William W. |title=Governing Delaware: Policy Problems In The First State |access-date=May 14, 2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xN3pzLSQN8IC&pg=PA57 |format=eBook |page=57 |chapter=Chapter Three: The Governor as Leader |year=2000 |publisher=[[University of Delaware Press]] (eBook: Google) |location=Newark, Delaware |isbn=0-87413-721-7 |oclc=609154858 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xN3pzLSQN8IC&pg=PA56 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606212918/http://books.google.com/books?id=xN3pzLSQN8IC&pg=PA57 |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1980s, job growth and office construction were spurred by the arrival of national banks and financial institutions in the wake of the 1981 Financial Center Development Act, which liberalized the laws governing banks operating within the state, and similar laws in 1986. Today, many national and international banks, including [[Bank of America]], [[Capital One]], [[JPMorgan Chase & Co.|Chase]], and [[Barclays]], have operations in the city, typically credit card operations.

==Geography==
[[File:Wilmington aerial.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of Wilmington]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|17.0|mi2|km2}}, of which {{convert|10.9|mi2|km2}} is land and {{convert|6.2|mi2|km2}} is water. The total area is 36.25% water.

The city sits at the confluence of the [[Christina River|Christina]] and [[Delaware River|Delaware rivers]], approximately {{convert|33|mi|km}} southwest of [[Philadelphia]]. [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Wilmington Train Station]], one of the southernmost stops on Philadelphia's [[SEPTA]] rail transportation system, is also served by [[Northeast Corridor]] [[Amtrak]] passenger trains. Wilmington is served by [[Interstate 95 in Delaware|I-95]] and [[Interstate 495 (Delaware)|I-495]] within city limits. In addition, the twin-span [[Delaware Memorial Bridge]], a few miles south of the city, provides direct highway access between Delaware and New Jersey, carrying the [[Interstate 295 (Delaware)|I-295]] eastern bypass route around Wilmington and Philadelphia, as well as [[U.S. Route 40 in Delaware|US 40]], which continues eastward to [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]].

These transportation links and geographic proximity give Wilmington some of the characteristics of a [[satellite city]] to Philadelphia, but Wilmington's long history as Delaware's principal city, its urban core, and its independent value as a business destination makes it more properly considered a small but independent city in the Philadelphia [[metropolitan area]].

Wilmington lies along the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|Fall Line]] geological transition from the [[Piedmont (United States)|Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Plateau]] to the [[Atlantic Coastal Plain]]. East of Market Street, and along both sides of the Christina River, the Coastal Plain land is flat, low-lying, and in places marshy. The Delaware River here is an [[estuary]] at sea level (with twice-daily high and low tides), providing [[sea level|sea-level]] access for ocean-going ships.

On the western side of Market Street, the Piedmont topography is rocky and hilly, rising to a point that marks the watershed between the Brandywine River and the Christina River. This watershed line runs along Delaware Avenue westward from 10th Street and Market Street.

These contrasting topography and soil conditions affected the industrial and residential development patterns within the city. The hilly west side was more attractive for the original residential areas, offering springs and sites for [[Mill (grinding)|mill]]s, better [[air quality]], and fewer [[mosquitoes]].

==Neighborhoods==
[[File:Wilmington A Place to be Somebody.jpg|thumb|Typical sign on major [[thoroughfare]]s entering Wilmington]]

The city of Wilmington is made up of the following neighborhoods:<ref>{{cite web |title = Wilmington Neighborhoods |url = http://www.wilmingtonde.gov/pdf/maps/City_Neighborhood_Areas.pdf |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101130213020/http://wilmingtonde.gov/pdf/maps/City_Neighborhood_Areas.pdf |archive-date = November 30, 2010 |publisher   = City of Wilmington, Delaware |date        = February 14, 2005 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all |access-date = August 14, 2009}}</ref>

===North of the Brandywine River===
[[File:Brandywine Village.JPG|thumb|[[Brandywine Village Historic District|Brandywine Village]]]]
* Baynard Village
* Brandywine Hills – This neighborhood of approximately 225 homes in northern Wilmington was started in the 1930s. The streets in the neighborhood are named after famous American and English authors, including Byron, Emerson, Hawthorne and Milton. It is bounded by Lea Boulevard, Rockwood Road, Miller Road, and Market Street<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Brandywine_Hills  |title=Brandywine Hills  |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |date=September 22, 2010 |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527145048/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Brandywine_Hills |url-status=live  }}</ref>
* Brandywine Village<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandywinevillage.org/ |title=Greater Brandywine Village  |publisher=Greater Brandywine Village  |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721135239/http://www.brandywinevillage.org/ |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |url-status=usurped  }}</ref>
* Eastlawn
* Eastlake
* Gander Hill - site of [[Howard R. Young Correctional Institution]]
* Harlan
* Ninth Ward – Originally a post-Civil War political creation, the city's Ninth Ward has long been an area with owner-occupied residences. The Ninth Ward was integrated as a result of population shifts in the 1960s and remains a stable, working-class neighborhood.
* Prices Run - west of [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware|Northern Boulevard]]
* [[Riverside–11th Street Bridge]] – in the northeastern part of the city between the [[Northeast Corridor]] and [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware|Northern Boulevard]].
* Triangle – a group of homes built in the 1920s whose corresponding streets along I-95 and Baynard Boulevard and 18th Street and Concord Avenue loosely form a triangle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://triangle.home.att.net/ |title=The Triangle Neighborhood Association |year=2009 |location=Wilmington, Delaware |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309204005/http://triangle.home.att.net/ |archive-date=March 9, 2009 }}</ref> It is bounded by W 18th St., Baynard Boulevard, Concord Ave., and Broom St.

===East of I-95===
[[File:Quaker Hill HD.JPG|thumb|[[Quaker Hill Historic District (Wilmington, Delaware)|Quaker Hill]]]]
* Center City (Downtown)
* East Side
* Justison Landing
* LOMA
* Midtown Brandywine – Located on the banks of the Brandywine River, Midtown Brandywine is bordered by North Washington Street, East 11th Street, North French Street and South Park Drive. Homes in the neighborhood were first established in the late 1800s as the Brandywine River became home to several mills and trading posts. Midtown Brandywine's boundaries include the Brandywine Park, Fletcher Brown Park, the Hercules building, a neighborhood adopted pocket park, and several notable restaurants and eateries. The neighborhood is also home to "The Little Church", previously known as The Old Presbyterian Church. Originally built on Market Street between 9th and 10th streets, the gambrel-roofed church was relocated to its current site on South Park Drive in 1917 and has since become synonymous with Midtown Brandywine.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=October 9, 2010 |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Midtown_Brandywine  |title=Midtown Brandywine Neighbors Association  |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527145156/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Midtown_Brandywine |archive-date=May 27, 2011 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
* Quaker Hill<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quakerhillhistoric.org/ |title=Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation |publisher=Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=October 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008162132/http://www.quakerhillhistoric.org// }}</ref> – From a country hilltop in the 19th century to rows of city homes today, Quaker Hill (which surrounds the historical Quaker Friends Meeting House) has watched its neighborhood become much more modernized over the last three centuries. This city district was founded by Quakers William Shipley and Thomas West in the early 18th century. The nearby Meeting House keeps Quaker Hill closely tied to its rich history. The cemetery of the Wilmington Friends House is the burial site of the abolitionist Thomas Garrett and John Dickinson, signer of the U.S. Constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmingtondefriendsmeeting.org/ |title=Wilmington Monthly Meeting of Friends |publisher=Wilmington Friends Meeting |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=April 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418021108/http://www.wilmingtondefriendsmeeting.org/index.htm }}</ref>
* Riverfront<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.riverfrontwilm.com/ |title=Riverfront Wilmington |publisher=Riverfront Development Corporation |date=June 26, 2010 |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=February 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221182516/http://riverfrontwilm.com/ }}</ref> – Formerly a hub for manufacturing and the city's shipbuilding industry, which began to see a rapid series of state-sponsored urban renewal and gentrification projects beginning in the late 1990s. The neighborhood is currently home to landmarks such as the Wilmington Blue Rocks' Baseball Stadium and the Shipyard Shops.
* Southbridge
* Trinity Vicinity – This neighborhood is located in the center of Wilmington, next to the Trinity Church and Interstate 95. A collection of row homes and detached houses, many of which were originally built in the late 19th century. The revitalization of the neighborhood was aided by the Urban Homesteading Act in the 1970s. The neighborhood was designated as a historic district in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trinityvicinity.org/ |title=Trinity Vicinity.org Website |publisher=Trinity Vicinity Neighborhood Association |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=October 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015173928/http://www.trinityvicinity.org/ }}</ref>
* Upper East Side (East Brandywine)
* West Center City
* 11th St. Bridge<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/11th_St_Bridge  |title=11th Street Bridge Civic Association  |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |access-date=May 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519023523/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/11th_St_Bridge |url-status=live  }}</ref>

===West of I-95===
[[File:2401 Baynard Wilmington DE.JPG|thumb|House on [[Baynard Boulevard Historic District|Baynard Boulevard]]]]
[[File:1001 Monroe Wilm DE.jpg|thumb|[[Shipley Run Historic District|Shipley Run]]]]
[[File:Sam DuPont.JPG|thumb|[[Samuel Francis Du Pont]], an 1884 statue by [[Launt Thompson]] in [[Rockford Park]]]]
* Bayard Square
* Browntown – areas in the city that were originally populated by Polish immigrants. Today, the Polish community maintains a strong presence, while other ethnicities have moved in the neighborhood's borders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Hedgeville  |title=Hedgeville Community Association  |archive-date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527145146/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Hedgeville |url-status=live  }}</ref>
* Canby Park – About 1930 the Wilmington City Council renamed Southwest Park as Canby Park in honor of Henry and [[William Marriott Canby]].<ref name=JSTOR>{{cite web|title=Canby, William Marriott (1831–1904)|website=JSTOR, Global Plants|url=https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000150660|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817185147/https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000150660|url-status=live}}</ref>  Canby Park Estates is on one side of the park.
* Cool Spring & Tilton Park – bounded loosely by Pennsylvania Avenue on the north, West 7th Street on the south, North Jackson Street on the east and North Rodney Street on the west. The neighborhood is home to two Catholic schools, [[Ursuline Academy (Delaware)|Ursuline Academy]]<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ursuline.org/content/co-ed-and-single-sex |publisher = Ursuline Academy |access-date  = July 19, 2012 |title = Co-ed and Single Sex |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130605090816/http://www.ursuline.org/content/co-ed-and-single-sex |archive-date = June 5, 2013 |df = mdy-all}}</ref> and [[Padua Academy]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.paduaacademy.org/page.aspx?pid=315 |publisher= Padua Academy |access-date= July 19, 2012 |title= Padua Academy: About Us |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120312234634/http://www.paduaacademy.org/page.aspx?pid=315 |archive-date= March 12, 2012 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The neighborhood is also the location of the private University & Whist Club and the Holy Trinity [[Greek Orthodox]] Church, which hosts an annual Greek cultural festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/wilmington-de/coolsprings |title=Neighborhoodlink.com |publisher=Neighborhood Link |access-date=October 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714162728/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/wilmington-de/coolsprings/ |archive-date=July 14, 2011 }}</ref>
* Delaware Avenue
* The Flats – The Flats was founded by businessman William Bancroft who developed the neighborhood in 1901 under the Woodlawn Company, now known as the Woodlawn Trustees, with the intention of creating affordable homes for working class residents of Wilmington. The predominantly minority community is currently in the process of gaining authorization for a $100&nbsp;million revitalization to be performed in seven phases over 12 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130818/NEWS/308180081/After-demolition-neighborhood-reborn |title=After demolition, a neighborhood reborn |first=Andrew |last=Staub |date=August 17, 2013 |newspaper=The News Journal |location=Wilmington, Delaware |access-date=August 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821130724/http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130818/NEWS/308180081/After-demolition-neighborhood-reborn |archive-date=August 21, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Forty Acres – This historically Irish neighborhood, rural until the mid-19th century, developed from the farmland of Joshua T. Heald. One of the city's first suburbs, the neighborhood is centered on the St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church. The name Forty Acres is taken from the fertility of the farmland. One acre of the land was said to be worth {{convert|40|acre|m2}} one might find someplace else. The neighborhood exists northeast of Delaware Avenue, southwest of Riddle Avenue, east of Union Street and west of DuPont Street, with Lovering Avenue as its eastern boundary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Forty_Acres  |title=Forty Acres Civic Association  |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |access-date=May 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519023847/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Forty_Acres |url-status=live  }}</ref>
* Greenhill
* Happy Valley – a small collection of late 19th-century row houses on the southeastern slope to Brandywine Park, between Adams Street, Van Buren Street (I-95), Wawaset Street and Gilpin Avenue. This neighborhood also includes a significant number of more modern townhouses (1970's) designed by architect Richard Chalfant.
* Hedgeville
* The Highlands – located between Pennsylvania Avenue and Delaware Avenue, the Highlands neighborhood, centered on 18th Street southeast of Rockford Park, was developed by Joshua Heald in the 19th century for affluent, middle-class residents. It contains detached and semi-detached houses of exuberant architectural detailing, representing numerous popular styles of the time.
* Hilltop – This area located along 4th Street and roughly bordered by Lancaster Avenue, Jackson Street, Clayton Street has remained one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city since the late 19th century. Today, this area is home to one of the city's fastest growing segments – the Hispanic community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/neighborhood/Hilltop/wg_introduction.htm |title=Hilltop Neighborhood Working Group |publisher=City of Wilmington |work=Community Services: Neighborhoods |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=June 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628220346/http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/neighborhood/Hilltop/wg_introduction.htm }}</ref> Historically, Westside/Hilltop was one of the two of city's most crime and drug plagued neighborhoods based on the number of service calls for police. In the Westside/Hilltop area, drug related calls was 285 in 1989 and 808 in 1990. "This increase in reported drug activity coincides with similar increases in other cities which were related to the growth of the crack cocaine trade."<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Harris|first1=Richard J|last2=O'Connell|first2=John P|last3=Mande|first3=Mary J|last4=Kane|first4=James|date=September 1999|title=Evaluation of Operation Weed & Seed in Wilmington, Delaware|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/181088NCJRS.pdf|publisher=State of Delaware Document Number 100703-990904|page=14|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010200519/https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/181088NCJRS.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Little Italy, Wilmington|Little Italy]] – this neighborhood consists of the area around Union Street and Lincoln streets, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Lancaster Avenue. Anchored by the immigration waves of the late 19th century and early 20th century, Little Italy has retained its roots, even as neighborhood remodeling projects update the scenery. A central feature of the neighborhood is the St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church. The neighborhood hosts an annual Italian Festival in the summertime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discoverlittleitaly.com/ |title=Welcome to Little Italy |publisher=Little Italy Neighborhood Association |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=June 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608192107/http://www.discoverlittleitaly.com/home.htm }}</ref>
* St. Elizabeth Area – The St. Elizabeth area is anchored by the St. Elizabeth Parish at 809 S. Broom St., considered the heart of the Catholic community. This historic church, built on the grounds of the Banning Estate, dates back to 1908.
[[File:Trolley Square mall in Wilmington, northeast side.jpg|thumb|right|One side of the Trolley Square mall. The third store from the left on the lower level was once the computer repair shop that became the originating location of the [[Hunter Biden laptop controversy|Hunter Biden laptop saga]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2023/03/17/hunter-biden-sues-wilmington-delaware-laptop-repairman-john-paul-mac-isaac/70020444007/ | title=Hunter Biden is suing Trolley Square laptop repairman at center of data leak | first=Xerxes | last=Wilson | newspaper=The News Journal | location=New Castle, Delaware | date=March 17, 2023 }}</ref>]]
* Trolley Square – settled in the 1860s after the city's trolley line had extended into farmland once owned by the Shallcross and Lovering families. The city's former trolley depot and bus barn was located on the spot where the Trolley Square shopping complex now sits. The neighborhood lies between Harrison Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovering Avenue and the CSX Transportation railroad track.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Trolley Square Delaware Shopping, Activities, Events |publisher=Trolley Square Merchant Association |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |url=http://www.visittrolleysquare.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509164843/http://www.visittrolleysquare.com/}}</ref> The depot and other buildings were demolished in 1974 and the mall opened in 1978.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/trolley-square-wilmington%E2%80%99s-streetcar-system-and-delaware-coach-company | title=Trolley Square, Wilmington's Streetcar System, and the Delaware Coach Company | first=Clayton | last=Ruminski | publisher=Hagley Museum and Library | date=September 22, 2016 }}</ref>
* Wawaset
* Wawaset Heights
* [[Wawaset Park, Wilmington, Delaware|Wawaset Park]] – The neighborhood was constructed by the Dupont Company in 1918 to provide a residential community for their employees. Baltimore architect Edward L. Palmer Jr. was chosen to design the community, which was to have a mix of single family homes and smaller attached Prior to the development of houses. The neighborhood was constructed on a {{convert|50|acre|m2|adj=on}} plot. Prior to its construction, the tract of land had been used as a horse racing track and a fairground. Wawaset Park was placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1986. The neighborhood is bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, West 7th Street, Woodlawn Avenue and Greenhill Avenue.<ref>{{cite web |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Wawaset_Park_Maintenance_Corp  |title=Wawaset Park Maintenance Corp.  |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519022054/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Wawaset_Park_Maintenance_Corp |url-status=live  }}</ref>
* West Hill
* Westmoreland – detached housing developed in the 1950s, as part of the suburban movement that followed the end of World War II. Its location is adjacent to the original [[Wilmington Country Club]], bounded by Ogle Avenue, Dupont Road, the Wilmington High School property and the Ed "Porky" Oliver Golf Course.
* [[Union Park Gardens]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Union_Park_Gardens  |title=Union Park Gardens  |publisher=Neighborhood Link  |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606011227/http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Union_Park_Gardens |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

===Historic districts and Conservation District===
The City of Wilmington designates nine areas as historic districts and one area as a conservation district. The historic districts are the Baynard Boulevard, Kentmere Parkway, Rockford Park, Cool Spring/Tilton Park, the tri-part sections of the Eastside, St. Marys and [[Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)|Old Swedes Church]], [[Quaker Hill Historic District (Wilmington, Delaware)|Quaker Hill]], Delaware Avenue, Trinity Vicinity, and Upper/Lower Market Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wilmingtonde.gov/districts/index.htm |title=City Historic Districts |work=Community Services |publisher=City of Wilmington |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-date=January 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125145215/http://wilmingtonde.gov/districts/index.htm}}</ref> The conservation district is Forty Acres.

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
Image:BrandywineAcadHABS1934.jpg|The Brandywine Academy building
Image:Wilmington Meetinghouse.JPG|Friends Meeting House in Quaker Hill
Image:Cathedral of Saint Peter, Wilmington DE.jpg|Cathedral of Saint Peter in Quaker Hill
Image:Old custom House.JPG|[[Old Customshouse (Wilmington, Delaware)|Old Customshouse]]
Image:Woodward Houses Wilmington.JPG|[[Woodward Houses]]
Image:Delaware Children's Theatre 01.jpg|[[Delaware Children's Theatre|New Century Club]]
Image:Delaware swedish tercentenary half dollar commemorative obverse.jpg|[[Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)|Old Swedes Church]] depicted on the 1937 [[Delaware Tercentenary half dollar]] coin
</gallery>

===Surrounding municipalities===
{{Geographic location
|Northwest = [[Greenville, Delaware]]
|North = [[Talleyville, Delaware]]
|Northeast = [[Bellefonte, Delaware]]
|West = [[Elsmere, Delaware]]
|Center = Wilmington, Delaware
|South = [[New Castle, Delaware]]
|Southwest = [[Newport, Delaware]]
|Southeast = [[Pennsville, New Jersey]]
|East = [[Penns Grove, New Jersey]]
}}

===Climate===
[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Wilmington Area, DE(ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Wilmington]]
Wilmington has a warm [[temperate climate]] or [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfa''), with hot and humid summers, cool to cold winters, and precipitation evenly spread throughout the year. In July, the daily average is {{convert|76.8|°F|1}}, with an average 21 days of {{convert|90|°F|0}}+ highs annually. Summer thunderstorms are common in the hottest months.  The January daily average is {{convert|32.4|°F|1}}, although temperatures may occasionally reach {{convert|10|°F|0}} or {{convert|55|°F}} as fronts move toward and past the area. Snowfall is light to moderate, and variable, with some winters bringing very little of it and others witnessing several major snowstorms; the average seasonal total is {{convert|20.2|in|cm}}. Extremes in temperature have ranged from {{convert|-15|°F|0}} on February 9, 1934, up to {{convert|107|°F|0}} on August 7, 1918, though both {{convert|100|°F|0}}+ and {{convert|0|°F|0}} readings are uncommon; the last occurrence of each was July 18, 2012, and February&nbsp;5, 1996, respectively.

{{Weather box
|location = Wilmington, Delaware ([[New Castle County Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1894–present
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 75
|Feb record high F = 78
|Mar record high F = 86
|Apr record high F = 97
|May record high F = 98
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 103
|Aug record high F = 107
|Sep record high F = 100
|Oct record high F = 98
|Nov record high F = 85
|Dec record high F = 75
|year record high F = 107
|Jan avg record high F = 63.1
|Feb avg record high F = 63.8
|Mar avg record high F = 73.8
|Apr avg record high F = 83.3
|May avg record high F = 89.1
|Jun avg record high F = 93.5
|Jul avg record high F = 95.8
|Aug avg record high F = 93.8
|Sep avg record high F = 89.7
|Oct avg record high F = 82.6
|Nov avg record high F = 72.3
|Dec avg record high F = 64.2
|year avg record high F = 96.9
|Jan high F = 41.4
|Feb high F = 44.1
|Mar high F = 52.5
|Apr high F = 64.2
|May high F = 73.5
|Jun high F = 82.2
|Jul high F = 86.8
|Aug high F = 84.9
|Sep high F = 78.5
|Oct high F = 67.0
|Nov high F = 55.9
|Dec high F = 46.0
|year high F = 64.8
|Jan mean F = 33.5
|Feb mean F = 35.5
|Mar mean F = 43.2
|Apr mean F = 53.9
|May mean F = 63.5
|Jun mean F = 72.6
|Jul mean F = 77.6
|Aug mean F = 75.8
|Sep mean F = 68.9
|Oct mean F = 57.2
|Nov mean F = 46.6
|Dec mean F = 38.2
|year mean F = 55.5
|Jan low F = 25.6
|Feb low F = 27.0
|Mar low F = 33.9
|Apr low F = 43.5
|May low F = 53.4
|Jun low F = 63.0
|Jul low F = 68.3
|Aug low F = 66.6
|Sep low F = 59.3
|Oct low F = 47.3
|Nov low F = 37.4
|Dec low F = 30.3
|year low F = 46.3
|Jan avg record low F = 9.7
|Feb avg record low F = 12.0
|Mar avg record low F = 18.9
|Apr avg record low F = 30.2
|May avg record low F = 39.2
|Jun avg record low F = 49.9
|Jul avg record low F = 58.3
|Aug avg record low F = 56.0
|Sep avg record low F = 45.1
|Oct avg record low F = 33.4
|Nov avg record low F = 23.3
|Dec avg record low F = 16.4
|year avg record low F = 7.4
|Jan record low F = −14
|Feb record low F = −15
|Mar record low F = 2
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 30
|Jun record low F = 40
|Jul record low F = 48
|Aug record low F = 43
|Sep record low F = 32
|Oct record low F = 23
|Nov record low F = 11
|Dec record low F = −7
|year record low F = -15
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.23
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.83
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.16
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.51
|May precipitation inch = 3.57
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.67
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.41
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.98
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.38
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.68
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.06
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.85
|year precipitation inch = 45.33
|Jan snow inch = 6.1
|Feb snow inch = 7.8
|Mar snow inch = 3.1
|Apr snow inch = 0.1
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.2
|Dec snow inch = 2.9
|year snow inch = 20.2
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.8
|Feb precipitation days = 10.0
|Mar precipitation days = 11.2
|Apr precipitation days = 11.1
|May precipitation days = 11.7
|Jun precipitation days = 11.0
|Jul precipitation days = 10.0
|Aug precipitation days = 8.9
|Sep precipitation days = 8.8
|Oct precipitation days = 8.9
|Nov precipitation days = 8.8
|Dec precipitation days = 10.6
|year precipitation days = 121.8
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 3.5
|Feb snow days = 3.5
|Mar snow days = 1.7
|Apr snow days = 0.1
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.2
|Dec snow days = 1.7
|year snow days = 10.7
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
|url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=phi
|title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 18, 2021
|archive-date = March 5, 2012
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120305104542/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=phi
|url-status = live
}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013781&format=pdf
|title = Station: Wilmington New Castle CO AP, DE
|work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 18, 2021
|archive-date = June 11, 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210611115146/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00013781&format=pdf
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}
{{Graph:Weather monthly history
| table=Ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Wilmington, Delaware.tab
| title=Wilmington monthly weather statistics
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 5268
|1830= 6628
|1840= 8367
|1850= 13979
|1860= 21258
|1870= 30841
|1880= 42478
|1890= 61431
|1900= 76508
|1910= 87411
|1920= 110168
|1930= 106597
|1940= 112504
|1950= 110356
|1960= 95827
|1970= 80386
|1980= 70195
|1990= 71529
|2000= 72664
|2010= 70851
|2020= 70898
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1077580 |title=Census - Geography Profile: Wilmington city, Delaware |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=October 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613225130/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1077580 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Wilmington city, Delaware – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 1980<ref>{{Cite web |title=1980 census |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/delaware/1980a_deabcd-04.pdf |access-date=June 19, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=Delaware: 1990 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-9.pdf |access-date=June 19, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Wilmington city, Delaware|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US1077580&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wilmington city, Delaware|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1077580&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wilmington city, Delaware|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1077580&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|30,952
|28,987
|23,352
|19,770
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,892
|44.09%
|40.52%
|32.14%
|27.90%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |26.65%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|35,665
|36,911
|40,545
|40,170
|style='background: #ffffe6; |38,627
|50.81%
|51.60%
|55.80%
|56.70%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.48%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|68
|141
|133
|158
|style='background: #ffffe6; |116
|0.10%
|0.20%
|0.18%
|0.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|132
|307
|468
|648
|style='background: #ffffe6; |907
|0.19%
|0.43%
|0.64%
|0.91%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.28%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|N/A
|N/A
|14
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21
|N/A
|N/A
|0.02%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|71
|111
|110
|137
|style='background: #ffffe6; |342
|0.10%
|0.16%
|0.15%
|0.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.48%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|N/A
|N/A
|894
|1,176
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,570
|N/A
|N/A
|1.23%
|1.66%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.62%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|3,307
|5,072
|7,148
|8,788
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,423
|4.71%
|7.09%
|9.84%
|12.40%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.29%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''70,195'''
|'''71,529'''
|'''72,664'''
|'''70,851'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''70,898'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 70,898 people, 31,754 households, and 13,572 families residing in the city. The most reported ancestries in 2020 were:<ref>{{cite web |title=TOTAL POPULATION |url=https://data.census.gov/table?t=-06:-1000E:-3000F:-4000G:-5000K:-7000E:-8000B&g=160XX00US1077580&d=DEC+Detailed+Demographic+and+Housing+Characteristics+File+A |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>
* [[African Americans|African American]] (33.4%)
* [[Irish people|Irish]] (9.1%)
* [[Germans|German]] (6.2%)
* [[English people|English]] (6.1%)
* [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] (6.1%)
* [[Italians|Italian]] (5.5%)
* [[Mexicans|Mexican]] (3.8%)
* [[Polish people|Polish]] (2.3%)
* [[Scottish people|Scottish]] (1.6%)
* [[French people|French]] (1.1%)

===2010 census===
As of the census of 2010, there were 70,851 people, 28,615 households, and 15,398 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|6,497.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 32,820 housing units at an average density of {{convert|3,009.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}} and with an occupancy rate of 87.2%. The racial makeup of the city was 58.0% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 32.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.0% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], <0.1% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 5.4% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.6% from two or more races. 12.4% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race. [[Non-Hispanic Whites]] were 27.9% of the population in 2010,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/10/1077580.html |title=Wilmington (city), Delaware |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707041815/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/10/1077580.html |archive-date=July 7, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> compared to 40.5% in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=Delaware – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |access-date=May 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 }}</ref> As of the census of 2000, the largest ethnicities included: [[Irish American|Irish]] (8.7%), [[Italian American|Italian]] (5.7%), [[German American|German]] (5.2%), [[English American|English]] (4.4%), and [[Polish American|Polish]] (3.6%).<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190521214830/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=May 21, 2019
|title=2010 SF1 Data for Wilmington, Delaware
 |work=[[City-Data]]
 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau
 |access-date=November 17, 2011

}}</ref>

There were 28,615 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.5% were married couples living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.2% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.4% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

According to ACS one-year estimates for 2010, the median income for a household in the city was $32,884, and the median income for a family was $37,352. Males working full-time had a median income of $41,878 versus $36,587 for females working full-time. The per capita income for the city was $24,861. 27.6% of the population and 24.9% of families were below the poverty line. 45.7% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_CP03&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213129/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_CP03&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|title=2010 SF1 Data for Wilmington, Delaware|work=[[City-Data]]|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 17, 2011}}</ref>

==Economy==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:90%; text-align:center; margin-left:1em;"
|-
| colspan="3" style="background-color:tan;"|'''Top city employers as of 2019'''<br><small>Source: ''Comprehensive Annual Financial Report''</small><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019|title=City of Wilmington Comprehensive Annual Financial Report|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/home/showdocument?id=8872|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828202845/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/home/showdocument?id=8872|archive-date=August 28, 2020|access-date=August 28, 2020|page=187|format=PDF}}</ref>
|-
! Rank !! Company or organization!! #
|-
| 1
| [[Delaware|State of Delaware]]
|14,199
|-
|2
| [[ChristianaCare]]
|11,308
|-
|3
| [[University of Delaware]]
|4,493
|-
|4
| [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]
|4,300
|-
|5
| [[Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware|Nemours Children's Health]]
|3,795
|-
|6
| [[DuPont]]
|3,500
|-
|7
| [[AstraZeneca]]
|2,500
|-
|8
| [[YMCA in America|YMCA]] of Delaware
|2,469
|-
|9
| [[Christina School District]]
|2,390
|-
|10
| [[Red Clay Consolidated School District|Red Clay School District]]
|2,200
|}

[[File:Bank Center.jpg|thumb|[[WSFS Bank]]'s headquarters in downtown Wilmington]]

Much of Wilmington's economy is based on its status as the most populous city in Delaware.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} Contributing to the economic health of the downtown and Wilmington Riverfront regions has been the presence of [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Wilmington Station]], through which 665,000 people passed in 2009.<ref name=Taylor2010>{{Citation |last=Taylor |first=Adam |date=April 3, 2010 |title=Delaware transportation: For now, it's a headache on all sides of the tracks |periodical=The News Journal (Delawareonline) |place=New Castle, Delaware |publisher=Gannett |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/2000998191.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+3,+2010&author=ADAM%20TAYLOR&pub=The+News+Journal&desc=For+now,+it's+a+headache+on+all+sides+of+the+tracks&pqatl=google |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624225337/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/2000998191.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+3,+2010&author=ADAM%20TAYLOR&pub=The+News+Journal&desc=For+now,+it's+a+headache+on+all+sides+of+the+tracks&pqatl=google |archive-date=June 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{subscription required}}</ref> In terms of growth, {{as of|2018|lc=y}} the city was seeing nearly $450M worth of private investments,{{How often|date=November 2020}} multi-million dollars of city infrastructure improvements, and significant improvements to their transportation infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilmtoday.com/attractions/growth-wilmington-tipping-point/|title=Growth in Wilmington Reaching a "Tipping Point"|date=November 8, 2018|website=Wilmington Today|language=en-US|access-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430213633/https://www.wilmtoday.com/attractions/growth-wilmington-tipping-point/|archive-date=April 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Wilmington has become a national financial center for the credit card industry, largely due to regulations enacted by former [[List of Governors of Delaware|Governor]] [[Pete du Pont|Pierre S. du Pont IV]] in 1981. The Financial Center Development Act of 1981, among other things, eliminated the [[usury]] laws enacted by most states, thereby removing the cap on interest rates that banks may legally charge customers. Major credit card issuers such as [[Barclays|Barclays Bank of Delaware]] (formerly [[Juniper Bank]]), are headquartered in Wilmington. The Dutch banking giant [[ING Groep N.V.]] headquartered its U.S. internet banking unit, [[ING Direct]] (now Capital One 360), in Wilmington. [[Wilmington Trust]] is headquartered in Wilmington at [[Rodney Square]]. Barclays and Capital One 360 have very large and prominent locations along the waterfront of the [[Christina River]]. In 1988, the Delaware legislature enacted a law which required a would-be acquirer to capture 85 percent of a Delaware chartered corporation's stock in a single transaction or wait three years before proceeding. This law strengthened Delaware's position as a {{Weasel inline|text=safe haven for corporate charters during an especially turbulent time filled with hostile takeovers.|date=July 2024}}

Wilmington's other notable industries include insurance (American Life Insurance Company [ALICO], Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Delaware), [[retail banking]] (including the Delaware headquarters of: Wilmington Trust (now a branch of [[M&T Bank]], after Wilmington Trust merged with M&T in 2011), [[PNC Bank]], [[Wells Fargo]], [[JPMorgan Chase]], [[HSBC]], [[Citizens Financial Group|Citizens Bank]], [[WSFS Bank|Wilmington Savings Fund Society]], and Artisans' Bank), and legal services. A General Motors plant was closed in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-wilmington-gm-plant-0601,0,7972596.story |title=(Unknown) |publisher=Baltimoresun.com |date=June 2, 2009 |access-date=October 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604155129/http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-wilmington-gm-plant-0601%2C0%2C7972596.story |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref> Wilmington is home to one [[Fortune 500]] company, [[DuPont|E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/states/DE.html |title=Fortune 500 2012: Delaware |publisher=CNN |date=May 21, 2012 |access-date=July 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721001215/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/states/DE.html |archive-date=July 21, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Science and Technology are also thriving as companies such as [[Incyte]], [[Chemours]], [[Corteva]], [[Solenis]] and ZipCode call Wilmington home.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://siteselection.com/issues/2018/sep/delaware-the-fast-track-to-innovation.cfm|title=Delaware: The Fast Track to Innovation {{!}} Site Selection Magazine|last=Arend|first=Mark|website=Site Selection|language=en|access-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430212742/https://siteselection.com/issues/2018/sep/delaware-the-fast-track-to-innovation.cfm|archive-date=April 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>  In addition, the city is the corporate domicile of more than 50% of the publicly traded companies in the United States, and over 60% of the Fortune 500.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

Delaware chartered corporations rely on the state's [[Delaware Court of Chancery|Court of Chancery]] to decide legal disputes, which places legal decisions with a judge instead of a jury. The Court of Chancery, known both nationally and internationally for its speed, competence, and knowledgeable judiciary as a [[court of equity]],<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/lawsuit-climate.html |title = Lawsuit Climate: 2010 |work = instituteforlegalreform.com |publisher = [[Institute for Legal Reform]] |location = Washington, D.C. |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110512173650/http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/lawsuit-climate.html |archive-date = May 12, 2011 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all |access-date = December 21, 2010}}</ref> is empowered to grant broad relief in the form of injunctions and restraining orders, which is of particular importance when shareholders seek to block or enjoin corporate actions such as mergers or acquisitions. The Court of Chancery, as a statewide court, may hear cases in any of the state's three counties. A dedicated-use Chancery courthouse was constructed in 2003 in Georgetown, Sussex County.<ref name="2006 Annual Report of the Delaware Judiciary">{{cite web|title=CELEBRATING THE TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE – COURTS AND COURTHOUSES|url=https://courts.delaware.gov/aoc/AnnualReports/FY06/TraditionofExcellence.pdf|access-date=February 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224165429/http://www.courts.delaware.gov/AOC/AnnualReports/FY06/TraditionofExcellence.pdf|archive-date=February 24, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> It has hosted high-profile complex corporate trials such as the [[Michael Eisner#The Walt Disney Company|Disney shareholder litigation]].

Because Delaware is the official state of incorporation for so many American companies, the [[United States Bankruptcy Court]] for the District of Delaware, located in Wilmington, is one of the busiest of the 94 federal bankruptcy courts located around the United States.

Delaware has among the strictest rules in the U.S. regarding out-of-state legal practice, allowing no reciprocity to lawyers who passed the bar in other states.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://courts.delaware.gov/bbe/faq.htm#7 |title=Frequently Asked Questions for the Board of Bar Examiners |publisher=Delaware Judiciary |access-date=October 9, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826155456/http://courts.delaware.gov/bbe/faq.htm |archive-date=August 26, 2010 }}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Old Swedes front corner 1.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)]]]]
Wilmington has many museums, galleries, and gardens, as well as many ethnic festivals and other events throughout the year. Notable among its museums is the [[Delaware Art Museum]] whose collection focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th to the 21st century, and on the English Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century.

===Festivals===
Wilmington boasts a vibrant and diverse ethnic population, celebrated through several festivals each spring and summer. The most popular is the Italian Festival, held by [[St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church (Wilmington, Delaware)|St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church]] in the second week of June, featuring traditional Italian music, food, and games. Other similar events are the Greek Festival organized by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and the Polish Festival hosted by St. Hedwig's Catholic Church, each showcasing cuisine, games, music and entertainment. Haneef's African Festival celebrates African American heritage, while the [[Big August Quarterly]], held since 1814, honors African American religious freedom.<ref>{{cite book |title=State names, seals, flags, and symbols |author=Shearer, Barbara Smith |year=2002 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=0-313-31534-5 |page=258}}</ref> IndiaFest, hosted by the Indo American Association of Delaware, showcases Indian culture.<ref>{{cite web| title = Indiafest 2009| work = IAAD- Indo American Association of Delaware| url = http://www.iaadelaware.org/| access-date = December 1, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090831131034/http://www.iaadelaware.org/| archive-date = August 31, 2009| url-status = live}}</ref> Wilmington also observes Hispanic Week, coinciding with [[National Hispanic Heritage Month]], which includes a pageant, parade, music, cuisine, and a carnival on the Riverfront.

The [[Clifford Brown Jazz Festival]] is a week-long outdoor music festival held each summer in Wilmington's [[Rodney Square]]. The ''Peoples' Festival'' is an annual tribute to [[Bob Marley]], who once lived in Wilmington trying to earn money enough to establish his [[Tuff Gong#Recording studio|Tuff Gong music studio]] in Jamaica. Started in 1994, the Peoples' Festival features [[reggae]] and [[world beat]] musicians playing original music and [[Bob Marley and the Wailers]] songs and is held on the Wilmington riverfront each summer. The ''Riverfront Blues Festival'', a three-day music festival held each August in the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, features prominent blues acts as well as artists from the local area.

Seasonal events include an annual [[Christmas tree]]-lighting ceremony related to the Christmas holiday at [[Rockwood Museum and Park]].<ref name=ochristmastree>{{Citation |author=staff |date=December 3, 2011 |title=O christmas tree |newspaper=[[The News Journal]] |edition=Delaware Online |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111203/NEWS/112030327/-1/NLETTER01/O-christmas-tree |access-date=December 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818104748/http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111203/NEWS/112030327/-1/NLETTER01/O-christmas-tree |archive-date=August 18, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilmington's memorial day parade is the oldest continuous parade in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2937/225|title=City News {{!}} Wilmington, DE|website=www.wilmingtonde.gov|access-date=April 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418152009/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2937/225|archive-date=April 18, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Wilmington Riverfront===
[[File:Wilmington Riverfront.JPG|thumb|The ''[[Kalmar Nyckel]]'' with the Wilmington skyline in the background]]

In the 1990s, the city launched a campaign to revitalize the former shipyard area known as the Wilmington Riverfront.<ref name="riverwalk">{{cite web|url=https://delawaretoday.com/life-style/the-wilmington-riverfronts-unexpected-evolution/ |title=The Wilmington Riverfront's Unexpected Evolution |author=Nagengast, Larry |publisher=Delaware Today |date=April 4, 2016 |access-date=March 3, 2025 }}</ref> Delaware Theatre Company was at the forefront of this movement, opening its current space on Water Street in 1985.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delawaretheatre.org/about_history |title=History of the Delaware Theatre Company |publisher=Delaware Theatre Company |access-date=January 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628230045/http://www.delawaretheatre.org/about_history |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Other key developments included [[Kahunaville]], later to become the Delaware Children’s Museum, and [[Daniel S. Frawley Stadium]], home to the [[Wilmington Blue Rocks]] minor league baseball team.<ref name="riverwalk" /> The [[Chase Center on the Riverfront]] opened as the First USA Riverfront Arts Center in 1998 to hold traveling exhibitions but was repurposed into the city's [[convention center]] in 2005.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Milford|first=Maureen|date=July 5, 1998|title=Revitalizing the Riverfront in Wilmington, Del.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/05/realestate/revitalizing-the-riverfront-in-wilmington-del.html|access-date=August 21, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The groundbreaking of Justison Landing in 2006 marked the start of Wilmington's largest residential project since Bancroft Park was built after World War II. Outlet shops, restaurants and a riverfront market have also opened along the {{convert|1.2|mi|km|adj=on}} riverwalk.<ref name="riverwalk" />

===Places of interest===
{{See also|National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilmington, Delaware}}
[[File:Wilmington Rodney Square.jpg|thumb|[[Rodney Square]], Center City, Wilmington]]
{{New Netherland}}
* [[Brandywine Zoo]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandywinezoo.org/ |title=Brandywine Zoo |publisher=Brandywine Zoo |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026021152/http://brandywinezoo.org/ |archive-date=October 26, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Delaware Art Museum]]
* [[The Delaware Contemporary]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedcca.org/ |title=Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts |publisher=Thedcca.org |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904012633/http://www.thedcca.org/ |archive-date=September 4, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Delaware Center for Horticulture]]
* Delaware Children's Museum
* [[Delaware Children's Theatre]]
* [[Delaware Historical Society]]
* [[Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame]]
* Delaware Theatre Company<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delawaretheatre.org/ |title=Delaware Theatre Company |publisher=Delawaretheatre.org |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725224709/http://www.delawaretheatre.org/ |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* DuPont Playhouse
* Frank Furness Railroad District, a collection of railroad buildings designed by [[Frank Furness]]
* [[Fort Christina|Fort Christina State Park]]
* [[Grand Opera House (Wilmington, Delaware)|Grand Opera House]]
* [[Kalmar Nyckel|Kalmar Nyckel Foundation & Tall Ship]]
* [[Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)|Holy Trinity (Old Swedes') Church]]
* Riverfront Market
* Rockford Tower
* [[Rodney Square]]
* [[Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery]]
* [[Wilmington Blue Rocks]], [[South Atlantic League]] baseball
* [[Wilmington Drama League]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wilmingtondramaleague.org/ |title=Wilmington Drama League |publisher=Wilmingtondramaleague.org |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=December 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129044713/http://wilmingtondramaleague.org/ |archive-date=November 29, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The Wilmington Library<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilmlib.org/ |title=Wilmington Public Library |publisher=Wilmlib.org |date=October 5, 2010 |access-date=October 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201204310/http://wilmlib.org/ |archive-date=December 1, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Wilmington Riverfront
* [[Wilmington State Parks]], which includes [[Brandywine Park]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandywinepark.org/ |title=Friends of Wilmington Parks |publisher=Brandywinepark.org |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016132445/http://www.brandywinepark.org/ |archive-date=October 16, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Sports and recreation==

===Sports===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Club
! scope="col" | Sport
! scope="col" | League
! scope="col" | Venue
! scope="col" | Founded
! scope="col" | Championships
|-
| [[Delaware Blue Coats]]
| [[Basketball]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[NBA G League]]
| [[Chase Fieldhouse]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| (1) 2023
|-
| [[Wilmington Blue Rocks]]
| [[Baseball]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Minor League Baseball|MiLB]] ([[South Atlantic League]])
| [[Frawley Stadium]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1993
| (5) 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2019
|-
| [[Delaware Black Foxes]]
| [[Rugby league]]
| style="text-align:center;"| [[USA Rugby League|USARL]]
| [[Eden Park Stadium]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| None
|-
|[[Bearfight FC]] of Wilmington
|[[Soccer]]
|[[United States Adult Soccer Association]]
|[[Traveling Team]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013
| None
|-
|[[Wilmington Rugby Football Union]]
|[[Rugby union|Rugby Union]]
|[[USA Rugby]]
|[[Alapocas Run]]
|1974<ref>{{Cite web |title=WRFC Club History.pdf |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8OYW3qN0qmIamVkYXl3SnNSTjA/edit?resourcekey=0-3I2IhpTtZtgym3lDmDdszg&usp=embed_facebook |access-date=July 10, 2024 |website=Google Docs}}</ref>
|None
|}

[[File:Frawley.Stadium.JPG|thumb|[[Frawley Stadium]]]]

The [[Wilmington Blue Rocks]], a [[Minor League Baseball]] team affiliated with the [[Washington Nationals]], plays at [[Daniel S. Frawley Stadium]]. The stadium is also the home of the [[Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame]].

Since their founding in 2015, the [[USA Rugby League]] expansion club [[Delaware Black Foxes]] have been based in the city at [[Eden Park Stadium]].

In 2013, [[Bearfight FC]] of Wilmington was founded as the only [[United States Adult Soccer Association]] hailing from [[Delaware]], qualifying them as the sole representative of The First State in the [[Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup]].

The Wilmington Country Club is a country club and golf course located just outside of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wilmingtoncc.com|title=Wilmimgton Country Club|publisher=wilmingtoncc.com|access-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422142642/https://wilmingtoncc.com/|archive-date=April 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Ed "Porky" Oliver Golf Club is a public course located within the city limits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edolivergolfclub.com|title=Ed Oliver Gold Club|publisher=edolivergolfclub.com|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref> Rock Manor is a public course located just outside of the city limits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockmanorgolf.com|title=Rock Manor Golf|publisher=rockmanorgolf.com|accessdate=May 29, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Delcastle Tennis Center]] is a tennis center located in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://delcastletenniscenter.com/|title=Delcastle Tennis Center|publisher=delcastletenniscenter.com|access-date=November 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128053136/https://delcastletenniscenter.com/|archive-date=November 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Outdoor recreation===
The [[Wilmington State Parks]] are a group of [[List of Delaware state parks|four parks]] in Wilmington operated by the Delaware State Park system. The four parks are Brandywine Park, including the [[Brandywine Zoo]] and Baynard Stadium, Alapocas Woods Natural Area, H. Fletcher Brown Park and Rockford Park. Admission to the parks is free, but a fee is charged for admittance to the [[zoo]]. The parks, within minutes of each other, are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. The zoo is open daily from 10:00&nbsp;am until 4:00&nbsp;pm, May through November. Rockford Tower and Rockford Park is open from 10:00&nbsp;am until 4:00&nbsp;pm on Saturdays and Sundays, from May 1 until October 31. The parks are patrolled by Delaware State Park Rangers whose headquarters office is in Brandywine Park.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.destateparks.com/wilmsp/wilmsp.htm | title = Wilmington State Parks | access-date = September 27, 2007 | publisher = [[Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001182913/http://www.destateparks.com/wilmsp/wilmsp.htm | archive-date = October 1, 2007 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The City of Wilmington also operates 55 parks and recreational facilities across the city.

===Running===
[[File:Northern-delaware-greenway-wilmington-de.jpg|thumb|Northern Delaware Greenway]]
The [[Delaware Distance Classic]] is a 15K road race held in October by the Pike Creek Valley Running Club (PCVRC). The course has rotated every few years based on sponsorship and is currently located in nearby Delaware City. The event began in 1983 as a fundraiser for the PCVRC, and the Mike Clark Legacy Foundation has been the beneficiary for the last few years.

The Caesar Rodney Half Marathon is a {{convert|21.0975|km|mi|adj=on}} road race held annually since 1964 on the second Sunday in March.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/home.jsp?id=2308 |title=American Lung Association – Event Information |publisher=Mrsnv.com |access-date=October 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209143704/http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/home.jsp?id=2308 |archive-date=February 9, 2009  }}</ref> Billed by race organizers as the "granddaddy of Delaware road races", it generally draws more than 1,000 runners from 20 states and several countries. From the starting line at Wilmington's [[Rodney Square]], runners flow past the scenic revitalized riverfront, through Rockford Park and back to Rodney Square at the Caesar Rodney statue. Proceeds benefit the [[American Lung Association]] of Delaware.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=8530&pg=entry|title=2014 Caesar Rodney Half Marathon & 5K – Wilmington, DE – American Lung Association – Events|work=lung.org|access-date=January 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090403/http://action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=8530&pg=entry|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Run for the Buds 1/2 Marathon, 1/2 Marathon Relay, and 5K Run/Walk is held annually at Rockford Park in mid-October. Proceeds benefit people with intellectual disabilities through the [[Down Syndrome]] Association of Delaware.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.runforthebuds.com |title=DSA Delaware |publisher=Run for the Buds |access-date=July 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214211553/http://www.runforthebuds.com/ |archive-date=December 14, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Cycling===
The Wilmington Grand Prix is held annually and is considered one of the premier criterium-style bike races in the country. Now in its 11th year, it is part of USA Cycling's National Race Calendar, a collection of only the most elite races. Weekend festivities include a street festival, a time trial on Monkey Hill, criterium races in downtown Wilmington at both the amateur and pro level, a 50&nbsp;km Media Fondo, a 100&nbsp;km Gran Fondo, and a leisurely Governor's Ride.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wilmgrandprix.com/about/|title=About - Wilmington Grand Prix|access-date=January 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116161505/http://wilmgrandprix.com/about/|archive-date=January 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Additionally, the [[East Coast Greenway]] passes through Wilmington and its immediate suburbs for 10.4 miles as part of the scenic Northern Delaware Greenway, which includes steep hills, heavily forested sections and paved portions that lead through downtown.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://delawaregreenways.org/portfolio_page/northern-delaware-greenway-trail/ |title=Northern Delaware Greenway Trail |website=Delaware Greenways |access-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162432/http://delawaregreenways.org/portfolio_page/northern-delaware-greenway-trail/ |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenway.org/explore-by-state/de |title=Welcome to the East Coast Greenway in Delaware |website=East Coast Greenway |access-date=June 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703021708/http://www.greenway.org/explore-by-state/de |archive-date=July 3, 2016 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

==Government==
The Wilmington City Council consists of thirteen members. The council consists of eight members who are elected from geographic districts, four elected at-large and the City Council President. The Council President is elected by the entire city. The [[Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware|Mayor of Wilmington]] is also elected by the entire city.

The current mayor of Wilmington is [[John Carney (Delaware politician)|John Carney]] (D).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.delawarepublic.org/politics-government/2025-01-08/former-gov-john-carney-sworn-in-as-wilmington-mayor-alongside-new-members-of-city-council | title=Former Gov. John Carney sworn in as Wilmington mayor alongside new members of City Council | date=January 8, 2025 |publisher=Delaware Public Media|author-first1=Sarah|author-last1=Petrowich}}</ref> The current city council members are listed in the table below.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Council Members – Wilmington City Council|url=https://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/council-members/|access-date=July 18, 2021|language=en|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718015647/https://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/council-members/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! District !! Councilperson !! Party !! First elected<br />since|-
|-
|President || Ernest "Trippi" Congo II || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2008
|-
|Treasurer|| DaWayne Sims|| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic|| 2021
|-
|1 || Coby J. Owens || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || 2025
|-
|2 || Shané Darby|| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2021
|-
|3 || Zanthia Oliver || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2017
|-
|4 || Michelle Harlee || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2017
|-
|5 || Chrisitan Willauer || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || 2025
|-
|6 || Yolanda McCoy || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2017
|-
|7 || Chris Johnson || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2019
|-
|8 || Nathan Field || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2021
|-
|rowspan=4|At-Large || Maria Cabrera|| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2021 (2013-2017)
|-
| Alexander D. Hackett|| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || 2024
|-
| James Spadola || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic || 2021
|-
| Latisha Bracy || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || 2022
|}

The [[Delaware Department of Correction]] [[Howard R. Young Correctional Institution]], renamed from Multi-Purpose Criminal Justice Facility in 2004 and housing both pretrial and posttrial male prisoners, is located in Wilmington. The prison is often referred to as the "Gander Hill Prison" after the neighborhood it is located in. The prison opened in 1982.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://doc.delaware.gov/BOP/PrisonMPCJF.shtml |title=Howard R. Young Correctional Institution |date=August 18, 2010
|work=[[Delaware Department of Correction]] |publisher=State of Delaware |archive-date=August 18, 2010 |access-date=August 30, 2010
|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818232419/http://www.doc.delaware.gov/BOP/PrisonMPCJF.shtml }}</ref>

Many Wilmington City workers belong to one of several Locals of the [[American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees]] union.<ref>{{cite news |title=Unions' pact with Wilmington saves 235 jobs  |first=Mike  |last=Chalmers  |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110514/NEWS02/105140352/-1/NLETTER01/Unions--pact-with-Wilmington-saves-235-jobs  |newspaper=[[The News Journal]]  |publisher=Gannett  |location=New Castle, Delaware  |date=May 14, 2011 |at=DelawareOnline  |access-date=May 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525083304/https://www.webcitation.org/5ygFHNXjm?url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110514/NEWS02/105140352/-1/NLETTER01/Unions--pact-with-Wilmington-saves-235-jobs%3Fsource=nletter-news |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

===Crime===
{{Infobox UCR
|city_name= Wilmington
|year= 2019
|homicide= 24
|rape= 19
|robbery= 326
|aggravated_assault= 689
|violent_crime= 1,058
|burglary= 569
|larceny_theft= 2,121
|motor_vehicle_theft= 460
|arson= 2
|property_crime= 3,150
|source_url= https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-8/table-8-state-cuts/delaware.xls
|source_name= 2020 FBI UCR Data
|notes= 2019 population: 70,624
}}

In early 2019, the city of Wilmington released a report highlighting that the crime rate in 2018 had been at its lowest in recent history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wilmtoday.com/monthly-featured/encouraged-hopeful-and-committed-public-safety-in-wilmington-improved-greatly-in-2018|title=Encouraged, Hopeful and Committed: Public Safety in Wilmington Improved Greatly in 2018|publisher=WilmToday|date=January 11, 2019|access-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403132423/https://www.wilmtoday.com/monthly-featured/encouraged-hopeful-and-committed-public-safety-in-wilmington-improved-greatly-in-2018/|archive-date=April 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Prior to 2018, Wilmington was consistently ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States, along with several other cities in the [[Delaware Valley|Philadelphia Metropolitan Area]], such as [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]], [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]], and [[Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City]], New Jersey, and [[Chester, Pennsylvania]]. In the 2000s, while most cities had seen a decrease in crime and murder, Wilmington had broken its record for homicides in a single year multiple times. In 2017, Wilmington saw an even steeper increase in crime. By August 2017, Wilmington had already eclipsed the homicide total of 2016 despite only being 2/3 through the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.delawareonline.com/webapps/crime/|title=Wilmington Shootings|website=data.delawareonline.com|language=en|access-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816064910/http://data.delawareonline.com/webapps/crime/|archive-date=August 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Wilmington recorded 28 homicides, making for a rate of 39.5 per 100,000 residents, which is ten times the national average.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/Crime/Local/RunCrimeJurisbyJuris.cfm|title=Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics|website=www.ucrdatatool.gov|access-date=August 15, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Wilmington frequently appears on [[NeighborhoodScout|NeighborhoodScout's]] "Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the United States" list. In 2017, Wilmington was ranked as the 5th most dangerous city in the US.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/blog/top100dangerous|title=Top 100 most dangerous places to live in the USA - NeighborhoodScout|date=January 1, 2017|work=NeighborhoodScout|access-date=August 15, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305074810/https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/blog/top100dangerous|archive-date=March 5, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Nearby cities such as Camden, New Jersey, and Chester, Pennsylvania, also ranked in the top 15. In early 2017, the mayor's office as well as many public advocates called for comprehensive action to reduce astronomical crime rates in Wilmington, as the city saw a shooting almost every other day throughout the spring, and by May, the city had already seen 15 homicides. According to the WPD's 2018 Compstat report, shooting incidents decreased to a level not seen in Wilmington in more than 15 years. When compared to the average number of shooting incidents from 2003 through 2017, which is 108, the 72 shooting incidents in 2018 represent a 33% decrease over the 15-year period average.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/public-safety/wilmington-police-department/compstat-reports|title=COMPSTAT REPORTS|publisher=City of Wilmington, DE|access-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403133425/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/public-safety/wilmington-police-department/compstat-reports|archive-date=April 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Police===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2011}}
[[File:Wilmington, Delaware police van.jpg|thumb|left|WPD van at Rodney Square]]

The Wilmington Police Department (WPD), is authorized to deploy up to 289 officers in motor vehicles, on foot, and on bicycle. Its operations are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As of 2023, its chief of police is Wilfredo Campos.<ref>{{cite web |title=Department of Police |url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/public-safety/wilmington-police-department/wpd-command-staff |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409113502/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/public-safety/wilmington-police-department/wpd-command-staff |archive-date=April 9, 2023 |access-date=September 25, 2023 |publisher=City of Wilmington}}</ref>

In 2002, the Wilmington Police Department started a program known to some in the neighborhoods as ''jump-outs'' in which unmarked police vans would patrol crime-prone neighborhoods late at night, suddenly converge at street corners where people were [[loitering]] and detain them temporarily. Using loitering as probable cause, the police would then photograph, search, and [[fingerprint]] everyone present. Along with apprehending anyone with drugs or weapons, it was thought that this program would improve the police's database of fingerprints and [[eye-witness]]es for use in future crime investigations. Some citizens protested that such a practice was a violation of [[civil right]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Taylor|first=Adam|date=August 25, 2002|title=Wilmington police photo policy under fire|newspaper=The News Journal|publisher=The News Journal Co.|location=Wilmington, DE|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2002/08/25wilmingtonpolic.html|url-status=dead|access-date=October 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020901111015/http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2002/08/25wilmingtonpolic.html|archive-date=September 1, 2002}}</ref>

Also in 2002, the entire downtown business district was placed under video monitoring. Wilmington was the first city in the United States to monitor the entire business district using video monitoring. The city claims this has helped prevent and reduce crime.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 8, 2002|title=Mayor Baker And Downtown Visions Announce Expansion And Completion Of The City's Downtown Video Safety Partnership Program|url=http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/pressreleases/pr021108.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021208032411/http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/pressreleases/pr021108.htm|archive-date=December 8, 2002|access-date=October 5, 2020|website=City of Wilmongton Press Release}}</ref>

===Fire department and EMS===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2021}}
The Wilmington Fire Department (WFD) is led by Chief John Looney<ref>{{Cite press release|title=John Looney Is Appointed Chief of the Wilmington Fire Department|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/Home/Components/News/News/5475/225|access-date=June 9, 2021|website=City News {{!}} Wilmington, DE|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609175015/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/Home/Components/News/News/5475/225|url-status=live}}</ref> and maintains five engine companies, two ladder companies, a rescue squad company, and a marine company (fireboat) fire fighting fleet.

Emergency medical services are provided through contract with the city's St. Francis Hospital, whose EMS division operates a minimum five BLS transport units at all times of the day. Advanced Life Support services in the City of Wilmington are provided by New Castle County's EMS Division with two city-based medic units. All Wilmington firefighters since 2002 are trained to the EMT-B level and serve as first responders for life-threatening emergencies.

==Education==

===Primary and secondary schools===
[[File:Charter School of Wilm-1.JPG|thumb|The former [[Wilmington High School (Delaware)|Wilmington High School]] houses [[Cab Calloway School of the Arts]] and [[Charter School of Wilmington]].]]
Wilmington is served by the [[Brandywine School District|Brandywine]], [[Christina School District|Christina]], [[Red Clay Consolidated School District|Red Clay]], and [[Colonial School District (Delaware)|Colonial]] school districts for elementary, junior high, and high school public education.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st10_de/schooldistrict_maps/c10003_new_castle/DC20SD_C10003.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: New Castle County, DE|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=June 18, 2021|archive-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616210849/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st10_de/schooldistrict_maps/c10003_new_castle/DC20SD_C10003.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Of those four, Colonial is the only one which has no schools located in the Wilmington city limits.<ref name=Rodel>{{cite web|url=http://www.rodelfoundationde.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/28.-Wilmington-Deck.pdf|title=Additional Detail: City of Wilmington|publisher=Rodel Foundation of Delaware|date=November 2015|accessdate=July 1, 2021|page=2/12|archive-date=July 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702025652/http://www.rodelfoundationde.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/28.-Wilmington-Deck.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Cab Calloway School of the Arts]] of the Red Clay district is in the Wilmington city limits. The [[New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District]] operates [[Howard High School of Technology]] in the city of Wilmington.

{{As of|2020}} there are no comprehensive traditional public high schools in the Wilmington city limits, and most high school-aged students in the city attend high schools in suburban areas away from the city. Cris Barrish and Mark Eichmann of [[WHYY-TV|WHYY]] wrote that these suburban comprehensive high schools "struggle academically".<ref name=BarrishEichmann>{{cite web|last1=Barrish|first1=Cris|last2=Eichmann|first2=Mark|url=https://whyy.org:443/episodes/could-bringing-back-wilmington-high-help-fix-school-inequities/|title=Could bringing back Wilmington High help fix school inequities?|publisher=[[WHYY-TV|WHYY]]|date=January 18, 2020|accessdate=July 3, 2021|archive-date=August 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804232830/https://whyy.org/episodes/could-bringing-back-wilmington-high-help-fix-school-inequities/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Wilmington also hosts several [[charter school]]s. {{As of|November 2015}} there were 11 [[charter schools]] in the city limits.<ref name=Rodel/> These include the [[Charter School of Wilmington]], Great Oaks Charter School, Kuumba Academy Charter School, East Side Charter School, and a [[magnet school]], [[Cab Calloway School of the Arts]] which focuses on the performing arts. The Charter School of Wilmington and Cab Calloway School of the Arts are housed in the building of the former Wilmington High School. Great Oaks Charter School and Kuumba Academy are housed in the Community Education Building, formerly known as Bracebridge IV, acquired by Bank of America from MBNA Corp. in 1997 and donated to The Longwood Foundation in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cebde.org/our-journey-in-time.html|title=Our Journey In Time|website=Community Education Building|language=en|access-date=March 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329120737/http://www.cebde.org/our-journey-in-time.html|archive-date=March 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:David W. Harlan Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware.jpg|thumb|David W. Harlan Elementary School in Wilmington (of the [[Brandywine School District]])]]

Historically, [[Wilmington High School (Delaware)|Wilmington High School]], [[P.S. du Pont High School]], and [[Howard High School (Wilmington, Delaware)|Howard High School]] were racially segregated schools in Wilmington, with Wilmington High and P.S. du Pont serving white students and Howard serving Black students.<ref name=BarrishEichmann /> Following the 1954 ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' ruling, schools in New Castle County desegregated, but de facto segregation persisted as Wilmington became predominantly Black, while surrounding districts remained mostly white.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} A 1968 Delaware law prevented merging districts, and by 1969, Wilmington, du Pont, and Howard were the city's main high schools.<ref name=BarrishEichmann /> In response to segregation, a 1976 court ruling required busing students between Wilmington and suburban districts.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} The [[Wilmington School District]] and ten suburban school districts merged into the [[New Castle County School District]] in 1978. That district was divided into four districts (Brandywine, Christina, Red Clay, and Colonial) in 1981.<ref name=Delgovhist>{{cite web|url=https://archives.delaware.gov/delaware-agency-histories/new-castle-county-school-district/|title=New Castle County School District|publisher=Government of Delaware|access-date=2025-03-31}}</ref> The new districts were aiming for racial balance.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} Wilmington High continued under the Red Clay District until 1999, and Howard and P.S. du Pont were repurposed. Public opinion was divided, with some African Americans supporting education within the city, while suburban parents resisted busing due to safety concerns.<ref name=BarrishEichmann /> In 2015, Delaware's education secretary supported reopening a comprehensive high school in Wilmington, a proposal still debated in 2020 due to fears of racial resegregation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Watson|first=John|url=https://whyy.org/articles/wilmington-high-school-the-time-has-come/|title=Wilmington High School: the time has come|publisher=[[WHYY-TV|WHYY]]|date=March 16, 2015|accessdate=July 3, 2021|archive-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704005238/https://whyy.org/articles/wilmington-high-school-the-time-has-come/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BarrishEichmann/>

There are many private elementary and secondary schools in Wilmington, including<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.privateschoolreview.com/county_private_schools/stateid/DE/county/10003|title=New Castle County, DE Private Schools - PrivateSchoolReview.com|work=privateschoolreview.com|access-date=December 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221003601/http://www.privateschoolreview.com/county_private_schools/stateid/DE/county/10003|archive-date=December 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Salesianum|Salesianum School]], [[Serviam Girls Academy]], Nativity Preparatory of Wilmington,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nativitywilmington.org/|title=Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington|access-date=December 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007130024/http://nativitywilmington.org/|archive-date=October 7, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ursuline Academy (Delaware)|Ursuline Academy]], [[Tower Hill School]], [[St. Elizabeth High School (Delaware)|St. Elizabeth High School]], and [[Padua Academy]]. With 17.6% of the area students enrolled in private schools, the Wilmington area ranks as one of the top ten metropolitan areas in the country for the percentages of students in private school.<ref>{{cite news |author=Davidson |first=Jacob |title=You'll Never Guess the City Where Private School Is Most Common – TIME |work=MONEY.com |url=https://money.com/private-school-enrollment-cities-highest/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415231033/https://money.com/private-school-enrollment-cities-highest/ |archive-date=April 15, 2021}}</ref> [[The Tatnall School]] and [[Wilmington Friends School]] have Wilmington postal addresses but are located outside of the city limits.

===Colleges and universities===
There are several colleges operating in the city of Wilmington:
* [[Delaware State University]] – Wilmington Campus
* [[Delaware Technical & Community College]] – Wilmington Campus
* [[Goldey-Beacom College]]
* [[University of Delaware]] – Wilmington Campus and Downtown Building
* [[Wilmington University]] – Wilmington Campus
* Wilmington University School of Law
* [[Widener University Delaware Law School]]

Closed:
* [[Delaware College of Art & Design]]

===Public libraries===
Wilmington Library maintains the Wilmington Branch and the North Wilmington Branch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wilmington.lib.de.us/north-branch/|title=North Wilmington Branch|publisher=Wilmington Library|access-date=2025-03-30}}</ref>

New Castle County Library operates the Woodlawn Library in the Wilmington city limits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newcastlede.gov/344/Woodlawn-Library|title=Woodlawn Library|publisher=New Castle County Library|access-date=2025-03-30|quote=2020 W. Ninth St Wilmington, DE 19805 }} - This specific address is in [https://www.choosewilmingtonde.org/media/userfiles/subsite_167/files/zoning-map.pdf the Wilmington city limits].</ref> There are other libraries outside of the city limits, of which several have Wilmington post office addresses.<!--not every place with an address saying "Wilmington, DE" is actually in the city limits. Woodlawn Library very much is, though--><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newcastlede.gov/287/Branches|title=Branches|publisher=New Castle County Library|access-date=2025-03-30}}</ref>

==Media==
{{see also|List of newspapers in Delaware|List of radio stations in Delaware|List of television stations in Delaware}}

===Radio and television===
The Wilmington area is home to five FM radio stations and four AM radio stations. A sixth FM radio station is located in Southern New Jersey and is included in the Wilmington radio market surveys:
* 91.3-FM [[WVUD]]—Non-commercial radio ([[University of Delaware]], [[Newark, Delaware]])
* 91.7-FM [[WMPH]]—Non-commercial high school radio
* 93.7-FM [[WSTW]]—[[Contemporary hit radio|Pop contemporary hits]]
* 96.9-FM W245CJ—Hispanic format
* 99.5-FM [[WVCW (FM)|WVCW]]—[[Christian radio|Christian]]
* 101.7-FM [[WDEL-FM]]—[[Talk radio|News Talk Information]] (Canton, New Jersey)
* 103.7-FM [[WXCY-FM]]—[[Country music|Country]]
* 1150-AM [[WDEL (AM)|WDEL]]—News Talk Information
* 1290-AM [[WWTX]]—[[Sports talk]]
* 1380-AM [[WTMC]]—Travel Information
* 1450-AM [[WILM (AM)|WILM]]—News Talk Information

Additionally, many radio stations from [[Philadelphia]] reach Wilmington. Wilmington is part of the [[Philadelphia#Media|Philadelphia television market]]. Three of the market's stations are licensed to Wilmington: [[WPPX]], [[WDPN-TV]], and [[WHYY-TV]].
{{Philly TV}}
{{Philly Radio}}

===Newspaper===
* ''[[The News Journal]]'', founded as the ''Delaware Gazette'' in 1785. Daily circulation as of 2004 and 2007 exceeded 100,000, placing the newspaper among the top 100 in the United States, based on circulation.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/99999999/ADVERTISING01/51010011/Circulation
 |title=Circulation
 |date=February 14, 2008
|work=delawareonline
 |publisher=Gannett
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203143524/http://www.delawareonline.com/article/99999999/ADVERTISING01/51010011/Circulation
 |archive-date=February 3, 2012
|access-date=June 7, 2011
|quote=Source: ABC Audit Report, 12/26/04
 |url-status=live
 
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.burrellesluce.com/top100/2007_Top_100List.pdf
 |title=Top 100 US Daily Newspaper
 |year=2007
 |publisher=BurellesLuce
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325040129/http://www.burrellesluce.com/top100/2007_Top_100List.pdf
 |archive-date=March 25, 2009
|access-date=June 7, 2011
|quote= Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations figures for six-month period ending 3.31.07 }}</ref>
* ''Wilmington Sunday Star'' (1881–1954)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://guides.lib.udel.edu/delawarenewspapers |title=Delaware Newspapers |publisher=Delaware Library |access-date=December 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212220224/http://guides.lib.udel.edu/delawarenewspapers |archive-date=December 12, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* WilmToday, founded in 2016 to cover the latest news, posts, and all of the great things about the city of Wilmington.

===Portrayal in popular culture===
* Wilmington's skyline and other aerial shots of the city stood in for the fictional town of Arcadia in the television program ''[[Joan of Arcadia]]''.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Mullinax| first = Gary| title = TV version of God hanging out in Wilmington| newspaper = The News Journal| location = Wilmington, Delaware| pages = A1| publisher = Gannett Corporation| date = October 31, 2003| url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/1819848181.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+31%2C+2003&author=GARY+MULLINAX&pub=The+News+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=TV+version+of+God+hanging+out+in+Wilmington| access-date = July 8, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120624221835/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/delawareonline/access/1819848181.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+31%2C+2003&author=GARY+MULLINAX&pub=The+News+Journal&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=TV+version+of+God+hanging+out+in+Wilmington| archive-date = June 24, 2012| url-status = dead}}{{subscription required}}</ref>
* The 1999 film ''[[Fight Club]]'' (adapted from [[Chuck Palahniuk]]'s [[Fight Club (novel)|novel of the same title]]) is set in Wilmington. City officials rejected the filmmakers' request to film in Delaware, so the movie's exterior shots were filmed in Los Angeles.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
* ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' (SNL) skits portraying [[Joe Biden]] often mention his residency in Wilmington. For example, in the [[cold open]]ing of the May 12, 2012, episode, Biden pouts in his Washington, D.C., bedroom, which features an aerial picture of the downtown Wilmington skyline with "DELAWARE" printed along the bottom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/360884#s-p6-sr-i1 |title=Cold Opening: Obama visits Biden |date=May 12, 2012 |work=Saturday Night Live |publisher=[[Hulu]] |access-date=July 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629065258/http://www.hulu.com/watch/360884#s-p6-sr-i1 |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In November 2015, ABC announced a pilot for a legal drama starring [[Jada Pinkett Smith]] set in Wilmington. The show would have been called ''Murder Town''. Mayor Dennis Williams reacted strongly, calling the actors in the show "has beens". The pilot was passed over by ABC in August 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title = New ABC drama 'Murder Town' set in Wilmington|url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/11/tv-wilmington-murder-town/75601032/|website = USA TODAY|access-date = February 6, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180114161405/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/11/tv-wilmington-murder-town/75601032/|archive-date = January 14, 2018|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/2016/08/12/murder-town-tv-show-probably-dead-point/88614690/|title='Murder Town' TV show 'probably dead at this point'|access-date=January 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925002521/http://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/2016/08/12/murder-town-tv-show-probably-dead-point/88614690/|archive-date=September 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===

====Highways====
[[File:2022-07-20 15 31 33 View south along Interstate 495 (Wilmington Bypass) from the overpass for East 12th Street in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware.jpg|thumb|I-495, the largest highway passing through the city, bypasses downtown to the east along the shore of the Delaware River.]]

[[Interstate 95 in Delaware|Interstate 95]], which splits Wilmington roughly into eastern and western halves, provides access to major markets in the Northeast and nationwide. [[Interstate 495 (Delaware)|Interstate 495]] is a [[bypass (road)|bypass]] passing through the east side of the city, and [[Interstate 295 (Delaware – New Jersey)|Interstate 295]] is south of the city, crossing the [[Delaware River]] into [[New Jersey]] on the [[Delaware Memorial Bridge]]. [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware|U.S. Route 13]] passes north–south through the eastern part of Wilmington, entering the city from the south along Dupont Highway before following Heald Street, the [[one-way pair]] of Church Street northbound and Spruce Street southbound, and Governor Printz Boulevard. [[U.S. Route 13 Business (Wilmington, Delaware)|U.S. Route 13 Business]] passes north–south through the center of Wilmington, entering the city from the south on Market Street before splitting into Walnut Street northbound and Market Street southbound, following Walnut Street northbound and King Street southbound in the downtown area, and following Market Street northeast out of the city to Philadelphia Pike. [[U.S. Route 202 in Delaware|U.S. Route 202]] follows I-95 through Wilmington before heading north onto Concord Pike through a business area to the north of the city. State routes serving Wilmington include [[Delaware Route 2]], which follows the one-way pair of Lincoln Street eastbound and Union Street westbound in the western part of the city before heading west out of the city along Kirkwood Highway; [[Delaware Route 4]], which heads southwest from the downtown area along Maryland Avenue; [[Delaware Route 9]], which enters the city from the south along New Castle Avenue before crossing the Christina River and heading west through the center of the city along 4th Street; [[Delaware Route 9A]], which provides access to the Port of Wilmington; [[Delaware Route 48]], which heads west from the downtown area along Lancaster Avenue; [[Delaware Route 52]], which follows Delaware Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue northwest out of the city to Kennett Pike; and [[Delaware Route 202]], which follows Concord Avenue through the northern part of the city to connect to US 202 at Concord Pike.<ref name=DelDOT>{{Delaware road map|year=2008}}</ref>

In Wilmington, streets are laid out in a grid, with north–south streets named and east–west streets north of Lancaster Avenue/Front Street numbered from 2nd Street and increasing to the north, while east–west streets south of Lancaster Avenue/Front Street are named. Lancaster Avenue/Front Street serves as the divider between north and south while Market Street serves as the divider between east and west.<ref name=DelDOT/> There are 34 [[red light camera]]s in the city of Wilmington situated at 31 intersections.<ref>{{cite web|title=Red Light Camera Safety Program|publisher=The City of Wilmington, Delaware|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/red-light-camera-safety-program|access-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108095641/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/red-light-camera-safety-program|archive-date=November 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Parking in downtown Wilmington is regulated by on-street [[parking meter]]s along with commercial [[parking lot]]s and [[parking garage]]s operated by the Wilmington Parking Authority, Colonial Parking, and [[SP Plus Corporation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Downtown Parking|publisher=The City of Wilmington, Delaware|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/parking-in-wilmington/where-do-i-park-downtown|access-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612232935/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/parking-in-wilmington/where-do-i-park-downtown|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Railroads====
[[File:Wilmington Station from parking garage, July 2014.JPG|thumb|Wilmington Station, which is served by Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail]]

Wilmington is served by the [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Joseph R. Biden Jr. Wilmington Rail Station]], with frequent service between [[Boston, Massachusetts]], and [[Washington, D.C.]], via [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]]. [[SEPTA Regional Rail]] provides frequent additional local commuter rail service to [[Philadelphia]] along the [[Wilmington/Newark Line]]. Amtrak has a major maintenance shop and yard in northeast Wilmington that maintains and rebuilds the agency's Northeast Corridor electric locomotive fleet. The Amtrak Training Facility is also located in Wilmington, as well as Amtrak's Consolidated National Operations Center (CNOC).<ref name=derailplan/>

Two freight railroads, [[CSX]] and [[Norfolk Southern]], also serve Wilmington. Norfolk Southern serves Wilmington along [[trackage rights]] on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, the [[Shellpot Secondary]] line heading through the eastern part of Wilmington as a bypass of the Northeast Corridor, and the New Castle Secondary line heading south to [[New Castle, Delaware|New Castle]] and [[Porter, Delaware|Porter]]. CSX serves Wilmington along its [[Philadelphia Subdivision]] line running between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Both CSX and Norfolk Southern have a major freight-yard in the area; CSX operates the Wilsmere Yard to the west of the city in [[Elsmere, Delaware|Elsmere]] and Norfolk Southern operates the Edgemoor Yard to the northeast of the city in [[Edgemoor, Delaware|Edgemoor]].<ref name=derailplan>{{cite web|title=Delaware State Rail Plan|publisher=Delaware Department of Transportation|date=2011|url=https://deldot.gov/Publications/reports/srp/pdfs/srp_final.pdf|access-date=March 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412184749/https://deldot.gov/Publications/reports/srp/pdfs/srp_final.pdf|archive-date=April 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Buses====
[[DART First State]] operates public bus service with approximately 30 bus lines serving the city and the surrounding suburbs as well as inter-county service to [[Dover, Delaware|Dover]], the state capital, and seasonal service to [[Lewes, Delaware|Lewes]]. Many DART First State bus routes operating in Wilmington serve [[Wilmington Transit Center]] and/or [[Rodney Square]], the main bus transit hubs in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dartfirststate.com/information/routes/index.shtml|title=Routes and Schedules|publisher=DART First State|access-date=August 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815034410/http://www.dartfirststate.com/information/routes/index.shtml|archive-date=August 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Greyhound Lines]] operates interstate bus service out of the [[Wilmington Bus Station (Delaware)|Wilmington Bus Station]] at the rail station.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wilmington Bus Station|publisher=Greyhound Lines|url=https://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/delaware/wilmington/bus-station-180060|access-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205103347/https://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/delaware/wilmington/bus-station-180060|archive-date=December 5, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Airports====
[[Wilmington Airport (Delaware)|Wilmington Airport]] (ILG) is located a few miles south of downtown, and offers scheduled passenger service operated by [[Avelo Airlines]]. Wilmington Airport also serves as a base for both the Delaware Army National Guard and Delaware Air National Guard. The closest major international airport is [[Philadelphia International Airport]] (PHL).

===Seaport===
Wilmington is also served by the [[Port of Wilmington (Delaware)|Port of Wilmington]], a modern full-service deepwater port and marine terminal handling over 400 vessels per year with an annual import/export cargo tonnage of 5 million [[ton]]s. The Port of Wilmington handles mostly international imports of fruits and vegetables, automobiles, steel, and bulk products.

===Utilities===
[[Delmarva Power]], a subsidiary of [[Exelon]], provides electricity and natural gas to Wilmington.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delmarva.com/connect-with-us/about-us/service-territory/|title=Service Territory|publisher=Delmarva Power|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525061222/http://www.delmarva.com/connect-with-us/about-us/service-territory/|archive-date=May 25, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gas Delivery Service Area|publisher=Delmarva Power|url=http://www.delmarva.com/my-home/natural-gas/our-service-area/|access-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815062712/http://www.delmarva.com/my-home/natural-gas/our-service-area/|archive-date=August 15, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city's Department of Public Works provides water and sewer service to Wilmington and some surrounding unincorporated areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Department of Public Works|publisher=The City of Wilmington, Delaware|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/city-departments/department-of-public-works|access-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816064710/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/city-departments/department-of-public-works|archive-date=August 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|title=Geographic Information|publisher=New Castle County, Delaware|url=https://gis.nccde.org/gis_viewer/|access-date=March 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306142809/https://gis.nccde.org/gis_viewer/|archive-date=March 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The city's water supply comes from the [[Hoopes Reservoir]] to the northwest of the city and from a dam along the [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]] in the city, with water mains pumping the water from these sources to facilities in the city, where the water is treated and stored or distributed to customers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McVarish|first1=Douglas C.|last2=Mancl|first2=Timothy J.|last3=Meyer|first3=Richard|title=From Creek to Tap: the Story of Wilmington's Public Water System|publisher=City of Wilmington, Delaware|date=2014|url=http://cdm16397.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16397coll17/id/0|access-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816063123/http://cdm16397.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16397coll17/id/0|archive-date=August 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The city's Department of Public Works also provides trash collection and recycling to Wilmington.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trash Collection|publisher=The City of Wilmington, Delaware|url=https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/keeping-wilmington-clean/trash-collection|access-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816064744/https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/residents/keeping-wilmington-clean/trash-collection|archive-date=August 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Health care===
[[File:NCHDE 2.jpg|thumb|[[Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware]]]]

[[Christiana Care Health System]], a health network headquartered in Wilmington, runs [[Wilmington Hospital]] on the edge of downtown Wilmington and [[Christiana Hospital]] in suburban Christiana, as well as various satellite health centers throughout the area. St. Francis Hospital, a member of [[Trinity Health (Livonia, Michigan)|Trinity Health]], is located in the west end of Wilmington. The [[Nemours Foundation]] runs [[Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware]] in North Wilmington, just outside the city proper.

The city has one of the highest per capita rates of HIV infection in the United States, with disproportionate rates of infection among African-American males.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=October 30, 2009 |archive-date=March 26, 2009 |title=2006–2008 Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need & Comprehensive Treatment Plan |publisher=State of Delaware |url=http://www.delawarehiv.org/docs/2006-2008_SCSN_CHTP.pdf
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326142811/http://www.delawarehiv.org/docs/2006-2008_SCSN_CHTP.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |author-link=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |date=June 2007 |access-date=October 30, 2009 |title=Cases of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2005 |periodical=HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report |volume=17 |archive-date=September 27, 2009|place=Atlanta, Georgia |publisher=[[United States Department of Health and Human Services]] |url=https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/2005report/pdf/2005SurveillanceReport.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927133853/http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/2005report/pdf/2005SurveillanceReport.pdf }}</ref> Efforts by local advocates to create [[needle exchange]] programs to reduce the spread of infection were obstructed for several years by downstate and suburban state legislators but a program was finally approved in June 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebody.com/content/art23570.html  |title=Delaware: Legislature Finally OKs Needle Exchange Program  |date=June 30, 2006 |work=CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update  |publisher=The HealthCentral Network  |location=New York City  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606113939/http://www.thebody.com/content/art23570.html  |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |access-date=October 30, 2009 |quote=Adapted from:News Journal 06.30.2006; Cris Barrish |url-status=live   }}</ref>

==Sister cities==
{{SisterCities|Wilmington|six}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sistercitieswilmington.org/ |title=Sister Cities of Wilmington website |publisher=Sistercitieswilmington.org |access-date=October 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022043235/http://www.sistercitieswilmington.org/ |archive-date=October 22, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Fulda]], Germany
* [[Kalmar]], Sweden
* [[Olevano sul Tusciano]], [[Province of Salerno|Salerno]], [[Campania]], Italy
* [[Osogbo]], Nigeria
* [[Watford]], [[Hertfordshire]], England, United Kingdom

Wilmington is additionally a partner city of [[Nemours]], France.

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Wilmington, Delaware}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Philadelphia|Delaware}}<!--Wilmington is within Greater Philadelphia-->
* [[List of mayors of Wilmington, Delaware]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilmington, Delaware]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Wilmington, Delaware]]
* [[USS Wilmington|USS ''Wilmington'']], 3 ships

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Timeline of Wilmington, Delaware#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Wilmington, Delaware}}
'''Published in the 18th and 19th centuries'''
* {{Cite book |publisher = At the presses of S. Hall, and Thomas & Andrews |location = Boston, Massachusetts |author = Jedidiah Morse |author-link=Jedidiah Morse |title = The American Gazetteer |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/americangazettee00mors#page/n609/mode/2up |chapter=Wilmington |date = 1797 |ol = 23272543M }}
* {{Citation |title = Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad guide book |author = Charles P. Dare |date = 1877 |oclc = 37266637 |chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/philadelphiawilm00dare#page/66/mode/2up |chapter = Wilmington |ol = 23325294M }}

'''Published in the 20th century'''
* Carol Hoffecker: ''Corporate Capital: Wilmington in the Twentieth Century'', Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1983

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Wilmington (Delaware)}}
{{AmCyc Poster|Wilmington (Delaware)|Wilmington, Delaware}}
* [https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/ Wilmington, Delaware]
* [https://www.visitwilmingtonde.com/ Wilmington Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.oldwilmington.net/ Historic Wilmington Archive]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Wilmington (Delaware)|display=Wilmington, a city, a port of entry and the county-seat of New Castle county, Delaware, U.S.A. |short=x}}

{{Wilmington, Delaware}}
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[[Category:Wilmington, Delaware| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1638]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the United States Atlantic coast]]
[[Category:Cities in New Castle County, Delaware]]
[[Category:County seats in Delaware]]
[[Category:Cities in Delaware]]
[[Category:Delaware populated places on the Delaware River]]
[[Category:New Netherland]]
[[Category:Swedish-American history]]
[[Category:Swedish-American culture in Delaware]]
[[Category:New Sweden]]
[[Category:1638 establishments in the Swedish colonial empire]]
[[Category:Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington]]