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113-568: Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware , United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers. It is part of the Salisbury, MD-DE Metropolitan Statistical Area . Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island are popularly known as "The Quiet Resorts". Contributing to Bethany Beach's reputation as

226-416: A "quiet" place is the presence of Delaware Seashore State Park immediately to the north of the town. Despite its small size, Bethany Beach contains the usual attractions of a summer seaside resort , including the short Joseph Olson Boardwalk , a broad, sandy beach, motels, restaurants, and vacation homes . Because Bethany Beach does not sit on a barrier island, residential areas continue some distance to

339-452: A Christian community also tended to favor a quieter lifestyle; in its early years, for example, the religious character of Bethany Beach was expressed through the prohibition of non-religious activities on Sunday, although swimming in the ocean was permitted on Sundays between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. Although Bethany Beach became more and more secular and more developed over the years, it retains its "Quiet Resort" reputation to this day. Many of

452-454: A border between free and slave states. Although Delaware remained a slave state, it already had a number of free blacks, and slaveholders manumitted more slaves in the first two decades after the Revolution. The resolution of the boundary dispute enlarged Sussex County considerably, and the new territory was nicknamed New Sussex. In 1769 a movement started to move the county seat from Lewes to

565-604: A branch in Bethany Beach in 1904, though it appears that a regular mail route including the town was not available until 1922. A town newspaper, the Bethany Herald , began publication in 1904; later renamed the Bethany Booster , its name eventually was switched back to Bethany Herald , and it published until the late 1980s. The boardwalk was reconstructed in 1905, a United States Lifesaving Service station began operations in

678-448: A combination department, they can provide a basis from which volunteers are recruited from and provide additional manpower under certain circumstances. In combination fire departments, volunteer firefighters often outnumber career firefighters. This can create a highly complex work environment, as full-time fire personnel typically are unionized employees under contract and volunteers rarely are. Friction can arise in this environment as

791-471: A combination or volunteer department generally respond to the station or directly to an incident when an emergency call is dispatched. Volunteer firefighters operate in the same range as full-time "career" firefighters, responding to fires and, in many communities, also to vehicle accidents , emergencies with hazardous materials , confined spaces, and rescues from water or other situations. They commonly also provide first emergency medical response prior to

904-573: A combination or volunteer department. Sometimes departments have auxiliary volunteers who handle administrative functions and fundraising operations. Junior firefighters are youths, typically in high school , sometimes junior high school , that learn about local fire and emergency services . They can receive medical training and fire training. Many programs allow them to respond alongside firefighters to incidents and will enable them to serve usually as exterior firefighters and assist in emergency medical services that they are trained and qualified for. In

1017-455: A crowd at the incomplete Tabernacle singing a song written especially for the occasion and sung to the tune of " Marching Through Georgia ." Bethany Beach soon encountered financial problems which threatened to bring the planned town to an end almost before it could begin. Bankers in Georgetown , Delaware, hesitated to loan money for the development of Bethany Beach because they had lost money on

1130-487: A department longer than career staff. Sometimes starting volunteer firefighters are perceived as using their volunteer positions as stepping stones to full-time career positions. Other issues can stem from inequities or resentment caused by bargained-for benefits career firefighters receive under contract, including training wages, shorter gear rotations, clothing allowances, and overtime pay. Insurance Services Office (ISO) fire suppression ratings are independent of whether

1243-579: A full-time firefighter would receive. These nominal fees can be based per call or shift or other requirements of service but may not be productivity based as in an hourly wage . After a certain number of years of service, some departments offer pension -like programs called Length of Service Award Programs , and some states provide tax breaks to volunteer firefighters. LOSAP, worker's compensation , liability insurance , disability insurance , expense reimbursement , and other benefits can be offered to volunteers without jeopardizing their volunteer status with

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1356-591: A lengthy drive circling around the northern tip of the Chesapeake Bay . This made the Delaware coast a more popular vacation destination, and the development of real estate in and around Bethany Beach began in earnest. A real estate boom began, and was in full swing by the late 1960s; banking flourished in the area. The opening of the bridge's second span in 1973 made access even easier and, if anything, accelerated development further. Bethany Beach residents generally opposed

1469-518: A meter) deep buried streets and cars and filled entire rooms in some houses. Damages along the Delmarva Peninsula's Atlantic coastline exceeded $ 50 million (USD). After the storm, the town rebuilt the boardwalk and put new regulations in place requiring that beach houses be built on 30-foot (9.1-meter) pilings. The 1962 storm had a lasting effect on Bethany Beach. Some longtime residents left Bethany Beach for good, while others noted that much of

1582-447: A national award from Law and Order magazine for the design of its patrol cars. The police department maintains a low-key but highly visible presence. The Bethany Beach Fire Department is a combination fire department that operates two quints, two engines, a rescue pumper, an aerial unit, a brush truck, three ambulances, and multiple other utility pieces. The fire department serves the entire area south of Indian River Inlet , east of

1695-539: A total of 1,000 public parking spaces in the beach and downtown areas of Bethany Beach, with parking meters in effect or parking permits required between May 15 and September 15. Outside of the public parking spaces, residential parking permits are required on east–west streets between May 15 and September 15; these permits are only available to people who own property in Bethany Beach. Business parking permits are also available for business owners and their employees. DART First State provides bus service to Bethany Beach in

1808-552: A variety of habitats, including freshwater and salt marshes , woodlands , grasslands , ponds , and forested areas, supporting 267 species of birds and a variety of reptiles , amphibians and mammals . Sussex County has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) according to the Köppen climate classification . The Trewartha climate classification only has the area along the Atlantic Coast up to Cape Henlopen and Lewes as Cf and

1921-594: Is Delaware Route 1 (Coastal Highway). This route runs north along the coast through Delaware Seashore State Park , crossing the Indian River Inlet on the Indian River Inlet Bridge , toward Rehoboth Beach , and south along the coast toward Ocean City, Maryland . The main east–west road in Bethany Beach is Delaware Route 26 (Garfield Parkway), which provides access from inland towns to the west such as Ocean View , Millville , and Dagsboro . There are

2034-438: Is $ 51,875, and the median income for a family is $ 67,500. Males have a median income of $ 41,705 versus $ 35,909 for females. The per capita income for the town is $ 41,306. About 2.9% of families and 4.7% of the population are below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over. The beach is extremely popular in the summer making it difficult to get a spot on sunny summer days. Bethany Beach

2147-523: Is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware , on the Delmarva Peninsula . As of the 2020 census , the population was 237,378, making it the state's second most populated county only behind New Castle and ahead of Kent . The county seat is Georgetown . The first European settlement in the state of Delaware was founded by the Dutch in 1631 near the present-day town of Lewes on

2260-479: Is apportioned into eleven Hundreds : Cedar Creek , Broadkill , Georgetown , Nanticoke , Northwest Fork , Broad Creek , Little Creek , Dagsboro , Baltimore , Indian River , and Lewes & Rehoboth . The eastern portion of the county is home to Delaware's beaches on the Atlantic Coast and many seaside resorts. The western side of the county is the center of Delaware's agriculture, industry with more acres of arable land under cultivation than anywhere else in

2373-585: Is composed of an elected county council and various elective executive heads of departments. The county council has five members, who serve four-year terms; all are elected from single-member districts . They form the legislative authority of the county, and choose a "County Administrator" or executive. The county council members are Council President Michael H. Vincent (R, District 1), Cynthia Green (R, District 2), Mark Schaeffer (R, District 3), Douglas B. Hudson (R, District 4), and Vice President John L. Rieley (R, District 5). The additional offices of Clerk of

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2486-474: Is economically unfeasible for fire personnel to be compensated for the time required for requisite training and for the personal costs of responding to dispatched calls. Actual volunteer firefighters are not paid for their time. However, the U.S. Department of Labor has ruled that under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), volunteer firefighters can be paid a nominal fee up to 20% of the compensation

2599-410: Is known as a "family beach" as there are not as many bars or other college student attractions. Bethany Beach is governed by a city council made up of seven resident and non-resident property owners elected to two-year terms. One of them serves as Council President and is considered the mayor of the town. None of the council members are paid. The council tends to err on the side of tradition in governing

2712-580: Is no agreement on which European group was the first to settle in Sussex County. Historians believe that, in the early years of exploration from 1593 to 1630, Swedish explorers were likely the first Europeans to see the Delaware River and the lands of present-day Sussex County. On an expedition for the Dutch West India Company , Henry Hudson recorded discovery in 1609 of what was later named

2825-564: Is not limited to equipment checks, essential maintenance, firehouse maintenance, etc. The career staff at a station typically do not answer to the volunteer chain of command, but to the jurisdiction they work for. The career staff in a combination fire department staff a station or unit because the volunteers in that station are unable to respond at some or all the hours in a day (volunteer firefighters have traditional jobs/careers that would prevent them from leaving work and responding to every call while working regular business hours). Furthermore,

2938-550: Is on duty daily from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day and on weekends in September. Within Bethany Beach, there is a half-mile area of private beachfront owned by Sea Colony. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bethany Beach has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of

3051-614: Is water. It is the largest county in Delaware by area. The county's land area comprises 48.0 percent of the state's land area. It is the second-highest percentage of territory of a state of any county in the United States. Sussex County, like Delaware's two other counties, is subdivided into Hundreds . There are several explanations given for how the Hundreds were determined: as an area containing 100 families, an area containing 100 people, or an area that could raise 100 soldiers. Sussex County

3164-427: The 2020 census , the county had a population of 237,378. According to the 2021 American Community Survey , the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 75.4% non-Hispanic white, 11.8% Black or African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.3% multiracial, and 9.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race. Most of Sussex County's economy revolves around agriculture. In fact, Sussex County produces

3277-713: The Assawoman Canal , and north of the Maryland state line at the southern edge of Fenwick Island , Delaware. It has a fire station in Bethany Beach and a substation in Fenwick Island and offers an emergency medical center, operated for it by the Beebe Medical Center of Lewes , Delaware. It cooperates fully with the fire departments of Dagsboro , Frankford , Millville , Rehoboth Beach , Roxana , and Selbyville , Delaware, and Ocean City , Maryland. The fire department

3390-616: The Delaware Colony its own legislature in 1701, establishing it as a separate colony. The dispute over the boundaries of the three colonies was not resolved until 1759, when the parties to the dispute agreed that the area where Bethany Beach now lies was part of Delaware. In 1898, F. D. Powers—a minister at the Vermont Avenue Christian Church (today the National City Christian Church ), a congregation of

3503-567: The Delaware River . Attempting to follow him, Samuel Argall , an English explorer, was blown off course in 1610 and landed in a strange bay which he named after the Governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr . In the first half of 1613, Cornelius Jacobsen Mey , a Dutch navigator, discovered and named both Cape May and Cape Henlopen (originally Hindlopen) in the Delaware Bay. Later it

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3616-610: The Disciples of Christ in Washington, D.C.—was serving as president of the annual convention of Washington-area Disciples when he suggested that a Christian meeting place be established on the Atlantic coast of the United States. He envisioned it as analogous to the Chatauqua adult-education summer-camp movement popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and played a key role in selecting

3729-482: The Millsboro , Delaware, area rather than south toward what would become Bethany Beach. However, Native Americans are known to have visited the bays and rivers of the Atlantic coast of Delaware during the summer to fish, and it is possible that this included visits to the Bethany Beach area. Europeans also did not settle the area prior to 1900, probably because Indian River Inlet cut the area off from their settlements to

3842-535: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km), of which 1.1 square miles (2.8 km) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km) (1.71%) is water. The town is bordered to the east completely by free public beaches, all guarded seasonally by professional lifeguards known as the Bethany Beach Patrol. The beach patrol, which consists of 30 members,

3955-424: The Atlantic Coast. However, Sussex County was not organized until 1683 under English colonial rule. Sussex County is included in the Salisbury , MD -DE metropolitan statistical area which encompasses much of central Delmarva . Archaeologists estimate that the first inhabitants of Sussex County, the southernmost county in Delaware, arrived between 10,000 and 14,000 years ago. Various indigenous cultures occupied

4068-529: The Bethany Beach Improvement Company's stock, selling three shares to a Delaware resident so that there would be at least some local ownership. This put the company on a firm financial footing and allowed the development of Bethany Beach to resume. The Christian Missionary Society eventually restored its endorsement of Bethany Beach, and summer programs modeled on the Chatauqua movement began in

4181-670: The Bethany Beach area. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in North America, Native American settlements appear to have been limited to the area north of the Indian River , north of what is now Bethany Beach; even after Europeans pushed the Native Americans—mostly Nanticokes —out of their coastal settlements in the mid-17th century, the Native Americans moved west to settle around Oak Orchard , Delaware, and in

4294-557: The British under James Stuart, Duke of York prior to signing over to William Penn. It was called Durham County when claimed by the Lords Baltimore during the boundary dispute with the Penn family. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,196 square miles (3,100 km ), of which 936 square miles (2,420 km ) is land and 260 square miles (670 km ) (21.7%)

4407-458: The Delaware Bay area south of what is today the city of Newcastle was not settled until 1662. At that time, the city of Amsterdam made a grant of land at the Hoernkills (the area around Cape Henlopen, near the current town of Lewes ) to a party of Mennonites . A total of 35 men were to be included in the settlement, led by a Pieter Cornelisz Plockhoy of Zierikzee, and funded by a sizable loan from

4520-630: The Delaware coast after war broke out in Europe in 1939 and paved the road from Rehoboth Beach to a point south of Bethany Beach in 1940. The impact of the war on the area increased after the United States entered the war in December 1941: the town was blacked out at night beginning in 1942 to reduce the chance of German submarine attacks on ships offshore, and the beach and boardwalk closed at 9:00 p.m. to make it easier for military personnel to patrol against landings by enemy agents and saboteurs. Many personnel of

4633-429: The Delaware territories to William Penn in settlement of family debts, and Penn reorganized all three Delaware counties: Deale County become Sussex County, and St. Jones County became Kent County, in recognition of Penn's homelands in the county of Sussex , England. He brought 200 people from Sussex, England as colonists. The town of New Deale was renamed Lewistown (today known as Lewes). At this time, Penn claimed that

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4746-440: The Delaware territory extended as far south as Fenwick Island . The 'Three Lower Counties' (Delaware) along Delaware Bay were considered under Penn's sphere of settlement and became the Delaware Colony , a satellite of Pennsylvania. But the boundary disputes continued between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore and William Penn both claimed the land between the 39th and 40th parallels, according to

4859-642: The Delaware territory was returned to the English. It was then placed under the control of James Stuart, Duke of York . In 1680, the Duke reorganized the territory south of the Mispillion River as Deale County with the county seat at New Deale (modern-day Lewes); and created a third county, St. Jones , out of the Delaware territory between the Mispillion River and Duck Creek. In 1682, English King Charles II awarded

4972-506: The Delaware to establish a whaling colony in the mid-Atlantic of the New World. The colony lasted only until 1632, when De Vries left. Upon returning to Zwaanendael that December, he found the Indian tribes had killed his men and burned the colony. The Dutch set about settling the area once again. Although the Dutch and Swedes returned to resettle the Delaware River region as early as 1638, much of

5085-536: The Department of Labor. However, under FLSA, a firefighter working for an employer as a career firefighter may not volunteer their time as a firefighter or fire marshal for the same employer. A volunteer firefighter may volunteer as a firefighter for the same agency only if they are employed in a different role. Part paid or paid on-call refers to the fact that some volunteer firefighters are only partly compensated, and their stipend or pay often does not fully cover

5198-536: The Disciples of Christ held a nationwide contest to name the proposed community, the winner to receive an oceanside lot there. A committee of three men from Scranton , Pennsylvania, was responsible for choosing a name from among the entries; although it considered the names "Wellington" and "Gladmere", it chose the name "Bethany Beach" suggested by H. L. Atkinson of the University of Chicago . Powers supposedly also suggested

5311-499: The Loop Canal was completed in Bethany Beach, allowing the motorboat Allie May —replaced in 1912 by the motorboat Helen Marie II —to dock at the town itself. Even with this improvement, however, the trip to Bethany Beach was uncomfortable and exhausting and from anywhere outside Delaware took at least a full day; from Pittsburgh it took two. Bethany Beach's remote location meant that most beachgoers preferred to visit Rehoboth Beach to

5424-532: The Peace , Register of Deeds , Register of Wills and Sheriff are elected at-large . These positions are held by Norman A. Jones Jr. (R), Alexandra Reed Baker (R), Gregory Fuller (R), and Robert Lee (R), respectively. Sussex County is split between five state senate districts and nine state house districts. State Senate : State House of Representatives : As of the census of 2000, there were 156,638 people, 62,577 households, and 43,866 families residing in

5537-594: The Pittsburgh area, concerned that the value of their Bethany Beach lots would drop, selected a committee to address the situation. The committee studied the problem, communicated with the Christian Missionary Society, and in September 1902 organized a meeting in Washington, D.C., which led to lengthy negotiations about putting Bethany Beach on a firm financial footing. The negotiations dragged on until 1903, when six Pittsburgh-area investors agreed to buy all of

5650-427: The age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.88. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.50% under

5763-466: The age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 39,208, and the median income for a family was $ 45,203. Males had a median income of $ 30,811 versus $ 23,625 for females. The per capita income for

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5876-546: The all-volunteer Bethany Beach Fire Department was established, and the town acquired property for a fire station in 1949. In 1952, the first span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened, heralding the end of the Quiet Years and the beginning of accelerated development of the area as a beach resort. The bridge allowed motorists for the first time to drive from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore to the Delmarva Peninsula without

5989-470: The area after the English ejected the Dutch was slow. The Swedes and Finns who had settled in the area from the days of New Sweden had generally welcomed the English and were allowed to stay; the few Dutch found in the area were rounded up as prisoners and sent to Virginia as slaves. Lord Baltimore encouraged Marylanders to move east to settle the area. But the land was far removed from other, more established settlements and did not appeal to many new settlers. It

6102-486: The area in August 1933, causing flooding in Bethany Beach but no deaths anywhere in Delaware. No church came to Bethany Beach other than that of its founders, the Disciples of Christ, until 1940, when an Episcopalian church opened in the town. A Roman Catholic church opened in Bethany Beach in 1956. World War II temporarily interrupted the Quiet Years. The United States Government took an increasing interest in defending

6215-532: The area then known as Cross Roads, the present day site of Milton . The current county seat of Georgetown was settled upon on January 27, 1791, after residents in western Sussex County successfully petitioned the Delaware General Assembly to move the county seat to a central location, as the limited roads at the time made it too difficult for outlying residents to reach the county seat in Lewes. Georgetown

6328-464: The area, especially along the river and the coast, often having seasonal fishing villages. Historic Native Americans in Sussex County were members of Algonquian -speaking tribes, as were most coastal peoples along the Atlantic Coast. By the historic period of European encounter, the most prominent tribes in the area were the Lenape , whose territory extended through the mid-Atlantic states to Connecticut and

6441-521: The arrival of the ambulances . Some combination departments require their volunteer firefighters to be trained to the same standards as their full-time counterparts. Career firefighters often start with a combination department to acquire experience and training and then attempt to get hired in the career service. Volunteer firefighters often are compensated in one form or another, and those paid are often referred to as part paid or paid on-call firefighters. Actual volunteer firefighters are few, as it

6554-400: The average family size was 2.40. In the town, the population is spread out, with 10.3% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 39.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 59 years. For every 100 females, there are 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the town

6667-557: The beach area and the residential western section of the town between Memorial Day weekend and the middle of September. The North Trolley Route runs along Atlantic Avenue and west to the residential areas to the north of Garfield Parkway while the South Trolley Route runs along Atlantic Avenue and west to the residential areas to the south of Garfield Parkway. Delmarva Power , a subsidiary of Exelon , provides electricity to Bethany Beach. Chesapeake Utilities provides natural gas to

6780-442: The beachfront structures that had stood since Bethany Beach's early decades were destroyed, including the bowling alley and many of the inns and houses, as were the boardwalk and town pavilion. Only one beachfront house in the southern part of town survived. Flood waters penetrated as far inland as Ocean View, and only three houses anywhere in Bethany Beach escaped flooding. Extensive beach erosion occurred, and sand several feet (over

6893-452: The career staff are typically at a station more than the volunteers. Another potential source of friction is the fact that career staff and volunteers are in separate chains of command. The volunteers cannot be reprimanded by career staff and vice-versa. Career staff must also meet a minimum training level often at an associated academy while volunteers have lower minimum requirements. However, in many cases, volunteers have been associated with

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7006-464: The census of 2000, there were 903 people, 473 households, and 281 families residing in the town. The population density was 782.4 inhabitants per square mile (302.1/km). There were 2,376 housing units at an average density of 2,058.6 per square mile (794.8/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.90% White , 0.78% African American , 0.11% Native American , 0.22% Asian , and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of

7119-513: The charters granted to each colony. Whereas Penn claimed the Delaware territories extended to Fenwick Island, Calvert claimed the Maryland Colony ended at Lewes, with all the land south of the settlement belonging to Somerset County . In 1732 Charles Calvert signed a territorial agreement with William Penn's sons that drew a line somewhere in between the two colonies and renounced Calvert's claim to Delaware. But Lord Baltimore later claimed that

7232-481: The city to get them established. This settlement, established in 1663, was organized in part by the Dutch to respond to threats from the English colony of Maryland to the west beginning to assert rights over the area. The English wrested control of New Netherland from the Dutch in 1664 and they destroyed the Mennonite settlement that same year; English reports indicated that “not even a nail” was left there. Settlement in

7345-445: The community they respond to fire dispatches in, and most combination departments require residency within the community or a certain distance of the community, in which they serve. Depending on the department, volunteer firefighters may respond 24/7 to any dispatched incidents or be split into response shifts. Response to incidents may be required during transitions, or a periodic run percentage may be required to maintain active status on

7458-501: The construction of the Tabernacle , an octagonal auditorium which was dedicated on July 24, 1901, while still under construction and would serve as the town's central meeting place and cultural center, hosting both church services and entertainment events. The company also made plans to build cottages on the lots it had sold and to establish a railroad branch line passing through Ocean View and Millville that would connect Bethany Beach with

7571-458: The cost of supplemental training from their own pockets. Volunteer firefighters carry radios or fire pagers , primarily the Motorola Minitor , to receive dispatch information where ever they are at the time a call is dispatched. Some combination departments use Nextel cell phones and alpha pagers with priority service contracts to send information to volunteer firefighters. Depending on

7684-486: The costs associated with being a firefighter, including lost wages from their primary occupation for response to dispatches and training. Their pay may be hourly based and may not qualify for volunteer status under FLSA. In addition, many part paid or paid on-call firefighters with combination departments still volunteer or are unpaid for part or all of the time they spend on training, administrative tasks, equipment maintenance, public education, and fundraising and often cover

7797-410: The county rejected Biden as a vice presidential candidate while simultaneously supporting him for Senate. The county's Republican bent is no less pronounced at the state level. Republicans hold every seat on the county council and every elected county office. Republicans also hold four of its five state senate seats and seven of the nine state house seats within the county. Sussex County's government

7910-519: The county was $ 20,328. About 7.70% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over. Eastern parts of Sussex County, particularly the Cape Region , tend to be more affluent than western portions of the county, with a median household income of $ 77,030 in 2009. As of the 2010 census , there were 197,145 people, 79,368 households, and 53,698 families residing in

8023-424: The county. The population density was 210.6 inhabitants per square mile (81.3/km ). There were 123,036 housing units at an average density of 131.4 per square mile (50.7/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 79.0% white, 12.7% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.8% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 4.1% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.6% of

8136-706: The county. The population density was 167 inhabitants per square mile (64/km ). There were 93,070 housing units at an average density of 99 per square mile (38/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 80.35% White , 14.89% Black or African American , 0.60% Native American , 0.75% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 2.02% from other races , and 1.35% from two or more races. 4.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.9% were of English, 14.3% United States or American (Mostly British), 12.9% Irish, 12.5% German and 5.6% Italian ancestry, 93.3% spoke English and 4.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 62,577 households, out of which 27.10% had children under

8249-508: The development of Rehoboth Beach to the north. Without sufficient financial backing, the Bethany Beach Improvement Company was unable to act on its plans, and little development occurred in Bethany Beach; basic services were lacking, construction stalled, work on the hoped-for railroad never began, and there was little agreement on how to address the new community's problems. In May 1902 the Christian Missionary Society withdrew its endorsement of Bethany Beach. Twenty-three landowners, mostly from

8362-461: The development of the area sparked by the opening of the bridge, and much political fighting occurred over the various real estate projects proposed for the area. Ultimately, economic pressure to develop the area was too great, and the Quiet Years came to end. The first development north of Bethany Beach, Sussex Shores , opened in either 1953 or 1958. South of town, the Middlesex Beach community

8475-502: The document he signed did not contain the terms he had agreed to, and refused to put the agreement into effect. Beginning in the mid-1730s, violence erupted between settlers claiming various loyalties to Maryland and Pennsylvania. The border conflict between Pennsylvania and Maryland would be known as Cresap's War . In 1750–1751, a team of surveyors from both colonies surveyed and marked the Transpeninsular Line , which established

8588-492: The first road between the two towns, opened in 1934. The Quiet Years were not without dramatic events. Shipwrecks had occurred along the Delaware coast for centuries, and were not uncommon in Bethany Beach's area even in the early 20th century. A 1920 storm destroyed some beachfront houses and the original surface-level boardwalk, which soon was replaced by a new, elevated boardwalk. Another damaging storm struck in 1927. The intense 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane passed through

8701-402: The future New York metropolitan area, and Nanticoke tribes. The people settled along the numerous bodies of water in the area where they were able to harvest fish, oysters, and other shellfish in the fall and winter. In the warmer months the women planted and cultivated crops, and processed the food. The men hunted deer and other small mammals, as larger game was not present in the area. There

8814-476: The main line to the west at either Dagsboro or Frankford , Delaware, promising that the railroad would begin operations on July 4, 1901; however, the 1901 season came and went with no railroad in operation. A temporary town government began to operate in 1901. This event is celebrated as the founding of Bethany Beach, although the town would not be incorporated for another eight years. On July 12, 1901, Bethany Beach's inaugural summer season officially began with

8927-468: The most poultry of any county in the United States. Tourism also plays a large part of the economy, particularly in eastern Sussex County. According to SeaGrant Delaware, the Delaware Beaches generate $ 6.9 billion annually and over $ 711 million in tax revenue. Combination fire department The career staff assigned to a volunteer station will handle all daily operations. This includes but

9040-492: The name "Bethany Beach," but the committee received Powers' entry two weeks after Atkinson's and thus Atkinson was deemed the winner. Also in 1900, the Disciples of Christ formed the Bethany Beach Improvement Company, which raised the money to purchase the land for the new town from Evans. Marketing the new community aggressively, the company sold 150 lots—mostly to families from Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, and Scranton—in Bethany Beach. It laid out streets and began

9153-555: The newly established boundaries between the Province of Pennsylvania, the Province of Maryland, Delaware Colony and parts of Colony and Old Dominion of Virginia. Between 1763 and 1767, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon surveyed the Mason-Dixon line , settling Sussex County's western borders. After Pennsylvania abolished slavery in 1781, the western part of this line and the Ohio River became

9266-499: The north and because the town of Ocean View , founded in 1889 and now Bethany Beach's neighbor to the west, did not expand its boundaries eastward toward the coast. The portion of Delaware in which Bethany Beach lies was subject to a lengthy legal dispute, Penn vs. Baltimore , that broke out in 1683, as to whether the land belonged to the Province of Maryland or the Province of Pennsylvania . While it dragged on, William Penn granted

9379-491: The north or Ocean City , Maryland, to the south, both of which they could reach directly by train. The small population of permanent residents of and regular visitors to Bethany Beach came to know one another well, and the town remained a quiet place that contrasted with the busier and more crowded atmosphere of Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City. Throughout the Quiet Years, it was unusual to find more than 20 people on Bethany Beach's wide beach at any one time. Bethany Beach's origin as

9492-449: The old Bethany Beach of the Quiet Years had been destroyed, changing the character of the town forever. Development of the area resumed after the 1962 storm. A new post office opened in 1965 and the town's first bank in 1966. Construction of Bethany West, a major new development in the western part of Bethany Beach proper, began in 1966–1967. A new town hall and police station opened in 1970. Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County

9605-489: The original square surveyed by Shankland, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Georgetown was named after Senate President George Mitchell. Sussex County has been known by several names over the years, including Susan County, Hoorenkill or Whorekill County as named by the Dutch prior to 1680 when Kent County broke off. From 1680 to 1682 it was known as Deale County, after being taken over by

9718-405: The population. There were 473 households, out of which 10.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and

9831-443: The population. In terms of ancestry, 17.9% were Irish , 17.8% were German , 15.9% were English , 7.0% were Italian , and 6.2% were American . Of the 79,368 households, 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

9944-505: The property owners during the Quiet Years were from Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh. Those from Pittsburgh tended to have homes in the northern part of Bethany Beach—at least part of which became known as "Little Pittsburgh" for a time—while Washingtonians tended to build their houses on properties in the southern part of town. During the Quiet Years, Bethany Beach gradually acquired more and more amenities and its government provided more and more services. The Ocean View Post Office established

10057-450: The remainder of the county as Do ( oceanic .) Three months average above 22°C (71.6°F), all months average above freezing, and seven to eight months average above 10 °C (50 °F). The hardiness zone is 7b except near the coast where it is 8a. [1] Unlike Northern Delaware, particularly New Castle County , Sussex County is highly conservative. Sussex County has only supported a Democrat for president three times since 1944. This

10170-430: The response structure of the combination department, the volunteer may respond to the station to pick up an apparatus, or go directly to the scene of an incident in their vehicle with a full-time firefighter bringing the needed apparatus and equipment to the incident. Some combination departments also use volunteer firefighters to cover unfilled shifts of the full-time firefighters. Most volunteer firefighters live or work in

10283-474: The site of what would become Bethany Beach. The Christian Missionary Society endorsed his idea in 1898 and established a committee to study the matter; under his leadership, it recommended the Delmarva Peninsula as a suitable location for such a settlement, and later selected the empty coastal area east of Ocean View owned by the Ocean View landowner Ezekiel Evans as the specific site for the community. In 1900,

10396-504: The southern boundary of Sussex County. However, residents of the disputed territory continued to pay taxes to Maryland into the 1770s. The issue was unresolved until the Crown intervened in 1760, ordering Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore to accept the 1732 agreement. As part of the settlement, the Penns and Calverts commissioned the English team of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to survey

10509-508: The state. Sussex County is home to an extensive system of Southern saltwater and freshwater wetlands, notably the Great Cypress Swamp . This massive freshwater swamp contains the northernmost strand of Bald Cypress trees in the United States. In addition, Zigzag Swamp is located within Sussex County. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a 10,000 acres (40 km ) along the western shore of Delaware Bay . The refuge contains

10622-740: The summer months along Beach Bus Route 208, which heads north to the Rehoboth Beach Park and Ride and the Lewes Transit Center Park and Ride near Lewes to connect to other Beach Bus routes and the Route 305 bus from Wilmington and south to the 144th Street Transit Center in Ocean City, Maryland to connect to Ocean City Transportation 's Coastal Highway Beach Bus. The town operates the Bethany Beach Trolley along two routes between

10735-500: The town and seeks to maintain Bethany Beach's "Quiet Resort" atmosphere and reputation. Also referred to as Council President: The town's Alderman's Court consists of two appointed judges. They adjudicate violations of town ordinances. The Bethany Beach Police Department has a staff of nine full-time officers. During the summer, it also employs 15 to 17 seasonal officers, some of them college students in training. The department operates seven cars, five of them patrol cars, and once won

10848-429: The town hall and street lamps; in 1926, the town bought the plant and began garbage collection. The town's lone bowling alley opened in 1930 and became a popular social attraction, The first restaurant on the boardwalk that was not part of a hotel opened in 1933 and stood until destroyed by a fire in 1953. Bethany Beach's first tennis court was completed in the mid-1930s. A dirt road between Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach,

10961-623: The town in 1907, and the Town of Bethany Beach was incorporated in 1909. The Bethany Beach School was established for students in grades one through six; after the sixth grade they had to attend Lord Baltimore School in Ocean View. The boardwalk underwent yet another reconstruction in 1912. When the U.S. Lifesaving Service merged with the United States Revenue Cutter Service to form the United States Coast Guard in 1915,

11074-464: The town's lifesaving station became a Coast Guard station. The Delaware National Guard established a summer training camp just north of town in the early 1920s. The Ringler Theater, which showed movies and hosted dance parties, opened on the boardwalk in 1923; generally considered to be the first commercial enterprise on the boardwalk, it became one of the town's major attractions. A privately owned electric lighting plant began operations in 1924, lighting

11187-474: The town, meeting with modest success. Soon, the Bethany Beach Improvement Company dug a well to provide the town with fresh water. In 1903, the company completed the Tabernacle and built a surface-level boardwalk along the beach. Longtime residents and regular visitors came to refer to Bethany Beach's history prior to the early 1950s as the "Quiet Years." Despite the plans of the town's founders to build one, no railroad ever came to Bethany Beach because traffic

11300-520: The town. The Town of Bethany Beach Water Department provides water to the town, operating a water filtration plant and standpipe, six wells, and a distribution system. Sussex County operates the Bethany Beach Sanitary Sewer District, which provides sewer service to the town. The Town of Bethany Beach Public Works Department provides trash and recycling collection to the town. There is a lack of evidence of Native American activity in

11413-636: The various armed forces were billeted in the town or based nearby, German prisoners of war were held in the area, a radar station was built nearby to the west, and the United States Army built a gunnery control tower south of town to support the Coast Artillery guns at Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen . Patrol dogs intended for use along the entire United States East Coast were trained just north of Bethany Beach. Wartime gasoline rationing made frequent short trips to Bethany Beach impractical, and many of

11526-540: The visitors during the war years spent entire summers at Bethany Beach instead. During the war, a destructive storm struck Bethany Beach in mid-September 1944. It destroyed the Ringler Theater, which was not rebuilt, and badly damaged the boardwalk and the town's pavilion. The boardwalk was rebuilt later that year. The customary atmosphere of the Quiet Years resumed soon after World War II ended in 1945. By 1946, all Bethany Beach residents received water service. In 1948,

11639-441: The volunteer organization may not have the manpower to cover all calls, and the career staff augments them to provide minimal staffing for preexisting jurisdictional requirements. Career staff are not in charge of the volunteer firehouse. Depending on the staffing requirements, the career staff may be there 24/7, they maintain the station and equipment, but it still belongs to the volunteers. Volunteer firefighters associated with

11752-534: The west of the town's limits. Bethany Beach is located at 38°32′22″N 75°03′19″W  /  38.53944°N 75.05528°W  / 38.53944; -75.05528 (38.5395564, −75.0551807). The town is bordered to the north by the Delaware Seashore State Park and by Salt Pond, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by South Bethany , and to the west by Ocean View . According to

11865-466: Was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 45.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 51,046 and the median income for a family was $ 59,053. Males had a median income of $ 41,978 versus $ 32,148 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 26,779. About 8.0% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over. As of

11978-452: Was a surprise nor'easter that struck in March 1962. Created by the combination of what had been two separate storms, the nor'easter arrived on the evening of March 5, with 80-mile-per-hour (129-kilometer-per-hour) winds and 30-foot (9.1-meter) waves. The storm continued through three high tides while the tides were at their monthly peak before abating on March 7. Destruction was widespread; many of

12091-537: Was a tempting wilderness base for pirates to hide out from authorities and regularly pillage settlers for supplies. The Dutch briefly recaptured the territory in 1673 as part of the Third Anglo-Dutch War . At that point, they established courts in the town of New Castle and at the Hoerkill at the southern end of the territory, effectively creating two counties out of the territory. After the war concluded in 1674,

12204-473: Was built in 1958–1959. South Bethany , to the south of Middlesex Beach, considered the first major new development in the area, was built in 1962 and incorporated as a town in its own right in 1969. In 1961, the original Tabernacle, which had deteriorated badly since its completion 58 years earlier, was demolished. The most destructive storm in Bethany Beach's history, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 ,

12317-546: Was formed in June 1948 with ten members. It received its first equipment, a single used pumper, later that summer and answered its first call in September 1948. The town purchased property for its fire station in 1949, and the fire department held its first bingo game in March 1957. Its emergency medical center opened in the early 1980s, and its Fenwick Island substation began operations in July 1987. The main north–south road in Bethany Beach

12430-466: Was found that what May had named Henlopen was Fenwick Island , protruding into the Atlantic Ocean. The name of the cape was moved to its present location just east of Lewes. Sussex County was the site of the first European settlement in Delaware, a Dutch trading post named Zwaanendael at the present site of Lewes . On June 3, 1631, Dutch captain David Pietersen de Vries landed along the shores of

12543-464: Was insufficient to make such a railroad profitable, so visitors typically had to travel by train to Baltimore , Maryland, spend the night there, then travel by boat across the Chesapeake Bay to the Delmarva Peninsula and by train across the peninsula to Rehoboth Beach. Until 1910, they then had to take the steamer Atlantic across Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay to Ocean View, and then travel by horsedrawn carriage to Bethany Beach. On July 8, 1910,

12656-474: Was not a previously established town. On May 9, 1791, the 10 commissioners headed by President of the State Senate George Mitchell negotiated the purchase of 76 acres (310,000 m ), and Commissioner Rhodes Shankland began the survey by laying out "a spacious square of 100 yards (91 m) each way." Eventually the town was laid out in a circle one mile (1.6 km) across. It was centered on

12769-539: Was the only county in Delaware that Barack Obama did not carry in either of his presidential bids, despite the presence of Delawarean Joe Biden on the ballot. Biden himself lost the county by 11 points in his own successful bid for president in 2020 . Nonetheless, while Sussex County rejected the Obama-Biden presidential ticket in 2008 , Biden carried it in his simultaneous 2008 Senate run (as he did in six of his seven successful Senate campaigns), meaning some voters in

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