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77-671: New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware , United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River . As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Castle constitutes part of the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area . New Castle was originally settled by the Dutch West India Company in 1651 under the leadership of Peter Stuyvesant on

154-612: A humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) except for the highest area around Ebright Azimuth where the climate is hot-summer humid continental ( Dfa .) The hardiness zone is 7b except in some higher areas close to the Pennsylvania border which are 7a. As of the census of 2000, there were 500,265 people, 188,935 households, and 127,153 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,174 inhabitants per square mile (453/km ). There were 199,521 housing units at an average density of 468 per square mile (181/km ). The racial makeup of

231-639: A 400-mile (640 km) trip around the Delmarva Peninsula , so this brought passengers, goods, and business to New Castle's port. In the years following the Revolution, a turnpike was built to facilitate travel between the two major waterways. Later, New Castle became the eastern terminus of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad , the second-oldest rail line in the country, launched in 1828 with horse-drawn rail cars, then converting to steam power when an engine

308-522: A bypass to the west of Wilmington. Delaware Route 273 heads west from New Castle on Frenchtown Road and provides access to Christiana and Newark . Several important roads are located just outside the city limits. Interstate 295 passes north of New Castle and crosses the Delaware River on the Delaware Memorial Bridge to New Jersey , with DE 9 providing access to New Castle from I-295. The Wilmington Airport (formerly New Castle Airport)

385-667: A common green in the town's center, which continues to this day. In 1664, the English seized the entire New Netherland colony in the Second Anglo-Dutch War . They changed the name of the town to "New Castle" and made it the capital of their Delaware Colony . The Dutch regained the town in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War but it was returned to Great Britain the next year under the Treaty of Westminster . In 1680, New Castle

462-436: A family was $ 78,072. Males had a median income of $ 52,637 versus $ 41,693 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 31,220. About 6.6% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2020 census , there were 570,719 people living in the county. According to the 2021 census estimates, its racial and ethnic makeup

539-429: A household in the city was $ 52,449, and the median income for a family was $ 56,368. Males had a median income of $ 40,153 versus $ 31,571 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 24,052. About 3.9% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over. New Castle Historic District is an area approximately four blocks square in

616-508: A prior claim to that land. In 1640, New Sweden was founded a few miles south of Christina . In 1644, Queen Christina appointed Lt. Col. Johan Printz as Governor of New Sweden . She directed boundaries to be set and to reach Cape Henlopen north along the west side of Godyn's Bay ( Delaware Bay ), up the South River ( Delaware River ), past Minquas Kill ( Christina River ), to Sankikans (Trenton Falls). Printz settled on Tinicum Island , as

693-592: A substantial decline in traffic and revenue. The decline in New Castle's economy had the long-range fortunate effect of preventing most residents from making any significant structural changes to their homes. The many buildings of historic New Castle have largely not been upgraded or restored and appear much as they did in the Colonial and Federal periods. Since 1927, New Castle has offered tours of historical homes, churches, and gardens, which are typically held annually on

770-501: A threat to their interests and proposed a railroad to connect their own city to the bay. The New-Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike Company was chartered in Delaware on January 24, 1809, and in Maryland on January 6, 1810. It opened in 1815 and 1816, providing a turnpike from New Castle in a west-southwest direction to Old Frenchtown Wharf, Maryland, on Chesapeake Bay. The easternmost section of

847-487: A two-tiered, paramedic intercept EMS system. County paramedics are located in eight full-time stations and one part-time station that operates during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a capability of calling in additional personnel during major emergencies or planned events. Basic life support (BLS) ambulance service is provided primarily by volunteer fire companies with the use of paid employees that are trained in fire suppression and EMS. Fire/Rescue protection

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924-401: Is Kenneth W. Boulden Jr. (D) The recorder of deeds is Michael Kozikowski (D). His office is responsible for receiving and recording deeds , mortgages and satisfactions thereof, assignments, commissions of judges , notaries , and military officers. The recorder of deeds' office is heavily computerized; electronic images of all recent documents and many others are available the office is in

1001-650: Is Scott T. Phillips. New Castle County has a strong zoning code, known as the Unified Development Code, or UDC. The UDC was developed by the Gordon Administration in response to public perception of over- and misdevelopment in the county. New building projects must go through a process of application and approval before construction is permitted to begin. By operation of state law, New Castle County has no responsibility whatsoever for maintenance of roadways . Public roadways are maintained exclusively by

1078-472: Is a hundred in itself), Mill Creek, White Clay Creek, Pencader, New Castle, Red Lion, St. Georges, Appoquinimink, and Blackbird. Ebright Azimuth , the highest natural point in Delaware at 448 feet (137 m), is located in New Castle County. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was built through New Castle County, and adjoining Cecil County, Maryland, between 1822 and 1829. Almost all of the county has

1155-524: Is almost double the combined population of Kent and Sussex, the winner in New Castle County has also won Delaware overall in each of the last eighteen presidential elections. In 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2016, the Republican candidate carried Kent and Sussex, only to lose New Castle by double digits–enough of a margin to swing the entire state to the Democrats. New Castle was a bellwether from 1936 to 1996, as it backed

1232-578: Is based in the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington. The deputies assigned to this division organize and manage capias returns. They also transport prisoners for Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Family Court. The civil division serves legal process, performs levies & impounds and sells property in satisfaction of judgments . The civil division also locates and apprehends individuals wanted for civil capias. The current sheriff

1309-512: Is land and 68 square miles (180 km ) (13.8%) is water. The boundaries of New Castle County are described in § 102 of the Delaware Code. The county is drained by Brandywine Creek , Christina River , and other channels. Its eastern edge sits along the Delaware River and Delaware Bay . Two small exclaves of the county and the state lie across the Delaware River, on its east bank on

1386-555: Is located in Wilmington ; it opened in 1982. The Delores J. Baylor Correctional Institution , a women's prison housing pretrial and posttrial prisoners, is located in unincorporated New Castle County. Baylor opened on December 29, 1991. The Delaware male death row was in the JTVCC, while the female death row was in Baylor. Executions were to occur at JTVCC, prior to the 2016 suspension of it by

1463-698: Is located northwest of New Castle along US 13/US 40. The airport offers general aviation, commercial air service, and is home to a unit of the Delaware Air National Guard . A freight line operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway passes through New Castle. The nearest passenger rail station to New Castle is Wilmington station in Wilmington, which is served by Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail 's Wilmington/Newark Line . DART First State provides bus service to New Castle along Route 15 and Route 51, which both run between downtown Wilmington and

1540-425: Is named after William Cavendish, 1st duke of Newcastle ( c.  1593 –1676). New Castle County has the highest population and population density of any Delaware county, and it is the smallest county in the state by area. It has more people than the other two counties, Kent and Sussex , combined. It is also the most economically developed of the three. The first permanent European settlement on Delaware soil

1617-579: Is provided by twenty-one volunteer fire departments throughout the county. The city of Wilmington has its own career municipal fire department and contracts with a private ambulance service for basic life support coverage. The contracted private ambulance service in Wilmington operates in a tiered response configuration with the New Castle County Paramedics. The Paul J. Sweeney Public Safety Building, located in Minquadale off of US 13 , houses

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1694-588: Is supported by local municipality police agencies in Middletown , Newark , Delaware City , Wilmington , Newport , Elsmere , the city of New Castle , the University of Delaware , as well as the Delaware State Police . New Castle County also operates a nationally accredited, county-run paramedic service through its Emergency Medical Services Division . NCC*EMS is the advanced life support (ALS) component of

1771-721: The Christiana Mall and offer connections to multiple bus routes serving points across northern New Castle County. The Municipal Services Commission of the City of New Castle provides electricity and water to the city. The electric department is a member of the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation . Natural gas service in New Castle is provided by Delmarva Power , a subsidiary of Exelon . The city's Public Works department provides trash and recycling collection to New Castle. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution of

1848-465: The Delaware Department of Correction is in an unincorporated area in New Castle County, and has a postal address stating "New Castle". New Castle has served as the filming location for numerous films and television series, including Dead Poets Society , Beloved , and River Ridge . New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of

1925-674: The Delaware Supreme Court . New Castle elects a substantial majority of the state legislature, with 27 state house districts and 17 state senate districts based in the county. New Castle County is home to two minor league sports teams: the Wilmington Blue Rocks (baseball) and the Delaware Blue Coats (basketball), both of which play in Wilmington. It also has a professional auto racing track in New Castle known as Airport Speedway, with races on Saturday nights throughout

2002-516: The Fujita scale area. A tornado rated EF 3 hit the city on April 1, 2023 . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km), of which 3.0 square miles (7.9 km) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km) of it (3.79%) is water. The city is the home of Broad Dyke , the first dyke built in the United States. The cupola of

2079-613: The National Register of Historic Places . New Castle is served by the Colonial School District . It operates William Penn High School . Private schools located in New Castle include: Serviam Girls Academy , St. Peter's Catholic School (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington ) and Delaware Valley Classical School . New Castle Public Library is the public library. U.S. Route 13 and U.S. Route 40 are

2156-454: The New Jersey side, Finns Point adjacent to Pennsville Township, New Jersey , and the northern tip of Artificial Island , adjacent to Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey . New Castle County, like all of Delaware's counties, is subdivided into hundreds . New Castle County is apportioned into eleven hundreds: Brandywine, Christiana, Wilmington (the city of Wilmington, which, by law,

2233-492: The U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent , and Sussex ). As of the 2020 census , the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the state's population of 989,948. The county seat is Wilmington , which is also the state's most populous city. New Castle County is included in the Philadelphia - Camden - Wilmington , PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area . The county

2310-546: The court house is the center of the " Twelve-Mile Circle " that defines much of the border between Delaware and Pennsylvania . The circle also forms a small portion of the border between Delaware and New Jersey and Delaware and Maryland . As of the census of 2000, there were 4,862 people, 2,012 households, and 1,339 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,594.6 inhabitants per square mile (615.7/km). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 721.2 per square mile (278.5/km). The racial makeup of

2387-461: The Delaware Department of Transportation, while roadways within neighborhoods and developments are, pursuant to County code, maintained by homeowners' or neighborhood associations. The Department of Public Works maintains essential infrastructure elements such as sanitary sewers and drainage ways. It also maintains County-owned parks and buildings such as County libraries. It does not maintain

New Castle, Delaware - Misplaced Pages Continue

2464-731: The Ferris School for Boys, and the Grace and Snowden Cottages are in unincorporated New Castle County. Several Delaware Department of Correction facilities are located in the county. The James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC), formerly the Delaware Correctional Center, is a men's prison in unincorporated New Castle County, housing sentenced prisoners; Vaughn opened in 1971. The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution , renamed from Multi-Purpose Criminal Justice Facility in 2004 and housing both pretrial and posttrial male prisoners,

2541-677: The NRHP. The area includes 461 contributing buildings , one other contributing structure , and one contributing object . The New Castle Court House , the Green, and the Sheriff's House are parts of First State National Historical Park , a unit of the National Park System. The national park interprets Delaware's settlement and role in the founding of the United States. Notable sites the historic district include: Bellanca Airfield , located outside of

2618-494: The New Castle County Police and Emergency Medical Services Division Headquarters and the emergency communications center supporting 9-1-1 services. The present building opened in 2007 with a construction cost of US$ 50,000,000. The Headquarters occupied a former elementary school building on the same site prior to erection of the current building. New Castle is a strongly Democratic county. Because its population

2695-533: The New Castle Turnpike Company to the New Castle Turnpike and Railroad Company . The companies merged on March 31, 1830, to form the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and Rail Road Company – with no dash in New Castle – and the new railroad opened in 1831, using horses for about a year before switching to steam locomotives . The chief engineer for the construction of the railroad

2772-625: The Swedes from both sides of the river. They allowed only Dutch colonists to settle in the area and on August 31, 1655, the territory was converted back to Fort Casimir. Consequently, Fort Christina fell on September 15 to the Dutch, was renamed Fort Altena and New Netherland ruled once again. John Paul Jacquet was immediately appointed governor, making New Amstel the capital of the Dutch-controlled colony. The Dutch West India Company conveyed land from

2849-493: The University of Delaware maintain their own police emergency call centers. New Castle County has its own nationally accredited police department. The New Castle County Police Department is the second largest police organization in the state of Delaware. New Castle County maintains a county wide police force with authorization to enforce laws throughout the county, including within incorporated municipalities. The county police force

2926-407: The age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 37.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 62,474 and the median income for

3003-428: The age of 18 living with them, 49.60% were married couples living together, 13.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under

3080-468: The age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 52,419, and the median income for a family was $ 62,144. Males had a median income of $ 42,541 versus $ 31,829 for females. The per capita income for

3157-591: The center of town with about 500 historic buildings, built between 1700 and 1940. This area contains one of the highest concentrations of well-preserved buildings dating from the 17th to early 19th centuries. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967 and it was relisted, with enlarged boundaries and expanded period of significance, in 1984. The historic district then covered 135 acres (55 ha) of area and includes Amstel House and Old Courthouse which are separately listed on

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3234-543: The city was 77.48% White , 20.20% African American , 0.25% Native American , 0.39% Asian , 0.84% from other races , and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.41% of the population. There were 2,012 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who

3311-410: The concept of "row offices" from Pennsylvania, so-called because all of these county offices could be found in a row in smaller courthouses. In Delaware, these offices are clerk of the peace , recorder of deeds , register of wills, and sheriff . The office of clerk of the peace is unique among the 50 states; the office-holder's function is almost exclusively to perform marriages. The current incumbent

3388-542: The county in 1992 and, like many urban counties, New Castle stayed Democratic ever since. The Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families (DSCYF) has its headquarters in the Delaware Youth and Family Center (DYFC), located in unincorporated New Castle County, near Wilmington . Several DSCYF juvenile facilities, including the New Castle County Detention Center (NCCDC),

3465-544: The county was $ 25,413. 8.40% of the population and 5.60% of families were below the poverty line . Out of the total population, 10.20% of those under the age of 18 and 7.40% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. As of the 2010 census , there were 538,479 people, 202,651 households, and 134,743 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,263.2 inhabitants per square mile (487.7/km ). There were 217,511 housing units at an average density of 510.2 per square mile (197.0/km ). The racial makeup of

3542-426: The county was 65.5% white, 23.7% black or African American, 4.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.2% were Irish , 15.0% were German , 11.7% were Italian , 11.3% were English , 6.2% were Polish , and 3.0% were American . Of the 202,651 households, 33.8% had children under

3619-496: The county was 73.12% White , 20.22% Black or African American , 0.20% Native American , 2.59% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 2.22% from other races , and 1.62% from two or more races. 5.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.6% were of Irish , 11.4% Italian , 10.9% German , 8.8% English and 5.4% Polish ancestry. 89.5% spoke English and 5.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 188,935 households, out of which 32.50% had children under

3696-567: The following year and rechristened the fort as Nieuw-Amstel, named after the Amstel . This marked the end of the Swedish colony in Delaware as an official entity, but it remained a semi-autonomous unit within the New Netherland colony and the cultural, social, and religious influence of the Swedish settlers remained strong. As the settlement grew, Dutch authorities laid out a grid of streets and established

3773-455: The governor Lt. Col. Printz, officially assumed Printz's duties and began to expel all Dutch from New Sweden. Fort Casimir surrendered and was renamed Fort Trinity in 1654. The Swedes had complete possession of the west side of the Delaware River. On June 21, 1654, the Lenape met with the Swedes to reaffirm the purchase. Having learned of the fall of Fort Casimir, the Dutch sent Stuyvesant to drive

3850-511: The historic district, is the site of the former Bellanca Aircraft Corporation factory, which operated in New Castle from 1928 to 1960 and built over 3,000 airplanes. Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame Museum is located in hangar. Also nearby are Buena Vista , Glebe House , The Hermitage , New Castle Ice Piers , Penn Farm of the Trustees of the New Castle Common , and Swanwyck , all listed on

3927-538: The most significant highways serving New Castle directly. They pass along the northwest edge of the city concurrently along Dupont Highway. Delaware Route 9 runs southwest-to-northeast through New Castle, passing through the city along 7th Street, Washington Street, Delaware Street, and Ferry Cut Off Street; the route bypasses the historic area. DE 9 heads north to Wilmington and south to Delaware City . Delaware Route 141 heads north from New Castle on Basin Road and provides

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4004-568: The much smaller and less significant New Castle. On March 15, 1839, the PW&;B bought the NC&;F, using it as an alternate route. The New Castle and Wilmington Rail Road was connected to the New Castle end of the system in 1852, and by 1856 the Delaware Railroad had opened, splitting from the New Castle and Frenchtown at Porter , about halfway between the two ends. The Cecil County portion of

4081-478: The national winner in every presidential election. It became the longest-running national bellwether after 1996, when Okanogan County, Washington , voted for Bob Dole . In 2000, Valencia County, New Mexico became the longest presidential bellwether. Former governor Ronald Reagan won the county by just one vote over President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The county was won by the Republican presidential candidate from 1980 through 1988. This changed when Bill Clinton won

4158-455: The northern border of New Castle County as it currently exists. In 1685, the western border was finally established by King James II; this was set as a line from Old Cape Henlopen (presently Fenwick ) west to the middle of the peninsula and north up to the middle of the peninsula to the 40th parallel. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 494 square miles (1,280 km ), of which 426 square miles (1,100 km )

4235-492: The process of imaging further back with the eventual goal of all documents in the office's possession being available electronically. Computerized indexing and searching is also available. The register of wills is Ciro Poppiti, III. His office receives and records wills and small-estate affidavits upon an individual's death, and issues letters of administration to estate executors . The sheriff of New Castle County has two divisions, criminal and civil. The criminal division

4312-463: The rest of the surrounding land, was transferred from the Colony of New York to the possession of William Penn , who established the Colony of Delaware. In September 1673, a Dutch council established a court at New Castle with the boundaries defined as north of Steen Kill (present-day Stoney Creek) and south to Bomties Hook (renamed Bombay Hook). In 1681, a 12-mile arc was drawn to specifically delineate

4389-589: The road, east of Clark's Corner (under 3 miles), was built in 1812 by the New Castle Turnpike Company , chartered January 30, 1811. In 1828, the Maryland General Assembly authorized the company to replace the turnpike with a railroad and change its name to the New-Castle and French Town Turnpike and Rail Road Company . Similar laws did the same for the two companies in Delaware, renaming

4466-540: The seat of government and capital of the New Sweden colony. Peter Stuyvesant , Governor of New Netherland , sailed up the South River in 1651. He purchased land from the Lenape that covered Minquas Kill to Bompties Hook ( Bombay Hook ); the Lenape had sold part of the property to the Swedes in 1638. Stuyvesant began to build Fort Casimir (contemporary New Castle ). In 1654, Johan Risingh , commissary and councilor to

4543-537: The seat of the colonial government, thriving with the various judges and lawyers that fueled the economy. Many smaller houses were torn down and replaced in this era. In February, 1777, John McKinly was elected the first President of Delaware, a title later renamed "Governor". During the Revolution , when New Castle was besieged by William Howe , the government elected to move its functions south to Dover in May, 1777. McKinley

4620-461: The site of a former aboriginal village, "Tomakonck" ("Place of the Beaver"), to assert their claim to the area based on a prior agreement with the aboriginal inhabitants of the area. The Dutch originally named the settlement Fort Casimir , but this was changed to Fort Trinity following its seizure by the colony of New Sweden on Trinity Sunday in 1654. The Dutch conquered the entire colony of New Sweden

4697-511: The south side of Christina Kill to Bombay Hook , and as far west as Minquas land. This land was known as the Colony of The city. On December 22, 1663, the Dutch transferred property rights to the territory along the Delaware River to England. In 1664, the duke of York, James , was granted this land by King Charles II . One of the first acts by the Duke was to order removal of all Dutch from New Amsterdam ; he renamed New Amstel as New Castle. In 1672,

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4774-561: The summer. County-wide overlay district: New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District 39°35′N 75°38′W  /  39.58°N 75.64°W  / 39.58; -75.64 New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad When construction began in 1804 on the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal , which would connect the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay , merchants and other businessmen of New Castle, Delaware , perceived

4851-467: The third Saturday of May. Householders dress in colonial costumes and an admittance fee, used toward the maintenance of the town's many historic buildings, is charged. Annually in June, New Castle holds its annual Separation Day celebration. On April 28, 1961 , an F3 tornado hit the north side. Although no fatalities or injuries occurred, it was the only tornado of this magnitude ever recorded in Delaware during

4928-492: The town of New Castle was incorporated and English law ordered. However, in 1673, the Dutch attacked the territory, reclaiming it for their own. On September 12, 1673, the Dutch established New Amstel in present-day Delaware , fairly coterminous with today's New Castle County. The establishment was not stable, and it was transferred to the British under the Treaty of Westminster on February 9, 1674. On November 6, 1674, New Amstel

5005-589: The track bed had been abandoned by 1848, and the County Commissioners turned it into "a common neighborhood road," the Cecil Whig reported. In 1859, the railroad was abandoned west of Porter; most of the right-of-way is still cleared. On March 28, 1877, the New Castle and Frenchtown was merged into the PW&B, which was part of the PRR system. In 1891, the PW&B sold the old New Castle and Frenchtown, as well as

5082-439: The water distribution system, which is owned and operated by several private companies. In general, it also does not maintain stormwater management facilities within subdivisions. Access to 911 emergency services is provided by New Castle County through their emergency communications center for all fire/rescue/emergency medical services (EMS) throughout the county and the majority of police services, though Newark, Wilmington, and

5159-487: Was Fort Christina , resulting from Peter Minuit 's 1638 expedition on the Swedish vessels Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel . The Swedes laid out the town at the site of modern-day Wilmington. They contracted with the Lenape Native Americans for land of Old Cape Henlopen north to Sankikans (Trenton Falls), and inland as far as they desired. However, a dispute ensued between the Swedes and the Dutch, who asserted

5236-569: Was Joe Biden , the 46th and current president of the United States , who represented the 4th district from 1971 to 1973. Current county council members are: As with Delaware's other two counties, New Castle County has no judiciary of its own. All judicial functions, except for Alderman's Courts, are managed and funded by the state of Delaware . In New Castle County, only the cities of Newport and Newark have alderman's courts. These courts have jurisdiction over driving offenses, misdemeanor criminal charges, and minor civil claims. The county retains

5313-476: Was John Randel Jr. The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal finally opened in 1829, becoming a major competitor to the railroad. Another railroad company, later called the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), began construction along a nearby route in the mid-1830s. In 1838, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began operating trains along this route between Baltimore and Philadelphia , bypassing

5390-411: Was 54.8% non-Hispanic white, 27.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 6.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.8% multiracial, and 11% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The county is headed by a county executive , currently Matthew S. Meyer . The chief administrative officer, who is the county's second-in-command, is appointed by the county executive and serves at his or her pleasure. Vanessa S. Phillips

5467-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for

5544-463: Was a center of government. After being transferred to Penn, Delaware's Swedish, Dutch, and English residents became accustomed to the relaxed culture of the Restoration monarchy and grew uncomfortable with the more conservative Quaker influence, so Delaware petitioned for a separate legislature, which was finally granted in 1702. Delaware formally broke from Pennsylvania in 1704. New Castle again became

5621-508: Was appointed CAO in March 2018. The county's legislative body is a thirteen-member county council , consisting of twelve members elected by district and one president elected at large. The council is tasked with drafting laws and managing county government services, public health ordinances, land use , transportation, and zoning . New Castle County Council doubled in size to thirteen from seven members in 2004. Its most famous council member

5698-505: Was captured by the British and held prisoner for several months. New Castle remained the county seat until after the Civil War , when that status was transferred to Wilmington. Three of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were from New Castle: Thomas McKean , George Read , and George Ross . The 16-mile (26 km) portage between the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay saved

5775-532: Was conveyed to William Penn by the Duke of York by livery of seisin and was Penn's landing place when he first set foot on American soil on October 27, 1682. This transfer to Penn was contested by Lord Baltimore and the boundary dispute was not resolved until the 1763-1767 survey conducted by Mason and Dixon, now famed in history as the Mason–Dixon line . Prior to the establishment of Penn's Philadelphia , New Castle

5852-409: Was made dependent on New York Colony, and was renamed New Castle on November 11, 1674. On September 22, 1676, New Castle County was formally placed under the Duke of York's laws. It gained land from Upland County on November 12, 1678. On June 21, 1680, St. Jones County was carved from New Castle County. It is known today as Kent County, Delaware . On August 24, 1682, New Castle County, along with

5929-533: Was purchased from Great Britain in 1832. The line traversed the Delmarva Peninsula, running to the Elk River, Maryland , from where passengers changed to packet boats for further travel to Baltimore and points south. This helped the New Castle economy to further boom; however, by 1840, rail lines were in place between Philadelphia and Baltimore, which had a stop in Wilmington, thus leaving New Castle to deal with

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