New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of 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 metropolitan area. The county is named after William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (–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.
History The first permanent European settlement on Delaware soil 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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.New York: Atlas of Historical County Boundaries by Kathryn Ford Thorne and John H. Long
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 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.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (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 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.Schoonejongen, John. "How Delaware got on Jersey’s side of the river", Asbury Park Press, September 10, 2010. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Killcohook, in Pennsville Township, is another. Not only is it a 'confined disposal facility' for dredging materials, Killcohook is also the name of a nearby wildlife refuge. It borders another wildlife refuge, Supawna, as well as the Finns Point National Cemetery, the Finns Point Lighthouse and Fort Mott State Park."
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, 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 , 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.
Adjacent counties Chester County, Pennsylvania – northwest Delaware County, Pennsylvania – north Gloucester County, New Jersey – northeast Salem County, New Jersey – east Kent County, Delaware – south Kent County, Maryland – southwest Cecil County, Maryland – west
Major roads and highways
Climate Almost all of the county has 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.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +New Castle County, Delaware – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1970Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1970% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)335,246 327,384350,312353,760331,836303,26586.88%82.23%79.27%70.71%61.62%53.14%Black or African American alone (NH)48,86959,49271,89599,648124,426142,38812.67%14.94%16.27%19.92%23.11%24.95%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 2014337018069848930.05%0.11%0.16%0.16%0.18%0.16%Asian alone (NH) 947 Only includes those who listed Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino identity. All other Asian groups included in other race category2,8676,93212,85623,13235,0220.25%0.72%1.57%2.57%4.30%6.14%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)xincluded in the Other Race category in the 1970 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census139102127xxx0.03%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH) 5938313026318732,5550.15%0.21%0.07%0.13%0.16%0.45%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1970 Censusx not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census6,13210,20522,953xxx1.23%1.90%4.02%Hispanic or Latino (any race)x Not an option in the 1970 Census. Persons who did not identify a race and instead listed Mexican, Puerto Rican, or any other grouped deemed to be of Indo European origin were classified as white.7,10811,80426,29346,92163,516x1.79%2.67%5.26%8.71%11.13%Total385,856398,115441,946500,265538,479570,719 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 570,719. Of the residents, 21.2% were under the age of 18 and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.2 males. 93.9% of residents lived in urban areas and 6.1% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 55.1% White, 25.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% from some other race, and 7.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.1% of the population.
The racial and ethnic makeup (where Latinos are treated as if a separate racial group) shows that the county was 53.1% non-Hispanic white, 25.0% non-Hispanic African American, 0.2% non-Hispanic Native American, 6.1% non-Hispanic Asian, 0.02% non-Hispanic Pacific Islander, 4.0% non-Hispanic multiracial, and 11.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The most reported ancestries were: Irish (17.2%) African American (15.6%) English (12.8%) German (12.8%) Italian (10.2%) Polish (4.7%) Mexican (4.4%) Puerto Rican (3.6%) Indian (3%) Scottish (2.7%)
There were 219,571 households in the county, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 233,747 housing units, of which 6.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.7% were owner-occupied and 33.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.
2010 census 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 . There were 217,511 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of 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 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 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.
2000 census