'Delaware County' (known colloquially as "Delco") is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 550,864.
Delaware County was created on
September 26,
1789 from part of
Chester County and named for the
Delaware River. Its
county seat, since 1851, is
Media6.
Chester City, prior to 1851, was the county seat of both Delaware County and, before that, of Chester County.
Socioeconomically, 'Delaware County' runs the gamut from economically depressed and working class communities such as the City of
Chester and the Borough of
Darby to the posh suburban neighborhoods of
Radnor Township and
Villanova located along the wealthy
Main Line to the north.
of the county are occupied by the
Ridley Creek State Park.
The county is part of the
Delaware Valley area, where
M. Night Shyamalan's film ''
The Village'' was filmed.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 494
km² (191
mi²). 477 km² (184 mi²) of it is land and 17 km² (7 mi²) of it (3.42%) is water.
Adjacent counties
★
Montgomery County (north)
★
Philadelphia County (east)
★
Gloucester County, New Jersey (southeast)
★
New Castle County, Delaware (southwest)
★
Chester County (west)
Politics
'Presidential elections results'| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|
| 2004 | 42.3% ''120,425 | '57.1%' ''162,601 |
| 2000 | 42.7% ''105,836 | '54.4%' ''134,861 |
| 1996 | 39.5% ''92,628 | '49.5%' ''115,946 |
| 1992 | 40.8% ''108,587 | '41.8%' ''111,210 |
| 1988 | '59.9%' ''147,656 | 39.0% ''96,144 |
| 1984 | '61.8%' ''161,754 | 37.4% ''98,027 |
| 1980 | '55.8%' ''143,282 | 34.4% ''88,314 |
| 1976 | '54.9%' ''148,679 | 43.3% ''117,252 |
| 1972 | '63.9%' ''175,414 | 34.3% ''94,144 |
| 1968 | '50.2%' ''133,777 | 40.0% ''106,695 |
| 1964 | 42.9% ''111,189 | '56.8%' ''147,189 |
| 1960 | '52.0%' ''135,672 | 47.8% ''124,629 |
Politically, Delaware County has traditionally been very conservative and had voted
Republican in nearly every election since
1854 through
1988. In recent elections however, Delaware County has been trending
Democratic and in the
2004 election was won by Democratic presidential candidate
John Kerry by 14 points. In the 2004
US Senate election, Republican
Arlen Specter defeated
Joe Hoeffel but Democrat
Bob Casey, Jr. defeated
Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election. Likewise, 10-term Republican Congressmen
Curt Weldon was defeated by former naval admiral and Democratic challenger
Joe Sestak in the 2006
U.S. House of Representatives election.
As of
May 2007, there are 381,596 registered voters in Delaware County
[1].
★
Democratic: 134,795 (35.32%)
★
Republican: 203,561 (53.34%)
★ Other Parties: 43,240 (11.33%)
Demographics
As of 2000, there were 550,864 people, 206,320 households, and 139,472 families residing in the county. The
population density was 1,155/km² (2,990/mi²). There were 216,978 housing units at an average density of 455/km² (1,178/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.32% White, 14.52%
African American, 0.11%
Native American, 3.29%
Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 206,320 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.80% were
married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% 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 3.17.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,092, and the median income for a family was $61,590. Males had a median income of $44,155 versus $31,831 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $25,040. About 5.80% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The county itself is serviced by several newspapers, most notably the News of Delaware County, the Delaware County Daily Times, and The Suburban and Wayne Times. The Philadelphia Inquirer also has a significant presence, reflecting Delaware County's status as a suburb of Philadelphia.
People from Delaware County
★
Herb Adderley, American Football Player
★
Paul Arizin, Named one of 50 greatest Basketball Players in
NBA History
★
Anthony Becht, American Football Player
★
Ron Bennington, XM Radio talk show host,
The Ron and Fez Show
★
Jan Berenstain, Children's book author
★
Matt Blundin, American Football and basketball Player
★
Leroy Burrell, World Champion Sprinter and former World Record holder in the 100 Meter Dash
★
Danny Bonaduce, Actor, Radio Talk Show Host
★
John Cappelletti, former Running back football player
1973 Heisman Trophy winner
★
Mickey Cochrane, Former Major League Baseball Player and Member of Hall of Fame
★
Jerry Crawford, Baseball Umpire
★
Joe Crawford,
NBA Official
★
Shag Crawford, Baseball Umpire
★
Jim Croce, singer/songwriter
★
Pat Croce, Former
76ers President, Founder of Novacare, & author
★
Ann Crumb, Broadway actress
★
Bruce Davison, actor
★
Ray Didinger, Pro Football Hall of Fame Sports Writer
★
Paul DiMeo, carpenter
★
Tim Donaghy, Former
NBA Official
★
Tina Fey, actress/comedienne
★
Randy Grossman, former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end
★
Bill Haley, Singer of Rock Around the Clock
★
Brendan Hansen, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist in 2004 Olympics, World Record holder in 100 and 200 Meter Breast Stroke
★
Monica Horan, actress
★
William T. Kerr, Founder of
Flag Day in the
United States
★
Dan Morgan, American Football Player
★
John Morton (politician) Signer of the
Declaration of Independence
★
Danny Murtaugh, Baseball Manager
★
Joan Jett, Musician
★
Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Former NFL Punt/Kickoff Returner
★
Kevin Jones, American Football Player
★
Jamie Kennedy, actor/comedian
★
Joe Klecko, Pro Football Hall of Fame Defensive Tackle
★
Stephenie LaGrossa Ward, participant
Survivor (TV series) Palau and Guatemala
★
Bill Maas, American Football Player and Commentator
★
Al Martino, Singer/Actor
★
Dan McKeown, record producer/songwriter/musician
★
Larry Mendte, CBS Philadelphia newscaster
★
Ted Meredith, 1912 Olympic gold medal,world record 800 meter Champion
★
Anna Moffo, American soprano
★
Jameer Nelson,
Orlando Magic Guard
★
Cheri Oteri, actress/comedienne
★
Vince Papale, former
Philadelphia Eagle football player
★
Adrian Pasdar, actor
Heroes (tv series)
★
Geoff Petrie, NBA Basketball Player and Executive
★
Deirdre Quinn, Actress
★
Jack Ramsay, Basketball Coach
★
Todd Rundgren, singer/songwriter
★
Bo Ryan, Basketball Coach
University of Wisconsin-Madison
★
Mike Scioscia, baseball player and manager
★
Emlen Tunnell, Hall of Fame American Football Player
★
Curt Weldon, politician
★
Benjamin West, Famous 18th Century Artist
★
Bradley Whitford, Actor
★
Thomas F. Wilson, actor
Transportation
Delaware County is bisected north to south by
Blue Route Interstate 476, which connects
I-76 in the extreme northern corner of the county to
I-95, which parallels the
Delaware River along the southeastern edge of the county.
Delaware County is home to
SEPTA's
69th Street Terminal in
Upper Darby, and is served by the
Norristown High Speed Line(P&W), two Red Arrow trolley lines
(Routes 101 and 102),
four
Regional Rail Lines (the
R1,
R2,
R3 and
R5), and a host of bus routes.
The western portion of
Philadelphia International Airport is located in Delaware County, and the county hosts some airport-related commerce such as Philadelphia's
UPS terminal and airport hotels.
Municipalities
Map of Delaware County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).
There are 49 municipalities in Delaware County. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:
cities,
boroughs, , and, in at most two cases,
towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Delaware County:
Cities
★
Chester
Boroughs
Townships
Census-Designated Places
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the
U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
Education
Map of Delaware County, Pennsylvania School Districts
Public school districts
★
Chester Upland School District
★
Chichester School District
★
Garnet Valley School District
★
Haverford Township School District
★
Interboro School District
★
Marple Newtown School District
★
Penn-Delco School District
★
Radnor Township School District
★
Ridley School District
★
Rose Tree Media School District
★
Southeast Delco School District
★
Springfield School District
★
Upper Darby School District
★
Unionville-Chadds Ford School District
★
Wallingford-Swarthmore School District
★
West Chester Area School District
★
William Penn School District
Colleges and universities
★
Cabrini College
★
Cheyney University
★
Eastern University
★
Delaware County Community College
★
Haverford College
★
Neumann College
★
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
★
Pennsylvania State University -
Delaware County Campus Campus
★
Rosemont College
★
Swarthmore College
★
Villanova University
★
Widener University
★
Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades
Adult education
★
Haverford Adult School
★
Main Line School Night
★
Upper Darby Adult Evening Program
Public libraries
★ Aston Free Library
★ Collingdale Public Library
★ J. Lewis Crozer Library (Chester)
★ Darby Free Library
★ Folcroft Public Library
★ Helen Kate Furness Library (Wallingford)
★ Glenolden Library
★ Haverford Township Free Library
★ Rachel Kohl Community Library (Glen Mills)
★ Lansdowne Public Library
★ Marple Public Library
★ Mary M. Campbell Library (Marcus Hook)
★ Media-Upper Providence Free Library
★ Middletown Free Library
★ Newtown Square Public Library
★ Norwood Public Library
★ Prospect Park Public Library
★ Memorial Library of Radnor Township
★ Ridley Park Public Library
★ Ridley Township Public Library
★ Sharon Hill Public Library
★ Springfield Township Library
★ Swarthmore Public Library
★ Tinicum Memorial Public Library
★ Upper Darby & Sellers Memorial Library (main)
★ Upper Darby Library-Municipal Branch
★ Upper Darby Library-Primos Branch
★ Yeadon Public Library
★ Delaware County Francis J. Catania Law Library
★
Delaware County Library System (government agency)
Recreation
There is one
Pennsylvania state park in Delaware County.
★
Ridley Creek State Park
External links
★
Delaware County official website
★
History of Townships in Delaware County, PA
★
DelawareCountyPA.com
★
Delaware County Number One Web Portal & Directory
★
Delaware County Youth Initiative
★
Ashmead's ''History of Delaware County'', 1884.
★
Delaware County Library System
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