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| Counties of Delaware | |
|---|---|
| Location | State of Delaware |
| Number | 3 |
| Populations | 192,690 (Kent) – 588,093 (New Castle) |
| Areas | 494 square miles (1,280 km2) (New Castle) – 1,196 square miles (3,100 km2) (Sussex) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |
TheU.S. state ofDelaware is divided into threecounties, the fewest of any state in theUnited States:New Castle,Kent andSussex.[1] The origin of the county boundaries goes back to their former court districts.
Each county elects a legislative body (known in New Castle and Sussex counties as theCounty Council, and in Kent County as theLevy Court). The counties are able to raise taxes and borrow money. They also have control over garbage disposal, water supply, sewerage, zoning, development, and building codes.[2]
Most functions which are handled on a county-by-county basis in other states—such as court and law enforcement—have been centralized in Delaware, leading to a significant concentration of power in the Delaware state government. The counties were historically divided intohundreds, which were used as tax reporting and voting districts until the 1960s. However, the hundreds now serve no administrative role; their only current official legal use is in real-estate title descriptions.[3]
Following the English conquest of 1664, all of the land on the western side of theDelaware River andDelaware Bay was governed as part of theNew York Colony and administered from the town ofNew Castle. During the brief recapture of the colony by theDutch in 1673, additional court districts were created aroundUpland and Whorekill.[4] The latter was also known as Hoornkill, and is now the town ofLewes.[5] The court at New Castle was left with the central portion of the colony. The jurisdiction left to the court at becameNew Castle County, and the county seat remained at New Castle until 1881 when it was moved toWilmington. In 1680, Whorekill District was divided into Deale County and St. Jones County.[6] After this division, Lewes became the county seat of Deale, which was later renamedSussex County.[6] The former Upland District was named after theNew Sweden settlement ofUpland, and was renamedChester County in 1682.[7] Chester County is now located within the present boundaries ofPennsylvania.[8]
Lord Baltimore, the Proprietor ofMaryland, claimed all present-day Delaware, and organized its northern and eastern portions as Durham County, Maryland. However, this county existed only on paper. The southern and western portions of present-day Sussex County were organized as portions of several adjacent Maryland counties and were not recognized as part of Delaware until theMason-Dixon Survey was run in 1767.[9] In 1791, with the expansion of Sussex County to the south and west, the county seat was moved toGeorgetown.[6] The county seat of St. Jones (renamedKent County in 1681[6]) is atDover.[6]
After 2000, a fourth "Appoquinimink County" was proposed to be carved out ofNew Castle County. The effort intended to end the zoning restrictions of the Unified Development Code on the undeveloped farmland.[10]
TheFederal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.
| County | FIPS code[11] | County seat[6][12] | Est.[6][12] | History[6][13] | Etymology[13] | Population[14] | Area[12] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 003 | Wilmington | 1664 | Original County (Formally New Amstel) | named in 1673 byDutch Governor Anthony Colve for the town ofNew Castle, Delaware as anAnglicization ofNieuw Amstel. | 588,093 | 494 sq mi (1,279 km2) |  |
| Kent County | 001 | Dover | 1680 | Created from Whorekill (Hoarkill) District. Formerly known asSt. Jones County. | named in 1682 byWilliam Penn for theEnglish county ofKent | 192,690 | 800 sq mi (2,072 km2) |  |
| Sussex County | 005 | Georgetown | 1664 | Created from Whorekill (Hoarkill) District. Formerly known asDeale County | named in 1682 byWilliam Penn for theEnglish county ofSussex, which was his home county | 271,134 | 1,196 sq mi (3,098 km2) |  |
