New Castle, Delaware | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of New Castle inNew Castle County, Delaware (left) and of New Castle County inDelaware (right) | |
  New Castle New Castle (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:39°39′43″N75°33′59″W / 39.66194°N 75.56639°W /39.66194; -75.56639 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Delaware |
| County | New Castle |
| Founded | 1640 |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.52 sq mi (9.12 km2) |
| • Land | 3.48 sq mi (9.01 km2) |
| • Water | 0.042 sq mi (0.11 km2) |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,551 |
| • Density | 1,596.0/sq mi (616.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 19720-19721, 19726 |
| Area code | 302 |
| FIPS code | 10-50800 |
| GNIS feature ID | 214379[2] |
| Website | newcastlecity |
New Castle is a city inNew Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south ofWilmington and is situated on theDelaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551.[3] New Castle constitutes part of theDelaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.
New Castle was originally settled by theDutch West India Company in 1651 under the leadership ofPeter Stuyvesant on the site of a former indigenous village, "Tomakonck" ("Place of the Beaver"), to assert their claim to the area based on a prior agreement with the original inhabitants of the area. The Dutch originally named the settlementFort Casimir, but this was changed to Fort Trinity following its seizure by the colony ofNew Sweden onTrinity Sunday in 1654. The Dutch conquered the entire colony of New Sweden the following year and rechristened the fort as Nieuw-Amstel, named after theAmstel. 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 a common green in the town's center, which continues to this day.
In 1664, the Englishseized the entire New Netherland colony in theSecond Anglo-Dutch War. They changed the name of the town to "New Castle" and made it the capital of theirDelaware Colony. The Dutch regained the town in 1673 during theThird Anglo-Dutch War but it was returned to Great Britain the next year under theTreaty of Westminster. In 1680, New Castle was conveyed toWilliam Penn by theDuke of York bylivery 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 byLord Baltimore and the boundary dispute was not resolved until the 1763-1767 survey conducted by Mason and Dixon, now famed in history as theMason–Dixon line.[4][5][page needed]
Prior to the establishment of Penn'sPhiladelphia, New Castle was a center of government. After being transferred to Penn, Delaware's Swedish, Dutch, and English residents became accustomed to the relaxed culture of theRestoration 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 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 theRevolution, when New Castle was besieged byWilliam Howe, the government elected to move its functions south to Dover in May, 1777. McKinly was captured by the British and held prisoner for several months. New Castle remained the county seat until after theCivil War, when that status was transferred to Wilmington. Three of the 56 signers of theDeclaration of Independence were from New Castle:Thomas McKean,George Read, andGeorge Ross.
The 16-mile (26 km) portage between the Delaware River andChesapeake Bay saved a 400-mile (640 km) trip around theDelmarva 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 theNew 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 was purchased from Great Britain in 1832. The line traversed the Delmarva Peninsula, running to theElk River, Maryland, from where passengers changed topacket 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 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 theColonial andFederal periods.
Since 1927, New Castle has offered tours of historical homes, churches, and gardens, which are typically held annually on 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.
OnApril 28, 1961, an F3 tornado hit the north side.[6] Although no fatalities or injuries occurred, it was the only tornado of this magnitude ever recorded in Delaware during theFujita scale era.[7]
A tornado ratedEF3 hit the city onApril 1, 2023.[8]
| New Netherland series |
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| Exploration |
| Fortifications: |
| Settlements: |
| The Patroon System |
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| People of New Netherland |
| Flushing Remonstrance |
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According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km2), of which 3.0 square miles (7.9 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) of it (3.79%) is water.[citation needed]
The city is the home ofBroad Dyke, the firstdyke built in the United States.[citation needed]
The cupola of thecourt house is the center of the "Twelve-Mile Circle" that defines much of the border between Delaware andPennsylvania. The circle also forms a small portion of the border between Delaware andNew Jersey and Delaware andMaryland.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,202 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,902 | 58.2% | |
| 1870 | 1,916 | 0.7% | |
| 1880 | 3,700 | 93.1% | |
| 1890 | 4,010 | 8.4% | |
| 1900 | 3,380 | −15.7% | |
| 1910 | 3,351 | −0.9% | |
| 1920 | 3,854 | 15.0% | |
| 1930 | 4,131 | 7.2% | |
| 1940 | 4,414 | 6.9% | |
| 1950 | 5,396 | 22.2% | |
| 1960 | 4,469 | −17.2% | |
| 1970 | 4,814 | 7.7% | |
| 1980 | 4,907 | 1.9% | |
| 1990 | 4,837 | −1.4% | |
| 2000 | 4,862 | 0.5% | |
| 2010 | 5,285 | 8.7% | |
| 2020 | 5,551 | 5.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
As of thecensus[11] 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/km2). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 721.2 per square mile (278.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.48%White, 20.20%African American, 0.25%Native American, 0.39%Asian, 0.84% fromother races, and 0.84% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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% weremarried 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 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 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. Theper capita income for the city was $24,052. About 3.9% of families and 5.3% of the population were below thepoverty 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 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 aNational Historic Landmark in 1967.[12][13]
The New Castle Historic District was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1967 and it was relisted, with enlarged boundaries and expanded period of significance as aNational Historic Landmark District in 1984.[14] The historic district then covered 135 acres (55 ha) of area and includesAmstel House and Old Courthouse which are separately listed on the NRHP. The area includes 461contributing buildings, one othercontributing structure, and onecontributing object.[15]
TheNew Castle Court House, the Green, and the Sheriff's House are parts ofFirst 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.[16]
Notable sites the historic district include:
Bellanca Airfield, located outside of the historic district, is the site of the formerBellanca 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 its hangar. Also nearby areBuena Vista,Glebe House,The Hermitage,New Castle Ice Piers,Penn Farm of the Trustees of the New Castle Common, andSwanwyck, all listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[17]
New Castle is served by theColonial School District.[18] It operatesWilliam Penn High School.
Private schools located in New Castle include:Serviam Girls Academy, St. Peter's Catholic School (of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington) andDelaware Valley Classical School.
New Castle Public Library is the public library.[19]
Previously New Castle was in the New Castle-Gunning Bedford School District.[20] That district merged into theNew Castle County School District in 1978. That district was divided into four districts, among them the Colonial district, in 1981.[21]
U.S. Route 13 andU.S. Route 40 are 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 toWilmington and south toDelaware City.Delaware Route 141 heads north from New Castle on Basin Road and provides a bypass to the west of Wilmington.Delaware Route 273 heads west from New Castle on Frenchtown Road and provides access toChristiana andNewark. Several important roads are located just outside the city limits.Interstate 295 passes north of New Castle and crosses theDelaware River on theDelaware Memorial Bridge toNew Jersey, with DE 9 providing access to New Castle from I-295.[22]
TheWilmington Airport (formerly New Castle Airport) is located northwest of New Castle along US 13/US 40.[22] The airport offers general aviation, commercial air service, and is home to a unit of theDelaware Air National Guard.
A freight line operated by theNorfolk Southern Railway passes through New Castle. The nearest passenger rail station to New Castle isWilmington station in Wilmington, which is served byAmtrak andSEPTA Regional Rail'sWilmington/Newark Line.[22]
DART First State provides bus service to New Castle along Route 15 and Route 51, which both run between downtown Wilmington and theChristiana Mall and offer connections to multiple bus routes serving points across northern New Castle County.[23]
The Municipal Services Commission of the City of New Castle provides electricity and water to the city.[24] The electric department is a member of theDelaware Municipal Electric Corporation.[25] Natural gas service in New Castle is provided byDelmarva Power, a subsidiary ofExelon.[26] The city's Public Works department provides trash and recycling collection to New Castle.[27]
Baylor Women's Correctional Institution of theDelaware Department of Correction is in anunincorporated area in New Castle County,[28] and has a postal address stating "New Castle".[29]
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New Castle has served as the filming location for numerous films and television series, includingDead Poets Society,[30]Beloved, andRiver Ridge.
Baylor Women's Correctional Instn
660 Baylor Boulevard New Castle, DE 19720
Old New Castle also gets plenty of screen time with private homes, Delaware Street and Gunning Bedford Middle School each hosting film crews.
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