Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia : D : DE : DEL : Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County 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 the disadvantaged towns of Chester and Darby to the posh suburban neighborhoods of Radnor and Villanova along the wealthy Main Line to the north.
2,600 acres of the county are occupied by the Ridley Creek State Park.
This county is part of the Delaware Valley area. M. Night Shyamalan's film The Village was filmed in Delaware County.
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
| 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, Delaware County has been trending Democratic and in the 2004 election was won by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry by 14 points.
As of November 2004, 55.1% of registered voters in Delaware County are Republicans, 34.0% are Democrats, and 10.9% are other or unaffiliated.
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.
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, 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
Cities
Boroughs
Townships
Census-Designated Places
Education
Public School Districts
- Chester Upland School District <[District Web Site]>
- Chichester School District <[District Web Site]>
- Garnet Valley School District <[District Web Site]>
- Haverford Township School District <[District Web Site]>
- Interboro School District <[District Web Site]>
- Marple Newtown School District <[District Web Site]>
- Penn-Delco School District <[District Web Site]>
- Radnor Township School District <[District Web Site]>
- Ridley School District <[District Web Site]>
- Rose Tree Media School District <[District Web Site]>
- Southeast Delco School District <[District Web Site]>
- Springfield School District <[District Web Site]>
- Upper Darby School District <[District Web Site]>
- Unionville-Chadds Ford School District <[District Web Site]?
- Wallingford-Swarthmore School District <[District Web Site]>
- West Chester Area School District <[District Web Site]>
- William Penn School District <[District Web Site]>
Colleges and Universities
- Cabrini College <[Official Web Site]>
- Cheyney University <[Official Web Site]>
- Eastern University <[Official Web Site]>
- Delaware County Community College <[Official Web Site]>
- Haverford College <[Official Web Site]>
- Neumann College <[Official Web Site]>
- Pennsylvania Institute of Technology <[Official Web Site]>
- Pennsylvania State University - Delaware County Campus Campus <[Official Web Site]>
- Rosemont College <[Official Web Site]>
- Swarthmore College <[Official Web Site]>
- Villanova University <[Official Web Site]>
- Widener University <[Official Web Site]>
Night Schools/Adult Education
External links
- [Delaware County official website]
- [History of Townships in Delaware County, PA]
- [Delaware County Number One Web Portal & Directory]
- [Delaware County Youth Initiative]
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