Fun Facts
Fun facts about Delaware and Kent County!
Delaware covers 1,982 square miles: Kent: 594, New Castle: 438, Sussex: 950
Delaware's Name: From the Delaware River & Bay named for Sir Thomas West, Lord De la Warr
Delaware's Founding: Delaware became the first state when 13 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787 in Battell's Tavern, otherwise known as the Golden Fleece Tavern, on The Green in Dover.
Delaware's Capital: The City of Dover, located in the heart of Kent County.
State Motto: Liberty and Independence
State Colors: Colonial Blue Buff
State Flag: The Delaware State flag is blue and buff with the coat of arms in the middle. Beneath the diamond and the coat of arms is the date, December 7, 1787. This is the day that Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution and the first state of a new nation. The elements of the coat of arms include the wheat sheaf, adopted from the Sussex County seal to represent agricultural vitality; an ear of corn from the Kent County Seal which represents the agricultural basis of Delaware's economy; the ship as a symbol of New Castle's shipbuilding past and extensive coastal commerce; the farmer represents the central role of farming; the militiaman represents the citizen-soldier's role in the maintenance of American liberties; water above the ox is representative of the Delaware River crucial in the state's development and the ox represents the importance of animal husbandry. The shades of buff and colonial blue are significant as they represent the uniform of General George Washington.
State Seal: Delaware's state seal was first adopted on January 17, 1777, and contains the coat of arms. It also bears the inscription around it "Great Seal of the State of Delaware" and the dates 1704, 1776 and 1787. Delaware's General Assembly was established in 1704; 1776, was the year that our independence from Great Britain was declared; and 1787,was the year that Delaware became "the First State" by being the first colony to ratify the United States Constitution.
State Nicknames: "The First State", "The Diamond State", "Blue Hen State", and "Small Wonder".
What's the Population in Delaware?
Delaware Population: 853,476 (2006 estimate) 3 Counties
Kent County: 147,601
New Castle: 525,587
Sussex County: 180,288
Population of Major Towns in Kent County (2000 census)
Camden - 2100
Dover - 32,135
Felton - 784
Harrington - 3,175
Milford - 6,732
Smyrna - 5,679
State Dessert: Delaware Peach Pie
State Bird: Blue Hen (Gallus gallus)
State Bug: Ladybug (Coccinella)
State Butterfly: Tiger Swallowtail (Plerourus Glaucus)
State Drink: Milk
State Fish: Weakfish (Cynoscion Regalis)
State Flower: Peach Blossom (Prunus Persica)
State Fossil: Belemnite (Belemnitellia Americana)
State Herb: Sweet Golden Rod (Soloidago Odora)
State Macroinvertebrate: Stone Fly (Order Plecoptera)
State Marine Animal: Horseshoe Crab (Limulus Polyphemus)
State Mineral: Sillimanite (Al2 SiO5, Aluminum Silicate)
State Soil: Greenwich Loam
State Star: On June 30, 2000, the Delaware Diamond, located in the constellation of Ursa Major (Great Bear), with coordinates of right ascension 9h40m44s and declination 48?14'2", was designated as Delaware's State star.
State Tree: American Holly (Aquifoliaceae Hex Opaca)
Our Deleware: The State Song
State Song: "Our Delaware" contains three verses, each honoring one of the counties was written by George Hynson; a fourth verse praises the State and pledges the loyalties of its citizens was written by Donn Devine; the musical score was written by Will Brown.
Our Delaware
First Verse
Oh the hills of dear New Castle,
and the smiling vales between,
When the corn is all in tassel,
And the meadowlands are green;
Where the cattle crop the clover,
And its breath is in the air,
While the sun is shining over Our beloved Delaware.
Chorus
Oh our Delaware!
Our beloved Delaware!
For the sun is shining over our beloved Delaware,
Oh our Delaware Our beloved Delaware!
Heres the loyal son that pledges,
Faith to good old Delaware.
Second Verse
Where the wheat fields break and billow,
In the peaceful land of Kent,
Where the toiler seeks his pillow,
With the blessings of content;
Where the bloom that tints the peaches,
Cheeks of merry maidens share,
And the woodland chorus preaches
A rejoiceing Delaware.
Third Verse
Dear old Sussex visions linger,
Of the holly and the pine,
Of Henlopens Jeweled finger,
Flashing out across the brine;
Of the gardens and the hedges,
And the welcome waiting there,
For the loyal son that pledges Faith to good old Delaware.
Fourth Verse
From New Castle's rolling meadows,
Through the fair rich fields of Kent,
To the Sussex shores hear echoes,
Of the pledge we now present;
Liberty and Independence,
We will guard with loyal care,
And hold fast to freedom's presence,
In our home state Delaware.
Films Shot in Kent County: Easy Money, filmed in 1983, featured Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci. Scenes were filmed at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino (now Bally's Dover Casino Resort). Glenville, filmed in 1999 in Dover and Clayton; a horror film based in the small town of Glenville, Ohio. Famous Delaware Actors: Robert Mitchum, Valerie Bertinelli, Ryan Filippe, Teri Polo, Judge Reinhold, Elisabeth Shue, Andrew Shue, Sean Patrick and Doug Hutchison.
Famous Residents: Revolutionary patriots Caesar Rodney and John Dickinson; Richard Allen, a freed slave who co-founded the denomination that became the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Eldridge Reeves Johnson, co-founder of the gramophone and co-founder of the Victor Talking Machine Co., later RCA. Senator and Vice-President Joseph Biden. Delaware is the former home to a number of screen stars and musicians such as Ryan Phillippe, Teri Polo, Elizabeth Shue, Judge Reinhold, Valerie Bartinelli, Bob Marley (deceased) and Robert Mitchum (deceased), to name a few.
Delaware Climate Chart:
Average temperatures for our area.
January - High 38 / Low 22
February - High 42 Low 25
March - High 52 / Low 33
April - High 63 / Low 42
May - High 73 / Low 52
June - High 82 / Low 62
July - High 86 / Low 67
August - High 84 / Low 66
September - High 78 / Low 58
October - High 67 / Low 46
November - High 56 / Low 37
December - High 44 / Low 28
You haven't really experienced Delaware's Quaint Villages until you have:
- Watched children dance around the maypole during the annual Dover Days Festival.
- Taken The First State Heritage Park's walking tour of The Green.
- Attended a NASCAR race at Dover Motor Speedway.
- Made a purchase at Spence's Bazaar.
- Caught a performance at the Smyrna Opera House or at Second Street Players at the Riverfront Theater
- Eaten a candy apple at the Delaware State Fair.
- Attended a Delaware State University home football game.
- Pedaled your bike in the annual Amish Country Bike Tour.
- Searched for the grave of patriot Caesar Rodney.
- Shopped on Loockerman Street in Downtown Dover.
- Attended the Bug & Bud Festival in Milford.
- Caught a fish on a Charter Boat out of Bowers Beach.
- Visited Air Force II at the Air Mobility Command Museum.