Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington, Delaware, the largest municipality in the state, is served by the Port of Wilmington, a modern full-service deep water port and marine terminal handling over 400 vessels per year. The port has an annual import / export cargo tonnage of 5 million tons. The Port of Wilmington handles mostly international imports of fruits and vegetables, automobiles, steel, and bulk products. Two freight railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, operate major freight yards in the area. Wilmington is conveniently located midway between New York City and Washington, D.C., at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek near the Atlantic Ocean. This excellent maritime location prompted Wilmington's citizens to vote to build their own deep-water port in 1913. They chose the exact location where the Swedish settlers first landed on the Christina River in 1638. The Port was officially opened in 1923.

The Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware, created in 1995, oversees the futures of the Brandywine and Christina Rivers. The group's mission is to promote economic vitality along the Brandywine and Christiana rivers, encouraging historic preservation and promoting public access to the riverfront area. Recent renovations have included the Dravo Plaza, which is a proud tribute to Wilmington's shipbuilding past. The plaza area was once the center of activity in town as the site of one of the nation's busiest shipyards during World War II.

Wilmington is also the proud home of the Kalmar Nyckel. Moored at riverfront docks, this replica ship is designed after the Swedish ship which brought the first permanent European settlers to the banks of the Christina River in 1638.
In New Castle County, Wilmington is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Wilmington was home to 63,619 residents in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The City of Wilmington was chartered in 1739, and the borough of Wilmington officially became a city in 1832. Industrial growth came with the 1837 completion of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad as Wilmington was now accessible by water, roadway and railway. The Civil War found Wilmington with a strong industrial base and the city produced ships, railroad cars, gunpowder and other war-related products. By 1868, Wilmington was producing more iron ships than the rest of the country combined. America was aided in both world wars by Wilmington's shipyards and steel foundries.

Wilmington is an up-and-coming cosmopolitan city that is attracting major employers, restaurants, entrepreneurs of all types, and exciting, innovative residential developments. Delaware's famous pro-business government has helped Wilmington to become home to a number of large corporations, including banking, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as DuPont. Wilmington has become a national financial center for the credit card industry with many major credit card issuers headquartered in Wilmington.

There are numerous ways to reach Wilmington, Delaware. Major roadways in the area include I-95, I-495, I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike. Rail service is provided by Amtrak and nearby Philadelphia's Southeastern Transportation Authority. Air transportation is provided by  Philadelphia International Airport and the New Castle County Airport.

The Delaware State Police provide law enforcement service to all of DE, including Wilmington. With the State of Delaware’s jurisdiction extending out to significant bodies of open water, the Delaware State Police are also involved in water search-and-rescue operations. The police work closely with the State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, which has  jurisdiction on all ships and supertankers at anchorage or transiting within the state’s waters.