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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

Politics

Presidential elections results
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

Colleges and Universities

Night Schools/Adult Education

External links

Pennsylvania counties | Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Delaware County (Pennsylvania) | Condado de Delaware (Pensilvânia)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Delaware County, Pennsylvania".

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