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Fenwick Island is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census.
Fenwick Island, together with the towns of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, and South Bethany, comprises Delaware's beach resort area and is Sussex County's most densely-populated and fastest-growing area.
Fenwick Island and its neighbors to the north, Bethany Beach and South Bethany are popularly known as "The Quiet Resorts". This is in contradistinction to the wild atmosphere of Dewey Beach and the cosmopolitan bustle of Rehoboth Beach. Fenwick Island, however, is somewhat less "quiet" than "the Bethanies" because it is immediately across the state line from Ocean City, Maryland, which has a well-deserved reputation as a wild place.
Named after Thomas Fenwick, a planter from England who settled in Maryland, Fenwick Island lay in the part of Delaware which was claimed by Lord Baltimore and his heirs during the Penn-Baltimore border dispute.
The town does not sit on an actual island, despite its name, but rather a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Little Assawoman Bay.
Local legend has it that Cedar Island in Little Assawoman Bay was a spot for pirates to bury treasure. Regardless of the truth of the legend, the Delaware coastal area was well-known as a place for pirates to hide from the law.
The town was an unincorporated area between South Bethany and Ocean City, Maryland until July 1953, when the Delaware General Assembly passed an act to incorporate the town. Local sentiment demanded incorporation to prevent the relentless high-rise development of Ocean City from creeping north into Fenwick Island.
Geography
Fenwick Island is located at (38.459314, -75.053563).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²). 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (28.57%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 342 people, 178 households, and 126 families residing in the town. The population density was 388.4/km² (994.5/mi²). There were 666 housing units at an average density of 756.3/km² (1,936.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.42% White, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.
There were 178 households out of which 5.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.25.
In the town the population was spread out with 6.1% under the age of 18, 2.6% from 18 to 24, 11.1% from 25 to 44, 40.6% from 45 to 64, and 39.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,333, and the median income for a family was $68,750. Males had a median income of $46,607 versus $48,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,415. About 3.3% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
External links
External links
Towns in Delaware | Sussex County, Delaware | Barrier islands
"Fenwick Island, Delaware"