Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Rehoboth Beach is a city in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. The population was 1,495 at the 2000 census. A popular regional vacation destination, Rehoboth Beach's population expands to over 75,000 in the summer.

History

The city was founded in 1873 as the Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association by the Rev. Robert W. Todd, of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilmington, Delaware, as a site for Methodist camp meetings in the spirit of similar resorts on the New Jersey shore, such as Ocean City. The Camp Meeting Association disbanded in 1881, and in 1891, the location was incorporated by the Delaware General Assembly as "Henlopen City", shortly after which it was renamed to Rehoboth Beach.

Rehoboth is a name of Biblical appellation, meaning "place space for all". (In modern Hebrew, the same means 'streets'). The name is strikingly fitting, due to Rehoboth Beach's ability to blend its distinct communities. Rehoboth appears four times in the Old Testament as, variously, a well dug by Isaac (Wadi er-Ruheibeh) (Gen. 26:22), a city on the Euphrates River (Gen. 36:37; 1 Chr. 1:48), and one of the cities of Asshur (Gen. 10:11). Consequently, the name had obvious appeal to the religious founders of the city.

Modern resort town

The town often bills itself as "The Nation's Summer Capital" due to the fact that it is a frequent summer vacation destination for Washington, D.C., residents, insiders, and powerbrokers. Vacationers are drawn for many reasons, including the town's charm, artistic appeal, and relative safety. Rehoboth's white powder sand beaches are consistently ranked highly in national publications. Rehoboth's beaches are protected by a beach patrol with a distinguished record of lifesaving and competitive success. ^* In addition, the town's family vacationers and residents seamlessly blend with its gay and lesbian vacationers and residents.

Still famous for its beaches, wooden boardwalk, eclectic shops, amusements, and sporting activities, today's Rehoboth Beach is also becoming well-known as one of the mid-Atlantic coast's most popular gay and lesbian getaways. Rehoboth Beach is thought of as the region's answer to South Beach, Miami; Provincetown, Massachusetts; West Street Beach, Laguna Beach; and Little Beach, Wailea-Makena, Maui. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/beaches/bal-beach-rehoboth,0,165829.htmlstory?coll=bal-bayandbeach-storyutil

Rehoboth Beach serves as an alternative to nearby and much more industriously developed Ocean City, Maryland. Rehoboth Beach, together with the towns of Lewes, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island, comprises Delaware's beach resorts and is Sussex County's most densely populated and fastest-growing area.

Geography

Rehoboth Beach is located at (38.715794, -75.083138).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 km² (1.6 mi²). 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (28.48%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,495 people, 847 households, and 343 families residing in the city. The population density was 489.2/km² (1,266.5/mi²). There were 3,167 housing units at an average density of 1,036.3/km² (2,682.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.13% White, 0.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.

There were 847 households out of which 6.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 59.4% were non-families. 47.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.71 and the average family size was 2.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 7.0% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 37.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,429, and the median income for a family was $58,558. Males had a median income of $56,250 versus $28,295 for females. The per capita income for the city was $38,494. About 3.1% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

The town once hosted the Rehoboth Beach Pirates of the Eastern Shore Baseball League.

External links

Cities in Delaware | Sussex County, Delaware | Gay villages