DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA


'Delaware County' (known colloquially as "Delco") 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 economically depressed and working class communities such as the City of Chester and the Borough of Darby to the posh suburban neighborhoods of Radnor Township and Villanova located along the wealthy Main Line to the north.
of the county are occupied by the Ridley Creek State Park.
The county is part of the Delaware Valley area, where M. Night Shyamalan's film ''The Village'' was filmed.

Contents
Geography
Adjacent counties
Politics
Demographics
Media
People from Delaware County
Transportation
Municipalities
Cities
Boroughs
Townships
Census-Designated Places
Education
Public school districts
Colleges and universities
Adult education
Public libraries
Recreation
External links

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


Montgomery County (north)

Philadelphia County (east)

Gloucester County, New Jersey (southeast)

New Castle County, Delaware (southwest)

Chester County (west)

Politics


'Presidential elections results'
Year GOP Dems
200442.3% ''120,425'57.1%' ''162,601
200042.7% ''105,836'54.4%' ''134,861
199639.5% ''92,628'49.5%' ''115,946
199240.8% ''108,587'41.8%' ''111,210
1988'59.9%' ''147,65639.0% ''96,144
1984'61.8%' ''161,75437.4% ''98,027
1980'55.8%' ''143,28234.4% ''88,314
1976'54.9%' ''148,67943.3% ''117,252
1972'63.9%' ''175,41434.3% ''94,144
1968'50.2%' ''133,77740.0% ''106,695
196442.9% ''111,189'56.8%' ''147,189
1960'52.0%' ''135,67247.8% ''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 however, Delaware County has been trending Democratic and in the 2004 election was won by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry by 14 points. In the 2004 US Senate election, Republican Arlen Specter defeated Joe Hoeffel but Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. defeated Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election. Likewise, 10-term Republican Congressmen Curt Weldon was defeated by former naval admiral and Democratic challenger Joe Sestak in the 2006 U.S. House of Representatives election.
As of May 2007, there are 381,596 registered voters in Delaware County [1].

Democratic: 134,795 (35.32%)

Republican: 203,561 (53.34%)

★ Other Parties: 43,240 (11.33%)

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.

Media


The county itself is serviced by several newspapers, most notably the News of Delaware County, the Delaware County Daily Times, and The Suburban and Wayne Times. The Philadelphia Inquirer also has a significant presence, reflecting Delaware County's status as a suburb of Philadelphia.

People from Delaware County



Herb Adderley, American Football Player

Paul Arizin, Named one of 50 greatest Basketball Players in NBA History

Anthony Becht, American Football Player

Ron Bennington, XM Radio talk show host, The Ron and Fez Show

Jan Berenstain, Children's book author

Matt Blundin, American Football and basketball Player

Leroy Burrell, World Champion Sprinter and former World Record holder in the 100 Meter Dash

Danny Bonaduce, Actor, Radio Talk Show Host

John Cappelletti, former Running back football player 1973 Heisman Trophy winner

Mickey Cochrane, Former Major League Baseball Player and Member of Hall of Fame

Jerry Crawford, Baseball Umpire

Joe Crawford, NBA Official

Shag Crawford, Baseball Umpire

Jim Croce, singer/songwriter

Pat Croce, Former 76ers President, Founder of Novacare, & author

Ann Crumb, Broadway actress

Bruce Davison, actor

Ray Didinger, Pro Football Hall of Fame Sports Writer

Paul DiMeo, carpenter

Tim Donaghy, Former NBA Official

Tina Fey, actress/comedienne

Randy Grossman, former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end

Bill Haley, Singer of Rock Around the Clock

Brendan Hansen, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist in 2004 Olympics, World Record holder in 100 and 200 Meter Breast Stroke

Monica Horan, actress

William T. Kerr, Founder of Flag Day in the United States

Dan Morgan, American Football Player

John Morton (politician) Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Danny Murtaugh, Baseball Manager

Joan Jett, Musician

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Former NFL Punt/Kickoff Returner

Kevin Jones, American Football Player

Jamie Kennedy, actor/comedian

Joe Klecko, Pro Football Hall of Fame Defensive Tackle

Stephenie LaGrossa Ward, participant Survivor (TV series) Palau and Guatemala

Bill Maas, American Football Player and Commentator

Al Martino, Singer/Actor

Dan McKeown, record producer/songwriter/musician

Larry Mendte, CBS Philadelphia newscaster

Ted Meredith, 1912 Olympic gold medal,world record 800 meter Champion

Anna Moffo, American soprano

Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic Guard

Cheri Oteri, actress/comedienne

Vince Papale, former Philadelphia Eagle football player

Adrian Pasdar, actor Heroes (tv series)

Geoff Petrie, NBA Basketball Player and Executive

Deirdre Quinn, Actress

Jack Ramsay, Basketball Coach

Todd Rundgren, singer/songwriter

Bo Ryan, Basketball Coach University of Wisconsin-Madison

Mike Scioscia, baseball player and manager

Emlen Tunnell, Hall of Fame American Football Player

Curt Weldon, politician

Benjamin West, Famous 18th Century Artist

Bradley Whitford, Actor

Thomas F. Wilson, actor

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(P&W), 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


Map of Delaware County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

There are 49 municipalities in Delaware County. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, , and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Delaware County:
Cities


Chester
Boroughs


Aldan
Brookhaven
Chester Heights
Clifton Heights
Collingdale
Colwyn
Darby

East Lansdowne
Eddystone
Folcroft
Glenolden
Lansdowne
Marcus Hook

Media
Millbourne
Morton
Norwood
Parkside
Prospect Park
Ridley Park

Rose Valley
Rutledge
Sharon Hill
Swarthmore
Trainer
Upland
Yeadon

Townships


Aston Township
Bethel Township
Chadds Ford Township
Chester Township
Concord Township
Darby Township
Edgmont Township

Haverford Township
Lower Chichester Township
Marple Township
Middletown Township
Nether Providence Township
Newtown Township
Radnor Township

Ridley Township
Springfield Township
Thornbury Township
Tinicum Township
Upper Chichester Township
Upper Darby Township
Upper Providence Township

Census-Designated Places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Ardmore
Boothwyn
Broomall
Drexel Hill
Folsom

Garrett Hill
Lima
Linwood
Riddlewood
Rosemont

Village Green-Green Ridge
Villanova
Wallingford
Wawa
Wayne
Woodlyn

Education


Map of Delaware County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Public school districts


Chester Upland School District

Chichester School District

Garnet Valley School District

Haverford Township School District

Interboro School District

Marple Newtown School District

Penn-Delco School District

Radnor Township School District

Ridley School District

Rose Tree Media School District

Southeast Delco School District

Springfield School District

Upper Darby School District

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District

Wallingford-Swarthmore School District

West Chester Area School District

William Penn School District
Colleges and universities


Cabrini College

Cheyney University

Eastern University

Delaware County Community College

Haverford College

Neumann College

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

Pennsylvania State University - Delaware County Campus Campus

Rosemont College

Swarthmore College

Villanova University

Widener University

Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades
Adult education


Haverford Adult School

Main Line School Night

Upper Darby Adult Evening Program
Public libraries


★ Aston Free Library

★ Collingdale Public Library

★ J. Lewis Crozer Library (Chester)

★ Darby Free Library

★ Folcroft Public Library

★ Helen Kate Furness Library (Wallingford)

★ Glenolden Library

★ Haverford Township Free Library

★ Rachel Kohl Community Library (Glen Mills)

★ Lansdowne Public Library

★ Marple Public Library

★ Mary M. Campbell Library (Marcus Hook)

★ Media-Upper Providence Free Library

★ Middletown Free Library

★ Newtown Square Public Library

★ Norwood Public Library

★ Prospect Park Public Library

★ Memorial Library of Radnor Township

★ Ridley Park Public Library

★ Ridley Township Public Library

★ Sharon Hill Public Library

★ Springfield Township Library

★ Swarthmore Public Library

★ Tinicum Memorial Public Library

★ Upper Darby & Sellers Memorial Library (main)

★ Upper Darby Library-Municipal Branch

★ Upper Darby Library-Primos Branch

★ Yeadon Public Library

★ Delaware County Francis J. Catania Law Library

Delaware County Library System (government agency)

Recreation


There is one Pennsylvania state park in Delaware County.

Ridley Creek State Park

External links



Delaware County official website

History of Townships in Delaware County, PA

DelawareCountyPA.com

Delaware County Number One Web Portal & Directory

Delaware County Youth Initiative

Ashmead's ''History of Delaware County'', 1884.

Delaware County Library System

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