86-575: The Residence Act of 1790 , officially titled An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States (1 Stat. 130 ), is a United States federal statute adopted during the second session of the 1st United States Congress and signed into law by President George Washington on July 16, 1790. The Act provides for a national capital and permanent seat of government to be established at
172-582: A French Huguenot , emigrated to the United States. Knowledgeable in the manufacture of gunpowder , by 1802 DuPont had begun making the explosive in a mill on the Brandywine River north of Brandywine Village and just outside the town of Wilmington. The DuPont company became a major supplier to the U.S. military. Located on the banks of the Brandywine River , the village was eventually annexed by Wilmington city. The greatest growth in
258-542: A court of equity , is empowered to grant broad relief in the form of injunctions and restraining orders, which is of particular importance when shareholders seek to block or enjoin corporate actions such as mergers or acquisitions. The Court of Chancery, as a statewide court, may hear cases in any of the state's three counties. A dedicated-use Chancery courthouse was constructed in 2003 in Georgetown, Sussex County. It has hosted high-profile complex corporate trials such as
344-662: A plan for the capital city that identified the future sites of the "Congress House" (the United States Capitol ) and the "President's House" (the White House ). Design competitions were then held to solicit designs for each of those structures. Architect James Hoban was selected to design the President's House, and no satisfactory drawings were submitted for the Capitol. A late submission by William Thornton
430-592: A capital in the North and vice versa. Another suggestion was to have two capitals: one in the North and one in the South. The United States Congress was established in 1789, after the ratification of the United States Constitution , and New York City remained the temporary capital. Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 , of the new constitution authorized Congress to create a federal district outside of
516-784: A conflict between the text of the Statutes at Large and the text of a provision of the United States Code that has not been enacted as positive law, the text of the Statutes at Large takes precedence. Publication of the United States Statutes at Large began in 1845 by the private firm of Little, Brown and Company under authority of a joint resolution of Congress . During Little, Brown and Company's time as publisher, Richard Peters (Volumes 1–8), George Minot (Volumes 9–11), and George P. Sanger (Volumes 11–17) served as editors. In 1874, Congress transferred
602-620: A conservation district. The historic districts are the Baynard Boulevard, Kentmere Parkway, Rockford Park, Cool Spring/Tilton Park, the tri-part sections of the Eastside, St. Marys and Old Swedes Church , Quaker Hill , Delaware Avenue, Trinity Vicinity, and Upper/Lower Market Street. The conservation district is Forty Acres. Wilmington has recently overcome its safety woes and is "safer now than it's ever been" with crime at its lowest rate in recent history. Prior to 2018, Wilmington
688-503: A dinner to bring Madison and Hamilton together. Subsequently, a compromise was reached, in which the northern delegates would agree to the southerly Potomac River site, and in return, the federal government would assume debts accumulated by the states during the American Revolutionary War. Jefferson wrote a letter to James Monroe explaining the compromise. Congress agreed to the compromise, which narrowly passed as
774-470: A mob of angry soldiers converged upon Independence Hall demanding payment for their service during the war. Congress requested John Dickinson , the governor of Pennsylvania to call up the militia to defend Congress from attacks by the protesters. In what became known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 , Dickinson sympathized with the protesters and refused to remove them from Philadelphia. As
860-617: A petition to Congress by the residents of the Virginia portion of the District ( Alexandria County ) and the City of Alexandria, the area of 31 square miles (80 km) which was ceded by Virginia was returned, leaving 69 square miles (179 km) of territory originally ceded by Maryland as the current area of the District in its entirety. United States Statutes at Large The United States Statutes at Large , commonly referred to as
946-594: A result, Congress was forced to flee to Princeton, New Jersey on June 21, 1783, and met in Annapolis and then Trenton , before ending up in New York. On October 6, 1783, while still in Princeton, Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration, respecting a place for the permanent residence of Congress. The following day, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts motioned "that buildings for
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#17327878978371032-602: A series of wars between the Dutch and English , the area stabilized under British rule, with strong influences from the Quaker communities under the auspices of Proprietor William Penn . A borough charter was granted in 1739 by King George II , which changed the name of the settlement from Willington, after Thomas Willing (the first developer of the land, who organized the area in a grid pattern similar to that of its northern neighbor Philadelphia), to Wilmington, presumably after
1118-540: A site along the Potomac River and empowered President Washington to appoint commissioners to oversee the project. It also set a deadline of December 1800 for the capital to be ready, and designated Philadelphia as the nation's temporary capital while the new seat of government was being built. At the time, the federal government operated out of New York City . Congress passed the Residence Act as part of
1204-564: Is Wilfredo Campos. In 2002, the Wilmington Police Department started a program known to some in the neighborhoods as jump-outs in which unmarked police vans would patrol crime-prone neighborhoods late at night, suddenly converge at street corners where people were loitering and detain them temporarily. Using loitering as probable cause, the police would then photograph, search, and fingerprint everyone present. Along with apprehending anyone with drugs or weapons, it
1290-642: Is built on the site of Fort Christina and the settlement Kristinehamn, the first Swedish settlement in North America. The modern city also encompasses other Swedish settlements, such as Timmerön / Timber Island (along Brandywine Creek ), Sidoland (South Wellington), Strandviken (along the Delaware River near Simonds Garden) and Översidolandet (along the Christina River , near Woodcrest and Ashley Heights). The area now known as Wilmington
1376-542: Is led by Chief John Looney and maintains five engine companies, two ladder companies, a rescue squad company, and a marine company (fireboat) fire fighting fleet. Emergency medical services are provided through contract with the city's St. Francis Hospital, whose EMS division operates a minimum five BLS transport units at all times of the day. Advanced Life Support services in the City of Wilmington are provided by New Castle County's EMS Division with two city-based medic units. All Wilmington firefighters since 2002 are trained to
1462-578: Is located in Wilmington. The prison is often referred to as the "Gander Hill Prison" after the neighborhood it is located in. The prison opened in 1982. Many Wilmington City workers belong to one of several Locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union. The city of Wilmington is made up of the following neighborhoods: The City of Wilmington designates nine areas as historic districts and one area as
1548-542: The Statutes at Large and abbreviated Stat. , are an official record of Acts of Congress and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress . Each act and resolution of Congress is originally published as a slip law , which is classified as either public law (abbreviated Pub.L.) or private law (Pvt.L.), and designated and numbered accordingly. At the end of a congressional session,
1634-465: The 2020 United States census , there were 70,898 people, 31,754 households, and 13,572 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2010, there were 70,851 people, 28,615 households, and 15,398 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,497.6 inhabitants per square mile (2,508.7/km ). There were 32,820 housing units at an average density of 3,009.9 per square mile (1,162.1/km ) and with an occupancy rate of 87.2%. The racial makeup of
1720-497: The 2020 census , the city's population was 70,898. Wilmington is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area (which also includes Philadelphia , Reading , Camden , and other urban areas), which had a 2020 core metropolitan statistical area population of 6,228,601, representing the seventh largest metropolitan region in the nation, and a combined statistical area population of 7.366 million. Wilmington
1806-1059: The American Revolutionary War . With the compromise, Hamilton mustered support from the New York State congressional delegation for the Potomac site, while four delegates (all from districts bordering the Potomac) switched from opposition to support for the Assumption Bill. At the outset of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress was meeting in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House . On account of British military actions,
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#17327878978371892-463: The Christina River after Queen Christina of Sweden ). The area was also known as "The Rocks", and is located near the foot of present-day Seventh Street. Fort Christina served as the headquarters for the colony of New Sweden which consisted of, for the most part, the lower Delaware River region (parts of present-day Delaware , Pennsylvania , and New Jersey ), but few colonists settled there. Dr. Timothy Stidham (Swedish: Timen Lulofsson Stiddem )
1978-588: The Compromise of 1790 brokered among James Madison , Thomas Jefferson , and Alexander Hamilton . Madison and Jefferson favored a southerly site for the capital on the Potomac River , but they lacked a majority to pass the measure through Congress. Meanwhile, Hamilton was pushing for Congress to pass the Assumption Bill , to allow the Federal government to assume debts accumulated by the states during
2064-582: The Disney shareholder litigation . Because Delaware is the official state of incorporation for so many American companies, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, located in Wilmington, is one of the busiest of the 94 federal bankruptcy courts located around the United States. Delaware has among the strictest rules in the U.S. regarding out-of-state legal practice, allowing no reciprocity to lawyers who passed
2150-678: The Statutes at Large includes the text of the Declaration of Independence , Articles of Confederation , the Constitution , amendments to the Constitution , treaties with Native American nations and foreign nations, and presidential proclamations . Sometimes very large or long Acts of Congress are published as their own "appendix" volume of the Statutes at Large . For example, the Internal Revenue Code of 1954
2236-729: The Statutes at Large . Since 1985 the Statutes at Large have been prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Until 1948, all treaties and international agreements approved by the United States Senate were also published in the set, but these now appear in a publication titled United States Treaties and Other International Agreements , abbreviated U.S.T. In addition,
2322-550: The United States Code . Once enacted into law, an Act will be published in the Statutes at Large and will add to, modify, or delete some part of the United States Code. Provisions of a public law that contain only enacting clauses, effective dates, and similar matters are not generally codified . Private laws also are not generally codified. Some portions of the United States Code have been enacted as positive law and other portions have not been so enacted. In case of
2408-603: The "raw and unfinished" cityscape, the president found the public buildings "in a much greater forwardness of completion than expected." The Senate (north) wing of the Capitol was nearly completed, as was the White House. The president moved into the White House on November 1. First Lady Abigail Adams arrived a few weeks later. The Senate of the Sixth Congress met in the Capitol for the first time on November 17, and on November 22, Adams delivered his fourth State of
2494-413: The 1950s, more people began living in the suburbs of North Wilmington and commuting into the city to work. This was made possible by extensive upgrades to area roads and highways and through the construction of Interstate 95 , which cut through several of Wilmington's neighborhoods and accelerated the city's population decline. Urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 1960s cleared entire blocks of housing in
2580-607: The British Prime Minister Spencer Compton , Earl of Wilmington , who took his title from Wilmington, East Sussex , in southern England. Although during the American Revolutionary War only one small battle was fought in Delaware, British troops occupied Wilmington shortly after the nearby Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. The British remained in the town until they vacated Philadelphia in 1778. In 1800, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont ,
2666-796: The Center City and East Side areas. The Wilmington riot of 1968 , a few days after the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. , became national news. On April 9, Governor Charles L. Terry, Jr. deployed the National Guard and the Delaware State Police to the city at the request of Mayor John Babiarz. Babiarz asked Terry to withdraw the National Guard the following week, but the governor kept them in
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2752-746: The Christina River, the Coastal Plain land is flat, low-lying, and in places marshy. The Delaware River here is an estuary at sea level (with twice-daily high and low tides), providing sea-level access for ocean-going ships. On the western side of Market Street, the Piedmont topography is rocky and hilly, rising to a point that marks the watershed between the Brandywine River and the Christina River. This watershed line runs along Delaware Avenue westward from 10th Street and Market Street. These contrasting topography and soil conditions affected
2838-469: The Christina flows into the Delaware River . It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area (synonymous with the Philadelphia metropolitan area). Wilmington was named by Proprietor Thomas Penn after his friend Spencer Compton , Earl of Wilmington , who was prime minister during the reign of George II of Great Britain . As of
2924-544: The City Council President. The Council President is elected by the entire city. The Mayor of Wilmington is also elected by the entire city. The current mayor of Wilmington is Mike Purzycki (D). The current city council members are listed in the table below. The Delaware Department of Correction Howard R. Young Correctional Institution , renamed from Multi-Purpose Criminal Justice Facility in 2004 and housing both pretrial and posttrial male prisoners,
3010-683: The Congress was forced to relocate to Baltimore , Lancaster, Pennsylvania , and then York, Pennsylvania for a time before it returned to Philadelphia. Upon ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, the Congress of the Confederation was formed, and Philadelphia became the new nation's first seat of government . However, Congress did not remain in the city long, for in June 1783,
3096-565: The Delaware headquarters of: Wilmington Trust (now a branch of M&T Bank , after Wilmington Trust merged with M&T in 2011), PNC Bank , Wells Fargo , JPMorgan Chase , HSBC , Citizens Bank , Wilmington Savings Fund Society , and Artisans' Bank), and legal services. A General Motors plant was closed in 2009. Wilmington is home to one Fortune 500 company, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company . Science and Technology are also thriving as companies such as Incyte , Chemours , Corteva , Solenis and ZipCode call Wilmington home. In addition,
3182-709: The Dutch post Fort Casimir , located at the site of the present town of New Castle , which was built by the Dutch in 1651. Rising governed New Sweden until the autumn of 1655, when a Dutch fleet under the command of Peter Stuyvesant subjugated the Swedish forts and established the authority of the Colony of New Netherland throughout the area formerly controlled by the Swedes. This marked the end of Swedish rule in North America. Beginning in 1664, British colonization began; after
3268-455: The EMT-B level and serve as first responders for life-threatening emergencies. Much of Wilmington's economy is based on its status as the most populous and readily accessible city in Delaware, a state that made itself attractive to corporations with business-friendly financial laws and a longstanding reputation for a fair and effective judicial system. Contributing to the economic health of
3354-769: The People of Conestoga or the Susquehannocks . The Dutch heard and spelled the river and the place as Minguannan . When settlers and traders from the Swedish South Company under Peter Minuit arrived in March 1638 on the Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel , they purchased Maax-waas Unk from Chief Mattahorn and built Fort Christina at the mouth of the Maax-waas Hanna (which the Swedes renamed
3440-597: The Residence Act. Jefferson got the Virginia delegates to support the bill with the debt provisions, and Hamilton convinced the New York delegates to agree to the Potomac site for the capital. The bill was approved by the Senate by a vote of 14 to 12 on July 1, 1790, and by the House of Representatives by a vote of 31 to 29 on July 9, 1790. Washington signed the Act into law one week later on July 16. The Assumption Bill narrowly passed
3526-773: The Senate on July 16, 1790, followed by passage in the House on July 26. The Residence Act specified that the capital be located along the Potomac River between the Eastern Branch (the Anacostia River ) and the Connogochegue (near Williamsport and Hagerstown, Maryland ), and encompass an area of no more than "ten miles square" (10 miles (16 km) on a side, for a maximum area of 100 square miles (259 km)). The Act gave US President George Washington
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3612-440: The Susquehanna River site in September 1789, and the Senate bill specified a site on the Delaware River near Germantown, Pennsylvania. The House and Senate were not able to reconcile their two bills. The selection of a location for the capital resurfaced in the summer of 1790. At the same time, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was pushing for Congress to pass a financial plan. A key provision of Hamilton's plan involved
3698-418: The Union Address to a joint session of Congress in the Senate chamber . The House (south) wing was not completed until 1811. Nonetheless, the House of Representatives began meeting there in 1807. In February 1801, Congress approved the District of Columbia Organic Act , which officially organized the District of Columbia . Congress then became the district's exclusive governing authority. In 1846, based on
3784-411: The age of 18 living with them, 23.5% were married couples living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.2% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.18. In
3870-450: The authority to decide the exact location and hire a surveyor. The President was required to have suitable buildings ready for Congress and other government offices by the first Monday in December 1800 (Monday, December 1, 1800); the federal government would provide financing for all public buildings. The Act specified that the laws of the state from which the area was ceded would apply in the federal district. Thus, Maryland laws applied on
3956-464: The authority to publish the Statutes at Large to the Government Printing Office under the direction of the Secretary of State. Pub. L. 80–278 , 61 Stat. 633, was enacted July 30, 1947 and directed the Secretary of State to compile, edit, index, and publish the Statutes at Large . Pub. L. 81–821 , 64 Stat. 980, was enacted September 23, 1950 and directed the Administrator of General Services to compile, edit, index, and publish
4042-427: The average number of shooting incidents from 2003 through 2017, which is 108, the 72 shooting incidents in 2018 represent a 33% decrease over the 15-year period average. The Wilmington Police Department (WPD), is authorized to deploy up to 289 officers in motor vehicles, on foot, and on bicycle. Its operations are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As of 2023, its chief of police
4128-408: The average seasonal total is 20.2 inches (51 cm). Extremes in temperature have ranged from −15 °F (−26 °C) on February 9, 1934, up to 107 °F (42 °C) on August 7, 1918, though both 100 °F (38 °C)+ and 0 °F (−18 °C) readings are uncommon; the last occurrence of each was July 18, 2012 and February 5, 1996, respectively. See or edit raw graph data . As of
4214-471: The cap on interest rates that banks may legally charge customers. Major credit card issuers such as Barclays Bank of Delaware (formerly Juniper Bank ), are headquartered in Wilmington. The Dutch banking giant ING Groep N.V. headquartered its U.S. internet banking unit, ING Direct (now Capital One 360), in Wilmington. Wilmington Trust is headquartered in Wilmington at Rodney Square . Barclays and Capital One 360 have very large and prominent locations along
4300-446: The capital. Washington began scouting the area to the southeast of Georgetown, near the Anacostia River (Eastern Branch). Some property owners told him they would sell land for the capital. Washington also looked at other sites along the Potomac. He decided that a few sites should be surveyed to provide specific details about the land and its ownership. Washington returned to Philadelphia in late November 1790 to meet with Jefferson. Then,
4386-473: The characteristics of a satellite city to Philadelphia, but Wilmington's long history as Delaware's principal city, its urban core, and its independent value as a business destination makes it more properly considered a small but independent city in the Philadelphia metropolitan area . Wilmington lies along the Fall Line geological transition from the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Plateau to the Atlantic Coastal Plain . East of Market Street, and along both sides of
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#17327878978374472-424: The city is the corporate domicile of more than 50% of the publicly traded companies in the United States, and over 60% of the Fortune 500. Delaware chartered corporations rely on the state's Court of Chancery to decide legal disputes, which places legal decisions with a judge instead of a jury. The Court of Chancery, known both nationally and internationally for its speed, competence, and knowledgeable judiciary as
4558-413: The city occurred during the Civil War . Delaware, though officially remaining a member of the Union , was a border state and divided in its support of both the Confederate and the Union causes. The war created enormous demand for goods and materials supplied by Wilmington including ships, railroad cars, gunpowder, shoes, and other war-related goods. By 1868, Wilmington was producing more iron ships than
4644-563: The city until his term ended in January 1969. This is reportedly the longest occupation of an American city by state forces in the nation's history. In the 1980s, job growth and office construction were spurred by the arrival of national banks and financial institutions in the wake of the 1981 Financial Center Development Act, which liberalized the laws governing banks operating within the state, and similar laws in 1986. Today, many national and international banks, including Bank of America , Capital One , Chase , and Barclays , have operations in
4730-564: The city was $ 32,884, and the median income for a family was $ 37,352. Males working full-time had a median income of $ 41,878 versus $ 36,587 for females working full-time. The per capita income for the city was $ 24,861. 27.6% of the population and 24.9% of families were below the poverty line. 45.7% of those under the age of 18 and 16.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. The Wilmington City Council consists of thirteen members. The council consists of eight members who are elected from geographic districts, four elected at-large and
4816-553: The city was 58.0% African American , 32.6% White , 0.4% Native American , 1.0% Asian , <0.1% Pacific Islander , 5.4% from other races , and 2.6% from two or more races. 12.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites were 27.9% of the population in 2010, compared to 40.5% in 1990. As of the census of 2000, the largest ethnicities included: Irish (8.7%), Italian (5.7%), German (5.2%), English (4.4%), and Polish (3.6%). There were 28,615 households, out of which 25.0% had children under
4902-413: The city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.4% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. According to ACS one-year estimates for 2010, the median income for a household in
4988-458: The city, typically credit card operations. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 17.0 square miles (44 km ), of which 10.9 square miles (28 km ) is land and 6.2 square miles (16 km ) is water. The total area is 36.25% water. The city sits at the confluence of the Christina and Delaware rivers , approximately 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Philadelphia . Wilmington Train Station , one of
5074-400: The clock. Other industries produced such goods as automobiles, leather products, and clothing. In desperate need of workers more and more minorities moved to the north and settled in places like Wilmington. This led to tensions that occasionally boiled over like the Wilmington, Delaware race riot of 1919 . The post-war prosperity again pushed residential development further out of the city. In
5160-424: The decision to designate Philadelphia as the temporary capital city of the United States federal government for ten years until the permanent capital was ready. Congress reconvened in Philadelphia on December 6, 1790 at Congress Hall . Soon after signing the act, George Washington began work on the project. He and Thomas Jefferson personally oversaw the process as plans were developed and implemented. Even as
5246-467: The decision was reached to locate the capital at or adjacent to Georgetown, just below the Fall Line and the farthest inland point for navigation . In January 1791, the President proceeded to appoint, in accordance with the Residence Act, a three-member commission consisting of Daniel Carroll , Thomas Johnson , and David Stuart , to oversee the surveying of the federal district, and appointed Andrew Ellicott as surveyor. Washington informed Congress of
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#17327878978375332-479: The development of the city's first comprehensive park system. William Poole Bancroft , a successful Wilmington businessman influenced by the work of Frederick Law Olmsted , led the effort to establish open parkland in Wilmington. Rockford Park and Brandywine Park were created due to Bancroft's efforts. Both World Wars stimulated the city's industries. Industries vital to the war effort – shipyards, steel foundries, machinery, and chemical producers – operated around
5418-444: The downtown and Wilmington Riverfront regions has been the presence of Wilmington Station , through which 665,000 people passed in 2009. Wilmington has become a national financial center for the credit card industry, largely due to regulations enacted by former Governor Pierre S. du Pont IV in 1981. The Financial Center Development Act of 1981, among other things, eliminated the usury laws enacted by most states, thereby removing
5504-426: The eastern side of the Potomac, and Virginia laws applied on the western side in the District of Columbia until the government officially took residence. Upon assuming control of the federal district in 1800, Congress would have full authority over local matters within the District of Columbia. To garner enough votes to pass the Assumption Bill, Hamilton also needed votes from the Pennsylvania delegates. That led to
5590-547: The federal government assuming states' debts incurred during the American Revolutionary War . Northern states had accumulated a massive debt during the war, amounting to 21.5 million dollars, and wanted the federal government to assume their burden. The Southern states, whose citizens would effectively be forced to pay a portion of the debt if the federal government assumed it, balked at this proposal. Some states, including Virginia, had paid almost half of their debts and felt that their taxpayers should not be assessed again to bail out
5676-474: The homicide total of 2016 despite only being 2/3 through the year. In 2014, Wilmington recorded 28 homicides, making for a rate of 39.5 per 100,000 residents, which is ten times the national average. Wilmington frequently appears on NeighborhoodScout's "Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the United States" list. In 2017, Wilmington was ranked as the 5th most dangerous city in the US. Nearby cities such as Camden, New Jersey, and Chester, Pennsylvania, also ranked in
5762-416: The industrial and residential development patterns within the city. The hilly west side was more attractive for the original residential areas, offering springs and sites for mills , better air quality , and fewer mosquitoes . Wilmington has a warm temperate climate or humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with hot and humid summers, cool to cold winters, and precipitation evenly spread throughout
5848-413: The less provident. Further, they argued that the plan exceeded the scope of the new constitutional government. James Madison , then a representative from Virginia, led a group of legislators from the south in blocking the provision and preventing the plan from gaining approval. When Jefferson ran into Hamilton at President Washington's residence in New York City in late June 1790, Jefferson offered to host
5934-411: The project began to move forward, some held out hope that it would fail and that the capital would remain permanently in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania's congressional delegation attempted to undermine the plan by introducing legislation allocating funds for federal buildings and a house for the president in Philadelphia. Although the legislation did not specify an exact location, Georgetown was assumed to be
6020-462: The public buildings otherwise than on the Maryland side of the river Potomac." On March 30, 1791, Washington issued a presidential proclamation that established " Jones's point , the upper cape of Hunting Creek in Virginia" as the starting point for the federal district's boundary survey and the method by which the survey should determine the district's boundaries . During the early spring of 1791, Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant began working on
6106-512: The quality of work done thus far. The original intention of the Residence Act was to use proceeds from selling lots in the District to cover the costs of constructing federal buildings in the capital. However, few were interested in purchasing lots. A shortage of funds further contributed to the delays and problems in building the Capitol and other federal buildings in Washington. In early June 1800, President John Adams made his first official visit to Washington, which lasted for several days. Amid
6192-450: The rest of the country combined and it rated first in the production of gunpowder and second in carriages and leather. Due to the prosperity Wilmington enjoyed during the war, city merchants and manufacturers expanded Wilmington's residential boundaries westward in the form of large homes along tree-lined streets. This movement was spurred by the first horsecar line, which was initiated in 1864 along Delaware Avenue. The late 19th century saw
6278-403: The site selection on January 24. It suggested that Congress amend the Act to allow the capital to encompass areas to the south of the Eastern Branch, including Alexandria, Virginia . Congress agreed with the suggestion, passing an amendment to the Act that Washington approved on March 3, 1791. However, consistent with language in the original Act, the amendment expressly prohibited the "erection of
6364-639: The southernmost stops on Philadelphia's SEPTA rail transportation system, is also served by Northeast Corridor Amtrak passenger trains. Wilmington is served by I-95 and I-495 within city limits. In addition, the twin-span Delaware Memorial Bridge , a few miles south of the city, provides direct highway access between Delaware and New Jersey, carrying the I-295 eastern bypass route around Wilmington and Philadelphia, as well as US 40 , which continues eastward to Atlantic City, New Jersey . These transportation links and geographic proximity give Wilmington some of
6450-542: The state structure as the nation's permanent seat of government and granted Congress exclusive governing jurisdiction over it. The choice of a site was left for the new Congress to decide. During the debate, two sites became serious contenders: one site on the Potomac River near Georgetown ; and another site on the Susquehanna River near Wrights Ferry (now Columbia, Pennsylvania ). The House approved
6536-532: The statutes enacted during that session are compiled into bound books, known as "session law" publications. The United States Statutes at Large is the name of the session law publication for U.S. Federal statutes. The public laws and private laws are numbered and organized in chronological order. U.S. Federal statutes are published in a three-part process, consisting of slip laws, session laws ( Statutes at Large ), and codification ( United States Code ). Large portions of public laws are enacted as amendments to
6622-487: The top 15. In early 2017, the mayor's office as well as many public advocates called for comprehensive action to reduce astronomical crime rates in Wilmington, as the city saw a shooting almost every other day throughout the spring, and by May, the city had already seen 15 homicides. According to the WPD's 2018 Compstat report, shooting incidents have decreased to a level not seen in Wilmington in more than 15 years. When compared to
6708-849: The use of Congress be erected on the banks of the Delaware near Trenton or of the Potomac, near Georgetown, provided a suitable district can be procured on one of the rivers as aforesaid, for a federal town". During the mid-1780s, numerous locations were offered by the states to serve as the nation's capital, but the Continental Congress could never agree on a site because of regional loyalties and tensions. Proposed sites included Kingston, New York ; Nottingham Township in New Jersey; Annapolis; Williamsburg, Virginia ; Wilmington, Delaware ; Reading, Pennsylvania ; Germantown, Pennsylvania ; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; New York City; Philadelphia; and Princeton. The Southern states refused to accept
6794-572: The waterfront of the Christina River . In 1988, the Delaware legislature enacted a law which required a would-be acquirer to capture 85 percent of a Delaware chartered corporation's stock in a single transaction or wait three years before proceeding. This law strengthened Delaware's position as a safe haven for corporate charters during an especially turbulent time filled with hostile takeovers. Wilmington's other notable industries include insurance (American Life Insurance Company [ALICO], Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Delaware), retail banking (including
6880-525: The year. In July, the daily average is 76.8 °F (24.9 °C), with an average 21 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs annually. Summer thunderstorms are common in the hottest months. The January daily average is 32.4 °F (0.2 °C), although temperatures may occasionally reach 10 °F (−12 °C) or 55 °F (13 °C) as fronts move toward and past the area. Snowfall is light to moderate, and variable, with some winters bringing very little of it and others witnessing several major snowstorms;
6966-590: Was a prominent citizen and doctor in Wilmington. He was born in 1610, probably in Hammel, Denmark, and raised in Gothenburg , Sweden. He arrived in New Sweden in 1654 and is recorded as the first physician in Delaware. The most important Swedish governor was Colonel Johan Printz , who ruled the colony under Swedish law from 1643 to 1653. He was succeeded by Johan Rising , who upon his arrival in 1654, seized
7052-585: Was consistently ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States, along with several other cities in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area , such as Camden , Trenton , and Atlantic City , New Jersey, and Chester, Pennsylvania . In the 2000s, while most cities had seen a decrease in crime and murder, Wilmington had broken its record for homicides in a single year multiple times. In 2017, Wilmington saw an even steeper increase in crime. By August 2017, Wilmington had already eclipsed
7138-423: Was published as volume 68A of the Statutes at Large (68A Stat. 3 ). Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape : Paxahakink / Pakehakink ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware . The city was built on the site of Fort Christina , the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek , near where
7224-571: Was selected for the Capitol. Stephen Hallet was hired to oversee construction, which got underway in September 1793. Hallet proceeded to make alterations to the design against the wishes of Washington and Jefferson and was then dismissed. George Hadfield was hired in October 1795 as superintendent of construction but resigned three years later in May 1798 due to dissatisfaction with Thornton's plan and
7310-606: Was settled by the Lenape (or Delaware Indian) band led by Sachem (Chief) Mattahorn just before Henry Hudson sailed up the Len-api Hanna ("People Like Me River", present Delaware River ) in 1609. The area was called "Maax-waas Unk" or "Bear Place" after the Maax-waas Hanna (Bear River) that flowed by (present Christina River ). It was called the Bear River because it flowed west to the "Bear People", who are now known as
7396-524: Was thought that this program would improve the police's database of fingerprints and eye-witnesses for use in future crime investigations. Some citizens protested that such a practice was a violation of civil rights . Also in 2002, the entire downtown business district was placed under video monitoring. Wilmington was the first city in the United States to monitor the entire business district using video monitoring. The city claims this has helped prevent and reduce crime. The Wilmington Fire Department (WFD)
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