Why So Few Americans Live In Delaware As Compared To Pennsylvania, Maryland, or New Jersey
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- čas přidán 6. 06. 2024
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COUPLE QUICK CORRECTIONS:
1. Sorry about the mispronunciation of Lewes.
2. I used a video of the Chesapeake Bridge and not the Chesapeake Bridge and Tunnel.
Delaware is a tiny state in terms of population. And while it's also small in area size, there's a reason why the state has no major city to call its own. After all, if nearly 6 million people can squeeze into the Philadelphia metro region, they can certainly fit into Delaware's nearly 2,000 square miles. But while physical size isn't necessarily a problem, other factors definitely hindered Delaware's population growth over the decades.
Stock footage is acquired from www.storyblocks.com and artlist.io.
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please do what if the Midwest was a country
Does Incogni has population density layers? Also, how well do the datasets integrate with Tableau? Also, what nature datasets come with the Software?
I'd like to see videos about Africa and Asia. They're areas that aren't covered comprehensively by many geography channels on CZcams.
By the way, lose the topknot. It doesn't work for you ;)
make a video about night life in Delaware because trying to date in this state is a nightmare
Anyone wearing a T shirt with Portland has no right to talk down about other cities or stares. It was a nice city ...
As a native Delawarian, if asked why Delaware had such a small population, my answer would probably be just because it is so small. When compared to states nearby it is quite similar in density. The only thing Delaware really lacks in terms of population compared to its neighbors is a major city.
I was going to say "Wilmington," but it's really almost a suburb of Philly.
I think that the guy who made this video doesn't live near here.
@@s99614 He's from Oregon.
Cities are small, so...
Dover 113k
If someone asked me on the street "Why is Delaware so under populated?" I would probably just answer "Because everyone forgets Delaware exists?". 🤣
As a Delawarean, I'm happy that a lot of people forget it exists. 😂 We get too many visitors from NY, PA, NJ and elsewhere as it is.
@@jamesplymire5342 stop the cap ain’t no one got time for hellawere
Local Delaware joke is.. Dela -Where??? In reference to how many outsiders don't know the state.
tx for reminding me! Seriously!
Unless you're a geography nerd the odds of completing the 50 state challenge is remote. Everyone forgets Delware, Rhode Island and often Wyoming. @@valarieirons4447
When I went to college in Utah and people found out I was from Delaware, a typical response was "Dela-where?". I even had one person ask me what country it's in.
I always wanted to visit Delaware
Same here. It almost seems like no one has heard of Delaware outside of the tri state area. I used to get that question a lot. Yeah someone ask me what country it was in too. 😁
That's because those people don't learn about anything east of the Mississippi. They can't even tell you where DC is.
Most geographically informed Americans
It kills me to see how ignorant people can be. I'm from Delaware and when you leave this state or talk to people far away from here you see how uneducated they are.
Delaware could easily be home to 4 to 5 million people if Wilmington had developed at the same rate as Philadelphia from 1820 to around 1950. But for reasons not well-known to me, Philadelphia stole Wilmington's economic thunder by around 1750, despite Wilmington being a port city closer to the Atlantic. Maybe because Philadelphia lies at the convergence of the Schuylkill and the Delaware rivers? So Wilmington, and Delaware in general, have been playing catch-up ever since.
Delaware was a part of the Province of Pennsylvania but since William Penn lived in Philadelphia and owned the colony, the economic resources were concentrated in Philadelphia. Even after being separated from PA in 1701, PA and DE shared the same governor until 1776 and those governor's opted to concentrate resources in Philadelphia.
Wilmington is full. I live in Delaware
@@bricky63b we don't want it. We the 6th most densely populated state by people to space. We only got 526 square miles with almost 1 million people now
@@ou1ixesyou mean state we don't have provinces
The "states" were organized as provinces in the colonial era under England@@highlymedicated2438
Im in DE ,10 minutes from New Jersey 10 minutes from Pennsylvania 10 minutes from Maryland
Newark stand up!
SAMEEEE. I love it!
😏😆
Did the math, by population density delaware is actually more dense than my home state (PA), so technically the main reason why is that its 13 times smaller.
Most of PA is woods and mountains not the terrain to support large populations. Delaware on the other hand is about entirely on solid ground to support large populations.
Apparently he didn't do the math and couldn't be bothered to talk about density at all in a 13 minute video.
Well yeah there's huge portions of rural area in Pennsylvania
While true of overall i would wonder how that compares to the eastern/south central counties that are normaly considered part of the ne megaoplious. For example my county is around 1k/sq mile while not being a suburb of a large city
Yeah, a quick glance at the size of each state reveals this
Great video, but no part of Delaware is within the Appalachian Mountains. The highest elevation is about 448 feet and entire state is very flat and within the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
This point bothered me too haha. Delaware is flat coastal plains.
Northern Delaware is part of the Piedmont Plateau. "The Piedmont physiographic province is within the Appalachian Highlands physiographic division." Wikipedia.
It is on the border of the Piedmont and even that is a bit of a stretch to consider the Appalachian Mountains. Delaware certainly does not include the “mountainous regions of Appalachia” as described in the video. Would you consider Philadelphia the Appalachian Mountains? I don’t think anyone would.
the highiest point is iron hill
The highest hills, if you can call them that, are near that 12 mile circle separating DE from PA. They're only a quarter to a half the size of the hills in the hilly parts of Iowa.
The reason Delaware has such a low population is simply because it is so small. The population density is actually quite high at about 522/sq mile making it the 6th most densely populated state.
To be fair, I don't think land size is what makes the state small in Population. Take a look at Wyoming, It's Big in Land but small in population. Rhode island is smaller than Delaware but has a similar amount of people living there.
At 1 Million, it's a miracle how it grew so populated.
@@PaulsTechSpace
RI is a lot closer to both Boston and NYC. Delaware is close to Philly, which is smaller than either. (Close to DC, too, but without a direct land route until the Chesapeake Bay bridge was built.)
RI is right in the thick of "Megaopolis." Because DE is on an isolated peninsula (along with the East Shore of MD), Megalopolis hews to the west side of the bay, passing DE by.
@@bcubed72 Philly isn't smaller than Boston.
@@TrainsFerriesFeet Hmm. Well, color me surprised.
Fun Fact: Prior to 1986, Metropolis from DC Comics, was canonically set in Delaware across the Delaware Bay from Gotham City NJ. Since then, the locations are kept vague. Smallville was in MD prior to 86 right across the DE border.
More movie trivia: if you look carefully in the movie Fight Club starring Brad Pitt, you will see clues that the setting is Wilmington, even though it's not ever overtly stated. A Wilmington zip code can be seen in one scene and then of course the stuff about the credit card companies, also a Wilmington industry.
@@1FlyingSolo1 I never knew that about Fight Club, one of my favorite movies. Delaware, in some of its more isolated areas off the Delaware Bay, has places named Whorekill, Murderkill, and Slaughter Beach. The first two are small rivers.
Fight Club is based in Wilmington too.
Wilmington is pretty rough. Fits right in with jersey, Philly, Chicago, etc
While downtown Wilmington is passable as Metropolis, nothing across the bay in NJ makes me think of Gotham. Lots of farm country. I’d buy it if they said it was Smallville. Trenton, up the river, okay that’s more Gotham. Or take the Turnpike to Newark (NJ, not DE) for a more Gotham vibe.
IDK. 😅
Great video. As a life long Delaware resident I have 1 correction. Lewes is pronounced Lew-iss.
And Newark is pronounced New-wark, etc.
Yeah I've never heard anyone pronounce Lewes as loues.
When I lived in Philly and I pronounced it noork (I'm originally from north jersey) they quickly corrected me New ark 😅😅😅
Also, the Indian tribe he mentions - the Lenape - I've always pronounced it as LEN-uh-pee. I forget how he said it, but it was much different.
@jimcharles9705 same for me. Also I was hoping to hear him pronounce Hockessin. Most out of staters get that wrong. Gotta emphasize the Ho! 😁
500,000 people live above the Canal (the Canal is the dividing line between "upper" and the not so much slower anymore "lower" Delaware). If you travel in most places in Northern New Castle County above the Canal, there are really few places for large scale developments to happen due to all the suburban sprawl along Kirkwood Highway between Wilmington and Newark, along 202/Philadelphia Pike heading from Wilmington to the PA burbs, and 13 heading down from Wilmington towards New Castle.
Its going to be interesting to see what's going to happen to Smyrna/Middletown in 20 years because so much Development is going on down there because there really isn't that much more land to Develop in the Wilmington/Newark area. Smyrna is about to BLOW up...and I can honestly see the cities of Middletown, Smyrna, and Dover basically merging to becoming one combined CSA metro in the next 20 to 30 years.
Not to mention the beaches. The beach towns of Lewis, Rehoboth, Dewey, and Bethany population increase 12 fold during the summer. It's a nightmare driving down there during the summer beach season, and so many more homes are being build along those areas.
But yeah, it has a small population, but its a lot more Densely populated than most other places in the US. And it really is a nice place to live. You are less than 3 hours from NYC, DC, The Pocono Mountains, Beaches, Amish Country, Philly, Baltimore and everything in-between, which is why I do believe New Castle County is one of the most underrated places to live in the United States of America.
I could not agree more with what you've said. I'm a Newark native.
When I first moved to Delaware 23 years ago, the whole "slower lower" thing held true, but in recent years with the amount of development in Smyrna, Middletown, and the beaches, I think it's about time to retire it bc there is so much development and higher traffic volumes now than years past.
I agree that northern New Castle county is pretty much built out at this point hence why we see cornfield after cornfield turn into subdivisions further south.
I agree that in the coming years, especially along the Route 1 corridor, the southern part of the state will become a denser unbroken chain of development from Middletown to Dover all the way to the beaches.
We say any place above the canal is Pennsylvania. People from there aren't like us in Slower Lower.
There is no longer a slower lower Delaware. Kent and Sussex Counties are growing faster than Newcastle County.
@@1FlyingSolo1 it sucks.
girl so many people have been moving here and we hate it 😭😭 the beaches are always packed now
💯 We can't even enjoy our own state. 😢
What do you mean? 🌚 We were from Delaware all along.
The pandemic started New Yorkers moving out to surrounding states. After NYC, everything seems reasonable.
Went to Rehoboth this year and was blown away how perfect the village is. We will go back. From NY
stay in NY. We don't want you there. lol
@bricky63b true, very true. We had some bikes at our condo. To the Boardwalk it was 10 minutes by bike and 30 by car.
Please don't lol
Yes, please don't. We can't even enjoy our beaches. New Jersey has lots of beaches, you should visit there instead.
@@wileycovington4497 ok, sure we won't come back
I’ve lived in DE all my life and the reason it has a low population compared to other states is it’s small size.
It’s actually quite congested here and it keeps getting worse because they just keep building on land that used to be farmland and woods. I wish people would stop moving here
AGREED. Live off of route 1 and the traffic is just terrible now a days .
Great Video Geoff! I used to live on Maryland's Eastern Shore, now Coastal Virginia. We would go to Delaware for Gambling, Tax-Free shopping, and the best Ice Cream and Dairy farms in the country!
One small note, when you talk about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel you use footage of the Bay Bridge, which is a different bridge that connects Kent Island, Md with Annapolis, Md.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is in the Southern Tip and connects Virginia Beach, Va to Cape Charles, Va.
Keep up the great content!
More love from Nairobi Kenya
That sea level comparison between Florida and Delaware is something I will have to remember
That is actually scary
Thanks for the video, Geoff! 😊
That's changing at a fast rate right now as so many people are moving from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York to Delaware. Especially in the Wilmington area, Middletown, Smyrna and Dover. And honestly, the Wilmington area is just an extension of the Philly suburbs as alot of people in that area are originally from Philly. So do an update on this in 5 years and I'm sure you'll see a shift.
Interesting video. Very well done.
I’d like to hear more about Delaware’s main industries which you only mentioned briefly - Corporate Law, Banking and Chemistry. Interesting industries for a small state. Especially corporate law. Hmmm.
Excellent commentary, I always learn something new.
Thank you.
As a Pennsylvanian who has lived partly in Delaware (and has family down there), it didn't help Delaware's case that it kept getting punted between its various neighbors during the colonial period. Christina was founded by the Swedes (and Finns) as part of New Sweden, and when the Dutch of New Netherlands booted out the Swedes not long after its founding, only to have the Dutch be booted out by the English, you have a setup that it's land that's constantly changing hands. And that theme won't get any different later on. Virginia and Maryland both claimed portions of Delaware for themselves until the three counties got given to William Penn to be part of Pennsylvania.
And arguably the three Lower Counties (as they were called at the time) likely would have integrated into Pennsylvania and the history of Delaware would have ended there--except Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers... and their governor William Penn decided to go back to Europe to drum up interest in settling Pennsylvania. The population of the new colony (and the three Lower Counties) couldn't agree with one another--so the Assembly that Penn set up decided to stop meeting since every Assembly meeting turned into long drawn out arguments, which meant that they also decided to stop collecting taxes. William Penn soon noticed that his money supply of taxes wasn't flowing and he wrote to the Assembly to fix the situation. The Assembly, not meeting, ghosted William Penn on paying him the taxes he was owed as Proprietor--and eventually William Penn responded by hiring a Puritan from Massachusetts to come down and settle the matter, which only backfired as the entire colony revolted to the Puritan's attempts to force the Assembly to meet, pass laws, and collect taxes. The Puritan eventually gave up when even the Assembly joined in the "we refuse to bow to your authority" protests that were having. They colonists complained to Penn for foisting a Puritan on their Quaker haven, Penn apologized but shifted the blame back on them for not working with him, so he was forced to drastic measures by calling in a Puritan. The Assembly promised to do better... and then they didn't, and William Penn eventually died in debtor's prison due to all the unpaid taxes from Pennsylvania colonists driving him into debt. I always consider it rather ironic that PA has statues of William Penn around (especially in Philly)--it's almost like a warning to anyone who tries to think they can control Pennsylvania: look what we did to our own founder, sure we like the guy now that he's dead and gone and can't order us around anymore. But look what we did to him: we drained his coffers and starved him of income until he died in debt and in prison--and don't think we won't do the same to you if you think about telling us what to do if we don't want to do it. That always seems to be the underlying sentiment there...
All through this back and forth, the Lower three Counties watched the Upper three Counties pull all this and slowly and quietly started getting the idea that they'd rather not be associated with the Upper Counties moving forward. This eventually became formalized in 1704 when the Lower Counties got their own separate assembly instead of alternating locations as they had been prior, though they remained under the control of the Governor of PA for the rest of the Colonial period.
So considering that Delaware, first a Swedish settlement, then a Dutch, then an English, then considered a pawn of Virginia, Maryland, and finally Pennsylvania--never really had a chance to establish itself. We should consider Delaware as the Korea of the Mid-Atlantic Colonies. Surrounded by larger neighbors and constantly fought for control over by those larger neighbors--and thus never allowed to really grow and develop on its own until the USA formed.
Knowing that, it also really explains why Delaware was so keen to be the first state to adopt the Constitution--it ensured they wouldn't be controlled any longer by their neighbors.
Had to give this a like because it’s so thorough.
All this History…
And Nothing About Slavery??
good read, thanks
Super interesting and helpful info as someone researching DE again for a population map analysis
I'm Canadian, but I would love to live in Delaware. It would make me so happy to live in this Beautiful state.
Delaware is basically the PEI of the US, but less beautiful
Please don't.
You'll be living in America someday soon after we annex you
@@joshm3283that’s actually Rhode Island
I visit Rehoboth and Bethany frequently, its really beautiful and laid back out there. Much better than the overcrowded tourist beaches of Florida.
Good video, but for one thing. When you were talking about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which connects Maryland's lower Eastern shore with Virginia, the picture you showed was of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which connects Maryland's western shore to Kent Island.
Wrong the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel connects Virginia's Eastern and western shores
@@AprilCustins You are correct. But the comment you are replying to is just pointing out that he didn't use footage of the Bay Bridge-Tunnel, he used footage of the Bay Bridge in MD.
Great insights!
very interesting thank you
Mistake! You referenced the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel-which is in Virginia-while showing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-which is in Maryland.
I moved to Annapolis in 1986 and they have been talking about a new bay crossing (because the two old spans are inadequate and, well, getting very old) ever since. Nearly forty years later and they have yet to come up with a plan.
And arguably the most terrifying stretch of bridge in America. Jeff, sorry Geoff, it’s an experience I highly recommend
@@jebwiseley1706 Thanks for the memories. I've been scared on more than one occasion driving across the Bay Bridge. There's even a car driving service you can hire who will drive you and your car over the bridge if you're too scared to do it yourself.
They haven't built a new stretch because of the amount of influence NIMBY's have. Nobody wants a second Bay Bridge near where they live so we're stuck figuring out how to add another bridge in the only place where a bridge currently stands.
@@JustMe-vn5pq I had to drive over the Bay Bridge through whatever blizzard hit us a couple years back. Was coming back from a wedding down in North Carolina. Definitely one of the biggest pucker factors I've felt in some time.
The 12-mile circle was a surprising fact. Thanks for posting.
High quality presentation as usual. Graphics are the best I’ve seen.
In Boy Scouts, we would pronounce Lenape like Len-ah-Pay and Lewes is like Lewis (as in Lewis & Clark), but the latter could be a Delaware thing and most people in the Philly area just pronounce it that way
Lewis is the right pronunciation i live there!
It's always disorienting to hear people refer to Lewes as """Lou's""" 😐
You're correct! Also our Houston isn't pronounced like the Texas one.
Geoff, I really enjoyed this video! It has been many years, but I have visited Delaware before! Thank you for the reminder that it is rightfully named The First State because it was the first state to ratify The Constitution. I had forgotten how far north Wilmington is located in Delaware. And you just taught me something I did not know before: The Twelve Mile Circle. What a really neat part of history!
I have said int he past that geography plays a huge role in how history occurs. And this is certainly true with Delaware. Thank you so much for what you shared in this video.
Cool Videos! Thanks!
Super relevant because according to DC Comics Metropolis is located in Delaware, across the bay from Gotham City (which is in New Jersey)
Delaware is unique in one aspect: the state still retains the division of counties by its colonial name, hundreds. Where other colonies changed their political boundaries to townships, Delaware still has 39 hundreds within its 3 counties. Currently, i live in Lewes and Rehoboth Hundred. I've lived in Lord Baltimore Hundred, Christiana Hundred, Wilmington Hundred, and Pencader Hundred. My family lives in Georgetown Hundred, Indian River Hundred, Gumboro Hundred, Appoquinimink Hundred, and Murderkill Hundred.
I grew up in South Jersey, which as you said is divided into Townships. Yet I never heard of Delaware's "Hundreds." Thank you.
... Murderkill?
@@DoctorCyan Yea, I'm not sure if it's in the same area but DE has a beach called Slaughter beach
I've lived in Delaware my whole life and have never actually heard anyone refer to them as hundreds though, just the name of the town
It seems like a low-key great place to live
Moved here 2 years ago. If you're just looking to chill, not be bothered by anybody but take the occasional drive to Philly, NYC, etc, it's bliss. 10/10, would recommend
@@TheMagnanimousMany thank you. 💯💯
Plus no sales taxes
@@TheMagnanimousMany
@TheMagnanimousFew keep the right company you will be ok cud it's definitely plenty of drama here.. trust me these people are like everyone else it's just not very violent here I'm from Wilmington and lived in dover as well for a bit.
Great video, very interesting!
Thanks for the in depth history.
I'm from MD. PA is actually the least populated by size. PA is a bunch of mountains and small towns. Outside of Philly and Pittsburgh it's referred to as Pensyltucky outside of those two cities for a reason.
Once you leave Allegheny County, your in country.
Exactly right. Just for grins, I tried to figure out what the population density would be if PA didn't have Philly or Pittsburgh. It was similar in density to those big states which are far from the "madding crowds" of the East Coast, like Kentucky, Washington, Wisconsin, or Missouri. The beginning of the 1978 movie "The Deer Hunter" is set in rural PA.
@@JustMe-vn5pq Actually, the beginning of Deer Hunter was set in Allegheny County. It was set in an old Mill Town. There were few Steel Mills outside of Allegheny County.
The old Steel Mills ran from just outside the Downtown on the South Side along the Monongahela River. All the way to Irwin Pa. If I remember the Deer Hunter, I was set in either Braddock, Clairton, Duquesne, or McKeesport. But I think it was either Clairton or Duquesne. They were all mill towns. Homestead was were the Homestead works of United States Steel.
In Braddock, the Edgar Thompson Works of USS still operates, and Irwin works of USS still operates. All the rest is gone.
I only know South Western Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is like a foreign country to us.
I have to go now I will finish this later.
Philadelphia is a strange place. You know Sylvester Stallone way of talking, it's not a speech impediment, that's how people from Philadelphia talk.
Pittsburgh had 2 revolts against Philadelphia. 1st was the Whiskey Rebellion, the capital was in Philadelphia at that time the second was in 1876 the Pennsylvania Railroad Strike. Philadelphia sent the Pennsylvania National Guard. Pittsburghers sat up on a hill above the Railroad Yard, and pinned down the National Guard.
Philadelphia sucked money out of Pittsburgh.
The county surrounding Pittsburgh. Washington County, Westmoreland County, Butler County, and Beaver County surround Allegheny County. Towns that are close to the Allegheny County are some of the Ritzy Towns, like Cranberry, Peters, and Imperial. The farther you get away from Allegheny County the more rural it gets.
During the Covid19 lockdown, I'd get in my car and ride the old routes like
Rt 88, Rt 19, & Rt 22.
⛽ was cheap, and there was no one on the roads.
One time I ended up in West Virginia, another time in Ohio.
Riding those rural road was nice. I'd pass farms, small towns, and the homes were all nice.
Down in Green County is sparsely populated, there is Waynesburg University, and a Federal Prison. Other then that there isn't much. I remember in 1990 doing an Electrical job in a ⛽ station. One of the workers said that they were getting building codes in Waynesburg, but not outside the city limits.
I called that God's country.
Another place like that is Poke County, if you go in back country of Polk County then you will find home with cars up on cement blocks.
When I buy me cars, which are always old, I buy them from the country areas.
In Allegheny County, cars cost more, but out in the country prices are lower.
It is because people buy cars close to were they live. Out in the country , there's few people, so it takes a long time to sell a car.
You said you are from Maryland. My Great grandfather grew up in Mt Savage. There was an Iron factory in Mt. Savage.
As the family story goes, my Great Grandfather was 5 years old during the potatoe famine. His maternal Grandfather took him to Mt. Savage.
The rest of the family stayed in Ireland and starved.The owner of the Iron works was a man by the name of Arnold, who hired Irish to work in the Iron Works.
During that period, Mt Savage was the 3rd largest city in Maryland
When the iron ore mine was depleted, the Iron Works. closed
My Great grandfather migrated to Pittsburgh.
In 1870, he bought a lot of land in Pittsburgh, and built a successful Blacksmith business, and prospered.
Yeah I live in MD too and I often forget that only 1 county lies between me and PA but not the parts of PA that actually matter (Philly and Pittsburgh).
I was on internship last summer in Delaware and I feel like one of the reasons is the lack of public transportation/metro that links Dover to wilmington and DC/Baltimore. I feel like more people would live there if they could just take the train to work (like people living in NJ going to work in NYC).
SEPTA? MARC trains from Newark are planned..
@@mak529 Trouble is there are no trains going downstate, and the bus system is horribly unreliable. That really limits the areas of the state that benefit from SEPTA and MARC connections.
@@john_savage It'll be changing soon. Plans are in the works. The problem with such a development has always been about justifying the major cost with the demand. As the demand rapidly grows, the cost of such a statewide metro system becomes more feasible to justify. The state is nearing that justifiable point very quickly.
Wish I knew so much as you!!!! Thanks for the vids!!
Geoff! You are the man! I just look at maps all day and search for cool looking areas
There are actually suburbs in the USA that are larger in population than Delaware’s largest city of Wilmington.
That's because Wilmington is essentially a high-density suburb of Philadelphia.
A couple of off the top of my head thoughts. I moved to Wilmington in 1996 for a job that ended in 2004. I stayed here. When I first got here I would ask my co-workers what’s good about Wilmington? They’d say it’s close to Philadelphia and Baltimore, and even NYC. I ask again what’s good about living in Wilmington? They said well, you’re close to Philadelphia etc etc. I had mostly lived in places where the majority of people were from somewhere else. Delawareans mainly stay here, or if they leave they come back home. When people asked me where’d you go to school, at first I said Florida State and then UNC. I got the stink eye. They meant high school.
One more thing- it really bugs me when people make a video about some place and they don’t even bother to learn how to pronounce the name of places. Lewes has two syllables.
The first time I heard Lewes pronounced the way he said it I had no idea what they were talking about.
@@lanicotton8507 Both the town in the UK and the one in Delaware are pronounced with 2 syllables.
Thank you!
Very interesting video
If all of northern Delaware (north of the canal) consolidated into a single city then it would be one of America's larger cities. It's mostly suburban so it has a lot of potential to develop more.
Glasgow should be merged into Bear to form an official City of Bear, and the western Newark hundred/township along R.40 should be given to Bear as well since it's practically in Bear anyway. Bear is already the 5th largest city/town in the state, and yet isn't officially considered one. Which is very odd.
It is a shame that Delaware is growing so badly. The sprawl is insane for a state as small as ours.
I grew up in Saint Georges and remember a time before the Rt. 1 bridge was built. The growth in Middletown is nonsensical.
What is the absolute safest area in Delaware
@@cow212tst Centreville, probably.
It's nice seeing a video about my home state, and where I currently live. Most people forget we even exist.
It's interesting that we live in the Delaware valley yet we get forgotten.
I have actually visited Delaware a few times. The northern county of New Castle really feels like a suburb of Philadelphia, but to the south Kent and Sussex counties are quite charming with fishermen and farms.
Good overview - thanks! My feedback is that there are no Appalachian foothills in the state (not sure where that footage was from, but I’ve been all over it and have never seen anything like that).Also, when you described the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (which I will drive over today), you showed footage of the Bay Bridge, which also spans the Chesapeake Bay, but it connects the western and eastern Maryland shores of the Bay, and is just east of Annapolis (I’ll also be driving over that bridge today). Hope that helps!
On some maps, Superman's Metropolis is in Delaware on Delaware Bay across from Batman's Gotham in New Jersey. In the real world, there are no major population centers in either location but plenty of wetlands instead.
Part of the problem for Delaware population density is that while the northern part of the state has access to Route 95, the main route through this part of the country, that road only runs through the northernmost part of the state. Everything to the south connects to secondary roads that run through the most rural parts of Maryland. The southern end of Delaware, other than beach communities is very rural and anything further south into Maryland is virtually the same. In this respect, while Delaware appears to be in the "middle of the action" on a map, the reality is that it, along with Maryland's eastern shore is quite isolated. My folks moved to Dover in 1964. Back then it had about 5000 people and was extremely isolated. Having been raised in Chicago, I hated it. Once I got to college, I only came back to Dover to see my folks. Today, Dover is a total schiithole. Major homelessness, dangerous downtown, high crime. Very sad.
Hey Geoff, thanks for an insightful and interesting video highlighting my home. One note, Lewes is pronounced Louis.
Glad I found this channel stay connected.
What's truly baffling is why anyone would try to make a colony out of a sliver of the Delmarva Peninsula, instead of the entire peninsula.
One colony wanted the Delaware Bay and the other colony wanted the Chesapeake Bay. So they split the peninsula down the middle.
The peninsula was divided by colonial Virginia in the south and the Calvert family in the north. The Calvert family owned the province of Maryland and used it as a haven for like minded English Roman Catholics. William Penn was deeded Pennsylvania later. In the meantime, the brother of the king, the Duke of York, benefitted from the Dutch colonies being ceded to the English crown. Present day New Castle was one of the Duke's settlements. The more famous being New Amsterdam in present day Manhattan. Penn arrived at New Castle, was presented with the key to the town, and sailed north to present day Pennsylvania. Penn, realizing his colony was 88 miles from the ocean, petitioned the King for a fresh water port along the bank of the Delaware Bay. King granted petitioned, Penn sent Pennsylvania settlers to present day Slaughter Beach. The port's purpose was to provide fresh water and food to arriving ships before they headed up the Delaware. The Calvert family, being the rightful owners of the peninsula, didn't like the encroachment. The sent their militia and slaughtered Penns people. Hence the name. Penn wasn't too happy and sued the Calvert family in court. Back and forth the court battles went, Penn died and his children settled the dispute with Lord Baltimore, who is the head of the Calvert family. The next part is where the OP gets wrong. The king asked the people on the peninsula who they wanted to be their governor. Since the Methodist Church in America was founded along the Murderkill River nearby present day Frederica, the peninsula was full of Methodist churches and settlements. They didn't wish to be a part of the Roman Catholic Maryland colony and voted to take their chances with the less strict Quakers. The king divided the peninsula but rivers. Rivers and the land around them that flowed into the Chesapeake remained with Maryland. Rivers that flowed to the Delaware were given to Pennsylvania. Both the Penn family and the Calvert family had to pay for two English surveyors to mark the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, Mason and Dixon. But Pennsylvania never owned the 12 mile circle of land around New Castle, that always remained with the Duke of York. Pennsylvania had to pay rent to the Duke so the lower three counties of Pennsylvania could be joined with the upper 5 counties of Pennsylvania. Delaware seceded from Pennsylvania in June 1776 with a letter written to the King telling him to get ducked along with the province of Pennsylvania. Delaware celebrates this day every year in New Castle with Separation Day. The Declaration of Independence was written a month later.
Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware, is pronounced like it's namesake, Lewes, Sussex County, England, as LOO-is. Lou's is the name of a top less bar in Tinicum, Pennsylvania. Don't confuse the pronunciation.
@@christophercox9311we don't have provinces
For several years, I attended a week long summer program a=of the US Chamber of Commerce program at the University of Delaware. I learned then that it’s a great place: not too crowded, great beaches, fairly rural save Wilmington, and fairly close (within two hours) of NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.
Im from Delaware and hanging out in all those cities is the norm. Parts of Delaware is an easy commute to all 4 cities. We go to professional sports events of which all 4 cities have, concerts as well off broadway and broadway shows. Delaware also has the advantage of a much lower cost of living as well. And I can’t forget the outdoors…..mountains, hiking trails, beaches, state parks……. so much to do in a 2 hr radius . Never a reason to be bored here.
@@notyet2345how is public transportation
@@roselynholloway7863 not sure. I haven’t been on public transportation in yrs.
@@notyet2345 ok
I wondered if you would discuss "The Wedge." Good job. I lived in the upper northeast corner of MD bordering PA and DE. For people who live in the area for generations there is still some dispute as to which state the Wedge belongs.
@GeographybyGeoff the bridge you are showing at 6:19 spot is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge connecting Annapolis, MD to Kent Island, MD. It is not the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The water tower on the left is Northrop Grumman and Beach on the right is Sandy Point State Park.
Good job on this. I honestly rarely think about Delaware. You should do a video like this on West Virginia. Every state that borders it has a much larger population, with major cities. 🙌
unrelated but West Virginia in my opinion has to be the most underrated state in the country in terms of natural beauty..
@papagramps1257 oh for sure. It is a beautiful state. There's just no opportunities for people, no real cities, no jobs and a horrible problem with drugs. It's sad honestly.
As someone who moved to Delaware 4 years ago, chased from NJ by out of control property taxes, I can say for sure that this tiny state is rapidly filling in with residents. Our neighborhood was once farmland, and this is a common story throughout the lower two thirds of the state. Farms and orchards are getting bought up by developers and houses are sprouting from the ground seemingly overnight.
My commute to work only took about 15 minutes two years ago, but now regularly takes close to 25 minutes due to increased traffic.The contractor who built our home would jokingly call Delaware "South Jersey," and there's plenty of truth to that. On a regular basis, while out in public we meet more people who have moved here than were raised here.
In South Jersey, can confirm I know lots of people who used to live here but have since moved to Delaware for cost of living purposes. I was nearly one of them as a kid when my dad got his job transferred to Wilmington for two years. The exodus is real!
Thank You so much
I always wondered this
Very informative.....loved it. Thank You.
How could you mention the 12 mile arch and NOT mention the two exclaves it stole away from New Jersey? You even have them in your animation. Two artificially created land masses on the New Jersey side were granted to Delaware by the 12 mile arch. One is an army administered nature reserve and the other is on the grounds of a nuclear plant. Both are uninhabited.
Ah the old Salem Plant vista by Port Penn. The Middletown stoner's favorite hideaway.
There's a map from an old DC comic that has Metropolis in DE and Gotham across the Delaware Bay in New Jersey.
I remember looking at it and thinking "Why aren't there two major cities there?"
Lmao I just looked that map up. Judging by the star, it looks like Metropolis would around Seaford, which has about 8,000 people in it. I was just there about a month ago and it's the quaintest little town you've ever seen haha.
As a resident of the area having grown up in Philadelphia, we always saw the fact that Delaware had no State Sales Tax as a nice reason to visit. Though never really got the bug to move there. We do frequent the DE beaches as they are a nice alternative to NJ.
Moved from Baltimore in 2020 to the beaches in Delaware. There is massive building in the south with mostly retirees moving in. (I am not of that age) It’s a wonderful place to live, but jobs are certainly not very high paying for the most part. Im glad I moved to my dream house and I’m not mad it won’t be too populated and I’m glad to be away from a “big city”.
Thank you for the video it was very informative
Also the state that has kept the same license plate design for the longest, the current plate design is over 50yrs old.
I am glad you focused on the Twelve Mile border, and finally showed that a piece of Delaware is on the "New Jersey side". Fishermen in New Jersey sometimes get hassled when they fish in the Delaware and don't have a license from Dover.
That's some BS!
@@btothek4989 It's true. If you are standing on the shore in New Jersey, then you are OK. But if you go out in a boat on the Delaware, technically you are in Delaware!
:A Delaware fishing license is now required for anglers aged 16 and
over fishing the Delaware Bay and Delaware River between the
upstream tip of Artificial Island and the Delaware-Pennsylvania state
line. In that section of the river, the Delaware state boundry extends to
the New Jersey shoreline. However, when fishing from shore in New
Jersey along that section of the river, a Delaware fishing license is not
required. Delaware fishing license information can be found at
www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries/Pages/NewFishingLicense.aspx."
Delaware has on highway, Rt-1, a very cheap toll road, that only runs down to Dover, no interstate highway whatsoever. Always found that to be kinda odd & extremely frustrating.
Another interesting result of the 22 mile circle is the emergence of Delaware land on the east bank of the Delaware river. Land reclamation and dumping of dredged materials have resulted in a significant piece of land owned by Delaware on the east bank.
Do a video on why most of Michigan's population lives in the lower peninsula.
The whole Delmarva is actually pretty isolated. It's actually a man made island because of the C&D canal and there are only 5 bridges in and out. Northern Delaware is pretty much just rhe Philly suburbs. The rest of the state is more like the rest of the Delmarva - farmland and beaches that serve the bigger cities that surround it.
The bridge you picture is the Chesapeake bay bridge. It connects the eastern and western shores of Maryland via route 50 and is only 4 miles long. It is actually a set of 2 bridges as pictured, the older has 2 lanes and the newer having 3 lanes. The Chesapeake bay bridge and tunnel is a separate bridge that connects the eastern and western shores of Virginia via route 13. It is not pictured in your video.
The bridge you show is not the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, an 18-mile long structure that connects the Delmarva Peninsula to the VA mainland, but the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a 4-mile long structure that connects the Eastern and Western shores of Maryland.
Delawarean here. A few fact checks.
* It's pronounced "LOO-is" not "Lewws".
* That's the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (which connects one half of Maryland to the other), not the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (which connects one half of Virginia to the other).
* For as small as Delaware is, it's essentially two states. North of the Canal is very suburban, more prosperous, and votes Democrat. (Joe Biden Country) North of the Canal is what makes Delaware the sixth most densely populated state in the Union.
* South of the Canal is more rural, not quite as prosperous, and votes Republican. If you drive the back roads of Kent and Sussex Counties, you will see, from time to time, a Confederate battle flags and "Let's Go Brandon" posters.
* Due to the low cost of living, a lot of folks from surrounding states are retiring to Delaware, especially to Sussex County. It's also commutable to Philly, D.C. and Baltimore.
The “Leews” sent me 😂
🙏
Too many people retiring to Sussex County! Getting very crowded here.
Delaware does not have problems with flooding. And learn how to pronounce Lewes ("Lewis").
we unfortunately have some Trump cultists up in New Castle County as well
Currently moved here from New Jersey . 5 months in. It’s nothing here. Will be moving back to New Jersey lol ! Don’t get me wrong I love how cheap it is with no sales tax! It’s way too much traffic & takes 20 min plus to get every where and not too many back roads. Always have to get on the highway. It’s just nothing like NJ❤.
75% chance you won't move. Lol Folks say that all the time and never act on it, or they do and end up coming back because they miss the affordability and comfortable weather conditions of the state. I'm from NY and have been here for over 20 years. DE is one of those states that just grows on you hard. There's little sensible reason to leave it for most people.
I’m seriously considering moving to Delaware. I’m SO done with NY.
I travelled to Philadelphia and Dover a few years ago and honestly enjoyed my time in Dover the most. I noticed the difference in population density between the northeast regions, but Delaware didn't seem as empty to me as most people made it out to be, quiet and boring maybe, but not empty and lifeless. I think the other three states surrounding it just have larger cities that people gravitate to more, but overall it wasn't too different.
Just found your CZcams channel. Love it! (and love geography as well). Have you ever considered posting a video about the unusual "panhandle" area of Western Maryland? It feels more like PA or WV. And at the eastern border of this region -- where the town of Hancock is located -- the state of Maryland is only 1.8 miles wide.
Fun fact: the highest point in DE is marked with a bench and plaque. Its on the north end and about 30 seconds to the PA border.
I wondered for years why people were stopping at this random bench and taking pictures.
I think it is odd that Delaware doesn't just take up that entire Peninsula.
I think it’s more odd that given that it doesn’t - since MD wraps around it to the west and south, that MD just suddenly stops and the bottom tip is VA.
I saw a map - on paper- this was a few decades ago when I was a young driver - and said why is the tip of MD the same color as VA? Yeah…
When I eventually drove down US-13 and crossed the CBBT I saw it all differently than as a child going to WDW.
I also found it interesting that DE controls the Delaware River across from NJ as opposed to how PA and NJ share it and I think split it down the middle. So crossing the Del Mem Br you are only in NJ when over NJ soil. As an aside, my profile picture is from years ago. My child has now obtained a license to operate a motor vehicle. Some of my “now pay attention to this and that” got in there but recently , after an independent cruise , I heard my kid say “I was wondering what “DEL MEM BR” was and was Dell selling memberships to something to do with their computers but then as I got close I finally figured out that it meant Delaware Memorial Bridge!” 😂 I had a good laugh.
@@nickpalance3622 Fun story and great memories!
I best eastern shore MD wishes they did too, Delaware has cheaper taxes
At 7:19 mark, you are showing the southern portion of Lake Seneca in Watkins Glen NY. No where close to Delaware.
I went to school in Dover, DE. At the now defunct Wesley College. I had a great education, overall good experience in DE. Ended up moving back to MD anyway, lol
Wesley, at least it's buildings, are now a part of Del State
Didn’t even mention sales tax. An additionally anomaly that leads it to be a retail destination.
you're correct about why DE has a small pop. to add to the list though...you mentioned DE has a lot of coastal areas that are preservations...true...but that are a lot of established communities into those coastal areas which are quite anti-development...Bethany Beach is one of those areas...generally, the full-time residents don't want to see their sleepy beach town turn into a rowdy party city like Ocean City, MD....so to add to your list, there's a good deal of anti-development
I NEVER knew about the 12 mile circle!!! That blows my mind!
You forgot to mention the squabbles between Maryland and Pennsylvania over the boundaries of Delaware's lower county, Sussex. The border between Maryland and Delaware was disputed for a long time.
The lewes pronunciation is brutal
“Lewis”
Geoff has butchered "Worcester" too. For a supposed Geography "nerd", one would think he would check how to pronounce places properly.
@@maxpowr90I always wondered why Worcester is pronounced "wooster" but Dorchester is not pronounced "dooster" 😂
I think the big difference is that New Castle county (aka Upper Delaware) is essentially an extended Philadelphia suburb whereas the two southern counties are all chicken farms, Dover airbase and basically Southern (lower Delaware) with the NASCAR race and all that. This excludes the shore points like Rehoboth and Bethany which are nicer versions of the Jersey shore. At least that's the joke when I went to Delaware about Slower Lower Delaware.😂 😂😂
Delaware is full. People from Philly, NY and NJ moving in great numbers. So for it's size, the population density is actually high.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the small portion of Del. That resides on the NJ peninsula.
Delaware is a chill state I guess, though it broke off from Pennsylvania it definitely feels like a Mini Maryland.
The Delaware River/Bay has a shallow, brackish, marshy shore line on both the Delaware and New Jersey sides. From the canal to Cape May (NJ)/Lewes (DE), there are no natural ports for vessels of any size, unlike the Chesapeake Bay to the south, which is the sailing capital of the East Coast (sorry, Newport (RI). Development on this marshy terrain is not feasible and yes, the Jersey side is almost as poorly suited to development for the same reasons. Being on a waterway is not enough to attract population growth; it has to have suitable economic potential.
No part of Delaware touches the Appalachian Mountains. . .
You were showing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - which crosses the Bay between Annapolis & the Eastern Shore.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is located in Virginia - connecting the Eastern Shore of Virginia with the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area.
Actually, lots of people move to Delaware, good tax breaks for retired folks & no sales tax. But the ‘beach traffic’, NASCAR traffic ( Dover ) & ( north of the C&D canal, the I-95 traffic is horrendous!
You were showing the Chesapeake Bay bridge and talking about Chesapeake tunnel bridge.
Northern rural Delaware is beautiful. We considered moving there when we relocated, but the school districts were better in SE PA...as they should be, given the difference in taxes.
Rural northern DE? Above the canal is where close to 2/3 of the state lives. The rural parts of delaware are below the canal in Kent and Sussex County
My parents chose PA over De for the same reason. We ended up living on the PA/DE border
@@ThePhl4ever Hockessin
I've always been curious about the lack of a prestigious university in Delaware compared to the rest of the original 13 states (South Carolina is also sort of in this situation), especially since the states immediately surrounding Delaware have some of the most prestigious universities in the country, but I feel like that issue may tie into the population disparity that you mentioned here.
UD, is considered a " baby Ivy" and is a premier research institution in the nation. Its founder was a cofounder of both PennU and Princeton Uni.; two Ivies. The thing that kept UD from becoming an official Ivy is that the State and DuPonts influenced it into becoming a partial public school instead of a full private one. Every year, it receives a record-breaking number of applicants wanting to attend; most of which it has to turn down due to lack of space at the time. It's national ranking has long been under assessed, but with recent major expansions to its research programs, size and growth of foreign student interest the school has jumped like 20 spots up the rankings in just the past 2 years and will continue its sharp rise in the coming years. It's currently ranked like 72 in the nation, which is mainly due to it being little known by most of those doing the ranking, but that is rapidly changing.
From cmc NJ miss taking the farrie to Delaware
Thanks for the interesting info, from a multi-generational lifetime Delawarean.
Of note, Lewes is pronounced like "Lewis." We also have a Houston, pronounced, "House-ton," a Frederica, pronounced, "Fredder-ricka," and probably a few more. I am often asked for directions to "Lose."
Yup. That's how I can tell someone is not familiar with DE. And it's New-Ark not New-Werk. 😊