Camden is a town in
Kent County, Delaware
Kent County is a County (United States), county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851, making it the least populous county in Delaware. The county ...
, United States. It is part of the
Dover metropolitan area. The population was 3,715 in 2020.
History
Camden was established in 1783 as a community originally known as Mifflin's Crossroads. The community of Mifflin's Crossroads was a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
settlement laid out by Daniel Mifflin on the Piccadilly tract. The town originally gained some commercial trade through wharves in nearby Forest Landing and
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
on the
St. Jones River. From these wharves, regular boat service connected the area to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, with local merchants shipping cordwood, staves, grain, and Spanish-oak bark. The
Delaware Railroad was built through nearby
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
in the 1850s and expanded the market for local farm products, bringing increased prosperity to Camden.
The town has numerous historic properties and part of it is designated as the
Camden Historic District. In addition,
Brecknock,
Camden Friends Meetinghouse,
Star Hill AME Church, and
Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church are all listed individually on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
On February 22, 1975, a vote was held to merge with the bordering town of Wyoming; the residents of Camden voted 117 to 49 in favor of merging the towns, but the measure failed when Wyoming residents voted against the measure by a similar proportion in reverse: 113 against to 78 in favor. The Wyoming town council had previously opposed a merger attempt in 1967.
Geography
Camden is located at (39.1134458, –75.5418687).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.
Because of the small size of this town, and its even smaller neighbor of
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
, the U.S. Postal Service has jointly assigned the towns a single
ZIP code, 19934, which is designated as the Camden-Wyoming ZIP code.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Camden has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of 2020, its population was 3,715.
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 2,100 people, 835 households, and 573 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 886 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 76.67%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 18.00%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.81%
Native American, 1.38%
Asian, 0.14%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.90% from
other races, and 2.10% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.
There were 835 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,097, and the median income for a family was $50,347. Males had a median income of $32,154 versus $25,261 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $21,113. About 1.8% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
Infrastructure
Transportation
U.S. Route 13 runs north–south through the eastern part of Camden, heading north toward
Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
and south toward
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
.
U.S. Route 13 Alternate passes north–south through the center of Camden on Main Street.
Delaware Route 10
Delaware Route 10 (DE 10) is a state highway in Kent County, Delaware, Kent County, Delaware. It runs from Maryland Route 287 (MD 287) at the Maryland border in Sandtown, Delaware, Sandtown east to an interchange with the D ...
runs east–west through Camden on Camden Wyoming Avenue, heading west through rural western Kent County to the
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
border and east toward
Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force (USAF) base under the operational control of Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. The 436th Airlift Wing is the host wing, and runs the bu ...
.
DART First State provides bus service to Camden along Route 104, which runs from the
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
in Camden north to the
Dover Transit Center in Dover and connects to other local bus routes serving the Dover area; Route 117, which runs from the Walmart in Camden south to
Harrington; and Route 303, which heads north to Dover and south to
Georgetown.
Utilities
Delmarva Power, a subsidiary of
Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an American public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue and is the largest regulated electric utility in the Uni ...
, provides electricity to Camden.
Chesapeake Utilities provides natural gas to the town. The Camden-Wyoming Sewer & Water Authority provides sewer and water service to Camden and the neighboring town of
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. Trash and recycling collection in Camden is provided under contract by
Republic Services
Republic Services, Inc. is a North American waste disposal company whose services include non-hazardous solid waste collection, waste transfer, waste disposal, recycling, and energy services. It is the second largest provider of waste disposal in ...
.
Education
Camden is located in the
Caesar Rodney School District. It is divided between the boundaries of Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School in Camden and W. B. Simpson Elementary School in
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. Students zoned to Stokes and Simpson are zoned to Fred Fifer III Middle School in Camden. Areas east of US 13 zoned to W. Reily Brown Elementary in Dover are on land zoned as commercial.
Caesar Rodney High School
Caesar Rodney High School is a public high school located in Camden, Delaware, just south of Dover. The school is in Caesar Rodney School District. Its enrollment is over 2,000. During 1983 to 1984, Caesar Rodney was recognized as a Blue Ribb ...
in Camden is the comprehensive high school for the entire district.
Government
*
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
: Larry Dougherty
*
Vice-Mayor: Vicki Rhodes
*
Councilman: Dan Woodall
*
Councilwoman: Darlene Sturgeon
*
Councilman: Dan Ridgley
*
Chief of Police
A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the command hierarchy, chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or somet ...
: Marcus Whitney
*
Town Manager: Harold Scott
Notable people
*
Ashley Coleman,
Miss Delaware Teen USA 1999,
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant that has been run since 1983 by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19 years old as of January 1st of the competition year. They must be US citizens, and cannot have been married, pregnant, or ...
1999 (born and grew up in Camden)
*
Eric Buckson, born in Camden and a current Kent County Levy Court Commissioner
*
Henry Hayes Lockwood, born in Camden Civil War general
*
Charles L. Terry Jr., born in Camden, 65th
Governor of Delaware
*
R. Thomas Wagner, Jr., State Auditor of Delaware and former Mayor of Camden
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Towns in Kent County, Delaware
Towns in Delaware