Claymont is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in
New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three List of counties in Delaware, counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent County, Delaware, Kent, and Sussex County, Delaware, Sussex). As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895.
History
The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of
Naamans Creek where it empties into the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
. This once rich ecosystem has been occupied steadily since before 1200 A.D. and has undergone numerous cultural and economic changes, most of which are still evident in the architecture and living patterns of the community today. The first residents were aboriginal Indians of the
Middle Woodland period
In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact i ...
(1100-1600 B.C.). Evidence of these early dwellers has been found along both sides of Naamans Creek.
The Dutch colonists named the creek and settlement after the Chief of the
Lenape
The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada.
The Lenape's historica ...
Indians who occupied the region. The settlement grew rapidly from the 17th century through the 20th century, first with gristmills, farms, and related ancillary industries, and later with lumber mills, a steel mill, and a chemical plant.
In 1681,
John Grubb purchased a one-third interest in a tract of the
Brandywine Hundred, which came to be known as Grubb's Landing.
Sitting strategically along the Delaware River, Claymont has been a two-way thoroughfare for travel to and from
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
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, since colonial days.
During the colonial period, the town served as a stop along the
King's Highway or Philadelphia Pike. The town became a site for intersections and connections with
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
,
Interstate 495,
US 13 (Governor Printz Boulevard), and
US 13 Bus. Philadelphia Pike has long been a thoroughfare for travel between Philadelphia (20 miles to the north) and Washington, D.C. (100 miles to the south).
In 1838, the newly constructed
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) was an American railroad, headquartered in Philadelphia, that operated in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland from 1836 to 1902. It was part of an 1838 merger of four state-chartered railr ...
built a station in Claymont. The area developed from a primarily agricultural community to a suburban resort area for wealthy Philadelphia families. In the early 20th century, it developed as an industrial working community.
[Claymont Community Redevelopment Plan](_blank)
It has included the suburban subdivisions of Claymont Addition, Brookview, Worthland, and Woodstream Gardens.
Naamans was renamed as Claymont in 1856 after the Reverend John B. Clemson, pastor of the Episcopal church, relocated here with his family from their plantation, Claymont Court, in
Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 6,534 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of Pres ...
.
[Claymont Historical Society](_blank)
Claymont, with its diverse population, has continued to maintain a strong sense of community. The community's religious, civic, historic, and social organizations play a major role in supporting its unique character.
Renaissance
Since the mid-1990s, several major revitalization efforts have been completed, including renovations of such historical sites as the
Claymont Stone School, the
Darley House and the
Robinson House. The Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization working to stimulate economic growth and residential improvement in Claymont, received a Sustainable Communities Award from the National Association of Counties.
In what has been called "the single largest redevelopment project in Brandywine Hundred in the last 40 years", the 633-unit, community of Brookview was razed beginning in 2007 to make way for the new urbanist, mixed-use Darley Green development. In 2017, plans were announced for the redevelopment of the former 450-acre Claymont Steel site. In 2019 construction began on the $71M Claymont Regional Transportation Center, which will replace the current small commuter rail stop one half mile to the south.
Geography

Claymont is located at (39.8006685, -75.4596404),
in northeastern
Brandywine Hundred, on the ridge line between the
coastal floodplain of the Delaware River and the
upland piedmont area of northwestern New Castle County.
The area generally considered to be Claymont encompasses the entire 19703
ZIP code,
which is bounded by the Pennsylvania border to the north, the Delaware River to the east, the
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
railroad line to the west, and
Perkins Run creek to the south.
Law and government
County representation
The New Castle County Government operates under an executive-council form of municipal government. The county is headed by a County Executive, who is elected to a maximum of two consecutive, four-year terms. The Chief Administrative Officer, who is the county's second-in-command, is appointed by the County Executive and serves at his or her pleasure. The current County Executive is Matt Meyer, and the current Chief Administrative Officer is Vanessa Phillips.
The county's legislative body is a thirteen-member County Council, consisting of twelve members elected by district and one Council President elected at large. Claymont falls within New Castle County District 8, which is represented by Councilman John Cartier.
State representation
Claymont is in the 7th District of the
Delaware House of Representatives, and is in the 1st District of the
Delaware Senate.
Both members of the Democratic Party, Larry Lambert represents Delaware House District 7, and
Sarah McBride represents Senate District 1.
Federal representation
Democratic Congresswoman
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (née Blunt; born February 10, 1962) is an American politician serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Delaware. From 2017 to 2025, she served as the U.S. representative for . A member of the ...
represents the State of Delaware in its entirety.
Claymont is represented in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
by Democrats
Tom Carper
Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
and
Chris Coons
Christopher Andrew Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Delaware, a seat he has held since 2010. A member ...
.
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
has an office on Philadelphia Pike in Claymont.
Fire
The Claymont Fire Co. has two locations, one of which is located in Claymont on Philadelphia Pike.
Police
The New Castle County Division of Police has jurisdiction over all unincorporated areas in New Castle County, Delaware. The department has about 400 law enforcement officers. The current Chief of Police is Vaughn Bond. Claymont is also under the jurisdiction of the
Delaware State Police.
Demographics
The ZIP Code Tabulation Area for 19703 includes communities such as Ashbourne Hills, the Greentree section, the Society Hill Section, and parts of Rolling Park, which are neighborhoods located within Claymont. The area had a population of 14,471 with a total of 5,984 households at the 2010 Census. The racial makeup of the area was 61.83% White, 31.41% African American, 7.72% Hispanic, 0.89% Native American, 4.75% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, and 3.48% from other races. As of 2010, the median household income for the 19703 ZIP code was $58,304 with an average of 2.42 persons per household.
Education
Claymont is in the
Brandywine School District. Zoned schools are as follows:
* Most of the CDP is zoned to Claymont Elementary School, while parts are zoned to Maple Lane Elementary School and to Forwood Elementary School.
* Most areas are zoned to Talley Middle School, while some are zoned to P. S. DuPont Middle School.
* Much of Claymont CDP is zoned to
Brandywine High School while some of the CDP is zoned to
Mount Pleasant High School.
Archmere Academy, a private school, is in Claymont.
The current Claymont Library, operated by New Castle County Libraries, opened in 2013.
Previously Claymont was in the Claymont School District. The
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legi ...
established the Claymont Special School District on June 24, 1920, and that district was reorganized into the Claymont School District on July 1, 1969. That district merged into the
New Castle County School District in 1978. That district was divided into four districts, among them the Brandywine district, in 1981.
Prior to educational desegregation in the mid-20th century, African-American children in Claymont went to
Howard High School in Wilmington.
Transportation

Major roads that serve Claymont include
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
,
Interstate 495,
US 13 (Governor Printz Boulevard),
US 13 Bus. (Philadelphia Pike), and
DE 92 (Naamans Road).
Claymont Station
Claymont station (also known as Claymont Transportation Center and Harris B. McDowell III Transportation Center) is a station on the Northeast Corridor in Claymont, Delaware. Claymont has two high-level side platforms with a pedestrian bridge ...
is a
SEPTA Regional Rail train station on the
Wilmington/Newark Line
The Wilmington/Newark Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system in the Philadelphia area. The line serves southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, with stations in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and ...
, providing service north to
Center City Philadelphia and south to
Wilmington and
Newark. Trains along
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
pass through Claymont but do not stop; the nearest Amtrak station is
Wilmington Station.
[ ]DART First State
The Delaware Transit Corporation, operating as DART First State, is the only public transportation system that operates throughout the U.S. state of Delaware. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service throughout the state and al ...
provides bus service to Claymont along Route 13, which runs from the Claymont Station south along Philadelphia Pike to Wilmington; and Route 61, which runs from the Claymont Station west along Naamans Road to the Brandywine Town Center. SEPTA Suburban Bus Route 113 runs from the Claymont Station north into Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the List of counties in Pennsylv ...
, providing service to the Chester Transit Center in Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
, the Darby Transportation Center in Darby, and the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby.
Places of interest
Claymont is home to several historic places, including the Claymont Stone School, est. 1805, which may have been the state's first racially integrated public school; Archmere Academy, est. 1916, in the former home of industrialist John J. Raskob; the Darley House, est. 1859, former home of illustrator F. O. C. Darley; the Grubb/Worth Mansion, erected in 1783; and the Robinson House, with a Block House believed to be the only structure remaining of the original Naaman's Creek settlement.
Notable people
* Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress and television personality. She began acting as a child actor, child and made her screen debut in a 1974 episode of Apple's Way, ''Apple's Way''. She gained wide recognition f ...
, '' One Day at a Time'' and ''Touched by an Angel
''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...
'' actress
* Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, 46th President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
and former U.S. Senator and Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
* Keasel Broome, soccer player
* John Carney, Governor of Delaware
* J. Caleb Boggs, former Governor of Delaware, U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator
* F. O. C. Darley, known as the "Father of American Illustration"
* John Grubb, two-term member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, one of the original settlers of Claymont
* Nathaniel Grubb, served in the Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly
* Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, celebrity tattoo artist
* John J. Raskob, DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
and General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
executive
* Adolf Ulric Wertmüller, Swedish portrait painter
References
External links
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Delaware
Census-designated places in New Castle County, Delaware
Delaware populated places on the Delaware River