Elsmere is a town in
New Castle County,
Delaware, United States, bordering the city of
Wilmington along Wilmington's western border. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 6,131.
History
Elsmere dates back to 1886 when real estate developer Joshua Heald bought farmland and converted it into houses, building the first suburb in northern Delaware. The community was built at an intersection of railroad lines and allowed working-class families easy access to Wilmington.
Trolley
Trolley may refer to:
Vehicles and components
* Tram, or trolley or streetcar, a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks
* Trolleybus, or trolley, an electric bus drawing power from overhead wires using trolley poles
** Trolleytruck, a trolleyb ...
lines were later built leading to Elsmere. In 1909, Elsmere was incorporated as a town.
During the 1910s, the Delaware State Fair Association purchased land and built a new fairgrounds within Elsmere's town limit. The grounds, including a racecourse for horses, cars and motorcycles, were located south of New Road and Wilmington Avenue and west of the previously established streets. This land became the site of the
Delaware State Fair from 1917 to 1928, and provided a large parking area and ready access from the nearby trolley line. Agricultural exhibits provided the backbone of the fair, but in addition to the races, the summer attraction also included horse and dog shows, vaudeville acts, music, and fireworks. After 1928, the State Fair had moved to
Harrington
Harrington (or Harington) may refer to:
People as a surname
* Harrington (surname)
People as a forename
* Arthur Raikes (Arthur Edward Harington Raikes, 1867–1915), British army officer
*Charles Harrington Elster, American writer
*Edward Josep ...
, but the grandstand and the races remained until 1943, when the property was converted to land for residential housing.
In 1950, a 336-bed
Veteran's Administration hospital opened on the western edge of town. This was the ninth VA hospital built after the conclusion of
World War II.
Geography
Elsmere is located at (39.7392796, –75.5979812).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Elsmere is 1.5 miles away from
Wilmington
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification system, Elsmere has a
humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 5,800 people, 2,299 households, and 1,487 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.41%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 9.45%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.22%
Native American, 0.97%
Asian, 5.10% from
other races, and 1.84% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 12.09% of the population.
There were 2,299 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,415, and the median income for a family was $46,357. Males had a median income of $35,427 versus $28,089 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $18,643. About 6.7% of families and 8.9% 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 11.8% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government

Elsmere has a
mayor-council system of government consisting of a Mayor and a six-member Town Council, with Town Council members elected by district. As of 2022, the Mayor is Eric Scott Thompson while the Town Council consists of Marianne Skipski (1st District), Sally Jensen (2nd District), Mary Steppi (3rd District), Charles McKewen (4th District), Joann Personti (5th District), and Drew DiBiaso (6th District).
Police services in the town is provided by the Elsmere Police Department, which consists of a Chief of Police, Administrative Assistant, Lieutenant, two Patrol Sergeants, Sr. CPL, CPL, two PFCs, and three Patrolmen. Fire protection in the town is provided by the Elsmere Fire Company No. 1, which was founded in 1921.
Mayors
Eric Thompson 2018-Present
Steven Burg 2015-2018
Deborah Norkavage 2007-2015
Edward Doyle 2001-2007
And Patti Belvins 1985-1990
And James Abbott 1978-1985
And Joseph Walling 1957-1971
Richard Holmes 1954-1957
Parks and recreation
Elsmere is home to multiple small neighborhood parks. Parks in Elsmere include Junction Street Park, Fairgrounds Park, Joseph R. Walling Park, Maple Avenue Park, Brian Martin Park, Vilone Park, and Veterans Park. The town is also home to Elsmere Bark Park, which is a
dog park
A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners.
Description
Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4' to 6' fence, separate double-gated ...
.
Education
The town of Elsmere is served by the
Red Clay Consolidated School District Red Clay Consolidated School District (abbreviated Red Clay or RCCSD) is a public school district in northern New Castle County, Delaware. Founded in 1981, Red Clay serves a portion of the city of Wilmington, as well as its northwestern suburbs.
...
for public education. The school district maintains one school in the town: Austin D. Baltz Elementary School (Grades K through 5). Public school students in Elsmere in grades 6 through 8 attend Alexis I. duPont Middle School in
Greenville while students in grades 9 through 12 attend
Thomas McKean High School northwest of Elsmere near
Hockessin
Hockessin () is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 13,527 at the 2010 census.
History
Hockessin came into existence as a little village in 1688 when several families settled in th ...
.
The
Diocese of Wilmington
The Diocese of Wilmington ( la, Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the eastern United States and comprises the entire state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryla ...
operates All Saints Catholic School (PreK through 8). Formally known as Corpus Christi School, All Saints is a merge of Corpus Christi, St. Matthew School, St. Catherine of Siena, and Our Lady of Fatima.
Infrastructure
Transportation
The main east–west road in Elsmere is
Delaware Route 2
Delaware Route 2 (DE 2) is a east–west state highway located in the northern part of New Castle County in the U.S. state of Delaware. It runs from DE 72 and DE 273 on the eastern edge of Newark east to DE 52 ...
(Kirkwood Highway), which heads east to
Wilmington and west to
Newark.
Delaware Route 100 (Dupont Road) runs north–south through the eastern part of Elsmere.
Delaware Route 141
Delaware Route 141 (DE 141) is a state highway that serves as a western bypass of Wilmington, Delaware. Its southern terminus is at DE 9 and DE 273 in New Castle and its northern terminus is an interchange with U.S. Rout ...
passes to the west of Elsmere, with access to the town via an interchange with DE 2 in
Prices Corner. DE 141 heads south through
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
and provides access to
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadi ...
,
Interstate 295, and
Interstate 495.
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 a ...
provides bus service to Elsmere along Route 6, which follows Kirkwood Highway and heads east to
Wilmington station, which is served by
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
and
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and serving the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philade ...
's
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, a ...
, and west to the
Newark Transit Hub. Freight trains pass through Elsmere along
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
's
Philadelphia Subdivision
The Philadelphia Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The line runs from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, southwest to Baltimore, Maryland, along a forme ...
line and
East Penn Railroad
East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Readin ...
's Wilmington & Northern line, both of which interchange at Elsmere Junction. CSX Transportation operates the Wilsmere Yard to the south of Elsmere near the former
Wilmington Assembly plant used by
General Motors.
[
]
Utilities
Delmarva Power
Delmarva Power is an energy company that provides electricity and natural gas to customers on portions of the Delmarva Peninsula in the states of Delaware and Maryland. The company is a subsidiary of Exelon.
Electricity and natural gas
Delmarva P ...
, a subsidiary of Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an American Fortune 100 energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and incorporated in Pennsylvania. It generates revenues of approximately $33.5 billion and employs approximately 33,400 people. Exelon is the larges ...
, provides electricity and natural gas to Elsmere. Artesian Water Company
Artesian may refer to:
* Someone from the County of Artois
* Artesian aquifer, a source of water
* Artesian Builds, a former computer building company
* Artesian, South Dakota, United States
* Great Artesian Basin, Australia
* The Artesian Hote ...
, a subsidiary of Artesian Resources, provides water to Elsmere. Sewer service in Elsmere is provided by New Castle County. Trash and recycling collection in Elsmere is provided under contract by Waste Management
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitori ...
.
Health care
Elsmere is home to the Wilmington VA Medical Center, a veterans hospital operated by the Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a nationa ...
. Hospitals near Elsmere include Wilmington Hospital and St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington and Christiana Hospital in Christiana.
Notable people
* Bill Hawke
William Victor Hawke (April 28, 1870 – December 11, 1902) was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched for three seasons, all in the National League, with a career record of 32 wins and 31 losses.
Career
Born in Elsmere, De ...
, former MLB pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...
and Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
* Francis D. Vavala, General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
, Delaware National Guard
*Patricia Blevins
Patricia "Patti" Blevins is an American politician and the former President pro tempore of the Delaware Senate. A Democrat, she represented the 7th district from 1990 until 2016, when she lost her reelection campaign by 282 votes. Blevins served ...
, Former mayor of Elsmere and President pro tempore of the Delaware Senate
References
External links
Town of Elsmere
{{authority control
Towns in New Castle County, Delaware
Towns in Delaware