Newark ( )
[Not as in ]Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
. is a city 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. It is located west-southwest of
Wilmington. According to the
2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The
University of Delaware is located here. The city constitutes part of the
Delaware Valley, and the
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 ...
metropolitan area.
History
Newark was founded in 1694 by
Scots-Irish and
Welsh settlers. It was officially established in 1758 when it received a charter from
George II of Great Britain
George II (George Augustus; ; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover, Hanover) and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Em ...
.
Schools have played a significant role in the history of Newark. A
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
, founded by
Francis Alison in 1743, moved from
New London,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
to Newark in 1765, becoming the Newark Academy. Among the first graduates of the school were three signers of the
Declaration of Independence:
George Read,
Thomas McKean, and
James Smith. Two of these, Read and McKean, went on to have schools named after them in the state of Delaware: George Read Middle School and
Thomas McKean High School.
During the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, British and American forces clashed outside Newark at the
Battle of Cooch's Bridge. Tradition holds that the Battle of Cooch's Bridge was the first instance of the
Stars and Stripes being flown in battle.
The state granted a charter to a new school in 1833, which was called Newark College. Newark Academy and Newark College joined together in the following year, becoming Delaware College. The school was forced to close in 1859, but was resuscitated eleven years later under the
Morrill Act when it became a joint venture between the State of Delaware and the school's Board of Trustees. In 1913, under the
legislative Act, Delaware College came into sole ownership of the State of Delaware. The school would be renamed the
University of Delaware in 1921.
Newark received a license from King George II to hold semi-annual fairs and weekly markets for agricultural exchange in 1758. A paper mill, the first sizable industrial venture in Newark, was created around 1798. This mill, eventually known as the Curtis Paper Mill, was the oldest paper mill in the United States until its closing in 1997.
Methodists built the first church in 1812, and the railroad arrived in 1837.
One of Newark's major sources of employment and revenue was the
Chrysler Newark Assembly plant, which was built in 1951. Jamaican reggae star
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
worked as an assembly-line worker at the plant during his short stint in Delaware in the 1960s. Originally constructed to build tanks for the US Army, the plant was 3.4 million square feet in size. It employed 1,100 employees in 2008, which was down from 2,115 in 2005. This turn was due largely to the decline in sales of the Durango and Aspen vehicle models that were being produced. The plant stood for more than 50 years, providing jobs and revenue to the state of Delaware. The factory produced a wide variety of automobile models during its run. The plant was closed in late 2008 due to the recession and limited demand for larger cars.
Geography
Newark is located directly east of 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 ...
state line, adjacent to the unincorporated community of
Fair Hill, and is less than one mile south of the
tripoint
A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
where Delaware, Maryland, and
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
meet, known as
The Wedge.
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 city has a total area of , all land. Originally surrounded by farmland, Newark is now surrounded by
housing developments in some directions, although farmland remains just over the state lines in Maryland and Pennsylvania. To the north and west are small hills, but south and east of the city, the land is flat (part of Newark falls in the Piedmont geological region, and part of the city is in the Coastal Plain geological region, as is the majority of the land in the State of Delaware).
Climate
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, Newark 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). Summers are hot and humid, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are moderate-to-cold, with occasional snow in December, January, and February. Newark averages more than 220 frost-free days. The
hardiness zone is 7a.
Demographics
As of the census
of 2000, there were 28,547 people, 8,989 households, and 4,494 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,294 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.29%
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 ...
, 6.00%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, 0.16%
Native American, 4.07%
Asian, 0.05%
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 ...
, 0.86% from
other races, and 1.57% 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 2.53% of the population. 16.8% were of
Irish, 13.5% Italian, 13.4% German, 10.2% English, and 5.1%
Polish ancestry according to
Census 2000.
Of the 8,989 households, 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 12.5% under the age of 18, 43.6% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The
median
The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median household income was $48,758, and the median family income was $75,188. Males had a median income of $45,813 versus $33,165 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,376. About 4.1% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Sports
Newark is a recognized center of US and international
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...
, mostly due to the many national, world, and Olympic champions (including many foreign nationals) that have trained at the
University of Delaware Figure Skating Club (an independent club operating within UD facilities) and at The Pond Ice Rink.
The
Delaware 87ers were a professional basketball team that played in the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
(formerly the NBA D-League) as the affiliate of the
Philadelphia 76ers. From 2013 until 2018, they played their home games at the
Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on the University of Delaware campus. They moved to nearby Wilmington and the 76ers' new
Fieldhouse, rebranded as the
Delaware Blue Coats.
As of 2022, Newark is the headquarters of
Combat Zone Wrestling.
Parks and recreation
Newark has over of parkland.
Education
Public schools
Public education in Newark is managed by the
Christina School District and, for regional vocational schools, the
New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District. The Christina School District manages public education for Newark and environs, and also for parts of
Wilmington.
Christina School District elementary schools (K-5) serving portions of the city limits include:
*Downes Elementary School
*Maclary Elementary School
*McVey Elementary School
*West Park Place Elementary School
*Brookside Elementary School (in nearby
Brookside)
Other schools with Newark addresses:
*Gallaher Elementary School (grades K-5)
*Jennie E. Smith Elementary School (grades K-5)
Shue/Medill Middle School, in an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
, serves most of the Newark city limits, while small parts are zoned to Gauger-Cobbs Middle School in Brookside. George Kirk Middle School, also in Brookside, previously served sections.
Newark High School serves almost all of the city limits, with small portions in the south zoned to
Glasgow High School.
Christiana High School (grades 9-12) has a Newark postal address but does not, as of 2008, serve any of the Newark city limits.
Delaware School for the Deaf (grades K-12), operated by the State of Delaware, is in nearby Brookside.
Newark Charter School is a
state-chartered school offering grades K-12.
History of education
Until 1884, Newark's public education system was grades 1-8 only, with
Wilmington having the nearest public high school, and with the private
Newark Academy being the private option. The
Old Newark Comprehensive School served as the first public high school for Newark.
The Newark School District merged into the
New Castle County School District in 1978. That district was divided into four districts, among them the Christina district, in 1981.
University of Delaware
Newark is home to the
University of Delaware (UD). The school has programs in a broad range of subjects, but is probably best known for its
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
,
chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...
,
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
and
biochemistry
Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...
programs, drawing from the historically strong presence of the nation's chemical and
pharmaceutical industries in the state of Delaware. In 2006, UD's graduate engineering program was ranked number 11 in the nation by
The Princeton Review.
Newark's Main Street is popular among both the University of Delaware students as well as the residents of Newark, offering many restaurant and boutique options.
Media
Radio
*
WVUD/91.3: University of Delaware
Magazine
* ''Newark Life Magazine''
Newspaper
* ''
Newark Post''
Infrastructure
Transportation
Highways 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 ...
*
Delaware Route 896
*
Delaware Route 72
*
Delaware Route 273
*
Delaware Route 2
*
Delaware Route 279
The closest airport is
Wilmington Airport in New Castle County.
Newark Rail Station is serviced by
SEPTA and
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 ...
on the
Northeast Corridor.
Norfolk Southern provide freight service and operate the Newark Yard.
CSX passes along the
Philadelphia Subdivision line.
DART First State and
DART Connect provide bus service through the
Newark Transit Hub.
Utilities

The City of Newark Electric Department provides electricity within the city limits. The city's electric department purchases electricity on the wholesale market, serving about 12,800 customers and maintaining of electric lines. The electric department is a member of the
Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation. The City of Newark Public Works and Water Resources Department provides trash collection, recycling, water, and wastewater service to Newark. Water service is provided to 33,000 customers in Newark, with of water pipes serving the city.
[ The city's water supply comes from the Newark Reservoir. The city maintains of sewer lines, with wastewater pumped through the New Castle County system to the Wilmington Regional Wastewater Treatment facility.] Natural gas service in Newark is provided by Delmarva Power, a subsidiary of Exelon.
Notable people
*Joe Biden (born 1942), former U.S. Senator; 47th Vice President of the United States, 46th President of the United States
*Colin Burns (born 1982), soccer player
*Tarzan Cooper (1907–1980), professional basketball player
*Harry Coover (1917–2011), inventor
*Dante DiVincenzo, current Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player
*Dave Douglas (golfer), Dave Douglas, golfer
*Tom Douglas (chef), Tom Douglas, award-winning Seattle chef
*Joe Flacco, former Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football, University of Delaware football player; current Cleveland Browns quarterback
*Anthony Fontana, professional footballer; current midfielder for the Philadelphia Union
*David Grinnage, former North Carolina State University football player; former NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars
*Wilbert L. Gore, chemical engineer and founder of W. L. Gore & Associates
*Orien Harris, former University of Miami football player; former NFL defensive end
*Richard Howell, former governor of New Jersey
*K. C. Keeler, former University of Delaware football coach
*Chad Kuhl, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
*Jack Markell, former governor of Delaware
*M. A. Muqtedar Khan, Muslim American intellectual and commentator
*Bilal Nichols, former University of Delaware football player; current Chicago Bears defensive end
*Harold "Tubby" Raymond, College Hall of Fame football coach
*Darnell Savage, current Jacksonville Jaguars football player
*George Thorogood, rock and roll musician
*Johnny Weir, U.S. figure skating champion
*Madinah Wilson-Anton, candidate for the Delaware House of Representatives
*Vic Willis, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Hall of Fame baseball player
Notes
References
External links
*
A History of Newark, from 1757 to 1888
from Thomans J. Scharf's Chapter on White Clay Creek Hundred in ''History of Delaware'', 1609–1888.
{{authority control
Newark, Delaware,
Populated places established in 1694
Cities in New Castle County, Delaware
Cities in Delaware
1694 establishments in Delaware