Located halfway between Washington, D.C., and New York City, Wilmington, Delaware, was founded, March 29, 1638 as the Colony of New Sweden by Peter Minuit, former Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam. Wilmington is the first permanent Old World settlement in the entire Delaware Valley and is where the first log cabins were built in America.

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Area Overview

Overview of Greater Wilmington, Delaware


Located halfway between Washington, D.C., and New York City, Wilmington, Delaware, was founded, March 29, 1638 as the Colony of New Sweden by Peter Minuit, former Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam. Wilmington is the first permanent Old World settlement in the entire Delaware Valley and is where the first log cabins were built in America. Multi-national and multi-lingual from the beginning, the first group of 25 settlers included Swedes, Finns, Dutch and Germans, and a black freedman from the Caribbean known as "Anthoni, the Black Swede."

Situated between the deep-water, slow-moving Christina River and the shallow, rapidly flowing Brandywine Creek, the city's economy developed from fur trading and agriculture, to milling (grain, paper and then gunpowder), to ship and railroad car manufacturing, to modern chemical and banking industries. Today, the majority of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Wilmington and is the "capital of credit card banking in the U.S.," it also serves as the national/world headquarters of many chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

 

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The University of Delaware (15,000 students) is located in the nearby City of Newark.

Millions of out-of-state shoppers visit Delaware (population 783,000) annually to take advantage of no sales tax, saving at least 6% over surrounding states. The Delaware lodging tax is 8% to 10% and the rental tax is 2% - among the lowest in the nation.

Greater Wilmington has hundreds of restaurants - from internationally recognized four-star gourmet to fast food - and approximately 6,000 hotel, motel and B&B rooms. Our meeting facilities can accommodate up to 2,100 people in a single room. Many unique meeting venues are available for those who desire very special settings.

Sports & Recreation

Relax & Enjoy

Sports & Recreation

Come enjoy some of Greater Wilmington's best outdoor adventures. Spend a relaxing afternoon tubing, canoeing or kayaking down the scenic Brandywine River. Explore miles of serene hiking, biking and horseback riding on trails that loop through the lush Brandywine countryside. Bike our Scenic Byways and Greenways; some roads even have bike lanes.

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Wilmington Restaurants

Wine & Dine

Wilmington Restaurants

The choice is yours when it comes to dining. Greater Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley offers a wonderful selection of entrees to suit every taste and budget. Select an elegant four-star restaurant, a neighborhood cafe specializing in ethnic fare or relax in the friendly, informal atmosphere characteristic of our breweries and taverns.

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