Newark, Delaware

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.

Schools have played a significant role in the history of Newark. A grammar school, founded by Francis Alison in 1743, moved from New London, Pennsylvania 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, 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 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 was 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 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 state line, adjacent to the unincorporated community of Fair Hill, and is less than one mile south of the tripoint where Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania meet, known as The Wedge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.19 sqmi, 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 system, Newark has a humid subtropical climate (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. |Jan record high F = 75 |Feb record high F = 79 |Mar record high F = 89 |Apr record high F = 94 |May record high F = 97 |Jun record high F = 100 |Jul record high F = 105 |Aug record high F = 103 |Sep record high F = 100 |Oct record high F = 96 |Nov record high F = 85 |Dec record high F = 75 |year record high F = 105 |Jan record low F = −10 |Feb record low F = -12 |Mar record low F = 4 |Apr record low F = 14 |May record low F = 28 |Jun record low F = 38 |Jul record low F = 41 |Aug record low F = 42 |Sep record low F = 33 |Oct record low F = 23 |Nov record low F = 12 |Dec record low F = −6 |year record low F = −12 | access-date = June 18, 2021}} | access-date = June 18, 2021}}

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 3,198.6 PD/sqmi. There were 9,294 housing units at an average density of 1,041.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.29% White, 6.00% Black, 0.16% Native American, 4.07% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people 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 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, 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 (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 12000 acre 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, 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.{{cite web|url=https://archives.delaware.gov/delaware-agency-histories/new-castle-county-school-district/|title= New Castle County School District|publisher=Government of Delaware|access-date=2025-03-31}}

University of Delaware

Main article: 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, chemical engineering, chemistry and biochemistry 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.

Media

Radio

• WVUD/91.3: University of Delaware

Magazine

• Newark Life Magazine

Newspaper

• Newark Post

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways include:

• Interstate 95
• 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 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 175 mi 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 91 mi of water pipes serving the city. The city maintains 73 mi 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

• Colin Burns (born 1982), soccer player
• Zara Chavoshi (born 2002), soccer player who represented the Canadian women's national team
• Tarzan Cooper (1907–1980), professional basketball player
• Harry Coover (1917–2011), inventor
• Donte DiVincenzo, current Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player
• Dave Douglas, golfer
• Tom Douglas, award-winning Seattle chef
• Joe Flacco, former University of Delaware football player; current Cleveland Browns quarterback
• Anthony Fontana, professional footballer; current midfielder for the Philadelphia Union
• Wilbert L. Gore, chemical engineer and founder of W. L. Gore & Associates
• David Grinnage, former North Carolina State University football player; former NFL tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• 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
• Vic Willis, Hall of Fame baseball player
• Madinah Wilson-Anton, candidate for the Delaware House of Representatives

Notes

References

References

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18. (December 29, 2009). "Suburban Middle Schools". [[Christina School District]].
19. (July 1, 2008). "Suburban High Schools". [[Christina School District]].
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