Counties in Delaware

Counties in Delaware

by Vishul Malik



The origin of the Delaware state-county boundaries date back to former court districts. After the English conquest of 1664, the land on the western side of the Delaware Bay and Delaware River was governed as part of the New York Colony and administered from the town of New Castle. In 1673, during the brief recapture of the colony by the Dutch, additional court districts were created around whorekill and Upland. At New Castle, the court was left with the central part of the colony. Whorekill District was divided into St. Jones County and Deale County in 1680. Lewes town became the county seat of Deale after this division, which was later renamed Sussex County. St. Jones County was renamed Kent County in 1681.

How Many Counties in Delaware

Delaware in the United States is the state with the least number of counties. There are just three counties in Delaware state, including New Castle County, Sussex County and Kent County. Also, check this Delaware County Map which provides the location of all 8 counties on the Delaware Map. The powers of legislative bodies of Counties of Delaware are limited to issues such as development and zoning.




Oldest and Newest County of Delaware

Delaware’s oldest and first counties were created on September 12, 1673. The counties were New Amstel (now New Castle), whorekill (Later Deale, now Sussex) and upland counties. They were the original three counties of Delaware state. The Newest and last County of Delaware state created on June 21, 1680, is St. Jones County (now KENT).


Largest and Smallest County of Delaware

Sussex County is the largest county in Delaware, covering an area of 1,196 square miles (3,100 km2). The smallest county of Delaware is New Castle County, covering 494 square miles (1280 km2).

Best County to Live in Delaware

The best county to live in the Delaware State of United States is New Castle County.

Most Populated and Least Populated County of Delaware

New Castle County is the most populated county (2020 census) in Delaware, and Kent County is the least populated county (2020 census) in Delaware.


Information about maps of all Counties of Delaware

The maps of all three counties of Delaware are available on the website describing facts about counties. The map shows the location of the county within the state, its county seat, state and county boundary. These maps can be used in multiple ways for various purposes.

Other than this, various other maps of Delaware is also available on the website, such as:

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