About Delaware
Facts About the State of Delaware
Why did the chicken cross I-95? To find their 1,999,999 friends on the other side of course! Delaware has 2 million chickens spread out across all three counties of the second smallest state. As a result of Delaware ranking third most bike-friendly, you might bike past a field and say look at all those chickens!
The Diamond State is a jewel of a place to live with 974,000 people calling it home. When you visit the First State, be sure to call home and say “Hi, I’m in Delaware”. Scroll to learn more Delaware state facts and explore the rest of the website to find out how you can be a part of Delaware history!
“Our Delaware”
“Our Delaware” is the official state song of Delaware. Listen to the remix by Vince Comegys-Davis, Executive Director of Street Xpressions Dance & Art Academy, Delaware’s premiere center for hip hop dance instruction and the arts.
Originally a poem with three verses representing each of the 3 counties, written by George Beswick Hynson in 1904, “Our Delaware” became the state song in 1925, the musical score composed by Will M. S. Brown.
“Our Delaware”
Remixed by Vince Comegys-Davis, Street Xpressions Dance & Art Academy
Street Xpressions Dance & Art Academy
How big is Delaware?
square miles
miles long
miles wide
First State FAQ
Delaware adopted the current state flag on July 24, 1913. The state seal is enclosed in a buff diamond on a colonial blue background. Below the diamond is printed “December 7, 1787,” the date that Delaware ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the first state.
Delaware declared its independence from Great Britain on June 15, 1776 and thereby also became independent of Pennsylvania with which it had been connected since 1682. Delaware was the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution and thus became known as the “First State.”
Dover, named by William Penn for Dover in Kent, England, is the capital of Delaware.
Delaware has 3 counties: New Castle (northern Delaware), Kent (center of Delaware, 11 miles south of Dover), and Sussex (downstate, the largest county, measuring 950 square miles).
In 1610 explorer Samuel Argall named the Delaware River and Bay for the governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr. The state of Delaware takes its name from the river and bay.
Delaware’s government consists of the General Assembly, made up of a Senate and House of Representatives, the Governor, and the judiciary.
Delaware's Nicknames
First State: first to ratify the Constitution.
Diamond State: Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson called Delaware a “jewel” among the states because of its strategic location along the East Coast.
Blue Hen State: One form of entertainment during the Revolutionary War for Delaware soldiers was cock fighting. It was so popular that Delaware Soldiers brought their own Blue Hens with them during their stay in the army. The Blue Hen was noted for its fighting ability, and because of their bravery, the men of Captain Jonathan Caldwell’s company were soon compared to this breed.
Peach State: the first state to produce peaches commercially.
Small Wonder
Home of Tax-Free Shopping
Corporate Capital
Chemical Capital
Delaware State Facts Flashcards
State Bird
Blue Hen
Named in February 1939 after the “Fighting Blue Hens” the mascot of Delaware Revolutionary War soldiers.
State Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus)
Adopted June 10, 1999.
State Flower
Peach Blossom
Adopted on May 9, 1895. Beginning in the early 1800s, Delaware became a leading producer of peaches until a blight called “the yellows” destroyed the orchards in the late 1800s.
State Fruit
Strawberry
Adopted as the state fruit in 2010.
State Herb
Sweet Golden Rod
Adopted June 24, 1996 and indigenous to Delaware. Found throughout the state along coastal areas and by marshes.
State Insect
Ladybug
Adopted April 25, 1974, after state schoolchildren petitioned the General Assembly.
State Tree
Holly American
Adopted on May 1,1939. During the late nineteenth century until the 1930s, Sussex County became the leading supplier of holly, used for Christmas decorations and wreaths.
State Fish
Weakfish
Also known as the sea trout or the yellow fin trout, the weak fish was adopted as state fish in 1981, in recognition of sport fishing’s recreational and economic standing in the state of Delaware.
State Beverage
Milk
Adopted on June 3, 1983.
State Colors
Colonial blue and buff
Representing the uniform of General George Washington.
State Shell
Shell of the channeled whelk
Adopted in May 2014.
State Marine Animal
Horseshoe Crab
Adopted on June 25, 2002.
