The following article on the area’s history and highlights has been provided by the personal injury attorneys in South Wilmington, DE, at My Delaware Lawyers.
South Wilmington
The neighborhood of South Wilmington is located in the southern region of Wilmington, the county seat of New Castle County in the state of Delaware. The Christina River forms the western and northern border of the neighborhood, while the Delaware River forms the eastern. Minquadale and Simonds Gardens are to the south of the community, while Wilmington is its north along with Riverfront. The residential neighborhood Southbridge helps form the community.
History
The area was home to the African Union Church, the first fully independent African-American church in the country. In 1812, Peter Spenser established a freedman minister that played a heavy part in the civil rights movement. By the time of Spencer’s death in 1843, the denomination had thirty congregations.
Prior to 1870, the area was mainly agricultural, and then it transitioned to industrial from 1870 to 1900. The farms turned to manufacture steel and iron for carriage making. This would be replaced with oil refining and auto shops down the line. The community’s economy was fully dependant on manufacturing, and despite its peak from 1927 to 1940, it began to deteriorate after World War II.
Neighborhood
The area has a mist of both row houses and medium-sized apartment complexes. The vacancy rate is higher than 91.8% of other neighborhoods in the country, at 26.4%. This is due to a mix of high rent prices and low-income levels. Many of the 19th-century buildings date back as far as 1830, giving the community a historical charm.
The area has a few parks scattered around the community for the residents to enjoy. These include:
- Eden Park – located on New Castle Avenue
- Elbert Playground – located on Elbert Place
- Hicks Park – located on Bradford Street
- Dugan Park – located on South Buttonwood Street
There are many places of worship for the residents to attend, such as:
- New Calvary Baptist Church
- New Covenant Christian Church
- Harrison Memorial Baptist Church
- Shiloh Apostolic Church
- In Union With Christ Ministries
The children in the community can attend the following schools:
- Elbert-Palmer Elementary School
- Communities In Schools of De
- Ark Learning Center
- Elbert School
Demographics
The population for the neighborhood was 1,917, which consisted of 858 households. The racial breakdown of the community included the following:
- 21.4% white
- 1.7% Hispanic or Latino
- 69.7% African American
- 6.3% Asian
- 0.8% two or more races
English is spoken by 88.7% of the residents, in addition to 3.6% that speak Spanish. Some common ancestries among the residents include the following:
- 14.1% Jamaican
- 6.4% Asian
- 5.1% Irish
- 4.9% German
- 4.0% Sub-Saharan African
The residents in the area are lower-middle-income. The annual income for the area was $59,300. The unemployment rate for the community was 5.0%. The following is a breakdown of the occupations held by the working population:
- 47.5% executive, management, and professional roles
- 21.5% manufacturing and laborer jobs
- 17.0% sales and service professions
- 14.0% clerical, assistant, and tech support positions
Follow along for more interesting details about the next community: Getting to Know Lynford, DE
Our Local Office
Our experienced South Wilmington, DE personal injury attorneys at My Delaware Lawyers, are committed to helping you get the compensation you deserve. Call today to claim your free no-obligation case evaluation.
Schuster Jachetti LLP
3407 Lancaster Pike,
Wilmington, DE 19805, USA
(302) 966-8684