Delmarva Peninsula

The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a peninsula on the East Coast of the United States. Most of the state of Delaware is on this land. It also includes parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

This peninsula is large. It stretches 170 miles (274 km) from north to south. At its widest point, it spans about 70 miles (113 km). But it narrows to just 12 miles (19 km) where it connects to the rest of the land in the north. Near its southern tip, at Cape Charles, it becomes even thinner.

Water surrounds much of Delmarva. To the west lies the Chesapeake Bay, while Pocomoke Sound lies to the southwest. On the eastern side, the land meets the Delaware River, the Delaware Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Many people live on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, about 818,014 people lived in the twelve counties that are completely located there.

Etymology

The name Delmarva comes from the three states it touches: Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (shortened to "Va."). Long ago, the area was called the "Delaware and Chesapeake Peninsula." The name came from the Chesapeake people, a Native American group who lived there.

The name "Delmarva" began in the late 1800s. It was first used by local businesses and groups. It only became common in the 1920s.

History

Pre-colonization

Native Americans lived on the Delmarva Peninsula long ago. They moved their homes based on nature. They built small villages with simple houses and gardens. In spring, they planted crops. In fall, they collected their crops and stored food for winter. When their land could no longer support them, they moved to a new place.

The main groups of people on the ocean side of the lower peninsula before Europeans arrived were the Assateague, including groups like the Assateague, Transquakin, Choptico, and others. Their lands stretched from Cape Charles, Virginia, to the Indian River inlet in Delaware.

The upper peninsula and Chesapeake shore were home to Nanticoke-speaking people such as the Nentigo and Choptank. Today, the peninsula is part of the traditional territory of the Piscataway, Nentego, and Lenape peoples.

Colonization

In 1566, an expedition from Spanish Florida tried to start a colony on the Delmarva Peninsula but failed due to a storm. The land that is now Delaware was first colonized by the Dutch West India Company in 1631. In 1638, New Sweden established a colony in the northern part of Delaware and the Delaware Valley. Later, the Dutch recaptured Delaware and included it in the Colony of New Netherland.

Delaware came under British control in 1664. In 1682, the land was given to William Penn and governed with Pennsylvania. In 1776, the counties of Kent, New Castle, and Sussex declared independence from Pennsylvania and became the state of Delaware.

In the 1632 Charter of Maryland, King Charles I granted part of the peninsula to Cecil Calvert as the colony of Maryland. However, because the Dutch had already colonized Zwaanendael in 1631, the part of Maryland's charter that included Delaware was later decided to be invalid.

Geography

The Delmarva Peninsula is a long, narrow piece of land on the East Coast of the United States. It includes most of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. The peninsula is about 170 miles long and varies in width from 12 miles to 70 miles.

Important cities on the peninsula include Dover, Delaware, the largest city, and Salisbury, Maryland. The area is mostly flat and sandy, with the highest point only 102 feet above sea level. It has a humid subtropical climate, which means it is warm and wet most of the year.

Culture

The culture of Delmarva is like the rest of the Southern United States. Near Wilmington, it feels like bigger cities such as Philadelphia. In other parts of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, people have more traditional values.

Delmarva’s economy is mainly based on farming and fishing. The land is mostly rural, with only a few bigger towns. Tourism is also important.

The area has deep Catholic history, but today, Protestant groups, especially Methodists, are larger. Many old Catholic churches from the 1600s are still in use, like Old Bohemia Church for Saint Francis Xavier in Cecil County, Maryland. There are also important old Episcopalian churches, such as Old Trinity Church in Dorchester County and Christ Church in Cambridge, Maryland.

Political divisions

The Delmarva Peninsula is shared by three states: Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. All of Delaware is on the peninsula. Parts of Maryland and Virginia are also there.

Many towns and cities are on the Delmarva Peninsula. Some well-known places are Dover, Delaware, the state capital, Ocean City, Maryland, a popular beach town, and Chincoteague, Virginia, famous for its wild ponies. The area has important ports and universities. It is a mix of natural beauty and busy communities.

Sometimes, people on the Delmarva Peninsula have talked about making their own state by combining parts of Maryland and Virginia with Delaware. These ideas have come up often, but they have never happened.

Economy

The Delmarva Peninsula was a great place for growing vegetables in the 1800s and early 1900s. Today, it still grows many tomatoes, green beans, corn, and soybeans. Special farms, like Perdue Farms in Salisbury, are known for raising chickens.

People enjoy visiting the beaches on the peninsula, such as Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Ocean City, Maryland, Assateague Island National Seashore, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, which helps the local economy.

The area gets television service from several places. Parts of Maryland get service from Baltimore stations like WBAL-TV, WJZ-TV, WMAR-TV, and WBFF-TV. Delaware areas get service from Philadelphia stations like WPVI-TV, WCAU-TV, KYW-TV, and WTXF-TV. Other parts get service from stations in Salisbury, Maryland such as WBOC-TV, WMDT-TV, and WRDE-LD, and in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area like WAVY-TV, WVEC-TV, and WTKR-TV.

Transportation

The Delmarva Peninsula has small airports, but bigger ones like those in Baltimore and Philadelphia are closer. Some airports here include Wilmington Airport, Salisbury Regional Airport, and Dover Air Force Base.

Important roads that go north to south include U.S. 9, U.S. 13, U.S. 50, and U.S. 301. Highways U.S. 50 and U.S. 301 cross over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the west side of the peninsula. U.S. 13 connects to Virginia through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel.

Until 1957, trains ran to the peninsula, but today, the Delmarva Central Railroad handles freight and tanker transportation.