Travel Information for Delaware
Posted By:
Travel Commune Staff
on 29 December, 2006
One of the thirteen original colonies, Delaware is the second smallest state in the United States. Delaware was named after an early Virginia governor, Lord De La Warr and was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution. Because of this, Delaware is most popularly known as "The First State." Other nicknames include the Blue Hen State, the Diamond State, and Small Wonder. The state motto is "Liberty and Independence," the state flower is the peach blossom, the state tree is the American Holly Tree, and the state bird is the blue hen chicken.
Delaware is bordered by Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Delaware River. The Capitol City is Dover, with other large cities including Wilmington, Newark, Milford, Seaford, Middletown, Smyrna, Georgetown, and New Castle.
Delaware offers 1,982 square miles full of arts, culture, attractions, shopping, dining, museums, and monuments. Delaware features tax-free shopping and offers hundreds of exciting and stimulating attractions. Enjoy museums and monuments that honor all aspects of our rich heritage. You will also find impressive paintings, illustrations, furniture, pottery, stained glass and more.
Climate
Delaware offers a moderate climate that is highly regulated by the Atlantic Ocean. Although the state is small, the climate varies quite a bit from north to south in snowfall and temperature throughout the seasons and falls in a transitional zone between humid sub tropic climate, hot summers and cold winters, to continental climate, which supports an average amount of snowfall each year.
Transportation
Interstate I-95, a major branch of the United States Highway System, crosses Delaware from Southwest to Northeast and is the main to highway travel through the state. There are seven supporting highways including U.S. Highway 9, U.S. Highway 13, U.S. Highway 40, U.S. Highway 113, U.S. Highway 202, U.S. Route 301, and Delaware Route 1. There are two toll roads, including the Delaware Turnpike, which is a stretch of I-95 between Maryland and Newcastle. The other is the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway which is a stretch of Delaware Route 1 between Wilmington and Newark. The bridge that connects Delaware with New Jersey, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, is the longest suspension bridge in the world.
The state also provides a great public transportation system throughout the cities of Delaware which has received awards for being the "Most Outstanding Public Transportation System" by the American Public Transportation Association.
Sports
There are no professional sports teams that are based out of Delaware. Natives to the state follow either the Baltimore Ravens or the Philadelphia Eagles when choosing a Pro Football team to root for. However, when it comes to NASCAR, Delaware is much more involved, as they are home to the Dover International Speedway, otherwise known as the Monster Mile. This race track is host to two NASCAR races each year. Located inside the Dover International Speedway is the Dover Downs Track. This is a track that hosts harness racing which is a form of horse racing where the horse pulls a two wheeled cart that the jockey rides in.
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