As Delaware’s largest city, Wilmington is located just 30 miles south of Philadelphia and is a midway point between New York City and Washington, D.C. Its central location and reputation as the “corporate capital of America” give this relatively small city with a population of approximately 72,000 a big-city feel while still being very walkable and maintaining its small-town charm.
The area now known as Wilmington was settled by the Lenape tribe just before Henry Hudson sailed up the Len-api Hanna, which was later renamed the Delaware River, and the area became the first Swedish settlement in North America in the mid-1600s. After a series of wars, the area fell under British rule and was presumably named after the British prime minister at the time, the Earl of Wilmington Spencer Compton. It later become a bustling port and market city.
Today, Wilmington boasts many cultural delights including a burgeoning restaurant scene, Wilmington is also known for its incredible summer festivals, including the annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, the largest free jazz festival on the East Coast. What’s more, several cultural festivals take place throughout the year including the Greek Festival, the Italian Festival, the Polish Festival, and the ShadFest, which welcomes the return of the American shad fish to the Brandywine waterways in late spring. And let’s not forget the Rockwood Park Ice Cream Festival or the popular female-fronted Ladybug Music Festival.
“All of these gatherings point to Wilmington as being a city of neighbors – people that know each other and spend their time gathering together and enjoying,” says Tina Betz, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Wilmington and Board President of Cityfest, the nonprofit presenting the Levitt AMP Wilmington Music Series at the Urban Artist Exchange (UAE) Amphitheater.
