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Capital of Delaware · Kent County · capital since 1777 · 39.2°N 75.5°W
Dover, Delaware
Dover has been the capital of Delaware since 1777, when the legislature moved inland from New Castle to escape British warships. It is the second-largest city in the state after Wilmington.
Where Dover is
Dover is the seat of Kent County, the middle of Delaware's three counties, at 39.16°N, 75.52°W. The town was laid out in 1717 on the St. Jones River, a small tidal stream that reaches Delaware Bay about eight miles to the east. The land is flat coastal plain; the whole city is under 50 ft above sea level. Dover Air Force Base, the largest military air freight terminal in the country, lies on the southeast edge of the city. The Maryland border is about 15 miles west.
How it became the capital
New Castle, on the Delaware River, was the colonial capital of the Three Lower Counties. In 1777, during the Revolution, the assembly moved to Dover because it was more central and safer from British attack by water. Delaware ratified the US Constitution in the Golden Fleece Tavern on the Dover Green on December 7, 1787, the first state to do so. Dover has been the seat of government ever since.
Population
Dover had 39,403 residents in 2020. It is the second-largest city in Delaware but is far smaller than Wilmington, in New Castle County, which had 70,898. The Dover metropolitan area is coextensive with Kent County and has about 181,000 people. Delaware as a whole counted 989,948.
The capitol
The Old State House on the Green was completed in 1791 and housed the legislature until 1933. Legislative Hall, the current capitol, opened that year on Legislative Avenue; it was designed by Wilmington architect E. William Martin in a Georgian Revival style meant to match the colonial buildings around it. Wings were added in 1965–70 and 1994. Delaware's General Assembly, with 21 senators and 41 representatives, is one of the smallest in the country.
Distances to other cities
| City | Direction | Road distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wilmington, DE | north | about 45 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | north | about 75 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | west | about 85 mi |
Dover is on Eastern Time. Delaware's borders, including the circular arc with Pennsylvania, are covered on the Mason–Dixon Line map.
Related maps
- Delaware map — the whole state with borders, cities and counties.
- Delaware county map · blank Delaware map · printable Delaware map.
- All 50 state capitals on one map, and the state capitals quiz.
- South region · South Atlantic division · Eastern Time Zone.