Cape Region (Delaware)

Last updated
Cape Region, Delaware
Country United States
State Delaware
County Sussex
Population
 (2010)
  Total41,584
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code 302
Aerial image of Delaware's Cape Region Cape henlopen.jpeg
Aerial image of Delaware's Cape Region
The Cape Region is located in Sussex County Map of Delaware highlighting Sussex County.svg
The Cape Region is located in Sussex County

The Cape Henlopen Region, or the Cape Region, is a region in Sussex County, in southern Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. The region is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The region takes its name from Cape Henlopen, as does the Cape Henlopen School District and Cape Henlopen State Park. Much of the region's populated areas are found along the Delaware Bay, Rehoboth Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Northern and western parts of the Cape Region are rural areas dominated by farmland and wetlands. The area is often referred to as the Delaware Beaches.

Contents

Geography

Wetlands seen along Canary Creek near Lewes. UD Windmill.jpg
Wetlands seen along Canary Creek near Lewes.

The Cape Region is situated on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. A large portion of the region is low-lying Southern swamps and wetlands, notably found in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Henlopen State Park, and along Delaware Route 1 within Delaware Seashore State Park. There are several navigable waterways that flow through the region:

Climate

Situated on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Rehoboth Beach's weather is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay and the Rehoboth Bay. Rehoboth Beach has a mild subtropical climate consisting of hot, humid summers and mild winters. The average daytime high in July is 87 °F (30.6 °C) and a low of 70 °F (21 °C); in January, the average high is 45 °F (7 °C) with an average low of 30 °F (-1 °C) [1] The month of highest average rainfall is July with 4.78 inches of rain, while February is historically the driest month, receiving an average of only 3.23 inches (80.5 mm) of rain. [1]

The highest official temperature ever recorded in Rehoboth Beach was 102 °F (38.8 °C) in 1997. The lowest official temperature ever recorded in Rehoboth Beach was -11 °F (-28.8 °C) in 1982.

Communities

Cities

Lewes Lewes Delaware.jpg
Lewes
Rehoboth Beach Rehoboth Beach boardwalk looking north toward Rehoboth Avenue.jpg
Rehoboth Beach
Milton Milton Delaware.jpg
Milton

Towns

Unincorporated places

Demographics

Because the Cape Region is not a precisely defined political area, there is no demographic data for the region specifically. At the 2010 Census, the approximate total population of the Cape Region was 41,584 which is an increase of 10,998 (35%) from 30,856 in the 2000 Census. [2] The Cape Region tends to be more affluent than western parts of Sussex County.

Politics

The majority of the area generally identified as the Cape Region is located in Delaware's 6th Senate district, with the sparsely populated southwestern communities of Hollyville and Hollymount located in Delaware's 19th Senate district. [3] The region is split among five districts in the Delaware House of Representatives, those being the 4th, 14th, 27th, 36th, and 37th House of Representatives districts. [4] Due to growth in the area outpacing growth in the rest of the state, the 4th House of Representatives district was moved in the 2021 redistricting from the Wilmington area to the Cape Region. [5] On the local level, the City of Lewes has a Mayor and City Council; Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, and Henlopen Acres have a Mayor and Board of Commissioners; and Milton has a Mayor and Town Council.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delmarva Peninsula</span> Large peninsula on the East Coast of the US

38°30′N75°40′W

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sussex County, Delaware</span> County in Delaware, United States

Sussex County is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378. The county seat is Georgetown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewes, Delaware</span> City in Delaware, United States

Lewes is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 3,303. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delaware's rapidly growing Cape Region. The city lies within the Salisbury, Maryland–Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lewes proudly claims to be "The First Town in The First State."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey Beach, Delaware</span> Town in Delaware, United States

Dewey Beach is an incorporated coastal town in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 341, an increase of 13.3% over the previous decade. It is part of the rapidly growing Cape Region and lies within the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2011, the NRDC awarded Dewey Beach with a 5-Star rating in water quality. This award was given only to 12 other locations, one being neighboring Rehoboth Beach. Out of the 30 states with coastline, the Delaware Beaches ranked number 1 in water quality in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henlopen Acres, Delaware</span> Town in Delaware, United States

Henlopen Acres is a municipality north of Rehoboth Beach in Sussex County, Delaware, United States, and is the third smallest incorporated town in Delaware. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 122, a 12.2% decrease from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton, Delaware</span> Town in Delaware, United States

Milton is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States, on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is located on the Broadkill River, which empties into Delaware Bay. The population was 2,576 at the 2010 census, an increase of 55.5% over the previous decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rehoboth Beach, Delaware</span> City in Delaware, United States

Rehoboth Beach is a city on the Atlantic Ocean along the Delaware Beaches in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. As of 2020, its population was 1,108. Along with the neighboring coastal town of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach is one of the principal cities of Delaware's rapidly growing Cape Region. Rehoboth Beach lies within the Salisbury metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Henlopen</span>

Cape Henlopen is the southern cape of the Delaware Bay along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It lies in the state of Delaware, near the town of Lewes, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Off the coast on the bay side are two lighthouses, called the Harbor of Refuge Light and the Delaware Breakwater East End Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadkill River</span> River in Delaware, United States

The Broadkill River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in southern Delaware in the United States. It is 13.3 miles (21.4 km) long and drains an area of 110 square miles (280 km2) on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rehoboth Bay</span> Coastal Bay in southeastern Delaware, United States

Rehoboth Bay is a body of water in Sussex County, Delaware. It is connected to the Broadkill River by the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. It is part of Delaware's inland bay system, along with Little Assawoman Bay and Indian River Bay.

Cape Henlopen High School (CHHS) is a public high school in unincorporated Sussex County, Delaware, United States, with a Lewes postal address. The school is part of the Cape Henlopen School District and is located between Savannah Road and King's Highway. Cape Henlopen's school colors are bright gold and Columbia blue. Its mascot is Thor the Viking. The school is known for its expansive career pathways. In athletics, the school is best known for its championship-winning lacrosse and field hockey teams

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewes and Rehoboth Canal</span>

The Lewes and Rehoboth Canal is a canal in Sussex County, Delaware, which connects the Broadkill River and the Delaware Bay to Rehoboth Bay. It forms a portion of the Intracoastal Waterway.

The Junction and Breakwater Trail is a 6-mile (9.7 km) long rail trail located on the southwestern side of Cape Henlopen State Park connecting Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, United States. It is the third rail trail built in Delaware and it is the longest in the state. It partially follows the former Pennsylvania Railroad Rehoboth Beach branch that once transported passengers to several Methodist resort camps along the Atlantic coast. The line was abandoned by the Penn Central in the early 1970s.

The Cape Henlopen School District (CHSD) is a public school district in Sussex County, Delaware in the United States. The district is based in an unincorporated area with a Lewes postal address, and serves the Cape Region in eastern Sussex County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Route 1A</span> Highway in Delaware, United States

Delaware Route 1A (DE 1A) is a state highway in Sussex County, Delaware. The route runs 2.01 mi (3.23 km) from DE 1 in the town of Dewey Beach to another intersection with DE 1 west of the city of Rehoboth Beach. The route provides access to Rehoboth Beach from DE 1, heading north before turning to the west. DE 1A follows King Charles Avenue, Bayard Avenue, 2nd Street (southbound), Christian Street (northbound), and Rehoboth Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadkill Beach, Delaware</span> Unincorporated community in Delaware, United States

Broadkill Beach is an unincorporated beach community in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of Delaware, located on the Delaware Bay north of the mouth of the Broadkill River. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The word kill is from the Dutch word kil.

The Coastal Heritage Greenway is a greenway in the U.S. state of Delaware linking many sites along the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean between Fox Point State Park in Edgemoor, New Castle County and the beach town of Fenwick Island in Sussex County. The greenway follows Delaware Route 9 from the Wilmington area to just south of Dover and Delaware Route 1 from Dover to Fenwick Island.

Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred is a hundred in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred was formed in 1692 as one of the original Delaware Hundreds. Its primary community is Lewes.

North Shores is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. North Shores is located along the Atlantic Ocean north of Henlopen Acres and Rehoboth Beach and south of Cape Henlopen State Park.

References

38°43′59″N75°14′38″W / 38.7331°N 75.2439°W / 38.7331; -75.2439