Where Wilmington is
Wilmington is the county seat of New Castle County, Delaware. It covers about 17 square miles, of which 10.9 are land, and had 70,898 residents at the 2020 census. It is approximately 33 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
area guide·
Wilmington, DE: What to Know About the City
A look at Wilmington, Delaware: its history, getting around by road and rail, places to visit, the local school districts and the housing market.
History
Wilmington was first settled by Swedish settlers in 1638 at Fort Christina. It was incorporated in 1731 as Willingtown and granted a borough charter as Wilmington in 1739, named for Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington.
Getting around
Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 run within the city limits. The Wilmington Train Station serves SEPTA regional rail and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor trains.
Things to do
Places to visit include the Delaware Art Museum, the Nemours Estate, Rockford Park and Brandywine Park, and the Quaker Hill Historic District is one of the city's neighborhoods. The city also hosts a calendar of cultural festivals through the year.
The housing market
In Q4 2025, the most recent period in the closed-sale data Foraker uses, the median sale price in Wilmington was $333,000 and the average sale price was $349,402, across 167 closed sales. These figures come from Bright MLS closed-sale data. They describe homes that sold in that period, not homes for sale today.
Schools
Wilmington is served by the Christina School District and the Red Clay School District. Buyers can look up the districts and their schools directly before choosing a home.
Talk to us about buying or selling in Wilmington
If you are thinking about buying or selling here, the Foraker team would be glad to talk it through. You can browse Foraker's current listings at forakerrealty.com.
Sources
This guide is compiled from the public sources below and from Foraker's market data. Details such as events and routes change, so check before you go.
Delaware