Wilmington, DE

Wilmington grew on the site of Fort Christina, founded by Swedish settlers in 1638 as the first Swedish settlement in North America and headquarters of New Sweden. The city later developed shipbuilding, milling, and chemical manufacturing; DuPont began producing gunpowder at a Brandywine River mill just outside town in 1802. Wilmington sits where Brandywine Creek meets the Christina River, near the Delaware River, and had 70,898 residents in 2020. Market Street also marks a topographic divide: flat, sometimes marshy Coastal Plain lies to the east, while rocky Piedmont terrain rises to the west. The Delaware Art Museum focuses on American art and illustration and the English Pre-Raphaelites; Big August Quarterly has honored African American religious freedom since 1814.