Delaware

Formed September 26, 1789 (21^st county)

Delaware County (576,842), Media (5,902), Chester (32,618)

The masonry building was built in 1913 and renovated in 1930.  There were 1724 and 1850 versions of the courthouse earlier.  The courthouse is on Front Street at Veterans Square.  Pennsylvania State Highway 252 is eight blocks east of the structure.  Charles W. Brazier & Robb provided the courthouse designs.  The building has been enlarged three times and an Annex was added in 1952.  The county was created from Chester County on September 26, 1789 as the 21^st county.  Chester was the first county seat until 1851 when Media took over.  The county is named for the Delaware River.  The county seat name is a geographical term from the Latin for “middle.” 

Delaware County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-four Common Pleas Court Judges and Thirty Magistrate Court Judges serve Delaware County (judicial.)  Delaware County is on the southeast border with both New Jersey and Delaware.  The Delaware River forms its eastern border.  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is directly northeast and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is northwest of the county.  The county center is in Media .8 miles South of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Montgomery and Philadelphia counties and New Jersey and Delaware and Chester County. 

The area of the county is 191 square miles.  It is 65 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3020.1 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 67 in the state.  Delaware County has 30.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 95 goes northeast to southwest in the county from Philadelphia County to Delaware.  United States Highway 1 comes from Philadelphia County and goes to Chester County, west.  United States Highway 13 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Philadelphia County to Delaware.  United States Highway 30 cuts the northeast corner from Philadelphia County to Chester County.  United States Highway 322 enters from New Jersey, east, and exits to Chester County.  Delaware County is a fist with the thumb sticking up.  Media is located near the center of the county.  Chester is on the southeast border of the county.  Media is the county seat and Chester is the largest city.  Media is 1.0% of the county population while Chester is 5.7% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced MED-EE-A.  This county is in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Yeadon