Delaware

Formed December 21, 1837 (13^th county)

Delaware County (17,484), Manchester (5,068)

A red brick tower stands out on the 1894 structure.  It is sited on a square at Main, Bremer, Delaware, and Tama streets.  Iowa State Highway 20 is Main Street.  Charles E. Bell is the designer for this Romanesque style building.  The tower has a working clock and wooden doors lead inside.  The grounds have a veteran wall and a gazebo.  The county was established on December 21, 1837 from parts of Dubuque County and Native American Territory as the 13^th county.  Delhi was the first county seat, replaced by Manchester in 1894.  The county is named for Delaware Senator John C. Clayton’s home state.  He is also the source for Clayton County.  The county seat is named for Manchester, England. 

Delaware County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Twenty-seven District Court Judges and Sixteen Magistrates serve Delaware, Allamakee, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Howard, and Winneshiek counties.  In the northeast part of the state, Waterloo, Iowa is west and Cedar Rapids, Iowa is south of the county.  The county center is 5.4 miles East-Southeast of Manchester nearer Delaware.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Clayton, Dubuque, Jones, Linn, Buchanan, and Fayette counties. 

The county has an area of 578 square miles.  It is 33 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 40 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.2 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 99 in the state.  Delaware County has 52.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 20 crosses the county east to west from Dubuque County to Buchanan County.  The county is a rectangle.  Manchester is in the western quarter of the county.  Manchester is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 29.0% of the county population.