Townsend, Delaware

Townsend, Delaware
Town
House on Main Street
Location of Townsend in New Castle County, Delaware.
Townsend Location within the state of Delaware Show map of Delaware Townsend Townsend (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°23′42″N75°41′30″W / 39.39500°N 75.69167°W / 39.39500; -75.69167
Country	United States
State	Delaware
County	New Castle
Incorporated	1885
Government
• Mayor	Scott Lobdell, P.E.
Area [1]
• Total	1.04 sq mi (2.69 km2)
• Land	1.04 sq mi (2.68 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	69 ft (21 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,717
• Density	2,622.59/sq mi (1,012.36/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	19734
Area code	302
FIPS code	10-72510
GNIS feature ID	214755 [2]
Website	http://townsend.delaware.gov

Townsend is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census, an increase of 492.2% from 2000. ^[3] The center of population of Delaware is located in Townsend. ^[4]

Geography

Townsend is located at 39°23′42″N75°41′30″W / 39.39500°N 75.69167°W / 39.39500; -75.69167 (39.3951115, –75.6915973). ^[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all land.

History

Townsend was incorporated as a town on April 3, 1885. Its primary business was selling agricultural produce via the Delaware Railroad. The railroad has since lost prominence over freight hauling, but the town still remains primarily agricultural with plenty of rural area and local produce.

The name, Townsend, comes from a prominent businessman and Delaware Democrat, Samuel John Townsend. Prior to 1885, the town was known as Charley Town. Between 1845 and 1855 brothers Samuel and John Townsend purchased several large tracts of farmland in the vicinity. The Delaware Railroad arrived here in 1856, bisecting Samuel Townsend's property. This led to a period of sustained growth for the town, as the railroad station became the principal shipping point for the area's agricultural products. In September 1856 the Post Office was established, and the first hotel opened in 1857. Following a healthy debate among the residents, the station was named Townsend, after the area's major land owners. The peach industry was a vital contributor to the area's growth and prosperity until disease destroyed many Delmarva orchards in the late 19th century. A free African American community was located here by the mid-19th century. ^[6]

The town has since created a "Comprehensive Development Plan", as required by state law February 2003, for land preservation. ^[7]

The Townsend Historic District, which includes 216 buildings, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Mayors of the town

Note: List of Mayors is incomplete. Please add cited sources to complete this list.

0000? - 2007 Charles Murry (Town Records)

• 2007(?)-2009 - Dave Raughley ^[8]
• 2010–2011: John Hanlin
• 2011-2012: Steve High
• 2012-2014: Joel Esler
• 2014-2015: Jermaine Hatton
• 2016-2019: Rudy Sutton
• 2019–2021: Tom McDonald
• 2021-2022: Patrick Miller
• Current: Scott Lobdell, P.E. ^[9]

Infrastructure

Transportation

DE 71 southbound in Townsend

Delaware Route 71 runs northwest–southeast through the eastern part of Townsend and heads northwest to Middletown and southeast to an intersection with U.S. Route 13. Main Street serves as the main east–west road through Townsend. ^[10] DART First State provides bus service to Townsend along Route 302, which heads north to Middletown and south to Smyrna and Dover. ^[11] Townsend is located at the junction between the Delmarva Central Railroad's Delmarva Subdivision and the Maryland and Delaware Railroad's Northern Line. ^[12]

Utilities

Delmarva Power, a subsidiary of Exelon, provides electricity to Townsend. ^[13] Chesapeake Utilities provides natural gas to the town. ^[14] Artesian Water Company, a subsidiary of Artesian Resources, provides water to Townsend. ^[15] Trash and recycling collection in Townsend is provided by Waste Industries. ^[16]

Education

Townsend is within the Appoquinimink School District. ^[17] Odessa High School has a Townsend postal address.

MOT Charter School is an area charter school. ^[18]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	199		—
1890	387		94.5%
1900	399		3.1%
1910	494		23.8%
1920	453		−8.3%
1930	421		−7.1%
1940	544		29.2%
1950	441		−18.9%
1960	434		−1.6%
1970	505		16.4%
1980	386		−23.6%
1990	322		−16.6%
2000	346		7.5%
2010	2,049		492.2%
2020	2,717		32.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [19]

At the 2000 census there were 346 people, 132 households, and 95 families living in the town. The population density was 582.3 inhabitants per square mile (224.8/km²). There were 151 housing units at an average density of 254.1 per square mile (98.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.10% White, 11.56% African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 2.60% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60%. ^[20]

Of the 132 households 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.5% of households were one person and 7.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution was 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median household income was $47,500 and the median family income was $48,875. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $28,409 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,671. About 2.1% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Samuel John Townsend (1812–1881), businessman and prominent Democrat, for which the town was named after. Townsend was a vibrant Delaware Democrat working as a ship captain, timber producer, and finally, a peach farmer who exported canned peaches to New York from Delaware and Maryland. ^[21]
• Happy Townsend (1879–1963), a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1901 to 1906 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators, and Cleveland Naps
• David P. Buckson (1920–2017), Governor of Delaware, was born in Townsend ^[22]
• Dominique McLean, aka SonicFox, professional esports player and recipient of "Gamer of the Year" Award at The Game Awards 2018

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
2. "Townsend". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
3. "The Delaware Census State Data Center". Stateplanning.delaware.gov. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
4. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search- DE, Townsend town". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "Townsend Historical Marker".
7. "2010 Update to the 2003 Town of Townsend Comprehensive Plan" (PDF). The University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA). Retrieved January 9, 2014.
8. "Town Council Minutes". Town of Townsend. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
9. "Town Council Meeting".
10. Delaware Department of Transportation (2008). Delaware Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation.
11. "Routes and Schedules". DART First State. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
12. "Delmarva Central Railroad". Carload Express. November 8, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
13. "Service Territory". Delmarva Power. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
14. "Delmarva Service Territory". Chesapeake Utilities. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
15. Geographic Information (Map). New Castle County, Delaware. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
16. "Trash and Recycling Pick Up Information". Townsend, Delaware. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
17. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: New Castle County, DE" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved June 18, 2021.
18. "PHOTOS: Back to school in M.O.T. area". Middletown Transcript . September 1, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2021. Most schools in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend area[...] while M.O.T. Charter School students [...]
19. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
20. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
21. "Townsend family papers". library.udel.edu. University of Delaware.
22. 'Dover Downs founder, politician Buckson dies at 96,' Delaware State News, Andrew West, January 18, 2017