Sussex County, Delaware

Sussex County is a located in the southern part of the  of. As of 2000 the population was 156,638. The is. In 2005, the population of the county was estimated to be 176,548, an increase of 12.7%.

Sussex County is Delaware's largest county by land area, with 938 sqmi. The first European settlement in the state of Delaware was founded in 1631 near the present-day town of Lewes. However, Sussex County was not organized until 1683.

History
See History of Sussex County

Law and Government
Sussex county's government is composed of an elected legislature and various elective executive heads of departments.

The is has five members; all are elected in and for specific geographic subdivisions for four years. This forms the legislative authority of the county, which then chooses a "County Administrator" or executive.

The current county council members are George Cole, Dales Dukes, Finley Jones, Vance Phillips, and Lynn Rogers.

The additional offices of, , and  are elected at large. . These positions are held by George Parish, John Brady, David Wilson Sr., and Eric Swanson, respectively.

Education
There are 10 public school districts serving Sussex County. The schools include, , , , , , , , , , and. Those high schools which participate in sporting events are members of the. There are also several secondary schools in Sussex County. has the largest presence in the county, but students can also attend, , , and.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 3,097 (1,196 ). 2,428 km² (938 sq mi) of it is land and 668 km² (258 sq mi) of it (21.58%) is water.

The eastern portion of the county is home to the Delaware beaches and many seaside resorts. The western side of the county is center of Delaware's agriculture industry with more acres of arable land under cultivation than anywhere else in the state.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast¹
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - southwest
 * - northwest

¹ across ; no land border

Major highways
There are three major north-south highways in Sussex County:


 * in the west,
 * in the middle, and
 * along the coast

In addition, Sussex has a number of east-west thoroughfares, the primary being. State Routes, , , , , and  also service the area, providing alternatives east-west routes to most municipalities in the county.

Economy
The average home and property price in Sussex County increased 250% in the ten years between 1995 and 2005. Local increases within Sussex County for this period include a 381% increase for and a 609% increase for. Sussex County is served by the Delaware Coast Line Railway, the Maryland & Delaware Railway and the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 156,638 people, 62,577 households, and 43,866 families residing in the county. The was 64/km² (167/sq mi). There were 93,070 housing units at an average density of 38/km² (99/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 80.35%, 14.89% or , 0.60% , 0.75% , 0.04% , 2.02% from , and 1.35% from two or more races. 4.41% of the population were or  of any race. 14.9% were of, 14.3% or American, 12.9% , 12.5%  and 5.6%  ancestry according to. 93.3% spoke and 4.3%  as their first language.

There were 62,577 households out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,208, and the median income for a family was $45,203. Males had a median income of $30,811 versus $23,625 for females. The for the county was $20,328. About 7.70% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

 * (part of Delmar is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Delmar is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Delmar is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )
 * (part of Milford is in )

Festivals, Fairs, and Events
Sussex County, Delaware is home to several festivals, fairs, and events. Some of the more notable festivals are the held in Seaford, the  held at various locations throughout the county since 1986, the, the  to mark the end of summer, the  held in Bridgeville, the , the  and Parade in Rehoboth Beach, the  the  in Oak Orchard, and the  held after every election in Georgetown.