Delaware Fun Facts

Delaware State Flag

  • Adopted on July 24, 1913, Delaware's current flag is a state seal enclosed in a buff diamond on a colonial blue background.  Beneath the diamond is printed "December 7, 1787", the date that Delaware ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the first state. Delaware was originally part of the Pennsylvania colony.  It declared its independence from Great Britain on June 15, 1776 becoming independent from Pennsylvania at that time as well. 

  • Dover is the capital of Delaware, named by William Penn for Dover in Kent, England.  Delaware has 3 counties, New Castle, Kent and Sussex.  

    • Delaware's Nicknames:
      • First State:  Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution.
      • Peach State:  the first state to product peaches commercially
      • Diamond State:  it is widely believed that Thomas Jefferson called Delaware a "jewel" among the states because of its strategic location along the East Coast.

    Other Fun Facts
        • Delaware's state bird is the Blue Hen.  Named after the "fighting blue hens" the mascot of the Delaware Revolutionary War soldiers. 

        • State bird is the Tiger Swallotail (Pterourus glaucus)

        • State flower - Peach Blossom - adopted in 1885 because Delaware was the leading producer of peaches until a blight called "the yellows" destroyed the orchards in the late 1800s. 

        • State fruit is the strawberry, adopted in 2010.

      • State herb is sweet golden rod - adopted on June 24, 1996 and indigenous to Delaware.  It is found throughout the state along coastal areas and by marshes.

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