SEAFORD, DE

Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

It is the largest city fully within Sussex County and was voted the 28th Best Small Town in America. It hosted the Seaford Eagles of the Eastern Shore Baseball League.

History

Name origin

Seaford is named after Seaford, East Sussex in England.

Once in Maryland

All land in current western and southern Sussex County was first settled as part of Maryland. Seaford, along with Bridgeville, Greenwood, Middleford, and others, were all part of Dorchester County in the Province of Maryland. Blades, Laurel, and Concord areas, on the other hand, were part of Somerset County. It is reported that an error in a map coordinate resulted in the east-west line of Delaware being from current Delmar to Fenwick. The original agreement had the eastwest line at the Cape Henlopen, not at the false cape. If the line had survived, Seaford would now be in Maryland. After many years in the courts of London, the boundary lines are as the surveyors Mason and Dixon defined in 1763.

Governor Ross and the Civil War

Only of land remain from the plantations original size of . There are many notable buildings on this property, you can find a granary, stable, smokehouse, corn cribs, and Delaware's only documented surviving slave quarters.

Downtown renovations

Seaford is one of seven Main Street communities that participated in the Delaware Main Street Program, part of the national Main Street plan to revitalize commercial districts. The program was developed in the 1970s by the National Trust Main Street Center, which was in turn a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 1999–2000 Seaford's historic downtown area along High Street underwent major renovations, preserving the city's old fashioned charm with $1.5 million of landscaping, street paving, sidewalks, lamp posts, street lights, and utility upgrades.

National Register of Historic Places listings

The Building at 200–202A High Street, Building at 218 High Street, Building at High and Cannon Streets, Burton Hardware Store, J. W. Cox Dry Goods Store, First National Bank of Seaford, Hearn and Rawlins Mill, Lawrence, Maston House, Jesse Robinson House, Edgar and Rachel Ross House, Gov. William H. Ross House, St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church, Seaford Station Complex, and Sussex National Bank of Seaford are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Seaford is located at (38.6412256, –75.6110381).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.14%) is water.

Climatology

Situated on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Seaford's weather is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean. Seaford has a mild subtropical climate consisting of hot, humid summers and mild winters. The average daytime high in July is 87 °F (30.6 °C) and a low of 65 °F (18.3 °C); in January, the average high is 44 °F (6.7 °C) with an average low of 25 °F (-3.9 °C) The month of highest average rainfall is August with 5.59 inches (142.0 mm) of rain, while February is historically the driest month, receiving an average of only 3.17 inches (80.5 mm) of rain.

The highest official temperature ever recorded in Seaford was 104 °F (40.0 °C) on July 22, 2011, while the all-time low was -13 °F (-25.0 °C) on January 28, 1987.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,699 people, 2,629 households, and 1,664 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,925.9 people per square mile (743.2/km). There were 2,809 housing units at an average density of 807.5 per square mile (311.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 64.04% White, 30.02% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.25% of the population.

There were 2,629 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,402, and the median income for a family was $39,688. Males had a median income of $30,467 versus $23,490 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,022. About 22.0% of families and 27.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.4% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Seaford has a mayor-council system of government with a mayor and a city council. As of 2022, the mayor of Seaford is David Genshaw, Dan H. Henderson is vice mayor, and the other members of the city council are Matthew MacCoy, Jose Santos, Orlando Holland, and James King.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 13 is the main north-south thoroughfare within city limits, with Delaware Route 20 being the main east-west highway. U.S. Route 13 connects Seaford with Bridgeville to the north and Laurel to the south as part of the Sussex Highway. State Route 20 connects Seaford with Millsboro to the east and tiny Reliance, Maryland to the west.

The closest airport with commercial air service to Seaford is the Wicomico Regional Airport in Salisbury, Maryland. The closest public airport is Laurel Airport in Laurel, Delaware. There is also an airport in Georgetown called the Delaware Coastal Airport. This airport has a jet service section, as part of the nearby industrial park.

DART First State operates the Route 212 bus that connects Seaford to Georgetown and Delmar and the Route 903F bus that runs on a loop through Seaford.

Freight rail service in Seaford is provided by two carriers: the Delmarva Central Railroad and the Maryland and Delaware Railroad. The Delmarva Central Railroad runs north-south through the city, parallel to US 13. It interchanges with the Maryland and Delaware Railroad in Seaford, which heads west to Federalsburg and Cambridge in Maryland.

Utilities

The City of Seaford Electric Department provides electricity to approximately 6,700 customers in the city. The electric department owns three substations and more than of transmission and distribution lines. The city purchases its electricity and is a member of the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation. The Public Works department provides water and sewer service to the city. Natural gas service in Seaford is provided by Chesapeake Utilities.

Health care

TidalHealth Hospital and TidalHealth Cancer Care Center, both operated by TidalHealth Health Services, are located in Seaford.

Education

Students in Seaford are offered a number of public and private school choices.

Seaford is home to the Seaford School District. The District contains four elementary schools, one middle school and Seaford Senior High School.

Media

Radio

The only radio station calling Seaford its home is WGBG 92.7 FM, which broadcasts from just outside the city limits. It plays conservative talk radio personalities such as Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage.

Legendary disc jockey Bill Crisp at one time owned the only AM/FM radio stations licensed to Seaford, WSFD/WSUX. Their studios were located on S. Dual Highway just two miles south of Seaford. WSFD broadcast on a frequency of 1280 AM as a daytime only radio station with 1000 watts of power serving Lower Delaware. Some of its formats included Adult Contemporary and Country. The station went dark in the late 1990s. WSUX broadcast 3000 watts on a frequency of 98.3 FM and was known as Stereo 98. The station survived years of popularity in the 70s and 80s with a Top 40 format serving Maryland's Eastern Shore and Lower Delaware. The station was later sold and has since switched frequency to 98.5.

Television

WDPB-TV 64 is the only television station originating from Seaford. It is a subsidiary of WHYY-TV in Philadelphia and an affiliate of PBS.

Newspapers

Seaford is home to one weekly newspaper, the Seaford Star. The Seaford Star is a publication of Morning Star Publications, Inc., which is owned by Seaford residents Bryant and Carol Richardson. The newspaper retails for 50 cents per issue and is also available by subscription.

Points of interest

Within the city

Near the city

Notable people

Notes and references