Editing Wilmington, Delaware (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Wilmington aerial.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of Wilmington]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|17.0|mi2|km2}}, of which  {{convert|10.9|mi2|km2}} is land and {{convert|6.2|mi2|km2}} is water. The total area is 36.25% water.

The city sits at the confluence of the [[Christina River|Christina]] and [[Delaware River|Delaware rivers]], approximately {{convert|33|mi|km}} southwest of [[Philadelphia]]. [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Wilmington Train Station]], one of the southernmost stops on Philadelphia's [[SEPTA]] rail transportation system, is also served by [[Northeast Corridor]] [[Amtrak]] passenger trains. Wilmington is served by [[Interstate 95 in Delaware|I-95]] and [[Interstate 495 (Delaware)|I-495]] within city limits. In addition, the twin-span [[Delaware Memorial Bridge]], a few miles south of the city, provides direct highway access between Delaware and New Jersey, carrying the [[Interstate 295 (Delaware)|I-295]] eastern bypass route around Wilmington and Philadelphia, as well as [[U.S. Route 40 in Delaware|US 40]], which continues eastward to [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]].

These transportation links and geographic proximity give Wilmington some of the characteristics of a [[satellite city]] to Philadelphia, but Wilmington's long history as Delaware's principal city, its urban core, and its independent value as a business destination makes it more properly considered a small but independent city in the Philadelphia [[metropolitan area]].

Wilmington lies along the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|Fall Line]] geological transition from the [[Piedmont (United States)|Mid-Atlantic Piedmont Plateau]] to the [[Atlantic Coastal Plain]]. East of Market Street, and along both sides of the Christina River, the Coastal Plain land is flat, low-lying, and in places marshy. The Delaware River here is an [[estuary]] at sea level (with twice-daily high and low tides), providing [[sea level|sea-level]] access for ocean-going ships.

On the western side of Market Street, the Piedmont topography is rocky and hilly, rising to a point that marks the watershed between the Brandywine River and the Christina River. This watershed line runs along Delaware Avenue westward from 10th Street and Market Street.

These contrasting topography and soil conditions affected the industrial and residential development patterns within the city. The hilly west side was more attractive for the original residential areas, offering springs and sites for [[Mill (grinding)|mill]]s, better [[air quality]], and fewer [[mosquitoes]].