Editing Claymont, Delaware

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name = Claymont, Delaware
|settlement_type = [[Census-designated place|CDP]]
|image_skyline = The Darley House.jpg
|image_caption = The Darley House
|image_map = New Castle County Delaware incorporated and unincorporated areas Claymont highlighted.svg
|mapsize = 300px
|map_caption = Location of Claymont in [[New Castle County, Delaware]] (left) and of New Castle County in [[Delaware]] (right)
|pushpin_map             = Delaware#USA
|pushpin_label_position  = left
|pushpin_label           = Claymont
|pushpin_map_caption     = Location of Claymont in [[Delaware]]
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Delaware|County]]
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_name1 = [[Delaware]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[New Castle County, Delaware|New Castle]]
|government_type          = Claymont Renaissance (''[[de facto]]'')
| leader_title           = Renaissance President
| leader_name            = Basil Kollias, Esq.
|established_title = First settled
|established_date = Before 1200
|established_title2 = Renamed
|established_date2 = 1856
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_total_km2 = 5.57
|area_land_km2 = 5.57
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi = 2.15
|area_land_sq_mi = 2.15
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
|population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_total = 9895
|population_density_km2 = 1776.54
|population_density_sq_mi = 4600.19
|timezone = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset = -5
| timezone_DST = EDT
| utc_offset_DST = -4
| elevation_ft = 75
| coordinates      = {{coord|39|48|02|N|75|27|35|W|region:US-DE|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code = 19703
| area_code = [[Area code 302|302]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 10-15310
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 213804<ref>{{cite gnis|213804|Claymont}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|http://www.claymontrenaissance.org}}
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|population_footnotes = 
|area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_10.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 31, 2021}}</ref>
}}
'''Claymont''' is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[New Castle County, Delaware]], United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895.

==History==
The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of [[Naamans Creek]] where it empties into the [[Delaware River]]. This once rich ecosystem has been occupied steadily since before 1200 A.D. and has undergone numerous cultural and economic changes, most of which are still evident in the architecture and living patterns of the community today. The first residents were aboriginal Indians of the [[List of archaeological periods (North America)|Middle Woodland period]] (1100-1600 B.C.). Evidence of these early dwellers has been found along both sides of Naamans Creek. 

The Dutch colonists named the creek and settlement after the Chief of the [[Lenape]] Indians who occupied the region.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ferris|first1=Benjamin|title=A History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware|date=1846|publisher=Wilson and Healde|location=Wilimington|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyoforigina00inferr/page/134 134]|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoforigina00inferr|access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref> The settlement grew rapidly from the 17th century through the 20th century, first with gristmills, farms, and related ancillary industries, and later with lumber mills, a steel mill, and a chemical plant.

In 1681, [[John Grubb]] purchased a one-third interest in a {{convert|600|acre|ha|adj=on}} tract of the [[Brandywine Hundred]], which came to be known as Grubb's Landing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grubb Family Papers|url=http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/grubb.htm|website=www.lib.udel.edu|access-date=9 December 2017}}</ref>
Sitting strategically along the Delaware River, Claymont has been a two-way thoroughfare for travel to and from [[Philadelphia]] and [[Washington, D.C.]], since colonial days. 

During the colonial period, the town served as a stop along the [[King's Highway (Charleston to Boston)|King's Highway]] or Philadelphia Pike. The town became a site for intersections and connections with [[Interstate 95 in Delaware|Interstate 95]], [[Interstate 495 (Delaware)|Interstate 495]], [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware|US 13]] (Governor Printz Boulevard), and [[U.S. Route 13 Business (Wilmington, Delaware)|US 13 Bus.]] Philadelphia Pike has long been a thoroughfare for travel between Philadelphia (20 miles to the north) and Washington, D.C. (100 miles to the south).

In 1838, the newly constructed [[Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad]] built a station in Claymont. The area developed from a primarily agricultural community to a suburban resort area for wealthy Philadelphia families. In the early 20th century, it developed as an industrial working community.<ref name="plan">[http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/pdfs/plandoc-redevelopment_plan.pdf Claymont Community Redevelopment Plan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706015243/http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/pdfs/plandoc-redevelopment_plan.pdf |date=2008-07-06 }}</ref> It has included the suburban subdivisions of Claymont Addition, Brookview, Worthland, and Woodstream Gardens.

Naamans was renamed as Claymont in 1856 after the Reverend John B. Clemson, pastor of the Episcopal church, relocated here with his family from their plantation, Claymont Court, in [[Charles Town, West Virginia]].<ref name="history">[http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/2007docs/cp-historical_society.pdf Claymont Historical Society] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911010210/http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/2007docs/cp-historical_society.pdf |date=2008-09-11 }}</ref>

Claymont, with its diverse population, has continued to maintain a strong sense of community. The community's religious, civic, historic, and social organizations play a major role in supporting its unique character. 
[[File:Claymont Library Daytime.jpg|thumb|left|Claymont Library in Claymont, Delaware]]

===Renaissance===
Since the mid-1990s, several major revitalization efforts have been completed, including renovations of such historical sites as the [[Claymont Stone School]], the [[Darley House]] and the [[Robinson House (Claymont, Delaware)|Robinson House]]. The Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization working to stimulate economic growth and residential improvement in Claymont, received a Sustainable Communities Award from the National Association of Counties.<ref>{{cite web|title=2005 Awards Program Publication|url=http://www.naco.org/Content/ContentGroups/Programs_and_Projects/Community_Development/Center_for_Sustainable_Communities/done.AWARDSFINAL.pdf|access-date=2009-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018020334/http://www.naco.org/Content/ContentGroups/Programs_and_Projects/Community_Development/Center_for_Sustainable_Communities/done.AWARDSFINAL.pdf|archive-date=2009-10-18|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Claymont Renaissance: Community revitalization gets national attention|journal=Living and Working in New Castle County|publisher=Journal Communications Inc.|url=http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/2007docs/press-images_new_castle_0107.pdf|access-date=2009-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725175843/http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/2007docs/press-images_new_castle_0107.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

In what has been called "the single largest redevelopment project in Brandywine Hundred in the last 40 years", the 633-unit, {{convert|66|acre|m2|adj=on}} community of Brookview was razed beginning in 2007 to make way for the new urbanist, mixed-use Darley Green development.<ref>{{cite news|title=Demolition of Brookview Townhomes Begins|journal=Brandywine Community News|date=2007-11-23|url=http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/2007docs/2007_11_23-brandywine.pdf|access-date=2009-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725175849/http://www.claymontrenaissance.org/2007docs/2007_11_23-brandywine.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2017, plans were announced for the redevelopment of the former 450-acre Claymont Steel site.<ref>{{cite web |title=Crossing / EVRAZ |url=https://www.cdcco.com/industrial/evraz-steel-claymont-de/ |website=Commercial Development Company, Inc. |access-date=16 June 2020}}</ref> In 2019 construction began on the $71M Claymont Regional Transportation Center, which will replace the current small commuter rail stop one half mile to the south.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Claymont Train Station Project to Begin in Spring 2019 |url=https://news.delaware.gov/2019/02/21/new-claymont-train-station-project-to-begin-in-spring-2019/ |access-date=16 June 2020 |agency=Delaware News |publisher=Delaware.gov |date=21 February 2019}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Claymont Subdivisions 2018.jpg|thumb|right|Neighborhoods of Claymont]]
Claymont is located at {{coord|39|48|02|N|75|27|35|W|type:city}} (39.8006685, -75.4596404),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> in northeastern [[Brandywine Hundred]], on the ridge line between the [[Atlantic Coastal Plain|coastal floodplain]] of the Delaware River and the [[Piedmont (United States)|upland piedmont]] area of northwestern New Castle County.

The area generally considered to be Claymont encompasses the entire 19703 [[ZIP code]],<ref name="plan"/> which is bounded by the Pennsylvania border to the north, the Delaware River to the east, the [[CSX]] railroad line to the west, and [[List of rivers in Delaware|Perkins Run]] creek to the south.<ref>[http://www.co.new-castle.de.us/landuse/home/fileuploads/images/claymontpage/map%201.jpg Claymont boundary map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080806035212/http://www.co.new-castle.de.us/landuse/home/fileuploads/images/claymontpage/map%201.jpg |date=2008-08-06 }}</ref>

==Law and government==

===County representation===

The New Castle County Government operates under an executive-council form of municipal government. The county is headed by a County Executive, who is elected to a maximum of two consecutive, four-year terms. The Chief Administrative Officer, who is the county's second-in-command, is appointed by the County Executive and serves at his or her pleasure. The current County Executive is Matt Meyer, and the current Chief Administrative Officer is Vanessa Phillips.

The county's legislative body is a thirteen-member County Council, consisting of twelve members elected by district and one Council President elected at large. Claymont falls within New Castle County District 8, which is represented by Councilman John Cartier.

===State representation===

Claymont is in the 7th District of the [[Delaware House of Representatives]], and is in the 1st District of the [[Delaware Senate]]. 
Both members of the Democratic Party, Larry Lambert represents Delaware House District 7, and [[Sarah McBride]] represents Senate District 1. 
[[File:Claymont Fire Co.jpg|thumb|Claymont Fire Co. in Claymont, Delaware.]]

===Federal representation===

Democratic Congresswoman [[Lisa Blunt Rochester]] represents the State of Delaware in its entirety.

Claymont is represented in the [[United States Senate]] by Democrats [[Tom Carper]] and [[Chris Coons]].

The [[United States Postal Service]] has an office on Philadelphia Pike in Claymont.

===Fire===

The Claymont Fire Co. has two locations, one of which is located in Claymont on Philadelphia Pike.

===Police===

The New Castle County Division of Police has jurisdiction over all unincorporated areas in New Castle County, Delaware. The department has about 400 law enforcement officers. The current Chief of Police is Vaughn Bond. Claymont is also under the jurisdiction of the [[Delaware State Police]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 9895
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}

The ZIP Code Tabulation Area for 19703 includes communities such as Ashbourne Hills, the Greentree section, the Society Hill Section, and parts of Rolling Park, which are neighborhoods located within Claymont. The area had a population of 14,471 with a total of 5,984 households at the 2010 Census.<ref>{{cite web |title=US Census website |url=https://www.census.gov/ |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=11 August 2020}}</ref> The racial makeup of the area was 61.83% White, 31.41% African American, 7.72% Hispanic, 0.89% Native American, 4.75% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, and 3.48% from other races. As of 2010, the median household income for the 19703 ZIP code was $58,304 with an average of 2.42 persons per household.

==Education==
Claymont is in the [[Brandywine School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st10_de/schooldistrict_maps/c10003_new_castle/DC20SD_C10003.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: New Castle County, DE|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2021-06-18}}</ref> Zoned schools are as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st10_de/place/p1015310_claymont/DC20BLK_P1015310.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Claymont CDP, DE|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2025-03-14}} - Compare to the school boundary maps.</ref> 
* Most of the CDP is zoned to Claymont Elementary School, while parts are zoned to Maple Lane Elementary School and to Forwood Elementary School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brandywineschools.org:443/fs/resource-manager/view/c6b46d18-db6d-4f0e-b808-47075d7ee732|title=Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)|publisher=[[Brandywine School District]]|access-date=2025-03-14}} - Compare to the CDP map.</ref>
* Most areas are zoned to Talley Middle School, while some are zoned to P. S. DuPont Middle School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brandywineschools.org/fs/resource-manager/view/8bb1ba8a-f54a-4ff7-93fc-0a02a9bc6bd1|title=Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)|publisher=[[Brandywine School District]]|access-date=2025-03-14}} - Compare to the CDP map.</ref>
* Much of Claymont CDP is zoned to [[Brandywine High School]] while some of the CDP is zoned to [[Mount Pleasant High School (Delaware)|Mount Pleasant High School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brandywineschools.org/fs/resource-manager/view/96590ac7-348e-468c-aaa0-a3012fbd93f1|title=High Schools (Grades 9-12)|publisher=[[Brandywine School District]]|access-date=2025-03-14}} - Compare to the CDP map.</ref>

[[Archmere Academy]], a private school, is in Claymont.

The current Claymont Library, operated by New Castle County Libraries, opened in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newcastlede.gov/298/Claymont-Library|title=Claymont Library|publisher=New Castle County|access-date=2025-03-29|quote=400 Lenape Way Claymont, DE 19703}}</ref>

Previously Claymont was in the Claymont School District.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mowery|first=Roger|url=https://archivesfiles.delaware.gov/ebooks/Delaware_School_Districts_1974.pdf|title=Delaware School District Organization and Boundaries|publisher=[[Delaware State Department of Instruction]]|place=[[Dover, Delaware]]|year=1974|page=61 (PDF p. 77/97)|access-date=2025-03-30}}</ref> The [[Delaware General Assembly]] established the Claymont Special School District on June 24, 1920, and that district was reorganized into the Claymont School District on July 1, 1969.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mowery|first=Roger|url=https://archivesfiles.delaware.gov/ebooks/Delaware_School_Districts_1974.pdf|title=Delaware School District Organization and Boundaries|publisher=[[Delaware State Department of Instruction]]|place=[[Dover, Delaware]]|year=1974|page=9 (PDF p. 17/97)|access-date=2025-03-30}}</ref> That district merged into the [[New Castle County School District]] in 1978. That district was divided into four districts, among them the Brandywine district, in 1981.<ref name=Delgovhist>{{cite web|url=https://archives.delaware.gov/delaware-agency-histories/new-castle-county-school-district/|title=New Castle County School District|publisher=Government of Delaware|access-date=2025-03-31}}</ref>

Prior to educational desegregation in the mid-20th century, African-American children in Claymont went to [[Howard High School (Wilmington, Delaware)|Howard High School]] in Wilmington.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/brvb/learn/historyculture/claymont.htm|title=Claymont, Delaware|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=2025-04-03}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:Claymont SEPTA station December 2023.jpeg|thumb|right|Claymont Station, which serves SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line]]
Major roads that serve Claymont include [[Interstate 95 in Delaware|Interstate 95]], [[Interstate 495 (Delaware)|Interstate 495]], [[U.S. Route 13 in Delaware|US 13]] (Governor Printz Boulevard), [[U.S. Route 13 Business (Wilmington, Delaware)|US 13 Bus.]] (Philadelphia Pike), and [[Delaware Route 92|DE 92]] (Naamans Road).<ref name=DelDOT>{{Delaware road map|year=2008}}</ref> [[Claymont station|Claymont Station]] is a [[SEPTA Regional Rail]] train station on the [[Wilmington/Newark Line]], providing service north to [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City Philadelphia]] and south to [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]] and [[Newark, Delaware|Newark]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wilmington/Newark Line schedule|publisher=SEPTA|url=http://www.septa.org/schedules/rail/pdf/nwk.pdf|access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref> Trains along [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]] pass through Claymont but do not stop; the nearest Amtrak station is [[Wilmington station (Delaware)|Wilmington Station]].<ref name=DelDOT/> [[DART First State]] provides bus service to Claymont along Route 13, which runs from the Claymont Station south along Philadelphia Pike to Wilmington; and Route 61, which runs from the Claymont Station west along Naamans Road to the Brandywine Town Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dartfirststate.com/information/routes/index.shtml|title=Routes and Schedules|publisher=DART First State|access-date=July 20, 2020}}</ref> [[SEPTA Suburban Bus]] [[SEPTA Route 113|Route 113]] runs from the Claymont Station north into [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania]], providing service to the [[Chester Transit Center]] in [[Chester, Pennsylvania|Chester]], the [[Darby Transportation Center]] in [[Darby, Pennsylvania|Darby]], and the [[69th Street Transportation Center]] in [[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania|Upper Darby]].<ref name=septa113>{{cite web|url=http://www.septa.org/schedules/bus/pdf/113.pdf|title=Route 113 bus schedule|publisher=SEPTA|access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
[[File:Patio Archmere 2.JPG|thumb|Archmere Academy]]
Claymont is home to several historic places, including the [[Claymont Stone School]], est. 1805, which may have been the state's first racially integrated public school; [[Archmere Academy]], est. 1916, in the former home of industrialist [[John J. Raskob]]; the [[Darley House]], est. 1859, former home of illustrator [[F. O. C. Darley]]; the Grubb/Worth Mansion, erected in 1783; and the [[Robinson House (Claymont, Delaware)|Robinson House]], with a [[Block House (Delaware)|Block House]] believed to be the only structure remaining of the original Naaman's Creek settlement.

==Notable people==
[[File:Biden Claymont.jpg|thumb|President [[Joe Biden]] moved to Claymont from [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]] in his early youth]]
* [[Valerie Bertinelli]], ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]'' and ''[[Touched by an Angel]]'' actress
* [[Joe Biden]], 46th [[President of the United States]] and former [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] and [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] 
* [[Keasel Broome]], soccer player<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keasel Broome |url=https://friars.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/keasel-broome/1367 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |website=[[Providence Friars men's soccer|Providence Friars]]}}</ref> 
* [[John Carney (Delaware politician)|John Carney]], [[Governor of Delaware]]
* [[J. Caleb Boggs]], former [[Governor of Delaware]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]],  and [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]]
* [[F. O. C. Darley]], known as the "Father of American Illustration"
* [[John Grubb]], two-term member of the [[Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly]], one of the original settlers of Claymont
* [[Nathaniel Grubb]], served in the [[Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly]]
* [[Keith McCurdy|Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy]], celebrity tattoo artist
* [[John J. Raskob]], [[DuPont]] and [[General Motors]] executive
* [[Adolf Ulric Wertmüller]], Swedish portrait painter

==References==
{{Portal|Delaware}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Claymont}}

{{New Castle County, Delaware}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Delaware]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in New Castle County, Delaware]]
[[Category:Claymont, Delaware| ]]
[[Category:Delaware populated places on the Delaware River]]