Dewey Beach, Delaware

Dewey Beach, Delaware
—  Town  —
Location of Dewey Beach, Delaware
Coordinates: 38°41′46″N 75°4′35″W / 38.69611°N 75.07639°W / 38.69611; -75.07639Coordinates: 38°41′46″N 75°4′35″W / 38.69611°N 75.07639°W / 38.69611; -75.07639
Country	United States
State	Delaware
County	Sussex
Area
- Total	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
- Land	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2010)
- Total	341
- Density	1,136.7/sq mi (378.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	19971
Area code(s)	302
FIPS code	10-20900
GNIS feature ID	0213884

Dewey Beach is an incorporated coastal town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 341, an increase of 13.3% over the previous decade.^[1] It is part of the Seaford, Delaware Micropolitan Statistical Area.

"Dewey Beach, A Way of Life"

While not as extreme as spring-break locales such as Panama City Beach or Cancún, Dewey Beach has developed a reputation as a wild summer "party town", and is particularly popular in the Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Wilmington areas.

Incorporated in 1981, the town lies on a small strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Rehoboth Bay, is about one mile long and only two blocks wide. Despite its small size and low year-round population of about 300, it is not uncommon for 30,000 to descend upon the town during summer weekends. Numerous bars and rock clubs line Coastal Highway (Delaware Route 1), the town's main street. Further down Coastal Highway is Ruddertowne, home to more bars and clubs.

Notwithstanding its reputation as a magnet for partygoers, Dewey Beach is also a popular family resort spot, particularly because of its wide, sandy beaches, and many hotels, cottages, and condominiums may be found.

As is the case with most beach areas, Dewey Beach quiets down in the fall and winter.

The town hosts the Dewey Beach Music Conference during the last weekend of September. This event began in 2002 and has been a huge draw for unsigned bands from all over the country.

Another popular Dewey Beach event, which occurs every October, is Greyhounds Reach The Beach, where thousands of rescued greyhounds and their owners congregate.

Also, the town is the location of the annual East Coast Skimboarding Championships, in mid-August.

Geography

Dewey Beach is located at 38°41′46″N 75°4′35″W / 38.69611°N 75.07639°W / 38.69611; -75.07639 (38.696075, -75.076519).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1990	204		—
2000	301		47.5%
2010	341		13.3%

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 301 people, 161 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density was 876.6 people per square mile (341.8/km²). There were 1,369 housing units at an average density of 3,986.9 per square mile (1,554.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.69% White, 0.33% African American, 0.33% Native American, 3.65% Asian, 2.66% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.32% of the population.

There were 161 households out of which 9.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87 and the average family size was 2.45.

In the town the population was spread out with 8.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 34.6% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $79,471, and the median income for a family was $97,505. Males had a median income of $56,563 versus $39,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $51,958. None of the families and 1.9% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteen and 5.8% of those over 64.

References

1. ^ http://www.stateplanning.delaware.gov/census_data_center/
2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• iDewey.com - Official Site
• Town of Dewey Beach - Official Site
• Dewey Beach Police Department
• Dewey Beach, DE Information
• Kersten Wills, Denise. "Dewey Beach: Grownups Gone Wild", Washingtonian, August 1, 2008.