Claymont, Delaware

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 town today. The first residents were aboriginal Indians of the Middle Woodland period (1100-1600 B.C.). Evidence of these early dwellers has been found along both sides of Naamans Creek. The Dutch named the creek and settlement after the Chief of the Lenape Indians who occupied the region.[2] 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 600-acre tract of the Brandywine Hundred which came to be known as Grubb's Landing.[3]

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, and with its location at the confluence of Interstate 95, Interstate 495, US 13 (Governor Printz Boulevard) and 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, and in the early 20th century into an industrial working community. [4]

Naamans became Claymont in 1856 after Reverend Clemson, pastor of the Episcopal church, after they had relocated from their family plantation, Claymont Court, in Charles Town, West Virginia.[5]

Claymont, with its diverse population, has continued to maintain a strong sense of community. The town's religious, civic, historic, and social organizations play a major role in supporting its unique character.

Claymont is located at 39°48′02″N 75°27′35″W (39.8006685, -75.4596404),[11] in northeastern Brandywine Hundred, on the ridge line between the coastal floodplain of the Delaware River and the upland piedmont area of northwestern New Castle County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total land area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²). The area generally considered to be Claymont encompasses the entire 19703 ZIP code,[4] which is bounded by the Pennsylvania border to the north, the Delaware River to the east, the CSX railroad line to the west, and Perkins Run to the south.[12]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 9,220 people, 3,792 households, and 2,400 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,371.4 people per square mile (1,687.1/km²). There were 4,193 housing units at an average density of 1,988.0 per square mile (767.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.04% White, 23.33% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.18% of the population.

There were 3,792 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,813, and the median income for a family was $46,780. Males had a median income of $36,493 versus $28,399 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,211. About 6.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

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 not included in Claymont CDP, and had a population of 15,312 at the 2000 census.[14]

Claymont Station, which serves SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line

Major roads that serve Claymont include Interstate 95, Interstate 495, US 13 (Governor Printz Boulevard), US 13 Bus. (Philadelphia Pike), and DE 92 (Naamans Road).[15] Claymont Station is a SEPTA Regional Rail train station on the Wilmington/Newark Line, providing service north to Center City Philadelphia and south to Wilmington and Newark.[16] Trains along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor pass through Claymont but do not stop; the nearest Amtrak station is Wilmington Station.[15] DART First State provides bus service to Claymont along Route 13, which runs from the Tri-State Mall in Claymont south along Philadelphia Pike to Wilmington and the Walmart on Wilton Boulevard near New Castle; Route 31, 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 and the Concord Mall.[17] SEPTA Suburban Bus Route 113 runs from the Tri-State Mall in Claymont north into Delaware County, Pennsylvania, providing service to the Chester Transportation Center in Chester, the Darby Transportation Center in Darby, and the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby.[18]

Claymont is home to several historic places, including the Claymont Stone School (which may have been the state's first racially integrated public school), Archmere Academy (in the former home of industrialist John J. Raskob), the Darley House (former home of illustrator F. O. C. Darley), and the Robinson House (with a Block House believed to be the only structure remaining of the original Naaman's Creek settlement). It is also the headquarters of several prominent businesses, including Evraz Claymont Steel and CIGNA Global Health Benefits. Fortune 500 metals and mining giant, Minmetals, has a presence in Claymont as the owners of the Holiday Inn Select Hotel on Naamans Road.

• Valerie Bertinelli, One Day at a Time and Touched by an Angel actress
• Joe Biden, U. S. Senator and Vice President
• J. Caleb Boggs, Governor of Delaware, U. S. Representative, and U. S. Senator
• F. O. C. Darley, known as "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 "Bang Bang" McCurdy, celebrity tattoo artist
• John J. Raskob, DuPont and General Motors executive
• Adolf Ulric Wertmüller, Swedish portrait painter

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Claymont.

• Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation