Why a Million Companies Call Delaware Home
More than two-thirds of the Fortune 500 are incorporated in a state most of them never set foot in. The reason is less about taxes than about a courtroom.
Corporate
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M&A Watch: A Quarter of Deals End Up on the Chancery Docket
Almost every large merger draws a lawsuit, and a striking share of them are filed in Wilmington. Here is what the litigation actually accomplishes.
Boardroom Season: What Delaware Proxy Fights Teach Everyone Else
When activist investors and boards collide, the battle is often fought under Delaware rules. This year's contests offered a clinic in corporate power.
Inside the DGCL: The Statute That Governs Corporate America
The Delaware General Corporation Law is only as long as a modest paperback, yet it sets the ground rules for how public companies are run.
The Court of Chancery, Explained
No juries, no criminal cases, and judges who read balance sheets for a living. Delaware's business court is unlike any other in the country.
The Fee Economy: How Corporate Filings Fund the State Budget
Delaware residents enjoy no sales tax in part because the world's companies foot a remarkable share of the bill.
Coastal
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Rehoboth Beach at the Height of Summer
For a few crowded months, Delaware's flagship resort town doubles in size and runs on funnel cake, sunscreen, and a one-mile boardwalk.
The Boardwalk Economy: Fries, Ferris Wheels, and Foot Traffic
A shore boardwalk is a business district disguised as a good time. The margins are thinner and the season shorter than the crowds suggest.
A Bench, a Book, and the Off-Peak Boardwalk
In the weeks before and after the crush, the boardwalk becomes a slower, more forgiving place — the locals' favorite version of the season.
Dewey Beach After Dark
Compact, loud, and famously social, Dewey has spent decades balancing its reputation as a nightlife town against the neighbors who live there year-round.
Bethany Beach: The Quiet Middle of Delaware's Coast
Marketed for generations as one of the 'Quiet Resorts,' Bethany has built its identity on being the calm alternative to its livelier neighbors.
Motorsports
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The Monster Mile: A Day at Dover
A one-mile concrete oval in the middle of the First State is one of the most demanding tracks in stock-car racing. Here is what a race day feels like.
Race Weekend Transforms Dover Into Delaware's Biggest City
For a few days each season, the crowd pouring into the speedway outnumbers the population of any town in the state.
Victory Lane: What Winning at Dover Means
A win at the Monster Mile carries a reputation earned over decades of hard, unforgiving racing. Drivers treasure it accordingly.
Weather Delay: When Rain Rewrites the Schedule
Stock cars cannot race on a wet oval, so a passing storm can upend a carefully planned weekend and test everyone's patience.
Concrete, Not Asphalt: Why Dover's Surface Is Unusual
Most ovals are paved in asphalt. Dover's switch to concrete decades ago changed how the track races and how teams prepare for it.
Wellness
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The Spa Boom: How Wilmington Learned to Relax
A city built on office work has discovered a robust appetite for massage, facials, and the day-spa afternoon. The industry has grown to meet it.
A New Generation of Salons Reshapes Newark's Main Street
Young stylists and owners are opening design-forward salons in the university town, betting that good hair travels by word of mouth.
Couples Retreats and the Rise of the Wellness Weekend
Hotels and spas have packaged relaxation into a two-night product, and Delaware's resorts are happy to sell it.
Hot Yoga, Cold Plunge: Delaware's Wellness Trend Cycle
From heated studios to ice baths, the wellness fads roll through the state in waves. Studios have learned to ride them without betting the business.
Salon Culture: More Than a Haircut
The relationship between a stylist and a regular client can span decades, built on trust, gossip, and the quiet intimacy of the chair.
Culture
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The First State: How Delaware Won the Race to Ratify
On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. The nickname it earned that day still defines the place.
The Grand Opera House: Wilmington's Restored Jewel
A nineteenth-century theater saved from the wrecking ball has become the anchor of the city's performing-arts life.
New Castle's Cobblestones: A Colonial Town Frozen in Time
A few miles from Wilmington's office towers sits a village that history nearly forgot to modernize — and is all the more precious for it.
Parades and Pageantry: Delaware's Civic Calendar
From holiday parades to founders' celebrations, the state's small towns keep alive a tradition of public spectacle that binds communities together.
Public Art and the Making of a Mural District
Large-scale murals have transformed a stretch of Wilmington's walls into an open-air gallery, and residents into an audience.
Dining
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Delaware's Seafood Table: From Boat to Plate
With the Atlantic on one side and the bay on the other, the state's kitchens have a short, enviable supply line to some of the freshest catch on the coast.
Fine Dining Comes to Wilmington
A city long content with steakhouses and chains has grown a genuine fine-dining scene, powered by ambitious chefs and a moneyed clientele.
The Farmers Market Comes Into Its Own
Once a niche for the devoted, the farmers market has become a mainstream summer fixture, linking Delaware's farms to its tables.
The Crab Feast Is a Delaware Summer Ritual
Steamed, seasoned, and dumped on a newspaper-covered table, the blue crab turns a summer dinner into a communal, hours-long event.
Scallops, Local and In Season
A well-seared scallop is a test of a kitchen's discipline, and Delaware's coastal restaurants have made it a signature.