Fenwick Island, Delaware
Location of Fenwick Island, Delaware
Coordinates: 38°27′34″N 75°3′13″W / 38.45944, -75.05361
Country	United States
State	Delaware
County	Sussex
Area
- Total	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
- Land	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	342
- Density	994.5/sq mi (384.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	19944, 19975
Area code(s)	302
FIPS code	10-26880
GNIS feature ID	0213954

Looking south at Fenwick Island beach

Fenwick sailboats on southwest side of island

Fenwick Island is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 357.^[1]

Fenwick Island, together with the towns of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, and South Bethany, comprises Delaware's beach resort area and is Sussex County's most densely-populated and fastest-growing area.

Fenwick Island and its neighbors to the north, Bethany Beach and South Bethany are popularly known as "The Quiet Resorts". This is in contradistinction to the wild atmosphere of Dewey Beach and the cosmopolitan bustle of Rehoboth Beach. Fenwick Island, however, is somewhat less "quiet" than "the Bethanies" because it is immediately across the state line from Ocean City, Maryland, which has a well-deserved reputation as a wild place.

Named after Thomas Fenwick, a planter from England who settled in Maryland, Fenwick Island lay in the part of Delaware which was claimed by Lord Baltimore and his heirs during the Penn-Baltimore border dispute.

The town sits on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Little Assawoman Bay.

Local legend has it that Cedar Island in Little Assawoman Bay was a spot for pirates to bury treasure. Regardless of the truth of the legend, the Delaware coastal area was well-known as a place for pirates to hide from the law.

The town was an unincorporated area between South Bethany and Ocean City, Maryland until July 1953, when the Delaware General Assembly passed an act to incorporate the town. Local sentiment demanded incorporation to prevent the relentless high-rise development of Ocean City from creeping north into Fenwick Island.

Geography

Fenwick Island is located at 38°27′34″N, 75°3′13″W (38.459314, -75.053563).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), of which, 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (28.57%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 342 people, 178 households, and 126 families residing in the town. The population density was 994.5 people per square mile (388.4/km²). There were 666 housing units at an average density of 1,936.7/sq mi (756.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.42% White, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.63% of the population.

There were 178 households out of which 5.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.25.

In the town the population was spread out with 6.1% under the age of 18, 2.6% from 18 to 24, 11.1% from 25 to 44, 40.6% from 45 to 64, and 39.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $58,333, and the median income for a family was $68,750. Males had a median income of $46,607 versus $48,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,415. About 3.3% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

See also

• Transpeninsular Line
• Delmarva Peninsula
• Delaware Seashore State Park
• Fenwick Island State Park

External links

• Town of Fenwick Island - Official Site
• Fenwick Island, DE Information
• Warren's Station, a local restaurant

• Fenwick Island, Delaware is at coordinates 38°27′34″N 75°03′13″W / 38.459314, -75.053563 (Fenwick Island, Delaware)Coordinates: 38°27′34″N 75°03′13″W / 38.459314, -75.053563 (Fenwick Island, Delaware)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Sussex County, Delaware
County seat: Georgetown
Cities	Lewes | Milford | Rehoboth Beach | Seaford
Towns	Bethany Beach | Bethel | Blades | Bridgeville | Dagsboro | Delmar | Dewey Beach | Ellendale | Fenwick Island | Frankford | Georgetown | Greenwood | Henlopen Acres | Laurel | Millsboro | Millville | Milton | Ocean View | Selbyville | Slaughter Beach | South Bethany
CDP	Long Neck
Unincorporated communities	Angola | Argo's Corner | Atlanta | Bayard | Belltown | Broad Creek | Broadkill Beach | Cannon | Cedar Creek | Clarksville | Concord | Cool Spring | Coverdale | Fairmount | Fowler Beach | Gumboro | Harbeson | Hardscrabble | Hollymount | Hollyville | Jimtown | Johnson | Lincoln City | Marshtown | Middleford | Middlesex Beach | Midway | Nassau | Oakley | Oak Orchard | Old Furnace | Pepperbox | Pinetown | Redden | Reliance | Roxana | St. Johnstown | Whitesville | Williamsville
Hundreds	Baltimore | Broad Creek | Broadkill | Cedar Creek | Dagsboro | Georgetown | Gumboro | Indian River | Lewes & Rehoboth | Little Creek | Nanticoke | Northwest Fork | Seaford