Delaware

Delaware, while not the smallest of the United States of America, was the first state to ratify the US Constitution. Delaware is bordered by the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Despite being only a hundred miles long and less than fifty miles across at its widest point, Delaware is a surprisingly complex and diverse state. The C&D Canal, which bisects the state two-thirds of the way up, serves as a sort of internal Mason-Dixon Line, separating the more urban and industrialized northern portion of Delaware from the more rural "slower, lower" southern part.

The weather in Delaware varies greatly from season to season. Summers are almost always hot, very humid, and unpleasant. The air quality is accordingly poor, but no more so than surrounding counties. Winters, although it rarely snows heavily, can get bitterly cold. Spring and fall are generally the nicest seasons, although snow storms can arrive in April, and heat waves can hit in late November. Delaware weather is unpredictable, the only real way to prepare would be to carry an umbrella and pray for sunshine.

Cars are the main mode of transportation, except in the city of Wilmington, where ample mass transit is available. DART First State is the primary public transportation system that operates throughout Delaware. Although most of its routes run in and around Wilmington and Newark in New Castle County, DART also serves Dover (in Kent County), and Georgetown in Sussex County, and has one route running into New Jersey, which connects with New Jersey Transit buses, and one route into Elkton with connection to the dial-a-ride service of Cecil County.

DART provides connecting service with the R2 Newark line of SEPTA Regional Rail, which travels between Philadelphia and Wilmington, with a few trains continuing on to Newark. The Delaware Department of Transportation subsidizes Regional Rail operations into Delaware.