Delaware , one of the Middle Atlantic states of the United States, the country's second smallest state (after Rhode Island). It is bordered by Maryland (W, S), and there is a short border with Pennsylvania (N); New Jersey (E) is across the Delaware Bay and Delaware R. Since the 1990s Delaware has become increasingly dependent on the finance and insurance sectors for employment and income, although manufacturing and agriculture are still important. The manufacturing, credit card, banking, and insurance industries are heavily concentrated in the north, while farming is carried on mainly below the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Chief agricultural products are broiler chickens, soybeans, corn, and dairy products. Potatoes and other vegetables are also grown. Delaware's small fishing industry harvests mainly clams, menhaden, oysters, and scup. Long before Europeans explored the Delaware area, it was inhabited by several Native American groups of the Delaware—notably the Nanticoke in the south and the Minqua in the north. In 1609, Henry Hudson, in the service of the Dutch East India Company, sailed into Delaware Bay. A year later the British captain Sir Samuel Argall, bound for the colony of Virginia, also sailed into the bay. Argall named one of the capes Cape La Warre after the governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Baron De la Warr. From the time of its discovery, the region was contested by the Dutch and English. The first settlement was established by Dutch patroons, or proprietors, in partnership with the Dutch navigator David Pietersen de Vries; it was called Swanendael and was established (1631) on the site of the town of Lewes. However, within a year it was destroyed by a Native American attack. This attack notwithstanding, the Native Americans were generally friendly and willing to trade with the newcomers.

The reputation of being the ideal state for locating a business Delaware boasts a financially solid and diverse business economy with companies in the automobile, chemistry, biotech, agriculture, and corporate legal services markets. In Real Estate location is everything and Delaware is less than a two-hour drive from New York City and Washington, D.C. Delaware apartment rentals and housing market provide many choices.

Delaware is strategically located on the Eastern Seaboard. Because Delaware was the first state to ratify the federal Constitution it is given the first position in such national events as presidential inaugurations. It has one of the largest concentrations of banking operations in the Mid-Atlantic region. Delaware is a great place to buy a home or rent an apartment and is the home of tax-free shopping. Dover Air Force Base is one of the largest in the country.

There is something for everyone in Delaware from arts and culture attractions to great outdoor adventures. Delaware also has something for everyone in apartment rentals or the housing market.

Dover is home to Delaware State University which is a historically black university that has a diverse population of undergraduates and advanced degree students. The University of Delaware is the largest university in the state offering world-class programs in chemical engineering, chemistry and biochemistry. It is one of only four schools in North America with a major in art conservation. Other colleges and universities are Delaware Technical & Community College, Wesley College, Goldey-Beacom College, Drexel University, Wilmington College and Widener University School of Law.