|Middletown History|
Delaware’s fastest-growing town has attracted some attention Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer
B
efore it was on its way to becoming the state’s fastestgrowing town, Middletown, Delaware was home to a long-standing public festival, two revered private schools and the site where one of the most popular movies of the 1980s was filmed. Located in New Castle County in northern Delaware, Middletown’s population has been expanding at an incredible rate, growing by over 206 percent between 2000 and 2010. People have found the town an attractive place to buy a home and raise a family, with easy access to both Wilmington and Philadelphia. At just over eleven square miles, Middletown still has a small-town atmosphere. It has also attracted the attention of one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States —Amazon—which opened a fulfillment (distribution) center there to serve customers in the region. As people in Delaware and around the country “sheltered in place” during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many increased their online shopping, boosting revenues for the retail giant. Rapid growth of the area spurred the town to form its own police department in 2007. The Olde Tyme Peach Festival has been held here for many years, but was not scheduled this year due to the COVID situation. Education has been an important part of Middletown’s heritage. Population growth caused Middletown High
50
Middletown Life | Fall/Winter 2021 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com
A. Felix du Pont.
School to become so overcrowded that the town constructed a second public school, Appoquinimink High School, in 2008 and later a third one, Odessa High School in 2020. St. Andrew’s School, a private Episcopal boarding school opened in 1929 due to the efforts of A. Felix du Pont, a director and vice president of the DuPont Company. The institution was founded to provide a high-quality education for boys of all backgrounds, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. St. Andrew’s became co-ed in 1973. It is notable for its scenic location on 2,200 acres of land, the majority of which is a nature preserve. Nearby the lovely Noxontown Pond is open to fishermen and used for students’ crew exercises. St. Anne’s Episcopal School also serves students in the region. A. Felix du Pont must have enjoyed the talents of N.C. Wyeth—a large mural by the artist graces the wall in the
