Townsend: A Growing Town in Southern New Castle County
Townsend is a small but expanding town in southern New Castle County, Delaware, with a population of roughly 2,177. Located along Route 71 between the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the north and Smyrna to the south, it occupies a stretch of flat coastal plain that was purely agricultural until recent decades. New housing developments have begun filling in the fields around the original town center, driven by homebuyers looking for lower prices than the Wilmington suburbs offer.
The town was incorporated in 1885 and named after Samuel Townsend, a local landowner. Its historic core is compact, with a few blocks of older homes, a volunteer fire company, and a post office. The Appoquinimink School District serves the area and has built several new schools to accommodate residential growth in the corridor between Middletown and Townsend. That growth has been among the fastest in Delaware over the past two decades.
Despite the new construction, Townsend retains a rural feel. Farms still operate on its outskirts, and the nearest significant commercial centers are in Middletown and Smyrna. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, about five miles north, carries oceangoing shipping between the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay. Lums Pond State Park, east of town, offers hiking and the largest freshwater pond in Delaware.
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Townsend is a small but expanding town in southern New Castle County, Delaware, with a population of roughly 2,177. Located along Route 71 between the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the north and Smyrna to the south, it occupies a stretch of flat coastal plain that was purely agricultural until recent decades. New housing developments have begun filling in the fields around the original town center, driven by homebuyers looking for lower prices than the Wilmington suburbs offer.
The town was incorporated in 1885 and named after Samuel Townsend, a local landowner. Its historic core is compact, with a few blocks of older homes, a volunteer fire company, and a post office. The Appoquinimink School District serves the area and has built several new schools to accommodate residential growth in the corridor between Middletown and Townsend. That growth has been among the fastest in Delaware over the past two decades.
Despite the new construction, Townsend retains a rural feel. Farms still operate on its outskirts, and the nearest significant commercial centers are in Middletown and Smyrna. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, about five miles north, carries oceangoing shipping between the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay. Lums Pond State Park, east of town, offers hiking and the largest freshwater pond in Delaware.
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