Delaware started as its own settlement (owned variously by the Dutch, Swedes, and British), and its size made sense at the time. Only tiny specks of the American landmass were colonized until the 1700s, mostly in the vicinity of a few coastal towns.
Why does Delaware have a weird border?
The Delaware-Pennsylvania boundary is an arc running from the northeastern edge of the Wedge called Arc Corner across the Delaware River to the Mean Low Water Line, established in a 1934 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Mean Low Water Line, riverbed reaching up to New Jersey land, within 12 miles of New Castle.
Is Delaware the poorest state?
In fact, even after the national economic growth spurt of the last few years, Delaware was one of just two states where the poverty rate rose in 2018 (to 13.6 percent). … Overall, Delaware ranked a mediocre 29th in the nation in the NAEP.