Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, which serves as the county seat. According to US Census Bureau estimates, the town population is over 5000 residents. The median household income of Georgetown residents is estimated at $31,875, and the median family income at $37,925.
Georgetown is somewhat unique among Delaware municipalities in that the town center is built in the shape of a circle instead of a more traditional parklike square. The town was established in 1791, dating back to the colonial era. In terms of town architecture, straddling "The Circle" of the town is the Town Hall; state and county buildings (including the historic Sussex County Courthouse), lawyers' offices, and banks. The layout is similar to the layout of Annapolis, Maryland, except that the center of Georgetown's circle is a small park with a fountain rather than the State House. Another famous historical landmark in town is Georgetown's oldest church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, which dates back to 1794 and is built in a Victorian Gothic style.
A large chicken processing plant owned by Perdue Farms contributes to the Georgetown economy. Because the plant employs a sizeable number of immigrants from Haiti and Guatemala, Georgetown has more of an international flavor to it than one would expect from a Colonial-era town. In 2000, 22% of Georgetown residents identified themselves as being of Guatemalan heritage. This is the highest concentration of Guatemalan Americans of any place in the United States.
Every two years (dating back to 1792), Georgetown hosts an unusual parade and festival known as "Return Day", two days after Election Day. Stemming from the colonial days where the town's public would congregate two days after the election to hear the tallied results, the winners of that year's political races parade around "The Circle" in carriages with the losers, and then there is a ceremonious political "burying of the hatchet" in a tub of sand. The afternoon of Return Day, a two hundred year old tradition, is a holiday for county and state workers in Sussex County, and the event is marked by a traditional oyster feast, and much revelry and celebration.
