Moving to New Castle, DE: 2026 Living Guide

New Castle is where Delaware began. The Dutch founded it in 1651 as Fort Casimir, it served as the colonial capital until 1777, and its courthouse cupola is the center point of the famous Twelve-Mile Circle that forms Delaware’s curved northern border. Today the city of about 5,700 people pairs a colonial downtown that is a National Historic Landmark with quick access to I-95, I-295, the Delaware Memorial Bridge and Wilmington Airport.

New Castle suits history lovers, retirees, commuters who split time between Wilmington, Philadelphia and New Jersey, and families who want a quiet riverfront town without paying suburban Philadelphia prices. You can live on a brick sidewalk a block from the Delaware River, or in a newer home a few minutes from shopping on DuPont Highway.

Our New Castle movers handle everything from colonial row houses to newer suburban homes. Planning a move to New Castle? Call our Tri-State team at 410-499-8777 or get your price online.

Where Is New Castle?

New Castle sits on the west bank of the Delaware River in New Castle County, about six miles south of Wilmington. U.S. Routes 13 and 40 run through the city along DuPont Highway, and Interstate 295 passes just north of town before crossing the river to New Jersey on the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Wilmington Airport (ILG), formerly New Castle Airport, is northwest of the city along US 13/40.

From historic New Castle to	Driving distance	Typical drive (light traffic)
Wilmington Airport (ILG)	4.4 miles	about 10 minutes
Christiana Mall	6.3 miles	about 12 minutes
Downtown Wilmington (Rodney Square)	6.7 miles	about 15 minutes
Christiana Hospital	7.1 miles	about 13 minutes
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)	26.3 miles	about 40 minutes
Downingtown, PA	31.7 miles	about 55 minutes
Philadelphia City Hall	35.5 miles	about 55 minutes
Dover, DE	43.0 miles	about 1 hour
Baltimore Inner Harbor	68.1 miles	about 1 hour 30 minutes
Rehoboth Beach, DE	86.6 miles	about 2 hours

Distances were calculated with OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data from the historic district. Beach traffic on summer weekends and rush hour on I-95 and the Delaware Memorial Bridge can add a lot of time.

New Castle Population & Demographics

New Castle is growing slowly and steadily. The city had 5,285 residents in 2010 and 5,551 at the 2020 Census, and the Census Bureau estimates 5,726 as of July 2025. It is an older, settled community: the median age is 48.5, and almost 23% of residents are 65 or older.

Measure	New Castle	Delaware	United States
Population (July 1, 2025 estimate)	5,726	1,059,952	341,784,857
Population (2020 Census)	5,551	—	331,449,281
Median age (ACS 2020–2024)	48.5	41.6	38.9
Residents 65 and older	22.9%	22.8%	18.9%
Median household income (2020–2024)	$89,205	$84,954	$80,734
Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+)	33.8%	35.8%	35.7%
Owner-occupied housing	63.4%	73.0%	65.2%
Persons in poverty	4.7%	9.6%	10.2%
Mean travel time to work	23.2 min	26.0 min	26.4 min

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Vintage 2025 estimates and 2020–2024 ACS) and Census Reporter (ACS 2024 5-year); 2010 count from Wikipedia.

The city covers 3.48 square miles of land and is home to 260 veterans. Household incomes run above the state median, and the poverty rate is less than half the state rate.

Is New Castle Safe?

The New Castle City Police Department publishes annual and monthly reports, which makes it easier to see the trend than in most small towns. According to its 2025 Annual Report, officers responded to 171 crimes against persons in 2025 (such as assaults and robberies), down from 209 in 2024 and 258 in 2022. Property crimes fell to 353 in 2025 from 497 in 2024. Total dispatched calls for service dropped from 4,208 to 3,916.

The department had 17 sworn officers at the time of the report, and it averaged about five minutes to respond to 338 priority calls in 2025. As in any city, conditions vary by block, so read the latest monthly report and visit the streets you are considering at different times of day.

Cost of Living in New Castle

Delaware has no statewide sales tax, and New Castle’s housing costs sit below the county average. That combination is a big part of the draw for buyers coming from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Home Prices

The Census Bureau puts the median value of owner-occupied homes in New Castle at $285,100 (2020–2024), below the Delaware median of $352,000 and the U.S. median of $332,700. Zillow’s typical home value for New Castle was $283,068 as of July 31, 2026, down 0.2% over the past year. For comparison, Zillow’s typical value for New Castle County as a whole was $369,618.

The historic district is its own market. Redfin reported a median sale price of $405,000 in the New Castle Historic District in October 2025, based on only six sales, and restored 18th- and 19th-century homes can sell well above that. Buyers should also budget for the extra care older homes need.

Rent

The ACS puts median gross rent in New Castle at $1,739 a month (2020–2024), above the Delaware median of $1,401. Zillow’s average rent for New Castle was $1,669 in July 2026, and $1,706 for the wider 19720 ZIP code as of January 2026. Rentals range from apartments in older buildings in town to townhomes in the surrounding suburbs.

Best Neighborhoods in New Castle

The Historic District

The New Castle Historic District covers roughly four blocks with about 500 buildings dating from 1700 to 1940, and it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1967. Streets like Delaware Street, The Strand and Washington Street surround the Green, the common the Dutch laid out in the town’s center. It suits buyers who love old houses, walking to restaurants and river views, and who are comfortable checking with the city’s Historic Area Commission before changing a home’s exterior.

Wilmington Manor

Just north of the city, Wilmington Manor is a separate census-designated place with 8,214 residents (ACS 2020–2024). Its median home value is $240,600 and its median household income is $78,078, according to Census Reporter. It is home to the Colonial School District’s headquarters and suits first-time buyers and families who want a New Castle-area address and a quick hop to I-295, I-95 and the airport.

The Greater 19720 Suburbs

Many subdivisions outside city limits carry a New Castle mailing address in the 19720 ZIP code. Zillow’s typical home value across 19720 was $274,206 as of January 2026. These areas suit buyers who want a newer home, a bigger yard and easy access to shopping, while staying 10 to 15 minutes from Old New Castle and Wilmington. Check whether a home is inside city limits, since that affects services and school assignments.

Weather & Climate

New Castle has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers, cool to cold winters and precipitation spread through the year. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for New Castle County Airport, just outside town, show January averaging a high of 41.4°F and a low of 25.6°F, and July averaging a high of 86.8°F and a low of 68.3°F, according to Wikipedia. The area gets 45.33 inches of precipitation and 20.2 inches of snow in an average year, with about 21 days at 90°F or hotter.

Best months to move: May and mid-September through October are the most comfortable. In summer, plan early starts. In winter, brick sidewalks and front steps in the historic district get slick, so have a backup date if snow is in the forecast.

Things to Do in New Castle

New Castle Court House Museum

Built in 1730 after a fire destroyed the original 1687 building, the Court House served as Delaware’s first state capitol. It hosted the June 13, 1776 vote for independence, and its cupola is the center of the Twelve-Mile Circle that sets part of the state’s border. It is now part of First State National Historical Park, run by the National Park Service.

The Green and the Historic District

Dutch authorities laid out a street grid and a common green in the town’s center, and both are still here. A walk around the Green takes you past the Court House, the Amstel House and Immanuel Episcopal Church. The historic district is part of First State National Historical Park.

George Read II House & Gardens

At 42 The Strand, the Read House was built between 1797 and 1804 for George Read Jr. and was the largest house in the state at the time. The Delaware Historical Society runs it as a museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, and its formal gardens date to the late 1840s.

Battery Park and Separation Day

Battery Park is bounded by Delaware Street, West 3rd Street and the Delaware River. It is the city’s front yard for walks, picnics and watching ships head up the river. Every June, it hosts Separation Day, New Castle’s annual celebration of Delaware’s political separation from Pennsylvania.

The Wilmington Riverfront

About 15 minutes north, the Wilmington Riverfront on the Christina River has restaurants, arts venues and family attractions. The Riverfront Development Corporation says it welcomed more than 3 million visitors last year.

Where to Eat in New Castle

Jessop’s Tavern (Delaware Street)

Jessop’s Tavern at 114 Delaware Street is in a building dating to 1674, where barrel maker Abraham Jessop worked in 1724. It opened as Jessop’s in 1996 and serves colonial-inspired food with English, Dutch, Belgian and Swedish influences, from pub fare to seafood. It is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

Nora Lee’s French Quarter Bistro (Delaware Street)

A few doors down at 124 Delaware Street, Nora Lee’s brings New Orleans-inspired food to the historic district, with Southern classics on the menu and a French Quarter feel in the dining room. It is closed Mondays and open for lunch and dinner the rest of the week.

Mrs. Robino’s (Little Italy, Wilmington)

For red-sauce Italian, Mrs. Robino’s at 520 North Union Street in Wilmington is a family-owned kitchen that makes its own pasta and sauce every day. It is a comfortable spot for a family dinner after a long moving day.

Jobs & Economy

New Castle residents have short commutes. The Census Bureau puts the average one-way trip to work at 23.2 minutes, and the city sits between Wilmington’s office jobs, the airport and the big healthcare and retail employers along the I-95 corridor.

Healthcare: ChristianaCare has more than 10,000 employees. Its Christiana Hospital, about seven miles from New Castle, has 907 licensed beds and is Delaware’s only adult Level I trauma center.
Banking and corporate services: Bank of America, M&T Bank, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup are among Delaware’s major employers, and more than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies are incorporated in the state.
Science and manufacturing: DuPont, AstraZeneca, Syngenta and Agilent all have a presence in Delaware.
Government and education: The State of Delaware, New Castle County and the University of Delaware are large employers within a half hour.
Tourism and hospitality: The historic district and First State National Historical Park bring visitors to local shops, museums and restaurants.

Schools in New Castle

New Castle is served by the Colonial School District, headquartered at 318 East Basin Road in Wilmington Manor. The district serves New Castle, Wilmington Manor, Delaware City, Port Penn, St. Georges, parts of Wilmington and about half of Bear, and it enrolled 9,795 students according to federal (NCES) data cited on Wikipedia. William Penn High School is the district’s high school.

School assignments depend on your exact address, especially for homes outside city limits with a New Castle mailing address, so confirm with the district before you buy or sign a lease. For college, the University of Delaware in Newark and Wilmington’s colleges are within a half-hour drive.

New Castle Quick Facts

County	New Castle County
Founded	1651 (Fort Casimir, by the Dutch West India Company)
Land area	3.48 square miles
ZIP code	19720
Area code	302 (Delaware’s only area code; 10-digit dialing)
Main roads	US 13 and US 40 (DuPont Highway), I-295, I-95 nearby
Nearest airports	Wilmington Airport (ILG), 4.4 miles; Philadelphia International (PHL), 26.3 miles
City Hall	220 Delaware Street
Public schools	Colonial School District
Signature event	Separation Day (June, Battery Park)
Sales tax	None (Delaware)

Moving to New Castle: Tips From Our Crew

Our New Castle moving crews keep these points in mind on every job here:

Scout the historic district first. Streets around the Green and The Strand are narrow, and many homes sit right at the brick sidewalk with no driveway. Tell us your address early so we can plan truck size, parking and a longer walk from the truck if needed.
Ask City Hall about street space. If you need to reserve curb space or place a container, check the City of New Castle’s Forms & Fees page or call City Hall before moving day.
Protect old floors and doorways. Colonial and Victorian homes have steep, winding stairs, low doorways and original wood floors. We pad doorframes and banisters and lay floor runners, and our packing crews can disassemble pieces that will not make the turns.
Avoid Separation Day weekend. The June celebration fills Battery Park and the streets nearby. Schedule your move for another weekend if you live near the river.
Time the bridge and I-295. If you are coming from New Jersey, the Delaware Memorial Bridge backs up at rush hour and on summer beach weekends. Mid-morning on a weekday is usually smoothest.
Heavy antiques need a plan. Older homes and heavy antiques or pianos are a tough combination on steep stairs. Our piano and safe moving crews bring the right equipment for stairs and tight entries.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to New Castle

How much does it cost to hire movers in New Castle?

Moving costs depend on how much you have, the distance, stairs, parking and any packing, storage or specialty items like a piano. A townhouse move within New Castle County is priced very differently from a long-distance move. For an accurate number, call our Tri-State team at 410-499-8777 for a free quote. An owner calls back within 15 minutes from 8am to 8pm.

Is New Castle the same as New Castle County?

No. The city of New Castle is a small, historic city of about 5,700 people on the Delaware River. New Castle County is Delaware’s northernmost county, which also includes Wilmington, Newark and many suburbs. Many homes outside city limits also use a New Castle mailing address.

Can I renovate a house in the historic district?

Yes, but the city’s Historic Area Commission handles historic district matters. If you plan work on windows, siding, roofs, fences or additions, check with City Hall before you close so there are no surprises. Interior projects usually have more flexibility, but building permits still apply.

What school district serves New Castle?

The Colonial School District, which is headquartered in Wilmington Manor and runs William Penn High School. Homes with a New Castle mailing address outside city limits can fall in different attendance zones, so confirm your address with the district.

Is New Castle a good place to retire?

Many people think so. Almost 23% of residents are 65 or older, the poverty rate is low, and the historic district is walkable, with a riverfront park, museums and restaurants within a few blocks. Delaware’s lack of a sales tax and quick access to Christiana Hospital also appeal to retirees.

Move to New Castle With A & M Friendly Movers

A & M Friendly Movers has been family-owned since 2015, and our Tri-State office serves New Castle and all of northern Delaware. Every crew member is a background-checked, drug-tested W-2 employee, never a subcontractor. With our Owner’s Promise, you talk to an owner, not a call center; if anything is damaged, an owner calls you the same day, and claims are resolved in 60 to 90 days. We handle local moves, long-distance moves with a binding estimate and guaranteed delivery date, and storage. See our New Castle movers page or call 410-499-8777.

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Moving to New Castle, DE: Living in New Castle Guide