Submitted by UCS on April 28, 2015

5 Things You May Not Know About Delaware

In a recent conversation with my peers, we wandered onto the subject of “Did you know?”  This turned into a vivid and entertaining conversation about our company, our industry, the jurisdictions we live and work in every day and the business we call home.

So we thought we would do a fun series entitled, “5 Things” and break from the usual topics we discuss here.  We will explore 5 things you may not know about the world in which we, as participants in this legal and financial world of public records, live in.  The first up, is Delaware.  From a corporate perspective, Delaware is the most active state in the country for corporate formations.

BUT, did you know?

1. Business entities domiciled in Delaware equal more than 1,099,000, surpassing the total population of the state 935,614.
2. Business entities domiciled in Delaware make up 65.6% of Fortune 500 companies
3. 84% of new IPO’s on U.S. Exchanges are domiciled in Delaware?
4. Delaware is simultaneously the sixth most densely populated state and the sixth least populated state. This has to do with its small size—Delaware is only 1,983 square miles, making it the second smallest state (after Rhode Island, of course).
5. There are more chickens in Delaware than people with a ratio of  200:1.Sussex County is the birthplace of the nation’s broiler chicken industry and ranks #1 in the U.S. in broiler production with over 200 million birds produced each year.

I cannot resist adding a few more fun facts. Paula Lintner, Branch Manager of the Delaware office was kind enough to supply these facts so I feel the need to share:

• It’s not an Initial Public Offering, but Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA is one to try… “It was the first beer the company made that was continually-hopped –meaning that over 90 minutes of boiling 90 or more additions of hops are made. The outcome is a pungent beer with a chocolate and dark fruit taste. No wonder Esquire Magazine called this “perhaps the best IPA in America.”
• Delaware holds an annual competition called “Punkin’ Chunkin’ ” wherein pumpkins are launched into the sky. The competition has a variety of different events, from trebuchet to air cannon. The fair also has carnival rides, the Miss Punkin’ Chunkin’ pageant, fireworks, and a chili cook-off.
• Seaford, Delaware, is the nylon capital of the world. The town is home to the factory that first produced the material in 1939.

Please feel free to email me at karen.lombardo@unitedcorporate.com if you would like to join our “5 Things” series. This is a big and wonderful country and I’m sure we all know a little something about a little something.

Regards,

Karen