Viola is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover metropolitan area. The population was 140 in 2020.[3]

Viola, Delaware
Location of Viola in Kent County, Delaware.
Location of Viola in Kent County, Delaware.
Viola is located in Delaware
Viola
Viola
Location within the state of Delaware
Viola is located in the United States
Viola
Viola
Viola (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°02′34″N 75°34′19″W / 39.04278°N 75.57194°W / 39.04278; -75.57194
Country United States
State Delaware
CountyKent
Area
 • Total
0.18 sq mi (0.46 km2)
 • Land0.18 sq mi (0.46 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation59 ft (18 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
140
 • Density790.96/sq mi (305.16/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
19979
Area code302
FIPS code10-74330
GNIS feature ID214796[2]
Websitewww.violade.com

History

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Viola was built in 1856 after the Delaware Railroad opened a station. The town was laid out on a grant called Golden Thicket, owned by William Shores in 1681.[4]

Geography

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Viola is located at 39°02′34″N 75°34′19″W / 39.04278°N 75.57194°W / 39.04278; -75.57194 (39.0428907, –75.5718695).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all land.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1920114
1930104−8.8%
19401138.7%
195013418.6%
196015918.7%
1970154−3.1%
19801678.4%
1990153−8.4%
20001562.0%
20101570.6%
2020140−10.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 156 people, 62 households, and 48 families living in the town. The population density was 878.4 inhabitants per square mile (339.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.59% White, 4.49% African American and 1.92% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race made up 1.92% of the population.

Of the 62 households, 30.6% have at least one person under the age of 18, 62.9% had married couples, 11.3% had a single woman householder, 21.0% had non-families, and 19.4% were owned by a single person, with 8.1% who were 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.78.

About 21.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 32.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% 65 years or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household was $47,813 and the median income for a family was $49,531. Males had a median income of $39,250 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,687. About 3.4% of the population live below the poverty line, 16.7% of which are 65 or older.

The only non-residential structures within town limits are a post office, a VCF Ruritan hall, and the Felton-Viola United Methodist Church. The town council has recently implemented strict zoning regulations designed to prevent suburban sprawl. The regulations prohibit businesses with more than two employees, restrict the construction of multi-family dwellings, and forbid any annexation of outlying parcels into the original town proper.

Education

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Viola is within the Lake Forest School District.[8] The zoned high school is Lake Forest High School.

Infrastructure

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Transportation

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View south along Main Street in Viola

Main Street is the main north–south road through Viola. The road is called Turkey Point Road outside the town limits and leads north toward Woodside and south toward Felton. Evens Road is the main east–west road through Viola and leads east to an intersection with U.S. Route 13 in Canterbury. US 13 heads north toward Dover and south toward Harrington.[9] The Delmarva Central Railroad's Delmarva Subdivision line passes north–south through Viola.[10]

Utilities

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Delmarva Power, a subsidiary of Exelon, provides electricity to Viola.[11] Chesapeake Utilities provides natural gas to the town.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Viola, Delaware
  3. ^ "The Delaware Census State Data Center". Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  4. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1938). The ocean highway: New Brunswick, New Jersey to Jacksonville, Florida. American Guide Series. New York: Modern Age Books. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Kent County, DE" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Delaware Department of Transportation (2017). Official Travel & Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). Dover: Delaware Department of Transportation.
  10. ^ "Delmarva Central Railroad". Carload Express. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  11. ^ "Service Territory". Delmarva Power. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  12. ^ "Delmarva Service Territory". Chesapeake Utilities. Retrieved August 14, 2017.