Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-07
Wilmington Outstrips all Rivals.


There is not little satisfaction, not
perhaps entirely unseliish but friendly,
over Wilmington's jumping ahead Oh
Reading, Pa, in the friendly. neighborly
rivalry on the score ofpopulation Read
ings count gives the county seat OF beiks
lo7, ,7s4. which for the first time sii's
this city TO the leadership. Ten years
ago Reading led Wilmington by ABOUT
5000 people. but the rapid growth OF TINS
city overcame the lead of the former ci'y
but pushed us to the fore with margin Oh
Ass. In 1910 Reading had 96.O1l, while
Wilmington had but s7,4ll. This CITY IN
the 10 wears gained % ,757 or cooper cent
while Reading Jagged behind with an IN
crease of IL ,7l3, or 1872 per cent.
Wilmington, the recent census figures
show. overcamc big lead and forged
ahead sufficiently TO keep the berhs
capital below her in the list of importan,
American cities.
Now that the first disappointment is
over. those who expected wilmington
would almost reach the 125.OOO marx are
reioiced to ascertain that this city mas
grown more rapidly than any others Oh ner
class.
Trenton, for example, rushing eeh'er
of activity during the war, has only aoou.
1000 more people than Wilmington anu
gained but %. .474 in ten years. Camden
another New Jersey rival. that also mas
headed Wilmington considerably IN '"e
mast has had her lead cut to less 'hah
600. She gained only 2l.7ll, q mucn
smaller percentage of increase than was
ours.
Fall River. Mass, also is falling TO ,he
point where she will soon he listed neio"
Wilmington. for the city barely held us
own in thedecade 19l0-192O. It's popuia-
t;on ;s but 12O. .4S5 with gain of only two
per cent; or LILO.
Grand RAPIDS. Mich, leads Wilmington
the count giving her l7,0o0 more than TINS
citv but while her increase was larry
large it fell about four per cent oelo"
Wilmington's percentage OF increase
It is apparent that Wilmington mas
made the biggest jump of cities tha' ilase
been regarded as her rivals, and that sht
willmove three orfour stepsforward III tne
list Of cities of over 100000.
The growth Of all communities on VIZ
Delaware has been most marked III W,
last enumeration Chester, which seenlec
"a have been suffering from interna
staonatien or blight for years and had ou'
| as 537 population in 1910, showed 5e,u'u
Nv the 1920 count. But including all o.
the Delaware county towns within a Yen
mile circle of Chester. she has less thai
90 600 or fewer by 10000 than Whining
ton. Marcus Hook is the only Dela"ai'
county town in the Chester group ""
has made any material advance. she h''
sprune from 1873 TO 1924 IN the las
decade. or within the last FIVE years per
| haps.
Delaware county has made the most re
markable growth, such as Is not hkeS :
he overmatched by any other SUBURBAN
community. In ten years she has game
5517S or an increase of 46S per cent an'
now has a population mot yet ofhciali'
renorted) Of ia. $40, about equal 70 "a
nopulation of Wilmington, New Oasu
and Kent counti.s of Delaware lie
gain. outside of Chester and Marcus
Hook. has been on her eastern bounoarle
where the county touches Phlladelphis
which section has been built up rapidly
the last 10years.
Wilmington, it is shown, has Jorge
ahead faster than any Of her nelghbors am
rivals of her size. Her population
permanent and likely to increase con
tinuously in the next decade, which al ID
last ratio of growth will give her aiinos
10000. The next ten years are hkeiy I
be the best Wilmington has ever kno"
for she is just finding herself an
awakening to a realization OF her oppoi
tunities and will grow rapidly IN IN
future.
Here are the figures showing the gam
Wilmington and her three rivals IN
years. r
1910 1920 Gain Cen
Wilmington. 81. All l1O,16s 22,757 26O
Reading. .e6,O71 O7,784 11,713 l2.2
- oe on no oo1 % A74 23 2