3 of Pike Creek’s places are on the National Register
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #26 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
Most of Pike Creek was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pike Creek is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #26 of 37 in Delaware. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pike Creek’s overall grade.
Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Pike Creek’s 14.0 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Pike Creek’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 19,751 in 2000; 7,808 people lived here in 2020.
4 censuses, 1990–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pike Creek’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and places now gone
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Limestone HillsMendenhall VillageThe Pines of Pike CreekWeatherhill Farms
Gone or out of use
Harmony Schoolschool
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Pike Creek, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pike Creek yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pike Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States and is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. In 2007, CNN's Money Magazine ranked Pike Creek number 1 on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Pike Creek was the only community in Delaware to appear on the list. The population was 7,808 at the 2020 Census. Local attractions include Middle Run Natural Area, White Clay Creek State Park, Carousel Farm Park and Equestrian Center, Golf and Restaurants. Pike Creek is approximately five miles from downtown Newark, which contains the University of Delaware. Pike Creek is connected to the University of Delaware campus and the New…
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 7,898 in 2010, 7,808 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Pike Creek is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #26 of 37 in Delaware. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Pike Creek?
Three places: the Eastburn-Jeanes Lime Kilns Historic District (listed 1977), the J. Lindsay Barn (1986) and the J. Walker Farm (1986).
How old are the homes in Pike Creek?
2% of Pike Creek’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1988.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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