Delaware has declared war on the East Coast.

[Sublight]

At least you can avoid Delaware if you want to and still get to DC or wherever you’re going. To go anywhere from Maine, you’re pretty much stuck having to travel through New Hampshire (a close runner-up for “Worst State”) unless there’s a Portland-Boston ferry, or you’re in the mood to take a long northern route.

[Trunk]

@Sublight

At least you can avoid Delaware if you want to and still get to DC or wherever you’re going. To go anywhere from Maine, you’re pretty much stuck having to travel through New Hampshire (a close runner-up for “Worst State”) unless there’s a Portland-Boston ferry, or you’re in the mood to take a long northern route.

It’s not even in the same ball park.

I drive to Maine most every year. You’re right. . .there’s only one way in or out, but we’re talking about MAINE. There’s a million people in Maine.

There’s one billion people within 60 miles of Delaware. And every one of them has relatives on the other side of the state.

[Martin_Hyde]

I think more than just pro-business laws it’s the fact that Delaware still has a separate chancery court. I’m working off of information I learned in a class taken over 25 years ago, but back then I remember the professor basically saying that since matters of equity were dealt with in a completely separate court (the chancery court) in Delaware it meant that things were dealt with in a manner generally more agreeable to most corporations. I think for one, you have only professional judges dealing with the issues at hand, whereas in some states complex corporate lawsuits are actually dealt with using juries that are probably completely unable to understand the issues at hand, and second I think since you remove juries you remove incredibly high-dollar judgments.

I’ve tried to substantiate this information with various web sources but haven’t come up with much (wiki just recognizes that in Delaware a separate court of equity exists), I’m sure someone on this forum knows the specifics ;).

[Sublight]

@Trunk

It’s not even in the same ball park.

I drive to Maine most every year. You’re right. . .there’s only one way in or out, but we’re talking about MAINE. There’s a million people in Maine.

True, true. My perceptions may be colored by the fact that I had to live next to NH for 20-odd years.

[Airman_Doors_USAF]

@DxZero

I’d say 75% of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware.(Just off the top of my head and because I’m too lazy to look it up) As was stated earlier, Delaware has very lenient corporate laws. But most of them don’t have any what my Civ Pro prof referred to as “brick and mortar” buildings actually located in Delaware. It’s so when they’re sued, a company can claim Delaware jurisdiction and have the trial in a business-friendly courthouse. In my Civ Pro class, literally half the jurisdictional cases involved Delaware companies.

It’s substantially the same as the cruise lines that are flagged for the Bahamas, Liberia, anywhere but the United States, but never go to those countries and are homeported in US ports.

[shizaru]

@Ms Boods

I am.

Actually you’d go around by getting off in Elkton, MD, then nip back around through Newark to pick it up on 896. There’s a cop who sits on one of the main roads on this route just to catch the truckers who do this. Even though I live in Newark, I use the Elkton exit all the time to avoid the toll.

By the way, the Stone Balloon is gone (I don’t know when you were last home.) They knocked it down while I was away in August, so there’s a whacking great gap there until they build. The State was lovely, as was the little deli nestled next to it. Iron Hill Museum still exists.I should nip around to the 273 exit in the mornings.
(apologies for the double post.)

I’ve forgotten the names of the roads, but you’re right, thats the route to bypass the toll in Delaware. I never thought much abut the toll because if I needed to go south I got on 95 in Elkton or I just took rt. 40 if I was wanting to take my time. If I was going north I caught 95 up by Christiana Mall near 273. I’m sure you know where that is.

I’d heard the Balloon was gone! Man, thats why I don’t go back unless I have to! Nothing is the same and it makes me feel like a stranger in my own hometown. (that and now the UoD owns everything) I used to go there on “Mug Night” back in the 80’s. Bring your stone balloon mug and beers were only a nickel or a quarter or something. Those were the days, man. I saw “Otis Day and the Knights” from Animal House there. It was a hoot.

The Deli you speak of I believe was called “The Malte Shoppe”.

The Newark News Stand is still there is it not? It was in 2004, that was the last time I was in Newark. I was passing through and got off of 95 just to pass through the town. But I was in Newark back around 1999 or 2000 and I went into the newsstand for a soda. The lady at the register surprised me. She remembered me! (and I left Newark in 1990!). she didn’t know my name but she was all like “You used to be that kid that came in here all of the time for comic books. You’d have your dog tied up outside and you ate a lot of candy back then!”.

I guess it was just nice to be remembered.

[shizaru]

@Shagnasty

I always tell people I have been to every state on the East Coast. That is true except for one notable exception that you can all guess.

I guess I can understand the reason behind it. Some states didn’t want to ratify the Constitution because the Senate gave each state exactly the same number of seats. Maryland and New Jersey were about to squash the whole deal when George Washington himself came up with the idea of “Delaware”. It was declared a no man’s land between Maryland and New Jersey but not part of either of them sort of like the idea behind Washington D.C. They each get one extra Senator and split the Representatives as well and the extra ones are named according to this territory which is kept largely uninhabited. Keeping it uninhabited isn’t a problem because the “land” is really just rocky shoals and coastal wetlands. It is an extremely important migratory bird habitat and this was one of the big successes of the 18th environmentalist movement.

The name Delaware of course is a play on words that should be obvious to any bilingual person or anybody at all in Texas or California. It is a combination of the Spanish word Del (“Of the”) and the English word “Aware”. “Of the Aware” gives away the whole thing but few seem to notice. Political corruption led to other uses through the years. Fictitious corporate headquarters are only the tip of the iceberg.

Actually I learned in school that Delaware was named after a dude named De La Warr.

[Acsenray]

@shizaru

Actually I learned in school that Delaware was named after a dude named De La Warr.

Think ya got whooshed.

[What_Exit]

@shizaru

Actually I learned in school that Delaware was named after a dude named De La Warr.

This is what I found in my quick research.

**Delaware ** U.S. state, river, Indian tribe, named for the bay, which was named for Baron (commonly “Lord”) De la Warr (Thomas West, 1577-1618), first Eng. colonial governor of Virginia. The family name is attested from 1201, from Delaware in Brasted, Kent, probably ult. from de la werre “of the war” (a warrior), from O.Fr. werre/guerre “war.”
**Lenape ** 1728, native name for Delaware Indians, said to mean “original people.”

So the State was named for the Bay and the Bay was named for Lord De la Warr.

[Trunk]

One nice thing about Delaware. . .

There’s a sub shop (I think in Newark) that makes a sub called the “Bobby”. It has sliced turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on it.

It’s a great sandwich.

[Velma]

Those who don’t like turning right to turn left, would be best to stay out of Michigan as well.

I personally like visiting Delaware because they have no sales tax. I can shop and the total at the checkout is exactly the same as my running tally, so that’s good. But they do make it confusing to buy alcohol there, so that’s bad.

Maybe their slogan should be Delaware: Just Passing Through.

[Ms_Boods]

@shizaru

The Deli you speak of I believe was called “The Malte Shoppe”.

The Newark News Stand is still there is it not? It was in 2004, that was the last time I was in Newark. I was passing through and got off of 95 just to pass through the town. But I was in Newark back around 1999 or 2000 and I went into the newsstand for a soda. The lady at the register surprised me. She remembered me! (and I left Newark in 1990!). she didn’t know my name but she was all like “You used to be that kid that came in here all of the time for comic books. You’d have your dog tied up outside and you ate a lot of candy back then!”.

I guess it was just nice to be remembered.

I honestly don’t remember the name of the shop; the man who ran it terrorised everyone, but people were always out the door waiting at lunchtime for sandwiches. They were lovely.

The News Stand is indeed still there. But they are putting up $600,000 condos on the lot where the Stone Balloon used to be. Shame, really.

[Acsenray]

Delaware is also host to one of the most horrible highway restaurants, the First State Diner. Yech.

[Cartooniverse]

@D_Odds

EC, pull out your atlas. Delaware is a Mid-Atlantic state. But you’re right; sneeze, and you could miss Delaware while driving through.

You want a sneeze? I recently drove through Ohio on Rt. 70 going east. One does enter West Virginia. The sign reads,

** Welcome to West Virginia. Thank you for visiting West Virginia- come again ! **.

Amazing.

Cartooniverse

[Patty_O_Furniture]

I was caught in this as I drove up to Philly to see Cirque Du Soleil. I had purchased VIP tickets that were beaucoup expensive. I was 90 minutes late for the show. :mad:

Luckily, the show captains were gracious and exchanged my stale tickets for fresh ones for the following weekend. The next weekend I left DC in the morning to make sure I’d arrive in time for the 6PM show.

Oh yeah, I don’t have a car so I had to rent a car both times and got to sit in that mess four times - two trips up and back.

[Acsenray]

@Cartooniverse

You want a sneeze? I recently drove through Ohio on Rt. 70 going east. One does enter West Virginia. The sign reads,

** Welcome to West Virginia. Thank you for visiting West Virginia- come again ! **.

West Virginia, however, has well-maintained, free highways (thank you, Senator Byrd!).

[Tibby]

@shizaru

<snip>Besides, Delaware can’t be the Worst State. Because thats New Jersey.

Hey, thems fightin’ words!

Sure, I live in sunny Florida now and have to put up with all those frolicking, bikini clad vixens on the beach (it’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it), but I’m Jersey boy at heart, yoose guys. Sometimes I wipe off my sun screen lotion and drive up to visit my brother’s family in Centreville, De. And my sister’s family in Bryn Mawr, Pa. I don’t much care for I-95 up around those parts, but you gotta do what you gotta do to get a decent cheese steak and hoagie once in a while.

I’m from New Jersey, you from New Jersey?, I’m from New Jersey! -Joe Piscapo