Delaware, OH
What Delaware is actually like
Delaware's first recorded settler, Joseph Barber, arrived in 1807; Moses Byxbe built the area's first framed house the following year, and a town plan was filed on March 11, 1808. The settlement incorporated in 1816 and became the seat of Delaware County Wikipedia: Delaware, Ohio.
In 1841, a committee of Ohio citizens bought the White Sulphur Spring property — a mineral-springs sanatorium in Delaware — for $10,000, and the Ohio legislature chartered Ohio Wesleyan University there on March 7, 1842. The College of Liberal Arts opened its doors on November 13, 1844 with three professors and twenty-nine students under first president Edward Thomson; the university's campus has anchored the city's north side ever since Wikipedia: History of Ohio Wesleyan University.
Delaware's population was estimated at 46,636 as of the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate, up from 41,302 at the 2020 census — about a 13% increase in five years, among the faster growth rates of any city in the Columbus MSA U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Delaware city, Ohio.
Home values in Delaware
The Zillow Home Value Index for Delaware, OH was $396,751 as of January 31, 2026, up 1.3% over the prior year Zillow: Delaware, OH Home Values.
Getting around
Delaware's Walk Score of 29 means most errands require a car outside the small historic downtown along Sandusky and William streets and Ohio Wesleyan's adjacent campus core, where students walk between classes and nearby shops and cafes. Delaware County Transit's FLEX and demand-response service covers essential trips for residents without a car, but there is no fixed-route bus service, and daily commuting is car-dependent.
Delaware FAQ
Is Delaware, Ohio a good place to live if I commute to Columbus?
It works for people who want a self-contained college town rather than a bedroom suburb: downtown Columbus is about 31 miles and roughly 35-45 minutes away on US-23, and there's no COTA route into the city, so a car is required for the commute.
How far is Delaware, Ohio from Columbus?
About 31 miles from downtown Columbus, a drive of roughly 35 to 45 minutes depending on traffic.
Does Delaware, Ohio have its own electric utility?
No — electricity is supplied by AEP Ohio. The city runs a governmental electric aggregation program that negotiates a group rate through AEP on residents' behalf, but it does not own generation or distribution.
What role does Ohio Wesleyan University play in Delaware?
Ohio Wesleyan, chartered in 1842 and opened in 1844 on the site of a former mineral-springs resort, anchors the city's north side and is one of Delaware's larger employers and cultural institutions.
Is there public transit in Delaware, Ohio?
Delaware County Transit runs a same-day FLEX service inside city limits and advance-booking demand-response service countywide, with a transfer point to COTA south of the city — but there's no COTA fixed-route bus within Delaware itself.
Nearby alternatives*We're not ranking these — every place has real trade-offs, and which ones matter is up to you.
Powell
Delaware's nearest Columbus-suburb neighbor, about 10 miles south on US-23, and the closest point where COTA-area suburbia gives way to open Delaware County farmland.
Worthington
The inner Columbus suburb most Delaware commuters pass through on US-23 heading south toward downtown.
Marysville
The next outer-ring county seat west, about 25 miles away via US-36/SR-4, and Delaware's closest peer in size and independence from Columbus.
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