Memorial Day is almost here, and luckily for Delawareans, the First State is one of the best places to celebrate the holiday.
Memorial Day is celebrated annually on the last Monday in May. This year the holiday falls on Monday, May 27.
It serves as a day of remembrance honoring those who died while serving in the U.S. military, with much of the day being celebrated by decorating the graves of the war dead with flowers, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
One Delaware city is ranked as one of the best places to traditionally honor the holiday, according to a recent report.
Memorial Day details: When is Memorial Day and why do we celebrate this holiday?
Delaware’s Best Memorial Day Town
Sixt, a car rental company, ranked the top 10 U.S. cities that celebrate Memorial Day based on Memorial Day coverage and the following data:
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A compilation of the oldest Memorial Day parades in the US
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The number of war memorials in each city, analyzed against the database of historical markers and war markers
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A list of the veteran-owned businesses in each city
Cities were then ranked based on how historic their parade is and its popularity, using the city’s overall search volume on Google Trends.
Wilmington ranks fourth as the best place to honor Memorial Day.
Sixt reports that Wilmington’s Memorial Day Parade started in 1867, lasted 156 years and attracted nearly 20,000 spectators. The city is said to have 829 war memorials and 21 veteran-owned businesses.
The number 1 city for celebrating Memorial Day is Charleston, South Carolina. The city’s Memorial Day Parade began in 1865 and features 694 war memorials and 21 veteran-owned businesses.
Brooklyn, New York, is at number 2, with Doylestown, Pennsylvania at number 3.
The rest of the top 10 destinations for observing Memorial Day are as follows:
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Dearborn, Michigan, at number 5
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Portsmouth, Virginia, at number 6
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Ironton, Ohio, at number 7
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Hempstead, New York, at number 8
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Rochester, Wisconsin, at number 9
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Grafton, West Virginia, at number 10
Do you have a tip or story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared in Delaware News Journal: Wilmington, Delaware, ranked as a top city for honoring Memorial Day
