Bear is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States.

Originally a small crossroads in a rural area, approximately 14 miles (23 km) south of Wilmington, the area supported small farms growing mainly corn and cattle.

In the late 1980s and 1990s Bear became a popular location for the construction of sprawling housing developments and shopping centers[3] along U.S. Route 40.

According to common legend, the name "Bear" originated from a tavern located along the roadway from Wilmington to Dover, Delaware (at the intersection now formed by U.S. Route 40 and Delaware Route 7), whose sign was decorated with the image of a large bear, and which George Washington had reportedly visited.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.7 square miles (15 km2), all land.

[17] The Christina district part of Bear is zoned to as follows: Leasure, Oberle, and Keene elementary schools serve sections for grades K-5.

[20] In earlier periods, in addition to Leasure, elementary schools serving Bear included Keane, Marshall, and McVey.

[19] The Christina District also maintains the Eden Support Services Center in Bear.

Delaware has one of the highest rates in the nation of students attending private school.

In Bear, the most common industries are (1) healthcare and social assistance, (2) finance and insurance, and (3) retail trade.

The highest paid jobs are in (1) utilities, (2) transportation and warehousing, and (3) professional, scientific, and technical services.

[11] The most common countries of origin are (1) Mexico, (2) India, and (3) China, and there are a high number of people who were born in Kenya.

The Delaware Route 1 freeway passes through Bear and has an interchange with US 40 serving the community.

DE 1 heads north to an interchange with Interstate 95 in Christiana that provides access to Wilmington and the rest of the Northeast Megalopolis and south toward Dover and the Delaware Beaches.

[25] DART First State provides bus service to Bear along Route 40, which runs between downtown Wilmington and Glasgow via the US 40 corridor; Route 54, which runs between Churchmans Crossing station and the Walmart on Wilton Boulevard via Bear; and Route 64, which runs between the Christiana Mall and Glasgow via Bear.