First recorded in its Latinised form of Portus Dubris, the name derives from the Brythonic word for waters (dwfr in Middle Welsh).

The same element is present in the town's French (Douvres) and Modern Welsh (Dofr) forms.

Because of an act passed in October 1779, the assembly elected to meet at any place in the state they saw fit, meeting successively in Wilmington, Lewes, Dover, New Castle, and Lewes again, until it finally settled down permanently in Dover in October 1781.

[4] The city's central square, known as The Green, was the location of many rallies, troop reviews, and other patriotic events.

To this day, The Green remains the heart of Dover's historic district and is the location of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Kent County Courthouse.

Dover was most famously the home of Caesar Rodney, the popular wartime leader of Delaware during the American Revolution.

Dover and Kent County were deeply divided over the issue of slavery, and the city was a "stop" on the Underground Railroad because of its proximity to slave-holding Maryland and free Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

It was also home to a large Quaker community that encouraged a sustained emancipation effort in the early 19th century.

The Bradford-Loockerman House, Building 1301, Dover Air Force Base, John Bullen House, Carey Farm Site, Christ Church, Delaware State Museum Buildings, John Dickinson House, Dover Green Historic District, Eden Hill, Delaware Governor's Mansion, Greenwold, Hughes-Willis Site, Loockerman Hall, Macomb Farm, Mifflin-Marim Agricultural Complex, Old Statehouse, Palmer Home, Town Point, Tyn Head Court, and Victorian Dover Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Winters are moderated by the Delaware Bay and the partial shielding of the Appalachians, though there are normally 8−9 days when the daily high remains below freezing and 15 nights with lows below 20 °F (−7 °C).

[10] Snow is typically light and sporadic, averaging only 13.2 inches (34 cm) per year, and does not usually remain on the ground for long.

Dover is one of the fastest-growing areas in Delaware, due in large part to the relatively low cost of living.

The base houses two airlift wings as well as the U.S. military's only mortuary in the continental U.S., which accepts and processes the remains of soldiers killed in battle.

One weekend a year in the spring, NASCAR races are held at Dover Motor Speedway, attracting about 65,000 spectators.

The races bring in increased patronage for local businesses, and hotels and motels sell out weeks in advance.

[22] The Kent County Theatre Guild[23] was founded in 1953 and presents a five-show season at the organization's theater, the Patchwork Playhouse.

It is run solely by volunteers, who handle everything from governance and building maintenance to set construction, acting and directing.

In Dover's historical district is the Sewell C. Biggs Museum of American Art,[25] featuring collections from the Colonial days to the present.

An Amish community resides to the west of Dover, consisting of 11 church districts and about 1,650 people.

In recent years, increasing development has led to the decline in the number of Amish living in the community, with some moving to areas with cheaper farmland and less traffic, such as Michigan, Upstate New York, Illinois, Kentucky, and southern Virginia.

Kent County is within the Philadelphia television market, with the local Xfinity cable system carrying most channels from that city, alongside Salisbury stations WBOC-TV 16 (CBS), WMDT 47 (ABC), WCPB 28 (PBS), and low-powered NBC affiliate WRDE-LD 31.

WHYY programming is seen locally on WDPB-TV channel 64 from Seaford (part of the Salisbury television market).

Historically, Dover hosted a farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies in the Eastern Shore Baseball League.

In 2008, there was high attendance for the NASCAR races and Delaware State's football team making its first FCS tournament appearance.

[36] There have been four full-time Mayors of Dover to date: James "Hutch" Hutchison from 1994 to 2004; Stephen Speed from 2004 to 2007; Carleton Carey from 2007 to 2014; Robin R. Christiansen since 2014.

Station 1 is the department's headquarters and houses Engines 4, 6, and 7; Ladder 2; Rescue 1; Brush 9; and Marine 1.

Federally, Dover is part of Delaware's at-large congressional district, represented by Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester, first elected in 2016.

It passes east of downtown, with the toll portion ending near the Dover Air Force Base and DE 1 continuing south on Bay Road.

Pierre, South Dakota; Jefferson City, Missouri; and Juneau, Alaska are the other three state capitals with this distinction.

The Department of Public Works provides trash collection, recycling,[48] water, and sewer service to the city.