Observe Memorial Day in the Delaware city named a top US destination for the holiday

Memorial Day is almost here, and luckily for Delawareans, the First State is one of the best places for marking the holiday.

Memorial Day is observed annually on the last Monday in May. This year, the holiday falls on Monday, May 27.

It serves as a day of remembrance to honor those who died while serving in the United States military, with a major part of the day celebrated by decorating the graves of the war dead with flowers, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

According to a recent report, one of Delaware’s cities is ranked as one of the best spots for traditionally honoring the holiday.

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Delaware’s top Memorial Day city

Sixt, a car rental agency, ranked the top 10 cities in the U.S. to observe Memorial Day using coverage of Memorial Day and the following data:

• A compilation of the oldest Memorial Day parades in the U.S.
• The number of war memorials in each town, analyzed from the Historical Markers and War Markers Database
• A list of the veteran-owned businesses in each town

Cities were then ranked based on how historic their parade is and the popularity of it using the city's overall search volume on Google Trends.

Wilmington ranks No. 4 as the best place to honor Memorial Day.

Sixt reports that Wilmington’s Memorial Day parade began in 1867, operating for 156 years and garnering almost 20,000 spectators. The city is reported to have 829 war memorials and 21 veteran-owned businesses.

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The No. 1 city for observing Memorial Day is Charleston, South Carolina. The city’s Memorial Day parade began in 1865, and it has 694 war memorials and 21 veteran-owned businesses.

Brooklyn, New York, is ranked No. 2, with Doylestown, Pennsylvania, at No. 3.

The rest of the top 10 destinations for observing Memorial Day are as follows:

• Dearborn, Michigan, at No. 5
• Portsmouth, Virginia, at No. 6
• Ironton, Ohio, at No. 7
• Hempstead, New York, at No. 8
• Rochester, Wisconsin, at No. 9
• Grafton, West Virginia, at No. 10

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com .

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Observe Memorial Day in the Delaware city named a top US destination for the holiday