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is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 943. It is part of the Seaford, Delaware Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Bethany Beach, together with the towns of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island, comprises Delaware's beach resort area and is Sussex County's most densely-populated and fastest-growing area.
Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island are popularly known as "The Quiet Resorts". This is in contradistinction to the wild atmosphere of Dewey Beach and the cosmopolitan bustle of Rehoboth Beach. Assisting Bethany Beach's reputation as a "quiet" place is the presence of Delaware Seashore State Park immediately to the north of the town, a six mile-long barrier island providing a substantial buffer from Dewey Beach's noise. Serving as another buffer is a large unincorporated area of private condominiums and multi-
Despite its small size, Bethany Beach boasts the usual attractions of a summer seaside resort, including a short boardwalk, a broad, sandy beach, motels, restaurants, and vacation homes. Because Bethany Beach does not sit on a barrier island, residential areas continue some distance to the west of the town's limits.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.71%) is water.