Lancaster, Pennsylvania
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Template:US City infobox Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Garden Spot of America, is a largely suburban community in southeastern Pennsylvania, and a popular tourist destination due to its historical significance and its strong heritage of religious diversity.
At the time of the American Revolution, Lancaster was the largest inland city in the British Empire. These days, Lancaster is the sixth largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania, with a population of 470,658 according to the 2000 Census. Moreover, only 56,348 people reside within the legal boundaries of Lancaster City, the county seat of Lancaster County, making it tenth largest among all cities in the state. Template:TOCleft While the United Brethern in Christ was organized at the Isaac Long barn near Oregon, and many tourists visit the Ephrata Cloister where Conrad Beissel set up a commune, the big draw for tourists is the large population of plain sect (mostly Amish and Mennonite) people popularly known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, living just east of the city. Tourists enjoy the beautiful rolling countryside, and laugh at the colorful and humorous names of local communities, such as Intercourse, Fertility, and Blue Ball.
Locals quickly recognize visitors to Lancaster by the way they pronounce Lancaster. Natives typically pronounce it as LANK-a-stir, rather than LAN-CAS-ter (with the first two syllables more or less equally stressed), as is the common pronunciation for other Lancasters in the US.
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History
- Land was part of the 1681 Penn's Woods Charter of William Penn
- In 1700 the Swiss Mennonites, led by Hans Herr and Martin Kendig created the first permanent colony in Lancaster
- The city was founded in 1718, the first city in America that was not located on a waterway
- Named after Lancaster, England by native John Wright. Its symbol, the red rose, is from the house of Lancaster. The Lancaster County Prison was built in the 1850s to resemble Lancaster Castle in Lancashire, [1]
- The oldest church in the city is the Trinity Lutheran Church founded in 1729
- Lancaster was the United States capital on September 28th, 1777. The Continental Congress moved from Philadelphia to Lancaster to escape the British army after the battle of Brandywine. After one day, they determined to relocate still farther west, to York.
- From 1799-1812, Lancaster served as the state capital, until it was permanently moved to Harrisburg.
- In the late 18th century through the early 19th century, Lancaster was the largest inland town in the United States. It is the oldest inland town.
- The Fulton Opera House, finished in October 1852, is the oldest theater to give continuous performances in the United States
- President James Buchanan made his home in Lancaster at Wheatland, his mansion
- Milton S. Hershey started the Lancaster Caramel Company and Frank W. Woolworth started Woolworth's in the city
- The Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal began publication in 1794, seven years before the New York Post (which proclaims itself the nation's oldest newspaper.)
Geography
Lancaster is located at 40°2'23" North, 76°18'16" West (40.039860, -76.304366)Template:GR, and is 368 feet above sea level.
The land is mostly flat, characteristic of the area. The city is located about 34 miles southeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 70 miles west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 55 miles north-northeast of Baltimore, Maryland and 87 miles north of Washington D.C..
The nearest towns and boroughs are Millersville, Pennsylvania (4.0 miles), Willow Street, Pennsylvania (4.8 miles), East Petersburg, Pennsylvania (5.3 miles), Lititz, Pennsylvania (7.9 miles), Landisville, Pennsylvania (8.6 miles), Mountville, Pennsylvania (8.8 miles), Rothsville, Pennsylvania (8.9 miles), and Leola, Pennsylvania (8.9 miles).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.14% is water.
Law and government
Lancaster is the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is a third class city. An adjacent township is also named Lancaster.
Demographics
The city has a higher percentage of non-whites than the rest of the county. It is a popular home for many Puerto Ricans and other Latinos. In 2000, 24.34% of Lancaster residents were of Puerto Rican ancestry. This was the highest percentage Puerto Rican of any place in Pennsylvania. There is a concentration of Amish farms east of the city and in that area horse-drawn buggies are commonly seen.
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 56,348 people, 20,933 households, and 12,162 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,940.0/km² (7,616.5/mi²). There were 23,024 housing units at an average density of 1,201.3/km² (3,112.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.55% White, 14.09% African American, 0.44% Native American, 2.46% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 17.44% from other races, and 3.94% from two or more races. 30.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 20,933 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,770, and the median income for a family was $34,623. Males had a median income of $27,833 versus $21,862 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,955. 21.2% of the population and 17.9% of families were below the poverty line. 29.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Economy
Lancaster City has a diversified economy, not dominated by any one industry, although tourism looms large due to due to nearby Amish-themed attractions and factory outlet shopping. Unemployment levels are typically lower than the state and the national average.
Armstrong World Industries has its corporate headquarters in the city, and RR Donnelley's financial printing arm is the largest of many printing, publishing and typesetting businesses. High Industries manufactures steel beams used in bridges in use throughout the eastern US. Herley Industries. a microwave technologies defense contractor, is headquartered in Lancaster. M&M Mars, Kellogg's, Alcoa and Dart Industries have factories in Lancaster. Warehousing and transportation are the fastest-growing segments of the Lancaster economy.
Lancaster City has been in the market of recreating itself recently with an explosion of specialty shops, boutiques, bars, clubs, and reinvestment in downtown institutions and locations making it a more desirable place to live. There are plans to build a $140 million dollar Marriott Hotel and convention center downtown. The proposed site is the southeastern corner of Penn Square. This is where the historic Watt and Shand building is located.
There are also plans to convert an area of unused polluted industrial grounds, which were once occupied by Armstrong World Industries, into playing fields for Franklin and Marshall College. This action is expected to take up most of the former industrial site. The northeastern corner will be development with funds from Lancaster General Hospital. The Hospital plans to create a mixed-use development which will add several city blocks to Lancaster’s grid.
Public Transportation
The Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) provides bus transit to Lancaster city as well as surrounding areas in Lancaster county. RRTA is headquartered in downtown Lancaster.
The original train station in Lancaster is still in use: AMTRAK offers frequent train service to Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The station offers on-site parking for a fee.
Famous natives
- President James Buchanan – 15th President of the United States, Wheatland estate
- Thomas Mifflin - Signer of the Constitution and a President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation,
- Charles Demuth – painter
- Major GeneralEdward Hand – early patriot
- Major General John Fulton Reynolds – American Civil War commander
- Major Richard D. Winters – U.S. Army Ranger and WWII veteran, was portrayed in Stephen Ambrose's 1992 book and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers
- Dan Kreider of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- John Parrish of the Baltimore Orioles
- Kris Wilson of the Kansas City Chiefs
- Matt Watson of the Oakland Athletics
- Dustin Salisbery of the Temple University Owls basketball team
- Jerry Johnson of the Rider University Broncos basketball team
- Lee Melchionni of the Duke University Blue Devils basketball team
- Matt Lundy of the Cornell College Big Red football team
- Brad Rutter biggest game show winner in television history
- Jim Furyk– PGA Tour Golfer
Inventions
- The first battery-powered watch, the Hamilton Electric 500, was released in 1957 by the Hamilton Watch Company.
- The Conestoga wagon. Driving on the right side of the road began when seats were put on the left side of the Conestoga wagon.
- The long rifle used rifling and an extremely long barrel to improve accuracy. This allowed higher muzzle velocity, which in turn made smaller slugs effective, conserving both powder and lead.
- The Stogie. Stogie is short for "Conestoga". Stogies are the inexpensive cheroot cigars favored by Conestoga wagon teamsters.
- Fraktur is a folk art form often featuring black-letter calligraphy.
Colleges and universities
- Consolidated School of Business
- Elizabethtown College
- Empire Beauty School
- Franklin and Marshall College
- Harrisburg Area Community College (Lancaster Campus)
- Lancaster Bible College
- Lancaster General Hospital - Lancaster Institute for Health Education
- Lancaster School of Cosmetology
- Lancaster Theological Seminary
- Millersville University of Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Academy of Music
- Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
- Spanish American Civic Association
- Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
High schools
- Cocalico High School, Denver
- Columbia Junior/Senior High School, Columbia
- Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster
- Donegal High School, Mount Joy
- Elizabethtown Area High School, Elizabethtown
- Ephrata High School, Ephrata
- Faith Mennonite High School, Kinzers
- Garden Spot High School, New Holland
- Hempfield High School, Landisville
- Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Lampeter
- Lancaster Catholic High School, Lancaster
- Lancaster Mennonite High School, Lancaster
- Manheim Central High School, Manheim
- Manheim Township High School, Lancaster
- J.P. McCaskey High School, Lancaster
- McCaskey East High School, Lancaster
- Penn Manor High School, Millersville
- Pequea Valley High School, Kinzers
- Solanco High School, Quarryville
- Terre Hill Mennonite High School, Terre Hill
- Warwick High School, Lititz
Airports
- Smoketown Airport [KS37] (Formerly KQ08)
- Lancaster Airport [KLNS]
- Harrisburg International Airport [KMDT] (nearby)
- Capital City Airport [KCXY] (nearby)
General information
- Zip codes: 17601 through 17603
- Area code: 717
Sites of interest
- Clipper Magazine Stadium, where the Lancaster Barnstormers professional baseball team competes in the Atlantic League.
- American Music Theater
- Demuth Museum
- Dutch Wonderland amusement park
- Ephrata Cloister
- Fulton Opera House
- Hans Herr House and Museum
- Landis Valley Museum
- North Museum of Natural History and Science
- Pennsylvania Dutch Country
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
- Rock Ford Plantation
- Sight & Sound Millennium Theatre
- Strasburg Railroad -- The Road to Paradise
- Sturgis Pretzel House
- Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum
- Wheatland
External links
- Dutch Wonderland
- The Economic Development Company of Lancaster PA
- Lancaster County's official website
- Lancaster newspapers
- PA-Wiki's Lancaster Page
- Red Rose Transit Authority
- Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center
- Wikitravel
Template:Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
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