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Lancaster, the Red Rose City, is a city in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is the county seat of Lancaster County. With a population of 55,351, it is ranked as the 515th-largest city in the United States. (Lancaster County, with its suburbs, boroughs, and townships, is the 99th largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States, with an estimated population (in 2005) of 490,562.)

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.

History

  • Land was part of the 1681 Penn's Woods Charter of William Penn.
  • The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was the first long-distance, paved road in the United States. It linked Philadelphia to Lancaster.
  • The city was incorporated in 1818.
  • 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 *.
  • The oldest church in the city is the Trinity Lutheran Church founded in 1729.
  • From 1799-1812, Lancaster served as the state capital, until it was permanently moved to Harrisburg.
  • Lancaster was capital of the American colonies on September 27, 1777. This happened when the Continental Congress was fleeing British forces, who had captured the capital city of Philadelphia.
  • On June 28, 1863, a local militia unit set the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge on fire to prevent quickly advancing Confederate troops from entering Lancaster County. This tactic that not only forced Robert E. Lee’s Confederates to retreat and change course, but also indirectly led them to the watershed battle at Gettysburg. The Columbia-Wrightsville bridge used to link Lancaster County to York County
  • The Fulton Opera House, finished in October 1852, is the oldest theater to give continuous performances in the United States.
  • Milton S. Hershey started the Lancaster Caramel Company in the city.
  • Woolworth opened their second, and first successful, dimestore here on June 21, 1879. The company is now known as Foot Locker.
  • Lancaster was one of the winning communities for the All-America City award in 2000.

Geography

Lancaster is located at 40°2'23" North, 76°18'16" West (40.039860, -76.304366), and is 368 feet above sea level.

The city is located about 34 miles southeast of Harrisburg, 70 miles west of Philadelphia, 55 miles north-northeast of Baltimore and 87 miles north of Washington, D.C.

The nearest towns and boroughs are Millersville (4.0 miles), Willow Street (4.8 miles), East Petersburg (5.3 miles), Lititz (7.9 miles), Landisville (8.6 miles), Mountville (8.8 miles), Rothsville (8.9 miles), and Leola (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.

Architecture

Here are the main types of architecture that still dominates the city of Lancaster, with a local example of each.

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 census 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 suffers from high unemployment, especially in the southeastern quadrant.This area, which includes census tracts 8, 9, 15, and 16, had unemployment rates of 10.9%, 10.1%, 3.5%, and 9.0% , respectively, in 1999, when the rest of the county was 4.9%. The Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board sees a persistent problem in underemployment: "People are working but surviving just on the edge of poverty." Outside the city, however, employment has increased 18% by adding 34,900 jobs between the years 1999 and 2002.

Lancaster City has been in the process 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.

Since 1999,the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, Penn Square Partners and the City's Redevelopment Authority have pursued a controversial plan to build a 300-room Marriott Hotel and a 220,000-square-foot taxpayer funded convention venue in and near the space formerly occupied by the Watt & Shand department store, preserving only the building's facade.**" target="_blank" > This plan also includes the demolition of significant portions of other historic sites, including Thaddeus Stevens' home. [http://www.builderonline.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=27&articleID=333538

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 & 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.

Amtrak serves Lancaster and maintains a station at 53 McGovern Ave.*

Notable residents

Sports

Club Sport League Venue Logo
Lancaster Barnstormers Baseball Atlantic League of Professional Baseball; South Division Clipper Magazine Stadium

The city of Lancaster has only one professional sports team, the Lancaster Barnstormers. After 44 years without professional baseball, the Barnstormers arrived to fill the void left by the departed Lancaster Red Roses. The Lancaster Barnstormers are named after the "barnstorming" baseball players who played exhibition games in the surrounding county, as well as a reference to the county's many farms. The Barnstormers continue a couple of traditions of the old Red Roses, as their official colors are navy blue, red, and khaki, the same colors used by the Red Roses. More importantly, the Barnstormers will continue the old baseball rivalry between Lancaster and the nearby city of York, when the York Revolution starts their inaugural season in 2007.

Inventions

  • The first battery-powered watch, the Hamilton Electric 500, was released in 1957 by the Hamilton Watch Company.
  • The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was the first long-distance, paved road in the United States. It linked Philadelphia to Lancaster.
  • Peeps, those marshmallow chicks covered with yellow sugar sold as an Easter confection, were invented by the Rodda Candy Company of Lancaster in the 1920s. In 1953, Rodda was purchased by Sam Born, the Russian immigrant who invented ice cream "jimmies", and production was moved to Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Colleges and universities

Media

Sites of interest

Local Businesses

References

Additional References

External links

All-America City | Former U.S. state capitals | Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster | Ланкастър (Пенсилвания) | Lancaster (Pensylwania) | Lancaster (Pensilvânia) | Lancaster

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Lancaster, Pennsylvania".

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