'Lancaster', is a city in the
South Central part of the
Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and is the
county seat of
Lancaster County. With a population of 55,351,
[1] it is the 8th largest city in Pennsylvania, behind
Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh,
Allentown,
Erie,
Reading,
Scranton, and
Bethlehem.
Locally, ''Lancaster'' is pronounced as ''LANK-i-stir'', rather than the more common pronunciation ''LANG-CAS-ter'' (with the first two syllables more or less equally stressed).
History
★ Land was part of the
1681 Penn's Woods Charter of
William Penn.
★ Lancaster was a planned city, first laid out by James Hamilton in
1734, and chartered as a borough in
1742, but not incorporated as a city until
1818.
[2]
★ Named after the English city of
Lancaster 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.
★ The
Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, built in
1795 was the first long-distance, paved road in the United States. It linked
Philadelphia to Lancaster.
[3]
★ Lancaster was capital of Pennsylvania from
1799 to
1812, when the capital was moved to the more central location of
Harrisburg.
★ Before the famous
Lewis and Clark Expedition began,
Meriwether Lewis traveled to Lancaster to work with astronomer
Andrew Ellicott and to learn to plot latitude and longitude as part of his training so that he could lead the expedition to the
Pacific Ocean.
[4]
★ Lancaster was the capital of the American colonies on September 27, 1777 when the
Continental Congress fled
Philadelphia, which had been captured by the British. After meeting one day, they moved still farther away, to York.
★ The
Fulton Opera House, finished in October
1852, claims to be the oldest theater to give continuous performances in the United States, although after the owner was arrested for offering burlesque - "exhibiting immoral shows" - in 1920, it was operated as a second-rate movie house, rather than a theatre, for half a century.
[5]
★ In
1886,
Milton S. Hershey founded the
Lancaster Caramel Company. In
1900, he sold the
Mount Joy, Pennsylvania business for $1 million to American Caramel Company (incorporated in
1898 as a merger of
York and
Philadelphia confectioners, and used the funds to build the
Hershey Chocolate factory by
1905 in nearby
Derry Church, his birthplace.
[6]
★
Frank W. Woolworth, opened his first "Woolworth 5¢ Store" store on Queen Street on June 21, 1879;
[7] an earlier nickel store, called "Great 5c Store" in
Utica, New York closed after 3 months. It wasn't until November 6, 1880, that the store became "Woolworth's 5 and 10". The original Lancaster store was replaced by a multistory building with a garden on the roof. Although the last Woolworth dimestore closed in 1998, the company lives on as Sneaker Villa.
★ Lancaster was one of the winning communities for the
All-America City award in 2000.
★ In 1821, The Germanic custom of having a specially decorated
Christmas tree at Christmas time was introduced to America by
Pennsylvania Dutch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
[8]
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 dominate the city of Lancaster, with a local example of each.
★ 'Germanic' or '
Colonial', 1710-1770, the house at '125 Howard Avenue' .
★ '
Georgian', 1730-1790, 'Rock Ford Plantation'.
★ '
Federal',1790-1835, 'Jacob Eichholtz House'.
★ 'Classical Revival',1840-1860, 'John Black Mansion'.
★ '
Italianate',1850-1895, 'Reuben Baer Mansion'.
★ '
Second Empire',1860-1895, 'John Ives Hartman Mansion'.
★ '
Queen Anne Style architecture',1876-1910, 'William Zahm Sener Mansion'.
★ '
Romanesque Revival architecture',1860-1900,
Central Market in Penn Square.
★ '
Beaux-Arts',1880-1930, 'Hager Building'.
★ '
Colonial Revival',1880-1955, the house at '43 North Shippen Street'.
★ '
Art Deco',1925-1945, 'McNinch Building'.
Demographics
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.
In 2000, 24.34% of Lancaster residents were of Puerto Rican ancestry. The city has the highest concentration of Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the "Spanish Rose." Lancaster celebrates its Hispanic heritage once every year with the Puerto Rican Festival, which is in its 27th year
[9].
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.
[10]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.
Since 1999,
[1] 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 façade.
[2] The project's supporters believe it would promote the revitalization of the city's center. Its opponents, however, feel it poses a significant risk to taxpayers.
[3][4] This plan also includes the demolition of significant portions of other historic sites, including Thaddeus Stevens' home.
[5]
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 developed 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. F&M's president, John Fry, has also orchestrated the construction of new dormitories and apartments for Franklin & Marshall students along Harrisburg Pike.
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 outside the City of Lancaster.
Capitol Trailways provides transit from Lancaster to
King of Prussia,
Philadelphia, and
New York City.
Amtrak serves Lancaster and maintains a station at 53 McGovern Ave. Lancaster is served by Amtrak trains traveling between Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh.
[6]
The city is served by the
Lancaster Airport, located north of downtown and just south of
Lititz.
Notable residents
★ A. Raphael Beck, artist and muralist
★ John Henry Augustus Bomberger, founder and first president of
Ursinus College
★
Andy Baldwin,
lieutenant,
doctor, and the
bachelor of of ''
The Bachelor''
★
James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the
United States
★
Charles Demuth, painter
★
Tristan Egolf, author
★
Andrew Ellicott, surveyor, completed layout of
Washington, D.C., established surveying baseline for
Northwest Territory, and taught surveying to
Captain Meriwether Lewis in preparation for the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
★
Robert Fulton, statesman, painter, and the creator of the Clermont steamboat
★
Gene Garber, former professional baseball player
★
Major General Edward Hand – early patriot
★
Jonathan Groff, actor (
Spring Awakening (musical))
★
William Henry, eighteenth-century gunsmith and patriot
★
Tom Herr, former professional baseball player and former manager of the
Lancaster Barnstormers, current manager of the
Hagerstown Suns
★
Milton Hershey, founder of the
The Hershey Company
★
Robert Lutz, former tennis player, born in Lancaster
★
Helen Reimensnyder Martin (1868-1939) Novelist, born in and buried in the city
★
Thomas Mifflin, politician and a signer of the
United States Constitution
★
John Parrish, professional baseball player,
Baltimore Orioles
★
Major General John F. Reynolds,
American Civil War commander
★
Brad Rutter, Jeopardy! champion
★
Kevin Shaffer, professional football player,
Cleveland Browns
★
Jimmy Sheckard, former professional baseball player
★
Thaddeus Stevens, a
Radical Republican congressman and
abolitionist
★
Lieutenant General Daniel B. Strickler, veteran of both
World Wars and the
Korean War;
Lieutenant Governor of PA, 1947-1951
★
Bruce Sutter, former professional baseball pitcher, inducted to Baseball's Hall of Fame, 2006
★
Timothy Truman, artist, comic book artist and writer
★ Julian Valentin, Defender, U-20 men's national soccer team
★
Junior Vasquez, New York City club DJ and remixer/producer
★
Marianne Wiggins, author, and ex-wife of author
Salman Rushdie
★
Kris Wilson, professional football player,
Kansas City Chiefs
★
F. W. Woolworth, businessman, "5 & 10¢ store"
F. W. Woolworth Company
Historical Landmarks
Hamilton Watch Company
Watt & Shand Building (since demolished, only the façade remains)
W.W. Griest Building
Wheatland
Fulton Opera House
J.P. McCaskey High School
Rock Ford plantation'
Sports
Main articles: Sports in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Baseball
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 continue the old baseball rivalry between Lancaster and the nearby city of
York, as the
York Revolution start their inaugural season in 2007.
The city of Lancaster is the hometown of
Major League alumnus,
Tom Herr. Herr played for the
Philadelphia Phillies, the
New York Mets, the
San Francisco Giants, and finally with the
St. Louis Cardinals. After his time in the Majors, he coached the Black Knights baseball team of
Hempfield High School for several years. During this time, Tom Herr had the pleasure of coaching his son,
Aaron (who now plays at the AAA level), at Hempfield. Herr joined the Lancaster Barnstomers for their inaugural season in 2005 as the manager. After a dismal 2005 season, he lead the Barnstormers to their first-ever championship in 2006, against the
Bridgeport Bluefish. Immediately following Lancaster's Atlantic League victory, Tom Herr piqued the interest of the
Washington Nationals, who later assinged him to their A-level
Hagerstown Suns.
The Lancaster Barnstormers employ another Major League alumnus,
Rick Wise, as their pitching coach.
[11] He was the winning pitcher for the
Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the
1975 World Series. Other than his experience with the Red Sox, he pitched for the
Cleveland Indians, the
Philadelphia Phillies, the
San Diego Padres, and the
St. Louis Cardinals.
Other sports
★ The
Lancaster Red Roses was also the name of a basketball team who were members of the
Eastern Professional Basketball League from 1946 to 1949, and from 1953 to 1955. Also briefly called the Lancaster Rockets, the team played in the Eastern Basketball Association from 1975 to 1978, and the
Continental Basketball Association from 1979 to 1980. The Red Roses played at the Lancaster Armory.
★ The
Continental Basketball Association also hosted the Lancaster Lightning from 1981-1985. After the 1985 season, the Lightning moved to
Baltimore and eventually to
Rockford, Illinois where they became the
Rockford Lightning.
★ The Lancaster Storm of the
Eastern Basketball Alliance played from 1997-2000. They were the EBA champion in 1999.
★ The
Roses Rugby Football Club, a semi-pro
rugby union team, is the 2005 champion of the Mid Atlantic Rugby Football Union.
★ The
Lancaster Lightning, a semi-pro football team, play in Kinzers, in the surrounding county. Their arch-rival is the
Central Penn Piranha, from
Harrisburg.
★ The
Central Penn Panthers, a member of the
Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League, play at the Regency Sportsrink in Lancaster.
Lancaster Classic
The city of Lancaster hosts the Tom Bamford
Lancaster Classic, a professional bicycle racing event held each June since 1992. It is part of the
2006-2007 UCI America Tour and the
2007 USA Cycling Professional Tour.
Inventions
★ The first battery-powered
watch, the Hamilton Electric 500, was released in 1957 by the Hamilton Watch Company.
★
Peeps, an
Easter confection shaped as marshmallow chicks covered with yellow sugar, 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
★ Consolidated School of Business
★
Franklin & Marshall College
★ Lancaster General Hospital - Lancaster Institute for Health Education
★
Lancaster Theological Seminary
★
Lancaster Bible College
★
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
★
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
Media
★ ''
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal'', the county's morning edition
★ ''
Lancaster New Era'', the county's afternoon edition
★ ''
Lancaster Voice''
★ ''
La Voz Hispana'', the city's Spanish-language edition
★ ''The Sunday News'', the county's weekly edition
★
WGAL, the local
NBC affiliate serving the Lancaster,
York, and
Harrisburg area.
★
WLYH, the local
CW affiliate serving the Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg area.
★
WHP, the local
CBS affiliate serving the Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg area.
★
WHTM, the local
ABC affiliate serving the Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg area.
★
WITF, the local
PBS affiliate serving the Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg area.
★
WPMT, the local
FOX affiliate serving the Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg area.
★
WLAN-FM, the local Radio Station serving the lower
Susquehanna Valley.
★
WLAN-AM, the local Radio Station serving the Lancaster, area on the AM Dial.
★ WFNM-FM, the student-run radio station of Franklin & Marshall.
Sites of interest
★ Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a station of the
Underground Railroad
★
Central Market, a historic farmers' market in Penn Square
★ Chameleon Club, a nightclub that hosts many popular musicians and bands
★
Clipper Magazine Stadium, home of the
Lancaster Barnstormers baseball team
★
Demuth Museum
★
Fulton Opera House
★ Lancaster Cultural History Museum
★ Lancaster Museum of Art
★ Leonard & Mildred Rothman Gallery
★ Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum
★ North Museum of Natural History and Science
★
Park City Center, mall
★
Wheatland, the estate of the 15th U.S. President,
James Buchanan
Local Businesses
★
Armstrong World Industries
★
Auntie Anne's
★
Herley Industries
★
Isaac's Restaurant & Deli
★
Kellogg's
★
Kunzler & Company, Inc.
★
Lancaster Brewing Company
★ Lancaster General Hospital
★
Lancaster Laboratories
★
MapQuest
★
R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company
★
Y&S Candies
References
1. Lancaster (city) QuickFacts
2. Lancaster County History
3. Lancaster Turnpike
4. Lewis & Clark Timeline
5. OperaHouse
6. Caramel
7. Woolworth
8. The History of Christmas
9. Puerto Rican Festival
10. Workforce Profile for Lancaster City
11. Barnstormers' Pitching Coach
Further reading
★
"Battle over city project moves to courtroom" by Dave Pidgeon, ''Intelligencer Journal'', July 13, 2006, retrieved July 14, 2006
External links
★
City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
★
Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau
★
Lancaster Barnstormers
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