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Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Lancaster is a city located in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,348.

The city is a popular tourist destination, known for the large population of plain sect (mostly Amish and Mennonite) people popularly known as the Pennsylvania Dutch living just east of the city, and for the many small communities nearby with colorful and humorous names, such as Intercourse, Fertility, and Blue Ball. It is also home of the Lancaster Barnstormers, a minor league baseball team in the unaffiliated Atlantic League.

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, as is the common pronunciation for other Lancasters in the US.

History

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 cities 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

Lancaster County is the sixth largest metropolitan statistical area in Pennsylvania, with a population of 470,658 according to the 2000 Census.

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. 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 are 56,348 people, 20,933 households, and 12,162 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,940.0/km² (7,616.5/mi²). There are 23,024 housing units at an average density of 1,201.3/km² (3,112.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 20,933 households out of which 31.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% are married couples living together, 19.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.23.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $29,770, and the median income for a family is $34,623. Males have a median income of $27,833 versus $21,862 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,955. 21.2% of the population and 17.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Economy

Lancaster has a diversified economy, not dominated by any one industry, although tourism looms large due to due to Amish-themed attractions and factory outlet shopping. Employment levels are typically lower than the state and the nation.

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. Kellogg's. Alcoa and Dart Industries have factories in Lancaster. Warehousing and transportation are the fastest-growing segments of the Lancaster economy.

There are many small businesses in the city, of which APBA Game Company is one.

Famous natives

Colleges and Universities

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
  • 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

General information

  • Zip codes: 17601 through 17608 (17602 and 17603 are center city)
  • Area code: 717

Sites of interest

External links

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