Harrisburg is the capital of the US state of Pennsylvania. The
US The Census Bureau put the population at 50,099 as of the 2020
census. The city is located in Dauphin County in the
southeastern part of the state on the Susquehanna River. The
town was originally called Harris' Ferry (Harris was the surname
of one of the town's founders). It received its current name in
1785 and was made the state capital of Pennsylvania in 1812.
The city of Harrisburg became known worldwide in 1979 after
an accident in the neighboring city of Middletown at the Three
Mile Island nuclear power plant.
Prior to white colonization, the area was inhabited by the
Susquehannock tribe, engaged in primitive agriculture, hunting and
gathering, the basis of the tribe's welfare was mediation in barter
trade between Indian tribes that inhabited the Delaware and Ohio river
basins. The first documented visit of these places by Europeans occurred
in 1608, when an English expedition led by the famous John Smith arrived
here.
The founder of the city, Welsh merchant John Harris,
settled on the site of the modern city in 1718, trading with the Indians
and maintaining the Susquehanna crossing in working order. The village
called Harris' Ferry ("Harris ferry") was renamed in 1785 in Louisbourg
(Louisbourg) in honor of King Louis XVI. This name did not take root,
and already in 1791, when it officially acquired the status of a city,
the settlement was called Harrisburg.
Harrisburg was one of the
points through which emigrants settled the territories west of the
coast. Its transport importance increased with the opening of the
Pennsylvania Canal (1834), the construction of the railroad (1836) and
the highway to Pittsburgh (1847). In 1812, the state capital was moved
to Harrisburg, in 1827 the National Tariff Convention was held here,
which approved the policy of protectionism, and in 1839, at the first
national convention of the Whig Party, William Henry Harrison was
nominated for president.
During the Civil War, Harrisburg, as an
important transportation hub linking the Northeast with the Midwest, was
one of the targets of the Southern advances in 1862 and 1863. During the
Gettysburg Campaign, General Lee's desperate attempt to turn the tide of
the war against a vastly outnumbered enemy, a Confederate reconnaissance
troop was stopped just 2 miles from the city. It is considered the
northernmost battle of that war.
The development of Harrisburg in
the last third of the 19th century is closely connected with the iron
and steel industry. The presence of jobs attracted many immigrants to
the city, office buildings were built, the city tram was launched. Since
the 1920s, the decline of the city began, industrial enterprises were
closed, white residents moved to the suburbs, the city center turned
into a Negro ghetto. Currently, the city is bankrupt, and for most of
the residents, social payments are the main income.
Near the
city, since 1974, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant has been
operating, where on March 28, 1979, the worst nuclear accident in the
United States occurred.
treet
Harrisburg is connected to the interstate highway system by
three freeways. The toll Interstate 76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) connects
the city with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It is about four miles south
of downtown in a west-east direction, crossing the Susquehanna River.
Interstate 81 from Tennessee to New York City runs roughly parallel to
it and roughly the same distance across town. Interstate 83 from
Baltimore enters the city from the south; it first extends west of the
Susquehanna, intersects Interstate 76, then crosses the river
immediately south of downtown and finally joins Interstate 81 northeast
of the city.
Three other arterial roads that have been developed
without crossings branch off Interstate 83 in the city area. The
Harrisburg Expressway extends northwest to Interstate 81, Interstate 76
runs southeast to Interstate 283 and the U.S. Hwy 15 southwestbound. The
U.S. Highway 22 north along the Susquehanna, and Pennsylvania State
Route 283 southeast as an extension of Interstate 283.
rail
Harrisburg is one of the most important rail hubs in Pennsylvania with
one passenger and several service stations, two container terminals and
a marshalling yard. In addition, three railroad bridges span the
Susquehanna, the Rockville Bridge, the Cumberland Valley Railroad Bridge
and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Bridge. Harrisburg has routes
to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Lake Erie, Reading and
Hagerstown. The route to Philadelphia is the only one that is
electrified.
The Harrisburg Transportation Center passenger
station is just east of downtown. It is served by Amtrak long-distance
service once per day on the New York-Philadelphia-Harrisburg-Pittsburgh
(Pennsylvanian) route. Another 14 pairs of trains run daily to
Philadelphia under the name Keystone Corridor. In terms of passenger
volume, it was (2007) with 465,000 passengers the second most important
passenger station in Pennsylvania after 30th Street Station in
Philadelphia. A local transport system with line star Harrisburg is
being planned.
Freight traffic is mainly handled by the Norfolk
Southern. The city is the namesake of its Harrisburg Division. The
Canadian Pacific Railway serves Harrisburg from the north.
bus
Local public transport in the region is handled by the Capitol Area
Transit (CAT), which operates a network of 26 bus routes and four other
express buses for commuters. The central bus station is located in
Market Square in the city center. Greyhound Lines, Capitol Trailways,
Fullington Trailways and Susquehanna Trailways intercity buses operate
from the passenger station to many of the major and mid-sized cities
further afield.
air traffic
There are two airports near
Harrisburg, both operated by the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport
Authority (SARAA).
Harrisburg International Airport is located
approximately eight miles (12.9 km) southeast of the city on the east
bank of the Susquehanna in the township of Middletown. It is served by
several airlines that offer direct flights to a total of fifteen cities
on the East Coast and Midwest of the United States and Canada. It also
plays an important role in air freight, especially parcel post. In terms
of passenger and cargo traffic, it is the third busiest airport in
Pennsylvania after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
About three miles
(four kilometers) south of downtown and across the river is Capital City
Executive Airport. It primarily serves the neighboring Defense
Distribution Center, a major logistics center for the United States
Armed Forces. However, it is also approved for civil air traffic and is
used for private flights.
economy and finance
Mismanagement,
especially in connection with the construction of a waste incineration
plant, which generated high losses due to underutilization, has ruined
the city financially. On October 12, 2011, Harrisburg officially
declared bankruptcy after failing to repay outstanding bonds. The debt
was recently five times the tax revenue.
Harrisburg and the surrounding area are home to several institutions
of higher education (including a chapter of the University of
Pennsylvania), military schools, and naval depots. The state
administration meets in the Capitol - a snow-white copy of the Roman
Cathedral of St. Petra, 84 meters high (1906). The city also has several
museums, among which the slightly remodeled house of John Harris (1766)
stands out.
In October 2011, the city was declared bankrupt due
to the effects of the global financial crisis. The Harrisburg City
Council said the city is unable to pay off a $500 million debt that is
five times the city's budget. Reportedly, the main cause of the city's
bankruptcy was the "systematic failure to make payments on bonds backed
by income from an incinerator" built in 1972 to generate steam and heat
nearby institutions and a steel mill.