Lancaster (called the Red Rose City) is a city of 58,039 people (2020 census) in southern Pennsylvania and the county seat of Lancaster County. From the major cities of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Harrisburg and Washington D.C. it is between 55 and 140 kilometers away.
The first white settlers appeared in the vicinity of present-day
Lancaster in 1709. The construction and planning of the city began in
1730. It got its name from the name of the city in England, where its
first inhabitants came from. In 1777, due to the fact that the Second
Continental Congress, which played the role of the US government, was
forced to flee from the advancing British army from Philadelphia, it
settled in Lancaster on September 27, and therefore Lancaster became the
capital of the United States for one day. The next day, the Continental
Congress moved on to York. From 1799 to 1812, Lancaster was also the
main city of the state of Pennsylvania.
Of the city's
attractions, Fulton Opera House is the oldest continuously operating
theater in the United States (founded in 1852). Also of interest is the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a monument to soldiers and sailors of the
US Army who fell in military operations on land and at sea. 57 urban
sites are included in the list of National Historic Landmarks of the
USA. Among them is the oldest farmer's market in the United States,
Central Market, known since 1730 (the building was built in 1889);
umbrella factory, a brick industrial building of the late 19th century.
According to the Köppen climate classification, the area is
classified as a hot and humid continental climate (Dfa) with an isotherm
of 0 °C (32 °F) and as a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with an
isotherm of -3 °C (27 °F). The highest temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) on
July 23, 2011, and the lowest was -16 °F (-27 °C) on January 22, 1984.
Average annual precipitation is 42 inches (15.5 cm); the wettest month
of the year is September and the driest is February. Lancaster's
snowiest winter was the winter of 2009-10, with 72 inches, and its least
snowy winter was the winter of 1949-50, with 4 inches; the highest
January temperature was 25°C (77°F) on January 26, 1950, and the lowest
July temperature was 6°C (42°F) on July 4, 1918.
The average
number of days of sunshine per year is 203. The shortest day of the year
is between December 18 and December 25, with 9 hours and 19 minutes of
daylight. The sun is at its lowest between December 11 and December 31
at 26°F. The longest day of the year is from June 19 to June 23,
reaching 15 hours and 1 minute. The sun is highest in the sky from June
10 to July 2 at 73 degrees.
The city has a high percentage of ethnic minorities compared to the
rest of the country. It is a popular home for many Puerto Ricans and
Latinos from other countries. In 2000, 24.34% of Lancastrians were
Puerto Ricans, the highest percentage in the state. Since 1980, a Puerto
Rican festival has been held once a year. There is a high concentration
of Amish farms to the east of the city, and horse carriages are common
there.
At the 2000 census there were 56,348 people, 20,933
households, and 12,162 families living in the city. The population
density was 2,940/km2 (7,616.5/mi2). There were 23,024 housing units at
an average density of 3,112.1/mi2 (1,201.3/km2). The racial makeup of
the city was 61.55% European American, 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. Alone individuals
made up 33.1% of all households, and those over the age of 65 living
alone made up 9.9%. The average household size was 2.52 and the average
family size was 3.23.
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 there was $29,770, and 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 U$13,955. About 17.9% of
families and 21.2% of the population were living in poverty, as were
29.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.9% of those 65 or over.
Compared to the surrounding area, the unemployment rate in Lancaster is relatively high at 7.8%; in the south-eastern parts of the city it was even over 10% in 1999. At the same time, only 4.9% of the county were unemployed. Around 34,900 new jobs were created between 1999 and 2002, but many people, especially in the southeast, still live on the subsistence level.
Lancaster is home to Franklin & Marshall College, a college named after Benjamin Franklin and John Marshall. Those who want to study for a teaching degree in Lancaster County will usually attend the neighboring Millersville University of Pennsylvania (also in Lancaster County).
William Henry (1729–1786), politician, armourer, arms dealer and
inventor
John Gibson (≈1740–1822), two-time territorial governor of
Indiana
Robert Smith (1757–1842), politician, the 2nd Secretary of
the Navy and the 6th Secretary of State
Simon Snyder (1759–1819),
third governor of Pennsylvania
Benjamin Smith Barton (1766–1815),
botanist
Jenkin Whiteside (1772–1822), U.S. Senator for Tennessee
Alexander McNair (1775–1826), Governor of Missouri
John Rhea Barton
(1794–1871), surgeon, namesake of Barton's fracture and pioneer of
arthroplasty
John Wise (1808–1879), balloonist
John Fulton
Reynolds (1820–1863), US Army Major General, killed at the Battle of
Gettysburg
Charles Demuth (1883–1935), painter
Leo Houck
(1888–1950), boxer
Richard Winters (1918–2011), Major in the US Army
Peck Morrison (1919–1988), jazz musician
John D. Anderson, Jr. (b.
1937), engineer
Carl H. Ernst (1938–2018), herpetologist
Bob Lutz
(born 1947), tennis player
Colin McLarty (born 1951), mathematical
logician, philosopher and historian of mathematics
Paul Imm (born
1956), jazz musician
Andrew Jay Feustel (born 1965), astronaut
Jennifer Gareis (born 1970), actress
Rya Kihlstedt (born 1970),
actress
Carla Kihlstedt (born 1971), musician
Taylor Kinney (born
1981), actor
Beth Behrs (born 1985), actress
Jonathan Groff (born
1985), actor
Adam Cole (born 1989), professional wrestler
Derrick
Morgan (born 1989), American football player
Abigail Lynn Dahlkemper
(born 1993), soccer player
Russell Canouse (born 1995), soccer player
Tyler Zink (born 2001), tennis player