Community Profile: Lancaster, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Historical Information*

In the early 1700s, the area of Lancaster County was being rapidly settled by various immigrant groups, including the Swiss, Mennonites, Huguenots, Scottish-Irish, English, Welsh, and Rhineland Germans. It was also inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Susquehannocks, the Iroquois, the Conestogas, the Conoys, and the Pequehans.

Lancaster officially became a county on May 10, 1729, and was named by the leader of the new county, John Wright, after his native Lancashire, England. The city of Lancaster was laid out in 1730. In the latter half of the 18th century, Lancaster County was steadily divided into several other counties — first York County in 1749, Cumberland County in 1750, Berks in 1752, Northumberland in 1772, and Dauphin in 1785; and, finally, land from both Lancaster and Dauphin counties was used to form Lebanon County in 1813.

The county’s major industry was the charcoal iron business. Blast furnaces and forges occupy thousands of acres of woodland within the county. The growth of Lancaster’s industry was helped by the construction of a turnpike linking Lancaster and Philadelphia in 1794 and the construction of the Columbia and Philadelphia Railroads in 1834. The county also has deposits of iron, nickel, copper, and silver; but the limestone soil is what gives the county its rich soil for farmland.

The city of Lancaster served as the nation’s capital for one day on September 27, 1777, because the Continental Congress had to flee Philadelphia and needed a temporary capital. In addition, Frank Woolworth, owner of the Woolworth’s chain, built his first successful five-and-dime store in Lancaster County in 1879; and Milton Hershey started his chocolate business here. The only U.S. president to come from Pennsylvania, James Buchanan, was from Lancaster.

The term “Conestoga” has strong ties to the Lancaster area. The Conestoga wagon, a covered wagon used in the 18th century, originated from this area. The Conestoga River runs through the county, and Conestoga Township is located in its southwestern portion.

Historical data for the Lancaster County, PA MSA can be found at the following websites:

* Much of the material used here was drawn from the websites listed above.
Last updated: August 4, 2010

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