York County, Pennsylvania


York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 434,972. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster County and named either after the Duke of York, an early patron of the Penn family, or for the city and county of York in England.
York County comprises the York-Hanover, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, Pennsylvania Combined Statistical Area. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania.
Based on the Articles of Confederation having been adopted in York by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, the local government and business community began referring to York in the 1960s as the first capital of the United States of America. The designation has been debated by historians ever since. Congress considered York, and the borough of Wrightsville, on the eastern side of York County along the Susquehanna River, as a permanent capital of the United States before Washington, D.C., was selected.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is bound to its eastern border by the Susquehanna River. Its southern border is the Mason–Dixon line, which separates Pennsylvania and Maryland. Within the U.S. piedmont region, York County is generally hilly and rises to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest, where it is bordered by Yellow Breeches Creek. Interior waterways include Codorus and Conewago Creeks, and Lakes Marburg, Redman, and Williams.

Adjacent counties

Climate

York County has a hot-summer humid continental climate and the hardiness zones are 6b and 7a.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 381,751 people, 148,219 households, and 105,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 422 people per square mile. There were 156,720 housing units at an average density of 173 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 92.76% White, 3.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.96% of the population. 42.0% were of German, 12.6% American, 7.7% Irish, 6.4% English and 5.1% Italian ancestry. 94.8% spoke English and 2.9% Spanish as their first language.
There were 148,219 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% 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 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
As of 2006, the York-Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area was the fastest-growing metro area in the Northeast region, and was ranked among the fastest-growing in the nation, according to the "2006 Population Estimates for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas". The estimates listed York-Hanover as the 95th fastest-growing metro area in the nation, increasing 9.1 percent between 2000 and 2006.
York city had a 77.3 percent increase in the number of residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, based on a comparison of the 2000 and 2010 U.S. census results. The city's 30.9 percent Hispanic population is more than that of other places in the area.
York County is home to Martin's Potato Chips in Thomasville, Utz Quality Foods, Inc. in Hanover, Snyder's of Hanover in Hanover, Hanover Foods in Hanover, Gibble's Potato Chips in York, Wolfgang Candy in York, The Bon-Ton in York, Dentsply in York, and a major manufacturing branch of Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Dialect

The Central Pennsylvania accent and the Susquehanna dialect are the two most commonly heard speech patterns in the county, however there are numerous Mennonites and other persons of Pennsylvania Dutch descent that inhabit the county, who tend to speak with dialects similar to Pennsylvania Dutch English.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated York County as the York–Hanover, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the York–Hanover, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 9th most populous in the state of Pennsylvania, and 115th most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States as of July 1, 2012.
The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the York–Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Harrisburg–York–Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area, the 43rd most populous combined statistical area and the 49th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012. As of the 2017 estimates, the CSA's 1.26 million people ranks 5th in the state of Pennsylvania.

Politics and government

As of November 2008, there were 299,414 registered voters in York County.

State Senate

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

Education

Public school districts

Vocational school

Intermediate Unit

Lincoln Intermediate Unit region includes: Adams County, Franklin County and York County. The agency offers school districts, home schooled students and private schools many services including: special education services, combined purchasing, and instructional technology services. It runs Summer Academy which offers both art and academic strands designed to meet the individual needs of gifted, talented and high achieving students. Additional services include: Curriculum Mapping, Professional Development for school employees, Adult Education, Nonpublic School Services, Business Services, Migrant & ESL, Instructional Services, Management Services, and Technology Services. It also provides a GED program to adults who want to earn a high school diploma and literacy programs. The Lincoln Intermediate Unit is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors, each a member of a local school board from the 25 school districts. Board members are elected by school directors of all 25 school districts for three-year terms that begin the first day of July. There are 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania. They are funded by school districts, state and federal program specific funding and grants. IUs do not have the power to tax.

Colleges and universities

Adult education

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are in York County:

City

s are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Unincorporated communities

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of York County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† YorkCity43,718
2HanoverBorough15,289
3WeigelstownCDP12,875
4ShilohCDP11,218
5East YorkCDP8,777
6ParkvilleCDP6,706
7Red LionBorough6,373
8SpryCDP4,891
9West YorkBorough4,617
10New FreedomBorough4,464
11DallastownBorough4,049
12ShrewsburyBorough3,823
13GrantleyCDP3,628
14Valley GreenCDP3,429
15Valley ViewCDP2,817
16ManchesterBorough2,763
17HallamBorough2,673
18EmigsvilleCDP2,672
19DillsburgBorough2,563
20StonybrookCDP2,384
21WrightsvilleBorough2,310
22Susquehanna TrailsCDP2,264
23Spring GroveBorough2,167
24StewartstownBorough2,089
25Glen RockBorough2,025
26DoverBorough2,007
27PennvilleCDP1,947
28North YorkBorough1,914
29YorklynCDP1,912
30Tyler RunCDP1,901
31JacobusBorough1,841
32Queens GateCDP1,464
33Mount WolfBorough1,393
34WindsorBorough1,319
35LoganvilleBorough1,240
36YoeBorough1,018
37GoldsboroBorough952
38East ProspectBorough905
39New MarketCDP816
40JeffersonBorough733
41DeltaBorough728
42York HavenBorough709
43WinterstownBorough632
44New SalemBorough579
45Seven ValleysBorough517
46Cross RoadsBorough512
47FeltonBorough506
48FranklintownBorough489
49Fawn GroveBorough452
50LewisberryBorough362
51RailroadBorough278
52WellsvilleBorough242
53YorkanaBorough229

Notable people