Carlisle, Pennsylvania | |
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 Downtown Carlisle in April 2011 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: "Excellence in Community Service" | |
 Location of Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania | |
  Carlisle Carlisle (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°12′09″N77°11′42″W / 40.20250°N 77.19500°W /40.20250; -77.19500 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Cumberland |
| Settled | 1751 |
| Incorporated | 1782 |
| Named after | Carlisle, England |
| Government | |
| • Type | Borough Council |
| • Mayor | Sean Shultz (D) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Brenda Landis (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.43 sq mi (14.07 km2) |
| • Land | 5.42 sq mi (14.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0077 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 479 ft (146 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 20,118 |
| • Density | 3,709.4/sq mi (1,432.19/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 17013, 17015 |
| Area codes | 717 and 223 |
| FIPS code | 42-11272 |
| Website | www |
Carlisle is aborough in and thecounty seat ofCumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States.[3] Carlisle is located within theCumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the2020 census, the borough population was 20,118;[4] including suburbs in the neighboring townships, 37,695 live in the Carlisle urban cluster. Carlisle is the smaller principal city of theHarrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area, which includes Cumberland andDauphin andPerry counties inSouth Central Pennsylvania.
TheU.S. Army War College, located atCarlisle Barracks, prepares high-level military personnel and civilians for strategic leadership responsibilities. The Carlisle Barracks ranks among the oldest U.S. Army installations and the most senior military educational institution in theUnited States Army. Carlisle Barracks is home of theUnited States Army Heritage and Education Center, an archives and museum complex open to the public. Carlisle is also home toPenn State Dickinson School of Law andDickinson College. Dickinson College is also noted as it was the first college or university chartered after the United States was founded.
TheFrench-born fur traderJames Le Tort may have built a cabin in the area as early as 1720.[5][6]: 113 During thecolonial era,Scots-Irish settlers began to settle in the Cumberland Valley beginning in the early 1730s. The settlement of Carlisle, at the intersection of several Indigenous trails, was designated by thePennsylvania assembly and thePenn family in 1751 as the seat of Cumberland County (named for thecounty of the same name in England). American engineerJohn Armstrong Sr., a surveyor for the Penn family, laid the plan for the settlement of Carlisle in 1751. Armstrong Sr. settled there and fatheredJohn Armstrong Jr. in 1758. They named the settlement after its sister town ofthe same name inCumberland, England, and even designed its former jailhouse (which now serve as general government offices in the county) to resemble theCarlisle Citadel.[7]
As a result ofconflicts on thefrontier withNative American tribes, a stockade was constructed in the settlement to protect against potential attacks in 1753. In 1755, the stockade was transformed into a fort, known asCarlisle Fort or Fort Lowther.[8] In 1757, colonel-commandantJohn Stanwix, for whomFort Stanwix inUpstate New York was named, established his headquarters in Carlisle, and was promoted tobrigadier general on December 27. During theFrench and Indian War, the North American theater of theSeven Years' War, the largely successfulForbes Expedition was organized in Carlisle in 1758;Henry Bouquet also organized a military expedition from the settlement in 1763 duringPontiac's War.[citation needed]
ThePennsylvania guide, compiled by the Writers' Program of theWPA in 1940, described the early history of Carlisle'spublic square and the physical changes that had occurred by the first half of the 20th century, noting that the square, located at the[9]
intersection of Hanover and High Sts., is now hardly recognizable as such, for the market house, courthouse, and church have encroached on it. But in the early days its limits were clearly defined. The square was the camping ground of Indian delegations in the tense days when the French were invading theOhio Valley, the gathering place of Revolutionary mass meetings, and the nucleus of a compact little settlement.
The settlement of Carlisle was largely supportive of thePatriot cause during theAmerican Revolution, and numerous individuals from the settlement served in theRevolutionary War. Carlisle contains the home of lawyerJames Wilson, who served as a representative to theContinental Congress; Wilson was a signer of theDeclaration of Independence in addition to being one of the framers of theU.S. Constitution.[10] The First Presbyterian Church, begun in 1757 and completed in 1770, is the oldest building in Carlisle, and was where the Rev. John Steel (known as "The Fighting Parson") gave sermons in support of the Patriot cause during the American Revolution. The church was also where Pennsylvania settlers met on July 12, 1774, to sign a document protesting theBoston Port Act.[11][12] A year later Carlisle supplied a contingent for aline infantry regiment of theContinental Army. Steel was named commander of the leading company of this group when they marched from Carlisle.[13] No longer standing but marked by a historical marker is the home ofEphraim Blaine, Commissary General of Revolutionary Army.[14] Also, no longer standing but commemorated, is the home of Gen.John Armstrong Sr., "Hero ofKittanning," Revolutionary officer, and member of the Continental Congress. Still standing is the gun shop of Thomas Butler Sr., anIrish immigrant, who manufacturedlong rifles during the French and Indian War. He later became Chief Armorer for The First Continental Congress. He and his five sons served in the Revolutionary War and were known as "The Fighting Butlers."[15] His eldest son wasRichard Butler (general).
Carlisle also served as a munitions depot during the American Revolutionary War. The depot was later developed into theUnited States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. Revolutionary War legendMolly Pitcher died in the borough in 1832, and her body lies buried in the Old Public Graveyard. A hotel was built in her honor, called the Molly Pitcher Hotel; it has since been renovated to house apartments for senior citizens.
Carlisle was incorporated as aborough a few years after the war on April 13, 1782. Carlisle continued to play a part in the early development in the United States through the end of the century: In response to a planned march in favor of theUnited States Constitution in 1787,Anti-Federalists instigated a riot in Carlisle. A decade later, during theWhiskey Rebellion in 1794, the troops of Pennsylvania andNew Jersey assembled in Carlisle under the leadership of PresidentGeorge Washington.[16] While in Carlisle, the president worshiped in the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Hanover Street and High Street.
Benjamin Rush, a signer of theDeclaration of Independence, developed Carlisle Grammar School in 1773 and chartered it as Dickinson College—the first new college founded in the newly recognized United States. One of the college's more famous alumni, the 15th U.S. president,James Buchanan, graduated in 1809.[17] TheDickinson School of Law, founded in 1834 and affiliated then with Dickinson College, ranks as the fifth-oldest law school in the United States and the oldest law school in Pennsylvania.
On June 2, 1847, Carlisle was the site of the McClintock Slave Riot, which that broke out after afugitive slave hearing at the courthouse; several of the fugitive slaves were able to escape during the fray with the help of Carlisle's black residents, while one of theslave catchers later died of his wounds. ADickinson College professor, John McClintock, was tried and acquitted for his role in the riot.[18]
A general borough law of 1851 (amended in 1852) authorized a burgess and a borough council to administer the government of the borough of Carlisle.
| External videos | |
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 Cumberland County Courthouse Tour, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 29:27 |
Leading up to theAmerican Civil War, Carlisle served as a stop on theUnderground Railroad. During the war, an army of theConfederate States of America, under GeneralFitzhugh Lee, attacked and shelled the borough during theBattle of Carlisle on July 1, 1863, as part of theGettysburg campaign.[19] A cannonball dent can still be seen on one of the columns of the historic county courthouse.
United States Army LieutenantRichard Henry Pratt foundedCarlisle Indian Industrial School in 1879 as the first federally supported school forAmerican Indians off a reservation. The United States government maintained the school, housed at Carlisle Barracks as an experiment in educating Native Americans and teaching them to reject tribal culture and to adapt to white society. Pratt retired from the Army in 1903 and from supervising the school as its superintendent in 1904. Athletic heroJim Thorpe entered the school in 1907 and joined its football team under coachGlenn "Pop" Warner in 1908. Playing halfback, Jim Thorpe led the team to startling upset victories over powerhousesHarvard,Army, and theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1911–12, bringing nationwide attention to the school. Marianne Moore taught there from 1911 to 1914. Carlisle Indian School closed in 1918.[20]
Dickinson School of Law was chartered as an independent institution in 1890. Dickinson School of Law merged into thePennsylvania State University in 1997 asPenn State Dickinson School of Law.
Carlisle was the original eastern terminus of thePennsylvania Turnpike when it opened in October 1940.[21]
TheCarlisle Historic District,Carlisle Indian Industrial School,Hessian Powder Magazine,Carlisle Armory, andOld West, Dickinson College are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[22]
Carlisle is located slightly northeast of the center of Cumberland County at40°12′9″N77°11′42″W / 40.20250°N 77.19500°W /40.20250; -77.19500 (40.202553, −77.195016) at an elevation of 479 feet (146 m).[23][24] The borough lies in theCumberland Valley, a section of theGreat Appalachian Valley, to the south ofConodoguinet Creek, a tributary of theSusquehanna River. Letort Spring Run, a tributary of Conodoguinet Creek, runs north through the eastern part of the borough.
Carlisle lies in south-central Pennsylvania, southwest of the intersection ofInterstate 76 (thePennsylvania Turnpike) andInterstate 81, roughly 20 miles (32 km) west-southwest ofHarrisburg, the state capital. By road, it is approximately 80 mi (130 km) northwest ofBaltimore and 124 mi (200 km) west-northwest ofPhiladelphia.[25] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Carlisle has a total area of 5.54 square miles (14.35 km2), of which 5.53 square miles (14.33 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.14%, is water.[4]
Carlisle has ahumid continental climate (KöppenDfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The average temperature in Carlisle is 51.3 °F (10.7 °C) with temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 16 days a year and dropping below 32 °F (0 °C) an average of 119 days a year. On average, the borough receives 38.8 inches (986 mm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall averages 29.8 inches (757 mm) per year.[26] On average, January is the coolest month, July is the warmest month, and September is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Carlisle was 102 °F (39 °C) in 1966; the coldest temperature recorded was −19 °F (−28 °C) in 1994.[27]
| Climate data for Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1873–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) | 82 (28) | 83 (28) | 93 (34) | 94 (34) | 100 (38) | 103 (39) | 100 (38) | 96 (36) | 92 (33) | 78 (26) | 68 (20) | 103 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.1 (3.4) | 41.0 (5.0) | 50.0 (10.0) | 62.6 (17.0) | 72.5 (22.5) | 81.1 (27.3) | 85.5 (29.7) | 83.8 (28.8) | 77.4 (25.2) | 65.9 (18.8) | 53.5 (11.9) | 42.2 (5.7) | 62.8 (17.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 31.3 (−0.4) | 39.5 (4.2) | 50.5 (10.3) | 60.7 (15.9) | 69.8 (21.0) | 74.0 (23.3) | 72.3 (22.4) | 65.3 (18.5) | 53.7 (12.1) | 42.9 (6.1) | 33.7 (0.9) | 51.9 (11.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.5 (−6.4) | 21.6 (−5.8) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 38.5 (3.6) | 48.9 (9.4) | 58.5 (14.7) | 62.5 (16.9) | 60.8 (16.0) | 53.2 (11.8) | 41.5 (5.3) | 32.3 (0.2) | 25.3 (−3.7) | 41.0 (5.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) | −12 (−24) | 2 (−17) | 22 (−6) | 29 (−2) | 42 (6) | 45 (7) | 45 (7) | 32 (0) | 17 (−8) | 8 (−13) | 2 (−17) | −12 (−24) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.06 (78) | 2.58 (66) | 4.05 (103) | 3.79 (96) | 4.73 (120) | 4.42 (112) | 5.45 (138) | 4.03 (102) | 4.96 (126) | 4.26 (108) | 3.13 (80) | 3.57 (91) | 48.03 (1,220) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.7 (20) | 9.6 (24) | 4.8 (12) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.9 (2.3) | 4.0 (10) | 27.7 (70) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.8 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 11.4 | 14.5 | 11.8 | 11.2 | 11.1 | 9.0 | 10.6 | 7.8 | 10.3 | 125.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 3.2 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 10.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA[28] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[29] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,052 | — | |
| 1810 | 2,491 | 21.4% | |
| 1820 | 2,908 | 16.7% | |
| 1830 | 3,708 | 27.5% | |
| 1840 | 4,351 | 17.3% | |
| 1850 | 4,581 | 5.3% | |
| 1860 | 5,664 | 23.6% | |
| 1870 | 6,650 | 17.4% | |
| 1880 | 6,209 | −6.6% | |
| 1890 | 7,620 | 22.7% | |
| 1900 | 9,626 | 26.3% | |
| 1910 | 10,303 | 7.0% | |
| 1920 | 10,916 | 5.9% | |
| 1930 | 12,596 | 15.4% | |
| 1940 | 13,984 | 11.0% | |
| 1950 | 16,812 | 20.2% | |
| 1960 | 16,623 | −1.1% | |
| 1970 | 18,079 | 8.8% | |
| 1980 | 18,314 | 1.3% | |
| 1990 | 18,419 | 0.6% | |
| 2000 | 17,970 | −2.4% | |
| 2010 | 18,682 | 4.0% | |
| 2020 | 20,118 | 7.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 22,517 | 11.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[30][2] | |||
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,970 people, 7,426 households, and 4,010 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,308.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,277.6/km2). There were 8,032 housing units at an average density of 1,479.0 per square mile (571.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 88.93%White, 6.92%African American, 0.14%Native American, 1.60%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.71% fromother races, and 1.69% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.96% of the population.
There were 7,426 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 17.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $33,969, and the median income for a family was $46,588. Males had a median income of $34,519 versus $25,646 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $21,394. About 8.6% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
The Giant Company, a regional supermarket chain operating stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia under theGiant andMartin's brands is headquartered in Carlisle.
Leading industries in Carlisle's past have included Carlisle Tire and Rubber Company (founded 1917), Masland Carpets (founded 1866), and The Frog, Switch and Manufacturing.[31] Carlisle Tire and Rubber and Masland Carpets have since gone out of business, and both plants were demolished in 2013.
Amazon.com is one of several warehouse facilities in the city. In 2013,Apple opened anAppleCare device repair facility southeast of the Interstate 81 overpass over the Pennsylvania Turnpike to cover American customers east of theMississippi River.[32]
Carlisle is famous to many people for its car shows, put on regularly by Carlisle Events throughout the spring, summer, and fall at theCarlisle Fairgrounds. In addition to the regularly scheduled shows there are specialty shows, including the GM Nationals, the Ford Nationals, the Chrysler Nationals, the Truck Nationals, Corvettes at Carlisle, and the Import/Kit Car Nationals.
Partly because of its location at the intersection of two major trucking routes (I-81 andI-76), air pollution within the borough often falls within the range considered by theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency as "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" [i.e., children, the elderly, and people with respiratory or heart disease]. The pollutant typically involved is PM2.5,particulate matter composed of particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.[33]
The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB), a ballet school and performing company known internationally for their alumni, is based in Carlisle. Students from across the country, and even across the world, come to live with host families to participate in CPYB's rigorous training.
Carlisle'sDickinson College was the site ofWashington Redskins preseason training camp from 1963 to 1994 and 2001 to 2002.[34] In 1986, cornerbackDarrell Green ran the40-yard dash in 4.09 seconds. Although the result was unofficial, it is the fastest "legitimate" time ever recorded in the 40-yard dash.
Two privately funded historical markers are located in Carlisle: one for the Hamilton Restaurant's Hot-Chee Dog and another for the Old Town Pump, which provided fresh spring water to Carlisle and "eventually became the source of a legend that claimed anyone who drank from the pump would return to Carlisle no matter how far they roamed".[35][36]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2024) |
A portion of the Carlisle Barracks property is within Carlisle Borough.[37]
As reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics[38]
Carlisle has one daily newspaper,The Sentinel.[39]
AM
| Frequency | Callsign[40] | Format[41] | City of License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 960 | WHYL | Adult Standards | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | - |
| 1000 | WIOO | Country | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | - |
FM
| Frequency | Callsign[42] | Format[41] | City of License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88.3 | WDCV-FM | Variety | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | Dickinson Collegeradio |
| 93.1 | W226AS | Contemporary Christian | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | Translator ofWBYO,Sellersville, Pennsylvania |
| 97.9 | W250AP | Country | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | Translator ofWIOO |
| 101.7 | W269AS | Christian | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | Family Radio translator |
| 102.3 | WCAT-FM | Country | Carlisle, Pennsylvania | Broadcasts fromCamp Hill, Pennsylvania |
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Municipalities and communities ofCumberland County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
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