 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Center Square at High and Market streets in 2013 | |
| Nickname: "E-Town"[1] | |
 Location of Elizabethtown inLancaster County, Pennsylvania (left) and of Lancaster County inPennsylvania (right) | |
  Elizabethtown Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°9′12″N76°36′2″W / 40.15333°N 76.60056°W /40.15333; -76.60056 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Lancaster |
| Settled | 1753 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Chuck Mummert (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.66 sq mi (6.90 km2) |
| • Land | 2.65 sq mi (6.87 km2) |
| • Water | 0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 463 ft (141 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 11,639 |
| • Density | 4,388.2/sq mi (1,694.29/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 17022 |
| Area codes | 717 and 223 |
| FIPS code | 42-23016 |
| Website | www |
Elizabethtown (Pennsylvania Dutch:Betzischteddel) is aborough inLancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) southeast ofHarrisburg, the state capital. Small factories existed at the turn of the 20th century when the population in 1900 was 1,861. As of the 2020 census, the population of the borough was 11,639. Elizabethtown is commonly referred to in south-central Pennsylvania asE-Town.[1] This nickname is also used for the local college and high school.
There are two stories about the origin of the town's name. In one version it is named after Elizabeth Reeby, wife of Michael Reeby who sold the first building lots here in about 1795. The officially accepted history[citation needed] is that, in 1753, Captain Barnabas Hughes acquired land and laid out a town, naming it for his wife, Elizabeth. The early settlers were primarilyScots-Irish andPennsylvania Dutch. In 1758General John Forbes supplied the expedition toFort Duquesne with flour and oats and stationed a regiment here to protect his supplies.[4]
Elizabethtown became a borough in 1827, and a railroad was built through the area in the 1830s. The town was primarily agricultural until the early 1900s, when the Klein Chocolate Company (now part ofMars, Inc.) and several shoe factories, the last of which closed in 1979, opened.Elizabethtown College was established in 1899, and theMasonic Homes, now the Masonic Village,) followed in 1910.
Following the end ofWorld War II, Elizabethtown grew rapidly, more than doubling its population between 1950 and 2000. Homes and businesses expanded into nearby farmland, makingsprawl, farmland preservation, and revitalizing the downtown area important issues.[5]
Kreider Shoe Manufacturing Company in Elizabethtown was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1980.[6]
The Elizabethtown Borough Council has six members representing three voting wards. Each council member is elected to a four-year term. They are responsible for setting policy in every aspect of the borough, including budgeting, public works, zoning, and ordinances.
The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the police department and performing ceremonial duties. The mayor casts votes at borough council meetings only in the event of a tie. The current mayor is Chuck Mummert (R).[7]
Elizabethtown is located in northwestern Lancaster County at40°9′12″N76°36′2″W / 40.15333°N 76.60056°W /40.15333; -76.60056 (40.153207, -76.600431).[9]Pennsylvania Route 230 passes through the center of town, leading northwest 18 miles (29 km) to Harrisburg and southeast 6 miles (10 km) toMount Joy.Pennsylvania Route 283, a four-lane freeway, touches the northeast boundary of the borough and provides access from an interchange withPA 743. PA 283 leads southeast 18 miles (29 km) toLancaster and northwest the same distance to Harrisburg. PA 743 leads north 10 miles (16 km) toHershey and south 8 miles (13 km) toMarietta.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the borough of Elizabethtown has a total area of 2.7 square miles (6.9 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.51%, are water.[10] The borough is drained primarily byConoy Creek, which flows southwest to theSusquehanna River atBainbridge.
The borough has a hot-summerhumid continental climate (Dfa), and average monthly temperatures range from 30.1 °F (−1.1 °C) in January to 74.9 °F (23.8 °C) in July.[11] Thehardiness zone is 6b.
ThePennsylvania Department of Corrections Training Academy is located inMount Joy Township, near Elizabethtown.[12][13]
In 2024, Municipal Emergency Services Authority ("MESA") of Lancaster County replaced Northwest EMS, the former ALS/BLS ambulance service for Elizabethtown Borough and surrounding municipalities:Marietta Borough,West Donegal Township,East Donegal Township,Conoy Township, andMount Joy Township. While Pennsylvania ambulance services rely on financially insolvent revenue streams, such as reimbursement, subscriptions, and donations, municipal leaders designed MESA to remain financially solvent through a mandatory annual fee from every household and business in the district.[14]
Prior to the transition from Northwest, MESA leaders invited regional municipalities to join the new authority. Five Lancaster County municipalities:Rapho Township,Manheim Borough,Penn Township,Elizabeth Township, andClay Township despite being member municipalities of Northwest EMS, declined to join MESA, with an intention to find new ambulance service providers.Conewago Township, also a former member of Northwest EMS, declined to join. No new municipalities joined the new Authority.
The loss of territory, but reliable source of revenue, as well as retained employees, meant excellent staffing for the new Authority. This initial situation led to a disproportionate level of "mutual aid" toward municipalities who declined to join MESA, specifically ones who contracted with Penn State Life Lion. On average, for every 911 call a neighboring agency covered in MESA's district, MESA covered 12 911 calls in another agency's district. Instead of billing outside residents directly, MESA billed their respective municipalities.Columbia Borough,Mount Joy Borough, Rapho Township, andWest Hempfield Township sued MESA in 2025, arguing that MESA has no legal ground to bill municipalities directly.[15]
Elizabethtown is home to Continental Press, White Oak Mills (an animal feed plant),Elizabethtown College, the Masonic Village, a large Mars Chocolate North America (a division ofMars, Incorporated) plant,Nordstrom’s east coast fulfillment center, and numerous smaller businesses.[16]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 700 | — | |
| 1870 | 858 | 22.6% | |
| 1880 | 980 | 14.2% | |
| 1890 | 1,218 | 24.3% | |
| 1900 | 1,473 | 20.9% | |
| 1910 | 2,587 | 75.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,319 | 28.3% | |
| 1930 | 3,940 | 18.7% | |
| 1940 | 4,315 | 9.5% | |
| 1950 | 5,083 | 17.8% | |
| 1960 | 6,780 | 33.4% | |
| 1970 | 8,072 | 19.1% | |
| 1980 | 8,233 | 2.0% | |
| 1990 | 9,952 | 20.9% | |
| 2000 | 11,887 | 19.4% | |
| 2010 | 11,545 | −2.9% | |
| 2020 | 11,639 | 0.8% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 11,533 | [17] | −0.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18][19][20][3] | |||
As of thecensus[19] of 2000, there were 11,887 people, 4,271 households, and 2,703 families residing in the borough. Thepopulation density was 4,567.4 people per square mile (1,763.5 people/km2). There were 4,483 housing units at an average density of 1,722.5 per square mile (665.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.32%White, 0.90%Black orAfrican American, 0.18%Native American, 1.23%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.45% fromother races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.45% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,271 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% weremarried couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 19.3% under the age of 18, 18.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $42,752, and the median income for a family was $52,214. Males had a median income of $35,764 versus $26,316 for females. Theper capita income for the borough was $18,384. About 3.3% of families and 5.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Public schools in the borough are part of theElizabethtown Area School District. Mount Calvary Christian School is just outside the northern borough limits.Elizabethtown College, a private liberal arts institution, provides higher education.
Town newspaper
Radio
Elizabethtown is served by anAmtrak station, where allKeystone Service andPennsylvanian trains stop. Bus service is provided by theRed Rose Transit Authority, which operates the Route 18 bus toLancaster.
State routesPA-230,PA-241, andPA-743 run through the borough. ThePA-283 freeway mostly bypasses the borough to the northeast, going through Mount Joy Township, but a small portion goes through the borough.[21][22]
Elizabethtown hosts an annual fair to show off the local agriculture that has impacted the town since its founding. It has given families, friends, and tourists a fun and lively environment for over 50 years. The fair provides fundraising and a promotional tool for local churches, committees, and businesses. It is held in late August beside East High Elementary andElizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church.[23]
Media related toElizabethtown, Pennsylvania at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
