South Central Pennsylvania

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South Central Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Capital Building.jpg
Lancaster Pennsylvania downtown.jpg
Hershey, Pennsylvania.JPG
Wm Goodridge House.JPG
Clockwise from top left: Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, and Hershey
CountryUnited States
Commonwealth Pennsylvania
Largest city Lancaster
Other cities
Population
 (2013 Estimate)
  Total2,072,336
Time zone UTC-5 (ET)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)

South Central Pennsylvania is an ambiguous region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that usually includes Dauphin County and the surrounding area, amounting to upwards of a fifth of the state's area.

Contents

Despite the designation South Central Pennsylvania, many of the associated counties are geographically located in the southeastern portion of the state. Lancaster, with a population of 59,322, is the largest city in the region, and the second largest metropolitan area. Harrisburg, with a population of 49,528, is the second largest city in the region, and has the largest metropolitan area with a population of 643,820 people, and is the capital of Pennsylvania. York is the other significant city in the region.

Description

South Central Pennsylvania is notable for its large Amish and Mennonite populations in its rural areas, but the area also has significant African American and Puerto Rican populations in many of its urban cities, particularly York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Lebanon.[ citation needed ]

Beginning in the late 1600s and the 1700s, the area was initially settled by mostly Protestant ethnic groups, particularly ethnic German, Dutch, English, Scottish, and Ulster Scots populations. The late 19th and 20th century saw an increase in immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and parts of Southern Europe and Eastern Europe, with many of these more recent immigrants and their descendants concentrated in the region's urban and industrial centers. Many residents of the southern portion of this area commute to Baltimore especially from York County.

The area is home of the Pennsylvania state capital; being the site of the bloodiest battlefield of the Civil War, and being the home of Hershey's chocolate and the York Peppermint Pattie. South Central Pennsylvania has also hosted two former capitals of the United States during the American Revolution: Lancaster and York. The region is drained primarily by the Susquehanna River, flowing southwards to Chesapeake Bay and further to the Atlantic Ocean.

Distinctiveness

Dialect

Certain inhabitants of South Central Pennsylvania speak with the Susquehanna dialect. [2] The Susquehanna dialect incorporates influences from the Philadelphia accent and that of Pennsylvania Dutch English, and is found throughout the region, especially among older generations of citizens.

The Central Pennsylvania accent is commonly spoken in the western and northern counties of the South Central Pennsylvania region.

Film

The most significant film set in the region is the 1985 film Witness starring Harrison Ford, Danny Glover, Alexander Godunov, Kelly McGillis, and Viggo Mortensen. It was set in and filmed in the borough of Strasburg and the village of Intercourse, both in Lancaster County.

The film Lucky Numbers starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow was filmed throughout Harrisburg and Palmyra, and was based on the 1980 Pennsylvania Lottery scandal. Its screenplay was written by Harrisburg native Adam Resnick.

The movie Girl, Interrupted , starring Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder, was filmed in Mechanicsburg, as well as at the Harrisburg State Hospital in Harrisburg. Mechanicsburg was chosen for its old fashioned appearance and its old-fashioned drug store simply titled "Drugs," all of which gave the film its time-dated appearance. [3]

The Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County simulated scenes of Springfield, Illinois for The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln , by the Public Broadcasting Service, and for Stealing Lincoln's Body by The History Channel. [4] The Woodward Hill Cemetery and the Landis Valley Museum were also used to simulate the Oak Ridge Cemetery and other scenes of 1870s Springfield.

Scotland, PA , a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth , is set in Scotland, a small town in Franklin County (though it was not filmed there). Historically, Scotland, Pennsylvania was originally settled by Scots-Irish Americans, and there are still people named McBeth living in the area.

The Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie Hollywood or Bust shows an establishing shot (likely taken by a 2nd unit film crew) of the Laughlin Mill in Newville, Cumberland county.

Music

Music in the South Central Pennsylvania region varies from the popular genres such as Rock and roll, Hip hop, Jazz, Rhythm and blues, Country, etc. to the softer melodies of the Amish and Mennonites. A few mainstream acts got their start in South Central Pennsylvania, such as the alternative rock quartet Live from York. Another rock band called Fuel started off playing in local venues in Harrisburg. The most famous bands from the region are the 1980s glam metal band Poison from Mechanicsburg and rock band Halestorm from Red Lion.

The region's Amish population inspired "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1996 parody of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise called "Amish Paradise." The accompanying music video featured Weird Al in typical Amish clothing, with traffic signs reading "Welcome to Lancaster."

Sports

South Central Pennsylvania possesses a strong sporting tradition beginning at the youth level to the minor leagues. The Hershey Bears, a regional team, are the oldest team of the American Hockey League and have won many of its championships. Professional baseball has a strong presence in the South Central Pennsylvania region with three teams: the Harrisburg Senators, the AA affiliate of the Washington Nationals; and the Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

The Barnstormers and the Revolution are geographical rivals, contending for the Community Cup, the trophy for the War of the Roses series. As the Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster and York are named for the English cities of the same name, their former baseball teams possessed the names of the Lancaster Red Roses and the York White Roses, after the rival sides of the Wars of the Roses.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania</span> U.S. state

Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Pennsylvania borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio to its west, Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest, New York state to its north, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrisburg, Pennsylvania</span> Capital city of Pennsylvania, United States

Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of 2021, Harrisburg is the ninth-largest city and 15th-largest municipality in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg is situated on the east bank of the Susquehanna River. It is the larger principal city of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area, also known as the Susquehanna Valley, which had a population of 591,712 as of 2020, making it the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Pennsylvania after the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster County, Pennsylvania</span> County in Pennsylvania, United States

Lancaster County, sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 552,984. Its county seat is Lancaster. Lancaster County comprises the Lancaster, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancaster, Pennsylvania</span> City in Pennsylvania, United States

Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population among Pennsylvania's municipalities. The Lancaster metropolitan area population is 552,984, making it the 104th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and second-largest in the South Central Pennsylvania area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dauphin County, Pennsylvania</span> County in Pennsylvania, United States

Dauphin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth largest city. The county was created on March 4, 1785, from part of Lancaster County and was named after Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, the first son of King Louis XVI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York, Pennsylvania</span> City in Pennsylvania, United States

York is a city in, and the county seat of, York County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania. The city has an urban area population of 238,549 people and a metropolitan population of 456,438 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Peppermint Pattie</span>

York Peppermint Pattie is an American dark chocolate enrobed peppermint confection introduced in 1940 and currently produced by the Hershey Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Dutch Country</span> Region of Pennsylvania in the United States

The Pennsylvania Dutch Country, also called Pennsylvania Dutchland, simply the Dutch Country or Dutchland, and sometimes referred to as the Distelfink Country, is an area spanning the Delaware Valley and South Central and Northeastern regions of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Area Transit (Harrisburg)</span> Public transportation agency in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Capital Area Transit (CAT), also known as the Cumberland-Dauphin-Harrisburg Transit Authority, is a regional public transportation agency that operates bus and paratransit service in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. Its scheduled route bus service covers much of the southern half of Dauphin County and the eastern half of Cumberland County. It also operates two bus routes into northern York County. CAT's shared ride/paratransit operations serve residents throughout Dauphin County. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,200,800.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 39</span> State highway in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States

Pennsylvania Route 39 (PA 39) is a 17.83-mile-long (28.69 km) state highway located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. PA 39 runs from North Front Street near Harrisburg east to U.S. Route 322 (US 322) and US 422 near Hummelstown and Hershey. The route passes through the northern and eastern suburbs of Harrisburg and passes by Hersheypark, Giant Center, as well as the primary production factory for The Hershey Company. Between Harrisburg and Manada Hill, it is known as Linglestown Road, from Manada Hill to Hershey as Hershey Road and from Hershey to near Hummelstown and Hershey as Hersheypark Drive. Prior to the establishment of PA 39 in 1937, PA 39, had previously been designated as a route in northeastern Pennsylvania during the 1920s. That designation was deleted when it was renumbered US 11. As a result, PA 39 is one of a few routes which has a set of child routes which are no where near the primary route.

Gordonville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 508 as of the 2010 census. Though the village is little known outside its immediate area, the surrounding countryside has been portrayed in many books and magazine articles. The Old Order Amish constitute a significant cultural presence in the area of the village. Wendell Berry mentioned the town in one of his collections of essays.

Geographic regions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Pennsylvania</span> Geographical features of Pennsylvania

The geography of Pennsylvania varies from sea level marine estuary to mountainous plateau. The state is known for its natural resources, ports, and the leading role it played in the nation's founding and history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania</span>

Transportation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has a long and variegated history. An early-settled part of the United States, and lying on the route between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, it has been the site of early experiments in canals, railroads, and highways. Before all these, at least ten Native American paths crossed parts of the county, many connecting with the Susquehannock village of Conestoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in South Central Pennsylvania</span>

Sports in South Central Pennsylvania are a long-held tradition and culture, such as the professional baseball teams who "barnstormed" their way through Lancaster County's farmland in the early 1900s, to Milton S. Hershey's creation of the Hershey B'ars hockey club in 1932, to canoe races held on the Susquehanna River each summer during Kipona in Harrisburg. Listed below are some sports teams that are currently based in the region:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conestoga Traction Company</span>

Conestoga Traction, later Conestoga Transportation Company, was a classic American regional interurban trolley that operated seven routes 1899 to 1946 radiating spoke-like from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to numerous neighboring farm villages and towns. It ran side-of-road trolleys through Amish farm country to Coatesville, Strasburg/Quarryville, Pequea, Columbia/Marietta, Elizabethtown, Manheim/Lititz, and Ephrata/Adamstown/Terre Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanover Junction, Pennsylvania</span> Unincorporated in Pennsylvania, United States

Hanover Junction is a small unincorporated community, which is located in south-central York County, Pennsylvania, United States, near the borough of Seven Valleys. The junction serves as a rest stop on the York County Heritage Rail Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania history</span>

This is a timeline of the major events in the history of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and vicinity.

References

  1. "The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road". Federal Highway Administration . Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  2. Susquehanna dialect
  3. Information on the filming of Girl, Interrupted at Harrisburg State Hospital, including a studio press release on the building and Dorothea Dix.
  4. For TV needs, county becomes Land of Lincoln - News - LancasterOnline.com Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine . Articles.lancasteronline.com (2009-02-08). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.