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The West Shore of the Harrisburg area is a group of suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which are located to the west of the Susquehanna River. The Susquehanna River is very wide near Harrisburg, and that contributes to the perception, at least among the local inhabitants, that the East Shore and West Shore have distinct identities. The West Shore area includes parts of eastern Cumberland County, southeastern Perry County and northern York County.
The Patriot-News has a West Shore edition for local news and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) junction with Interstate 83 located just south of New Cumberland in Fairview Township, York County is named the Harrisburg West Shore Interchange. The West Shore Farmers Market is located in Lemoyne. The West Shore School District includes municipalities in Cumberland and York Counties.
The communities commonly considered on the West Shore include the following:
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Townships:
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The West Shore's defining eastern boundary is the Susquehanna River, which separates it from Dauphin County. The three most prominent creeks from north to south are the Sherman Creek, Conodoguinet Creek, and the Yellow Breeches Creek. Each of these drains eastward into the Susquehanna. The county boundaries are natural in the region with Blue Mountain separating Cumberland and Perry Counties and the Yellow Breeches Creek separating Cumberland and York Counties. The climate borders between hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) and humid subtropical (Cfa,) with Cfa found in some lowlands of the Cumberland and York portions. The hardiness zones are 7a and 6b.
Climate data for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Harrisburg Capital City Airport) 1991-2020 normals (Records 1939-2021) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) | 83 (28) | 86 (30) | 93 (34) | 97 (36) | 100 (38) | 107 (42) | 101 (38) | 102 (39) | 97 (36) | 84 (29) | 75 (24) | 107 (42) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.3 (4.6) | 43.2 (6.2) | 52.6 (11.4) | 64.9 (18.3) | 74.7 (23.7) | 83.2 (28.4) | 87.6 (30.9) | 85.4 (29.7) | 78.6 (25.9) | 66.7 (19.3) | 55.1 (12.8) | 44.4 (6.9) | 64.7 (18.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.6 (0.3) | 34.7 (1.5) | 43.2 (6.2) | 54.1 (12.3) | 64.0 (17.8) | 73.0 (22.8) | 77.5 (25.3) | 75.4 (24.1) | 68.5 (20.3) | 56.7 (13.7) | 46.0 (7.8) | 37.0 (2.8) | 55.2 (12.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.9 (−3.9) | 26.2 (−3.2) | 33.9 (1.1) | 43.3 (6.3) | 53.2 (11.8) | 62.8 (17.1) | 67.4 (19.7) | 65.5 (18.6) | 58.4 (14.7) | 46.7 (8.2) | 37.0 (2.8) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 45.7 (7.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) | −5 (−21) | 2 (−17) | 19 (−7) | 31 (−1) | 40 (4) | 49 (9) | 45 (7) | 30 (−1) | 23 (−5) | 13 (−11) | −8 (−22) | −9 (−23) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.64 (67) | 2.36 (60) | 3.35 (85) | 3.70 (94) | 3.48 (88) | 3.72 (94) | 4.30 (109) | 3.68 (93) | 4.12 (105) | 3.68 (93) | 2.80 (71) | 3.15 (80) | 40.98 (1,041) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 127 |
Source: NOAA [1] |
A significant portion of the recreation opportunities of the Capital Region are located on the West Shore. The Appalachian Trail passes through the Perry County portion. The area also hosts the Capital City Mall and the Williams Grove Speedway in the Cumberland portion.
Being served by Interstates 76, 81, and 83 and the 581 expressway, the West Shore hosts a number of large employers and a significant amount of Class A office space. Rite Aid Corporation is a major drugstore chain with a major office (formerly the longtime headquarters) in East Pennsboro Township. The US military maintains a strong presence in the Capital Region as an employer, and this includes two facilities on the West Shore: New Cumberland Defense Depot in Fairview Township and Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg in Hampden Township. Such an ample presence of employers in the area helps keep unemployment consistently lower than the state average and helped make Cumberland County the fastest-growing Pennsylvania county in the past decade according to the 2020 census.
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 8,130 at the 2020 census. There are many large corporations based in nearby East Pennsboro Township and Wormleysburg that use the Camp Hill postal address, including the Harsco Corporation and until 2022 the Rite Aid Corporation.
East Pennsboro Township is a township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 20,228 at the 2010 census, up from 18,254 at the 2000 census. East Pennsboro is the second most populous municipality in Cumberland County. The township is located along the western banks of the Susquehanna River, across from Harrisburg. There are many large corporations based in East Pennsboro Township that use the Camp Hill postal address, including the Rite Aid Corporation and Gannett Fleming.
Enola is a census-designated place (CDP) located along the Susquehanna River in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,111 at the 2010 census. Norfolk Southern operates Enola Yard, a large rail yard and locomotive shop in Enola. It is situated in Cumberland County, directly across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area.
Hampden Township is the largest municipality by population in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 28,044 at the 2010 census, up from 24,135 at the 2000 census.
Lower Allen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lower Allen Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,694 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area.
Lower Allen Township is a township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,980 at the 2010 census.
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is eight miles (13 km) west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 8,981. The 2020 census reported the population at 9,311.
New Cumberland is a borough in easternmost Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. New Cumberland was incorporated on March 21, 1831. The population was 7,507 at the 2020 census. The borough is noted for its historic downtown which includes landmarks like the historic West Shore Theater, Borough Park and the yearly Apple Festival, which gathers hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors.
Wormleysburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,070 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Fairview Township is a township in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,436 at the 2020 census.
U.S. Route 111 (US 111) was a U.S. Highway that extended from Baltimore, Maryland north to the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area. It replaced part of the Susquehanna Trail, partially signed as Pennsylvania Route 4, and was in turn replaced by Interstate 83 (I-83). Portions of its pre-freeway alignment are now Maryland Route 45 and I-83 Business. Other old sections in Pennsylvania are now unsigned Quadrant Routes or township-maintained roads. US 111 extended north to the Pennsylvania–New York state line where U.S. Route 15 now crosses it between 1928 and 1937.
Cumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle.
West Fairview, formerly a borough, is now a census-designated place (CDP) located at the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the Conodoguinet Creek in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 1,138.
The Capital Area Intermediate Unit (CAIU) is an Intermediate Unit based in Summerdale, a suburb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The administrative office is located at 55 Miller Street, Enola, East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It serves a portion of central Pennsylvania counties, including: Cumberland County, Dauphin County, the northern portion of York County, and Perry County. CAIU15 offers services to: 24 school districts and 2 area vocational technical schools by providing programs and initiatives. It is also known by its IU number, IU No. 15. In addition to funding from local districts, CAIU applies for: private, state and federal grants. The CAIU 15 received more than $17.1 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in general operating funds in school year 2009–2010. From 2007 through 2011, Amy Morton was the executive director.
The Capital Beltway is a beltway surrounding Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is co-designated as Interstate 81 (I-81), I-83, U.S. Route 11 (US 11), US 322, and Pennsylvania Route 581 (PA 581) at various locations along the route. The beltway is primarily located in the suburbs of Harrisburg on both sides of the Susquehanna River; however, part of its southern leg passes along the southern edge of downtown. The southern section of the highway is named the Harrisburg Expressway. Officially designated in 1997, the Beltway is an assemblage of several freeways built over the preceding 45 years.
The Skirmish of Sporting Hill was a relatively small skirmish during the Gettysburg campaign of the American Civil War, taking place on June 30, 1863, at various locations in present-day Camp Hill, East Pennsboro Township and Hampden Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is known as the northernmost engagement of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War.
West Shore School District, is a large, suburban, public school district with its main office located in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. This district serves students in eastern Cumberland County and northern York County. It serves the municipalities of Lemoyne, New Cumberland and Wormleysburg boroughs and Lower Allen Township in Cumberland County; Goldsboro and Lewisberry boroughs, Fairview Township and Newberry Township in York County. West Shore School District encompasses approximately 78 square miles (200 km2). According to 2000 federal census data, the district served a resident population of 57,960 people. By 2010, the district's population increased to 62,514 people.
Pennsylvania Route 114 is a 19-mile-long (31 km) state highway located in Cumberland and York counties in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at PA 944 in Wertzville. The eastern terminus is at State Route 1003 adjacent to the Capital City Airport near New Market. PA 114 heads south from PA 944 through the western suburbs of Harrisburg and has an interchange with Interstate 81 (I-81) before it comes to an intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Hogestown. The route continues south to Mechanicsburg, where it forms a concurrency with PA 641. From here, PA 114 heads south to an interchange with US 15 and turns east in Bowmansdale, continuing to Lisburn. The route leaves Cumberland County for York County and reaches a junction with PA 382, where it turns north through rural areas and intersects PA 262. PA 114 curves northeast and comes to an interchange with I-83 before it continues to its terminus.
U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is United States Numbered Highway that runs from Walterboro, South Carolina, north to Painted Post, New York. In Pennsylvania, the highway runs for 194.89 miles (313.65 km), from the Maryland state line just south of Gettysburg, north to the New York state line near Lawrenceville.