Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg
Harrisbarrig (Pennsylvania German)
Official seal of Harrisburg
Official logo of Harrisburg
Map
Interactive map of Harrisburg
Harrisburg is located in Pennsylvania
Harrisburg
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is located in the United States
Harrisburg
Harrisburg
Coordinates: 40°16′11″N 76°52′32″W / 40.26972°N 76.87556°W / 40.26972; -76.87556
Country United States
StatePennsylvania
CountyDauphin
European settlementc. 1719 (1719)
Incorporated1791 (1791)
CharterMarch 19, 1860 (1860-03-19)
Founded byJohn Harris, Jr.[1]
Named forJohn Harris, Sr.
Government
 • TypeMayor-Council
 • MayorWanda Williams (D)
 • City ControllerCharlie DeBrunner (D)
 • City Council
 • State SenateJohn DiSanto (R)
 • State RepresentativePatty Kim (D)
Area
 • City11.86 sq mi (30.73 km2)
 • Land8.12 sq mi (21.03 km2)
 • Water3.75 sq mi (9.70 km2)
 • Urban
259.7 sq mi (672.6 km2)
Elevation335 ft (102 m)
Population
 • City50,099
 • Estimate 
(2022)
50,183
 • Density6,174.26/sq mi (2,383.98/km2)
 • Urban
490,859 (US: 86th)
 • Urban density1,961.5/sq mi (757.3/km2)
 • Metro
596,305 (US: 98th)
 • CSA
1,271,801(US: 46th)
 [5]
Demonym(s)Harrisburger, Harrisburgian
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
17101-17113, 17120-17130, 17140, 17177
Area code717 and 223
FIPS code42-32800[6]
GNIS feature ID1213649[4]
InterstatesI-76, I-81, I-83 and I-283
WaterwaysSusquehanna River
Primary AirportHarrisburg International Airport- MDT (Major/International)
Secondary AirportCapital City Airport- CXY (Minor)
Public transitCapital Area Transit
Websiteharrisburgpa.gov
DesignatedSeptember 23, 1946[7]

Harrisburg (/ˈhærɪsˌbɜːrɡ/, Pennsylvania German: Harrisbarrig) 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-most populous city 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,[8] making it the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Pennsylvania after the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas.

Harrisburg played a role in American history during the Westward Migration, the American Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution. During part of the 19th century, the building of the Pennsylvania Canal and later the Pennsylvania Railroad allowed Harrisburg to develop into one of the most industrialized cities in the Northeastern United States. In the mid- to late 20th century, the city's economic fortunes fluctuated with its major industries consisting of government, heavy manufacturing, agriculture, and food services. These economic fluctuations contributed to Harrisburg experiencing a decline of nearly half its population between 1950 and 2000.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the U.S., was first held in Harrisburg in 1917 and has been held there every early to mid-January since.[9] The city also hosts the annual Great American Outdoor Show, the largest of its kind in the world, among many other events. Harrisburg experienced the Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979, in nearby Middletown.

In 2010, Forbes rated Harrisburg as the second-best place in the U.S. to raise a family.[10] Despite the city's past financial troubles, in 2010 The Daily Beast website ranked 20 metropolitan areas across the country as being recession-proof, and the Harrisburg region was ranked seventh.[11] The financial stability of the region is in part due to the high concentration of state and federal government agencies.

Harrisburg is located 83 miles (134 km) miles southwest of Allentown, the state's third-largest city, and 107 miles (172 km) northwest of Philadelphia, its largest city.

  1. ^ "About the County - History". Dauphin County. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  2. ^ "Harrisburg City Council Homepage". City of Harrisburg. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  3. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference QF2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  8. ^ "2020 Census". census.gov. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  9. ^ 75th Farm Show: A History of Pennsylvania's Annual Agricultural Exposition Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine Dan Cupper, Accessed January 29, 2010.
  10. ^ Levy, Francesca (June 7, 2010). "America's Best Places to Raise a Family". Forbes.
  11. ^ "Harrisburg area ranked among Top 10 recession-proof cities". Harrisburg Patriot News. 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-15.

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