Harrisburg

Sister cities

• Montreal
• Ma'alot-Tarshiha

History

Harrisburg's site along the Susquehanna River is thought to have been inhabited by Native Americans as early as 3000 BC. Known to the Native Americans as "Peixtin", or "Paxtang", the area was an important resting place and crossroads for Native American traders with trails leading from the Delaware to the Ohio rivers and from the Potomac to the Upper Susquehanna intersecting there. The first European contact with Native Americans in Pennsylvania was made by Englishman Captain John Smith, who journeyed from Virginia up the Susquehanna River in 1608 and visited with the Susquehanna tribe. In 1719, John Harris, Sr., an English trader, settled here and 14 years later secured grants of in this vicinity. In 1785, John Harris, Jr. made plans to lay out a town on his father's land, which he named Harrisburg. In the spring of 1785, the town was formally surveyed by William Maclay, who was a son-in-law of John Harris, Sr. In 1791, Harrisburg became incorporated. In October 1812 Harrisburg was named the Pennsylvania state capital, which it has remained ever since. The assembling here of the highly sectional Harrisburg Convention in 1827 (signaling what may have been the birth of lobbying on a national scale) led to the passage of the high protective-tariff bill of 1828. In 1839, William Henry Harrison and John Tyler were nominated for president and Vice President of the United States at the first national convention of the Whig Party of the United States, which was held in Harrisburg. Before Harrisburg gained its first industries, it was a scenic, pastoral town: compact and surrounded by farmland. In 1822, the impressive brick capitol was completed for $200,000 (~$ in ). Harrisburg's strategic location gave it an advantage over many other towns; it was settled as a trading…

Geography

Harrisburg is located at (40.269789, −76.875613) in South Central Pennsylvania, within a two-hour drive of the metro areas of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and three-hour drive of New York City and Pittsburgh. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (29.11%) is water. Bodies of water include Paxton Creek, which empties into the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, as well as Wildwood Lake and Italian Lake parks. In land area Harrisburg (proper) is also the third smallest of the United States capital cities. Directly to the north of Harrisburg is the Blue Mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. The Cumberland Valley lies directly to the west of Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River, stretching into northern Maryland. The fertile Lebanon Valley lies to the east. Harrisburg is the northern fringe of the historic Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The city is the county seat of Dauphin County. The adjacent counties are Northumberland County to the north; Schuylkill County to the northeast; Lebanon County to the east; Lancaster County to the south; and York County to the southwest; Cumberland County to the west; and Perry County to the northwest. Harrisburg's western boundary is formed by the west shore of the Susquehanna River, which runs within the city boundaries and serves as the boundary between Dauphin and Cumberland counties. Harrisburg is divided into numerous neighborhoods and districts. Like many of Pennsylvania's cities and boroughs that are at build-out stage, there are several townships outside of Harrisburg city limits that, although autonomous, use the name Harrisburg for postal and name-place designation. They include the townships of: Lower Paxton, Middle Paxton, Susquehanna, Swatara and…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,192
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  19,156
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,286
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  16,790
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  16,748
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  16,341
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,659
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  14,624

Largest nearby schools

• Commonwealth Charter Academy CS
  Other · Harrisburg · 20,355 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Reach Cyber CS
  Other · Harrisburg · 6,918 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Central Dauphin SHS
  High · Harrisburg · 1,975 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Central Dauphin East SHS
  High · Harrisburg · 1,590 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Harrisburg HS
  High · Harrisburg · 1,230 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Dauphin County Technical School
  High · Harrisburg · 1,125 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Lower Dauphin HS
  High · Hummelstown · 1,085 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Lower Dauphin MS
  Middle · Hummelstown · 883 students · 13:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.81 — 2019-09-15
  5 km ESE of East Berlin, Pennsylvania
• M 3.44 — 2019-06-13
  9 km N of Blain, Pennsylvania
• M 3.05 — 2010-06-03
  4 km ENE of Franklintown, Pennsylvania
• M 2.76 — 2009-10-25
  4 km ENE of Franklintown, Pennsylvania
• M 2.93 — 2009-04-24
  1 km S of Franklintown, Pennsylvania
• M 3.37 — 2008-12-27
  2 km NNE of Landisville, Pennsylvania