West Fairview, formerly a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

, is now a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) located at the confluence of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

and the

Conodoguinet Creek Conodoguinet Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in South central Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. The name is Native American, and means "A Long Way with Many Bends". Conodo ...

in East Pennsboro Township,

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 1,138.

Geography

West Fairview is located on the eastern edge of Cumberland County and East Pennsboro Township at 40.273538° North, 76.916346° West (40.273538, -76.916346). It is on the west shore of the

facing

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

, the state capital. It occupies a hilly peninsula of land between the Susquehanna to the east and Conodoguinet Creek to the south and west.

U.S. Route 11 {{Infobox road , country=USA , type=US , route=11 , map={{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, frame-height=330, type=line, from=U.S. Route 11.map , map_custom=yes , map_notes=US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, US 11W in ...

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Caro ...

runs north-to-south through West Fairview, and Route 944 has its eastern terminus there on US 11/US 15. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, West Fairview has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.76%, is water.

History

West Fairview is the oldest village of East Pennsboro Township. First acquired as a farm by Abraham Neidigh in 1802, by 1815 he subdivided lots into the town called Fairview to sell to builders. Harrisburg businessmen Norman Callendar, J.S. and B.J. Weistling purchased a 25-acre lot in 1830 to construct a mill on the Conodoguinet Creek. Deed records suggest that by around 1842 the town was renamed West Fairview. The merger of the former borough with East Pennsboro Township in 1998 was spearheaded by Mr. & Mrs. Leonard A. Portzline of West Fairview. The couple and other citizens were interested in the pursuit of greater cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement in the delivery of local governmental services. The merger has become a model used by other communities across the state.

References

{{authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Susquehanna River Former municipalities in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1815 Census-designated places in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Census-designated places in Pennsylvania 1815 establishments in Pennsylvania