Conestoga is an unincorporated community and

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, suc ...

(CDP) in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County,

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, ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. At the 2010 census the population was 1,258. The Conestoga post office serves ZIP code 17516.

History

Conestoga was first called "Conestoga Manor" by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

, founder of Pennsylvania.Conestoga, PA
The name was derived from the Conestoga (

Susquehannock The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by some English settlers or Andastes were Iroquoian Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, ranging from its upper reaches in the southern pa ...

) people, a peaceful tribe that adopted

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

. Their principal village in the area was located nearby. In 1763 some 20 Conestoga were massacred by the

Paxton Boys The Paxton Boys were Pennsylvania's most aggressive colonists according to historian Kevin Kenny. While not many specifics are known about the individuals in the group their overall profile is clear. Paxton Boys Lived in hill country northwest of ...

, who came across the Alleghenies to raid their settlement in a mistaken retaliation for other warfare. The few survivors fled the area. The town of Conestoga was laid out in 1797, after the American Revolutionary War, by John Kendig, Harry Breneman, Edward Charles, and John Folkman. The headquarters of Turkey Hill Dairy, a food company specializing in iced teas and dairy products, has a Conestoga mailing address. It is located west of Conestoga in Manor Township. The area was in the national news in 2001 when President George W. Bush held a photo opportunity at the

Safe Harbor A safe harbor or harbour is literally a "place of shelter and safety, esp. for ships". It is used in many contexts: Film and television * Safe harbor (broadcasting), established in 1978 in the US, the time period in a television schedule during wh ...

power stationRemarks at the Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation in Conestoga, Pennsylvania - Transcript
/ref> southwest of Conestoga.

Geography

Conestoga is in southwest Lancaster County, in the eastern part of Conestoga Township. It is situated between the

Conestoga River The Conestoga River, also referred to as Conestoga Creek, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River flowing through the cen ...

to the northwest and

Pequea Creek Pequea Creek (pronounced ''PECK-way'') is a tributary of the Susquehanna River that runs for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 from the eastern border of Lanc ...

to the southeast. It is south-southwest of Lancaster, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

, and northeast 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 ...

. According to the

U.S. 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 ...

, the Conestoga CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.22%, are water.

Demographics

Photo gallery

Conestoga PA next to Hess House.jpg Conestoga PA Main Street.jpg

References

Census-designated places in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Census-designated places in Pennsylvania {{LancasterCountyPA-geo-stub