Ephrata, Pennsylvania
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Ephrata ( ; ) is a
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located east of
Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
and about west-northwest of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and is named after Ephrath, the former name for current-day Bethlehem. In its early history, Ephrata was a pleasure resort and an agricultural community. Ephrata's population has steadily grown over the last century. In 1900, 2,452 people lived there, and by 1940, the population had increased to 6,199. The population was 13,818 at the 2020 census. Ephrata is the most populous borough in Lancaster County. Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated.


History

Ephrata is noteworthy for having been the former seat of the Mystic Order of the Solitary, a semimonastic order of Seventh-Day Dunkers. The community, which contained both men and women, was founded by Johann Conrad Beissel in 1732. Many of the members were well-educated; Peter Miller, second prior of the monastery, translated the Declaration of Independence into seven languages, at the request of Congress. At the period of its greatest prosperity, the community contained nearly 300 persons. The Ephrata Commercial Historic District, Ephrata Cloister, Eby Shoe Corporation buildings, Connell Mansion, Mentzer Building, and Mountain Springs Hotel are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


Geography

Ephrata is located in northeastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania at (40.17870, −76.17744). U.S. Route 322 passes through the center of the borough as Main Street; it leads northwest to Hershey and southeast to West Chester. Pennsylvania Route 272 passes through the northwest side of Ephrata, leading northeast to Adamstown and southwest to Lancaster, the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
. Like the rest of the county, the surrounding land is mostly flat and suitable for farming. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which , or 1.27%, are water. Cocalico Creek flows through the borough just north of the center of town; it is a southwest-flowing tributary of the Conestoga River and part of the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
watershed. Ephrata has a hot-summer
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(''Dfa''), and average monthly temperatures range from in January to in July. The hardiness zone is 6b.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 13,213 people, 5,477 households, and 3,565 families residing in the borough. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 5,672 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 96.10%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.64%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.26% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.14%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.82% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population were
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race. There were 5,477 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $41,550, and the median income for a family was $48,213. Males had a median income of $35,095 versus $22,782 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the borough was $19,659. About 3.7% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.


Community pool

The Borough of Ephrata owns and operates the Ephrata Community Pool at 418 Vine Street. The pool is the oldest continuously operating swimming pool in Lancaster County, finishing its 84th year of operation in September 2015. A newly remodeled pool, opened on May 26, 2012, contains zero-depth entries, flume slides, and climbing walls, among other features.


Libraries

Akron borough council cut the line item for the Ephrata Public Library from its $1.9 million proposed general budget for 2023. It has not yet voted to ratify that budget.


Schools

Schools in Ephrata are part of the Ephrata Area School District.


Elementary

* Akron Elementary School * Clay Elementary School * Fulton Elementary School * Highland Elementary School


Middle

* Ephrata Middle School


High

* Ephrata High School


Economy

Ephrata has a mix of large and small businesses of many types, including produce distributor
Four Seasons Produce, founded in 1976.
In August 2011, a luxury rehabilitation center opened, adding over 175 new jobs.


Religion

Ephrata has a diverse mix of churches and faith groups, primarily
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
. The countryside surrounding Ephrata is home to a large number of
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
and Old Order Mennonite families.


Public services

The Ephrata Public Library, on South Reading Road, is a member of the Library System of Lancaster County.


Infrastructure


Transportation

The U.S. Route 222 freeway passes southeast of Ephrata, heading southwest to Lancaster and northeast to Reading and Allentown. US 222 meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( Interstate 76) at the Reading interchange northeast of Ephrata. U.S. Route 322 passes northwest–southeast through Ephrata along Main Street, with an interchange at US 222 east of the borough. Said interchange was converted to a diverging diamond interchange in 2021. Pennsylvania Route 272 passes southwest–northeast through Ephrata along Reading Road, heading through the western part of the borough. The Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) provides bus service to Ephrata along Route 11, which operates from the
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
in Ephrata through the downtown area and south to downtown Lancaster. There is a
park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
lot at the now former Kmart in Ephrata that is served by RRTA. The Reading and Columbia Railroad operated passenger service through downtown Ephrata until 1952. The East Penn Railroad continues to operate freight service from Ephrata north to Reading on the Lancaster Northern line, while the line between Ephrata and Lititz, to the southwest, has been converted into a
rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...
.


Utilities

The Borough of Ephrata Electric Division provides electricity to most of Ephrata, with Allentown-based PPL Corporation providing electricity to part of it. The Borough of Ephrata Electric Division dates back to 1902, when the borough purchased it from the Lancaster Valley Electric Company for $7,000. The borough operated a small generating plant on South State Street before the Ephrata Borough Electric Plant was built on Church Avenue in 1924. The electric plant operated until 1965, when increased demand for electricity led the borough to purchase power from outside sources. The Borough of Ephrata Electric Division provides 140 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and has $18.6 million in sales. The Ephrata Area Joint Authority (EAJA) provides water to Ephrata along with Ephrata Township and Clay Township, serving 8,222 customers. The agency provides 700 million gallons of water annually, with water coming from the Cocalico Creek and groundwater wells. The EAJA operates a filtration treatment plant and has three wells and four storage tanks to store water. Trash and recycling collection in Ephrata is provided by the borough through a contract with Eagle Disposal or residents may choose to have a contract with another trash hauler. Natural gas service in Ephrata is provided by UGI Utilities.


Health care

WellSpan Health operates the WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital in Ephrata, which serves the borough and surrounding areas in northern Lancaster County. The hospital has 133 acute care beds and eight acute rehabilitation beds and offers an emergency room, a cancer center, and a maternity unit, among other inpatient and outpatient services.


Law and government

Ephrata is a
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 ...
. The mayor is Ralph Mowen. "Ephrata" is also used to refer to the surrounding Ephrata Township.


Elected officials representing Ephrata

*Pennsylvania Governor
Josh Shapiro Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the attorney general of Pen ...
(D) *Senior United States Senator Dave McCormick (R) *Junior United States Senator John Fetterman (D) *United States Congressman Lloyd Smucker (R) *Pennsylvania State Representative David H. Zimmerman (R) *Pennsylvania State Senator Ryan Aument (R) *Ephrata Borough Council: Susan Rowe, President; Thomas Reinhold, vice-president; Victor Richard, Melvin Weiler, Tim Barr, Linda Martin, Ricky Ressler, Gregory Zimmerman *Ephrata Mayor Ralph Mowen (I)


Notable people

* Michael Akers, film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor * Evelyn Margaret Ay, Miss America 1954 * Guy K. Bard, educator and judge, Attorney General of Pennsylvania (1938–1939), first person from Lancaster County to be appointed a U.S. federal judge * Jacob Hibshman, U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1819 to 1821 * Charles B. McVay III, rear admiral and commanding officer, USS ''Indianapolis'' (CA-35) at the time of its sinking in 1945 * Mike Mentzer, professional bodybuilder and 1979 Mr. Olympia heavyweight champion * Ray Mentzer, professional bodybuilder and 1979 AAU Mr. America * Miles Rock (1840-1901), civil engineer, geologist and astronomer * Stanley "Whitey" von Nieda, NBA basketball player * Murray Merle Schwartz, United States District Court judge *
Texas in July Texas in July is an American metalcore band from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, formed in 2006. They released an EP, ''Salt of the Earth'', and their debut full-length album, ''I Am'', also produced by Slovak, through CI Records. After signing with ...
, metalcore band * Richard Winters, Major in "E Company", 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division


Sites of interest


Museums and historic sites

*Eicher Arts Center, occupies Conrad Beissel's historic Eicher House. It also contains an Indian ( Native American) museum and shop. * Ephrata Cloister *Main Theater, the Main Theater, built by the Stiefel brothers, held its grand opening Christmas Day in 1938. The first film to show was '' Just Around the Corner'' starring Shirley Temple. In 1990, the Denver and Ephrata Telephone Company purchased the theater to restore the building and once again provide movies and live productions to the area, with many original fixtures incorporated into the renovated venue. The theater reopened November 12, 1993. * Mountain Springs Hotel, the site of the former hotel stands at the corner of Main Street ( U.S. Route 322) and Spring Garden Street. Unoccupied for a long period of time, it was torn down in 2004, except for a small portion of the original building, which was preserved and renovated to be used as a conference center and, possibly, as a museum. *Ephrata Performing Arts Center, the Ephrata Performing Arts Center (EPAC) started as the Legion Star Playhouse in 1953 under the direction of John Cameron. In 1972, following Cameron's departure, volunteers took over the production of regular shows and eventually incorporated as a non-profit in 1979; the first season under the name of EPAC came in 1980. Following a $2.4 million renovation, the community theater was able to and still produces year-round theater, including plays, musicals, a children's series, regular educational opportunities, including a summer theater camp, and special performances.


Area attractions

* Ephrata Fair, the largest street fair in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. The fair dates back to October 1919, when local businessmen organized a one-day festivity to commemorate
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
veterans. Over the following years, the fair grew to include farmers celebrating the harvest; and it also grew in duration by several days. The popular parade was added in 1932. The fair is presently held for five days each September and attracts tens of thousands of visitors.


Sister city

Ephrata has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International: * Eberbach,
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
, Germany


Tornado

On March 29, 2009, a strong storm briefly swept through Ephrata. On March 31, the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
confirmed that it was an EF1
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
. Strong hail came with it. Although there were no fatalities, 30 homes were damaged and eight mobile homes destroyed. Many vehicles could be seen on their side afterwards, and holes were put in houses from the hail.


References


External links

* {{authority control 1891 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1732