Strasburg 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 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 ...

, United States. It developed as a

linear village In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a ''polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x)= ...

stretching approximately along the Great Conestoga Road, later known as the Strasburg Road.Susan M. Zacher, NRHP Nomination Form Strasburg/ref> The population was 3,117 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the then

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

city of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, (today part of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) the native home of an early settler. The town is often called "Train Town USA" because of the many railroad attractions in and around town, including the

Strasburg Rail Road The Strasburg Rail Road is a Heritage railway, heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 183 ...

and the

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to ro ...

. Much of the movie ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...

'' was filmed on a farm nearby. Much of the borough was listed as a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

by 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 ...

in 1983.

History

The Old Conestoga Road was in use by 1714, and by 1750 a tavern and some log houses were built near the current site of Strasburg. The community grew as regional trade with

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 ...

grew. By 1759, there were 32 taxable properties in the town, including about ten hotels. Many early settlers were

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s or Swiss or German

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

s, and several church congregations of various faiths formed during the 1760s. The first church was built in 1807 by Methodists. The Old Conestoga Road was the main path connecting Philadelphia with areas to the west, but in 1792 the new

Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, first used in 1795, is the first long-distance paved road built in the United States, according to engineered plans and specifications. It links Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia at 34th Street, s ...

was built, bypassing Strasburg to the north. However, in 1793 construction on the new Strasburg Road started, roughly following the old road, passing through West Chester on the way to Philadelphia. It attracted traffic because it was not a toll road, unlike the Philadelphia Turnpike. This road later developed into

Pennsylvania Route 741 Pennsylvania Route 741 (PA 741) is a state highway that runs through western and southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The western terminus is along Rohrerstown Road north of an intersectio ...

. By 1815, there were 90 houses in Strasburg, about half of which were two stories, indicating a relatively well-off population. There were 53 log, 29 brick, and four limestone houses. About half of the log houses survive today, as well as 12 of the brick houses and all four of the stone houses. About 150 other houses stand in the historic district, nearly all built before 1900.

Geography

Strasburg is located in central Lancaster County at (39.982300, -76.182713).

(Main Street) passes through the center of the borough, leading east to Gap and west to Willow Street. Pennsylvania Route 896 crosses the northeast side of Strasburg; it leads north to

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

and southeast to

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

, 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 ...

, is northwest of Strasburg. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the borough has a total area of , of which , or 0.31%, are water. Strasburg is in the watershed of

Pequea Creek Pequea Creek ( ; ) 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 Lancaster County and ...

, which flows southwest to 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 ...

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 2,800 people, 1,110 households, and 798 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 1,135 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 97.64%

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 ...

, 0.57%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races.

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 were 0.43% of the population. There were 1,110 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $47,821, and the median income for a family was $56,829. Males had a median income of $38,946 versus $26,424 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 $23,346. About 2.0% of families and 3.2% 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 5.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Fire department

The borough of Strasburg is protected by the Strasburg Volunteer Fire Company, Lancaster County Fire Company #5-10, Zone 5. The volunteer fire department is located at 203 Franklin Street in a brand new four-garage-bay facility. The volunteer fire department operates a fleet of one rescue engine, one engine, one quint, one tanker, and one squad.

Notable people

* John Alexander Ahl (1813–1882),

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

* David Craighead (1924–2012), organist * Matt Feiler (born 1992), football player for

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

Don Wert Donald Ralph Wert (July 29, 1938 – August 24, 2024), nicknamed "Coyote", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1971 as a third baseman, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers ...

(born 1938), baseball player for

1968 World Series The 1968 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1968 season. The 65th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National Lea ...

champion

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Education

The borough is in the

Lampeter-Strasburg School District The Lampeter-Strasburg School District is a school district in rural and suburban Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, that serves the borough of Strasburg, as well as Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships. The census-designated p ...

Attractions

* Choo Choo Barn * National Toy Train Museum *

* Sight & Sound Theatres

Gallery

Strasburg E Main 109.JPG, Old brick house on East Main Street Strasburg 1903 Birdseye.jpg, A

Bird's-eye view A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective (graphical), perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downward. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photog ...

map of Strasburg, published in 1903 Strasburg Country Store & Creamery, Strasburg, Pennsylvania.jpg, Strasburg Creamery Ice Cream Shoppe File:Gonder Mansion Strasburg PA 1906.jpg, Gonder Mansion in 1906

References

External links

*
Strasburg Heritage Society

Local Directory
{{authority control Populated places established in 1733 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Georgian architecture in Pennsylvania Federal architecture in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 1733 establishments in Pennsylvania Houses in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania