Cumberland County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

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, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its

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 ...

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

. Cumberland County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area.

History

Middle Springs Pennsylvania Presbyterian Church Plaque

Cumberland County was first settled by a majority of Scots-Irish immigrants who arrived in this area about 1730. English and German settlers constituted about ten percent of the early population. The settlers originally mostly devoted the area to farming and later developed other trades. These settlers built the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church, among the oldest houses of worship in central Pennsylvania, in 1738 near present-day Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. The General Assembly (legislature) of the Pennsylvania colony on January 27, 1750, created Cumberland County from

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania ...

, naming it for

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Its

. The county also lies within the Cumberland Valley adjoining 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 ...

at its eastern border, stretching approximately 42 miles from the

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 ...

Shippensburg Shippensburg is a borough in Cumberland and Franklin counties in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Settled in 1730, Shippensburg lies in the Cumberland Valley, southwest of Harrisburg, and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan ...

on the west to the Susquehanna River in east Cumberland County. shipoldmain

The oldest towns in the county are

and

, each with its unique history. Shippensburg is home to Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, one of 14 universities of the

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that oversees 10 state-owned universities. Collectively, it is the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth. All ...

. Carlisle is also home to

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = Jo ...

, established in 1773, and the

Penn State Dickinson School of Law Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 2019 A ...

The

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officer ...

is a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

school located in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 20,118; ...

, on the 500 acre (2 km²) campus of the historic

Carlisle Barracks Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The site of the U.S. Army War College, it is the nation's second-oldest active military base. The first structures were built in 1757, during the French and I ...

, a military post dating back to the 1770s. It caters to high-level military personnel and civilians and prepares them for strategic leadership responsibilities. It is the U. S. Army's most senior military educational institution. During the Gettysburg campaign of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

in the summer of 1863, Confederate troops marched through the Cumberland Valley, briefly occupying much of Cumberland County. In the 20th century, the suburbs of

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

, the state capital, expanded extensively into eastern Cumberland County. Carlisle also developed suburbs in adjoining townships.

Geography

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. The area code is 717 with an overlay of 223. Blue Mountain forms Cumberland's northern natural boundary and Yellow Breeches Creek forms part of its SE natural boundary. The

drains the county and forms its eastern natural boundary. A large portion of Cumberland is drained by the Conodoguinet Creek, which winds its way west-to-east across the county into the Susquehanna.

Climate

Almost all of Cumberland 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 freez ...

(''Dfa'') and its hardiness zone is 6b except in much of the eastern portion where it is 7a. Average monthly temperatures in Lemoyne range from 29.9° F in January to 74.9° F in July, in Carlisle they range from 29.8° F in January to 75.2° F in July, and in Shippensburg they range from 29.6° F in January to 74.6° F in July

The latest temperature averages show some low-lying eastern areas of the county to have a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa''.)

Adjacent counties

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States * Perry County, Alabama * Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois * Perry County, Indiana * Perry County, Kentucky * Perry County, Mississippi * Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perr ...

(north) * Dauphin County (east) * York County (southeast) * Adams County (south) * Franklin County (southwest)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

State protected areas

Colonel Denning State Park Colonel Denning State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Lower Mifflin Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the Doubling Gap of Blue Mountain on Pennsylvania Route 233 between Newville and Landi ...

* Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center * Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 213,674 people, 83,015 households, and 56,118 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 388 people per square mile (150/km²). There were 86,951 housing units at an average density of 158 per square mile (61/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.40%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 2.36%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.13% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.43% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 35.3% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 10.6%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 10.1% Irish, 7.5%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and 6.8% Italian ancestry. 94.7% spoke

and 1.4% Spanish as their first language. There were 83,015 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were

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

living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.00% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. Its per capita income is $31,627, making it the wealthiest Pennsylvania county outside greater Philadelphia, and fifth wealthiest overall.

2020 Census

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The

United States Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

has designated Cumberland County as the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census the metropolitan area ranked 6th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 96th most populous in the United States with a population of 549,475. Cumberland County is also a part of the larger Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Cumberland County as well as Adams, Dauphin,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

, Perry and York Counties in Pennsylvania. The

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

ranked 5th in the State of Pennsylvania and 43rd most populous in the United States with a population of 1,219,422.

Government and politics

Cumberland County has been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential contests since McKinley’s election in 1896, with only five Democratic Party candidates winning the county. The most recent Democrat to win the county in a presidential election was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 who won in a landslide statewide & nationally.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020 are the lone Democrats to win forty percent of the county's votes since Johnson's 1964 win. As of November 7, 2022, there are 186,483 registered voters in Cumberland County. * Republican: 90,969 (48.78%) * Democratic: 64,316 (34.49%) *

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

: 22,900 (12.28%) * Third Parties: 8,298 (4.45%) The Republican Party has been dominant in Cumberland County politics since the 1890s, with the victories of Robert P. Casey for governor in 1990, Bob Casey Jr. for state treasurer in 2004,

Tom Wolf Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gu ...

for governor in 2018, and

Josh Shapiro Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the governor-elect of Pennsylvania. Raised in Montgomery ...

for governor in 2022 being among the few times where a statewide Democrat carried the county. The county commissioner majority, all row offices, and all legislative seats serving Cumberland are held by Republicans.

County commissioners

*Vince DiFilippo, Republican *Jean Foschi, Democrat *Gary Eichelberger, Chairman, Republican

Other county offices

*Clerk of Courts, Dennis Lebo, Republican *Controller, Alfred Whitcomb, Republican *Coroner Charles Hall, Republican *District Attorney, M.L."Skip" Ebert, Republican *Prothonotary, Dale Sabadish, Republican *Recorder of Deeds, Tammy L. Shearer, Republican *Register of Wills, Lisa M. Grayson, Esq., Republican *Sheriff, R. Ron Anderson, Republican *Treasurer, John Gross, Republican

State Representatives

* Mark K. Keller, Republican, 86th district * Greg Rothman, Republican, 87th district * Sheryl M. Delozier, Republican, 88th district * Dawn W. Keefer, Republican, 92nd district * Torren C. Ecker Republican, 193rd district * Barbara Gleim, Republican, 199th district

State Senators

Judy Ward Judith "Judy" Ward is a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 30th Senatorial district in Blair County, Pennsylvania. She is registered as Republican. Education and career Ward graduated from Hollidaysburg High School and a ...

, Republican, 30th district * Mike Regan, Republican, 31st district *

Doug Mastriano Douglas Vincent Mastriano (born January 2, 1964) is an American far-right politician and retired military officer who has served in the Pennsylvania Senate since 2019, representing the 33rd district. A member of the Republican Party, he was t ...

, Republican, 33rd district

United States House of Representatives

* Scott Perry, Republican, 10th district * John Joyce, Republican, 13th district

United States Senate

* Pat Toomey, Republican * Bob Casey, Democrat

Education

Colleges and universities

* Central Pennsylvania College *

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = Jo ...

* Messiah College *

Penn State Dickinson Law Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 201 ...

* Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania * U.S. Army War College

Community, junior and technical colleges

* ITT Technical Institute

Public school districts

* Big Spring School District *

Camp Hill School District The Camp Hill School District is a diminutive, suburban public school district serving the Borough of Camp Hill in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania At just , Camp Hill is the smallest school district in Cumberland County and it is one of the sma ...

* Carlisle Area School District *

Cumberland Valley School District The Cumberland Valley School District is a large, rural and suburban public school district located in Central Pennsylvania. It covers Hampden Township, Monroe Township, Middlesex Township and Silver Spring Township in Cumberland County, Penn ...

East Pennsboro Area School District The East Pennsboro Area School District is a midsized, suburban, public school district located in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, US. The district is one of the 496 public school districts of Pennsylvania. East Pennsboro Area School District ...

Mechanicsburg Area School District The Mechanicsburg Area School District is a midsized, suburban, public school district serving the Harrisburg suburbs of Mechanicsburg and Upper Allen Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The Mechanicsburg Area School District encompass ...

* Shippensburg Area School District (also in Franklin County) * South Middleton School District * West Shore School District (also in York County)

Public charter schools

* Commonwealth Connections Academy Charter School - Mechanicsburg

Technical school

* Cumberland-Perry Area Vocational Technical School

Private schools

As reported by the National Center for Educational Statisticsies, National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Private School Universe Survey 2008 *Allen Mennonite School - Dillsburg *Berean Christian Day School - Newville *Best Friends - New Cumberland *Bethel Christian Academy - Carlisle *Blue Ridge Mennonite School - Carlisle *Brookside Montessori School - Camp Hill *Chesterbrook Academy - Camp Hill *Chestnut Groove School - Shippensburg *Children's School of New Cumberland - New Cumberland *Dickinson College Children's Center - Carlisle *Emmanuel Baptist Christian Academy - Mechanicsburg *Faith Tabernacle School - Mechanicsburg *Good Shepherd Elementary School - Camp Hill *Harrisburg Academy - Wormleysburg *Hickory Lane School - Newburg *Hidden Valley School - Carlisle *Kindercare Learning Center - Mechanicsburg *Learning and Sharing - New Cumberland *Logos School - Carlisle *Living Faith School - Shippensburg *Meadow Run - Newburg *Mechanicsburg Learning Center - Mechanicsburg *Middle Run Parochial School - Shippensburg *Oak Grove Parochial School - Shippensburg *Oakwood Baptist Day School - Camp Hill *Otterbein School - Newburg *Quarry Hill School - Newville *Rocky View School Parochial - Newville *South Mountain Parochial School - Shippensburg *South Mountain Parochial School - Newville *Spring HIll Parochial School - Shipensburg *St. Joseph School - Mechaniscburg *St Patrick School - Carlisle *St Theresa Elementary School - New Cumberland *Sunset Amish School - Newburg *The Children's Garden of St Johns Lutheran Church - Shiremanstown *The Christian School of Grace Baptist Church - Carlisle *The Goddard School - Enola *The Goddard School - Mechanicsburg *The Learning Center - Camp Hill * Trinity High School (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania) *West Shore Christian Academy - Shiremanstown *Yellow Breeches Education Center - Boiling Springs

Public libraries

Cumberland County Library System

Amelia S. Givin Free Library

Bosler Memorial Library

East Pennsboro Branch Library

Cleve J. Fredricksen Public Library

John Graham Public Library

New Cumberland Public Library

Shippensburg Public Library

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities,

boroughs 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 A ...

, townships, and, in at most two cases,

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

. The following boroughs and townships are located in Cumberland County:

Boroughs

* Camp Hill *

(

) * Lemoyne * Mechanicsburg * Mount Holly Springs * New Cumberland * Newburg * Newville *

(partly in Franklin County) * Shiremanstown * Wormleysburg

Townships

* Cooke * Dickinson * East Pennsboro * Hampden * Hopewell * Lower Allen * Lower Frankford * Lower Mifflin *

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

* Monroe * North Middleton * North Newton * Penn *

* Silver Spring * South Middleton * South Newton *

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

* Upper Allen * Upper Frankford * Upper Mifflin * West Pennsboro

Census-designated places

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 ...

s are geographical areas designated by the

for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well. * Boiling Springs *

Enola Enola may refer to: Places *Enola, Arkansas, USA; a town * Enola, Nebraska, USA; an unincorporated community * Enola, Pennsylvania, USA; a census-designated place * Enola Reef (island), a coral atoll in the Spratley Islands * Mount Vernon–Enola ...

* Lower Allen * Messiah College * New Kingstown * Plainfield * Schlusser * Shippensburg University * West Fairview

Unincorporated communities

* Bloserville *

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

* Hogestown * Huntsdale *

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

* Summerdale * West Hill

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Cumberland County. † ''county seat''

Recreation

Annual events occur in downtown Carlisle at the

Carlisle Fairgrounds Carlisle Fairgrounds is located in downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is the home of Carlisle Events and the location for the largest collector car and truck events in the country. Prior to Carlisle Events' emergence, anyone interested in restori ...

. The

Capital City Mall Capital City Mall is a regional shopping mall located approximately southwest of Harrisburg in Lower Allen Township, Pennsylvania. It is one of three enclosed malls in the immediate Harrisburg area, and is the only enclosed mall in Harrisburg ...

in Lower Allen Township serves the West Shore, the Carlisle area, and surrounding communities.

Williams Grove Speedway Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile automobile dirt racing track located in Mechanicsburg , Pennsylvania, USA. The speedway opened on May 21, 1939, it has been owned by the Hughes family for over 50 years and has hosted many of the most nota ...

is a half-mile auto-racing track in the county. The Appalachian Trail crosses the central part of Cumberland, which has two state parks: *

(also in Perry County) * Pine Grove Furnace State Park (also in Adams County)

References

External links

County of Cumberland
(official website)
Cumberland Area Economic Development CorporationCarlisle Young ProfessionalsCumberland Valley Visitors Bureau
{{coord, 40.17, -77.27, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-PA_source:UScensus1990 1750 establishments in Pennsylvania Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area Populated places established in 1750