South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of

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, ...

that includes the fourteen counties of Adams,

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 ...

, Dauphin, Franklin,

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cr ...

, Juniata, Lancaster,

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 ...

, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. Portions of western Schuylkill and southern

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

counties are also located in South Central Pennsylvania. Despite the designation South Central Pennsylvania, many of the counties are geographically located in the southeastern portion of the state. Lancaster, with a population of 59,322, is the largest city in the region, and the second largest metropolitan area.

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 ...

, with a population of 49,528, is the second largest city in the region, and has the largest metropolitan area with a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 643,820 people, and is the capital of Pennsylvania.

is the other significant city in the region. The Harrisburg-Lancaster-York television market, which includes Adams,

, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster,

, Mifflin, Perry, and

counties is the 58th largest market in the U.S.

Description

South Central Pennsylvania is notable for its large

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churc ...

and

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...

populations in its rural areas, but the area also has significant

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 ...

and Puerto Rican populations in many of its urban cities, particularly

, Lancaster, and

. Beginning in the late 1600s and the 1700s, the area was initially settled by (and remains largely composed of) mostly

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

ethnic groups, particularly ethnic German, Dutch, English, Scottish, and Ulster Scots populations. The late 19th and 20th century saw an increase in immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and parts of Southern Europe and Eastern Europe, with many of these more recent immigrants and their descendants concentrated in the region's urban and industrial centers. Many residents of the southern portion of this area commute to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

especially from York County. The area is home of the Pennsylvania state capital; being the site of the bloodiest battlefield of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, and being the home of Hershey's chocolate and the York Peppermint Pattie. South Central Pennsylvania has also hosted two former capitals of the United States during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

: Lancaster and

. The region is drained primarily by 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 ...

, flowing southwards to

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

and further to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Government

South Central Pennsylvania contains the

Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex is a large complex of state government buildings in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Set on more than of downtown Harrisburg, it includes the Pennsylvania State Capitol and a landscaped park environment with monum ...

, the headquarters for State Government.

Distinctiveness

* The South Central Pennsylvania region is the site of the first paved highway in the United States, the

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, st ...

, connecting the cities of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and Lancaster. *

Milton Hershey Milton Snavely Hershey (September 13, 1857 – October 13, 1945) was an American chocolatier, businessman, and philanthropist. Trained in the confectionery business, Hershey pioneered the manufacture of caramel, using fresh milk. He launched t ...

began his milk chocolate manufacturing in Lancaster, and later to the town of Hershey. South Central Pennsylvania is still the corporate headquarters of

The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

and possesses many smaller chocolate manufacturers like

Wilbur Wilbur may refer to: Places in the United States * Wilbur, Indiana, an unincorporated town * Wilbur, Trenton, New Jersey, a neighborhood in the city of Trenton * Wilbur, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Wilbur, Washington, a small farming ...

and Wolfgang. The York Peppermint Pattie was originally manufactured in the city of York, but was purchased by Hershey's. * The

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...

, named for The Hershey Company, are the oldest team in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

. *

Snyder's of Hanover Snyder's of Hanover is an American bakery and pretzel brand distribution company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, specializing in German traditional pretzels. Its products are sold throughout the United States, Canada, many European nations, Asia, ...

is from

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, York County PA, though it was merged into Snyders-Lance and subsequently into Campbell Soup Co., remaining headquartered in Hanover. * Rite-Aid was formerly headquartered in Camp Hill,

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 *Cumberla ...

. * South Central Pennsylvania is the home of the largest

population in the United States, mostly in Lancaster County, with also a fairly large population within the Kishacoquillas Valley in Mifflin and

Counties. Many tourists visit the region to see and learn about the Amish. * Gettysburg was the site of the bloodiest

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...

of the

, and is now Gettysburg National Military Park. *

was the site of the signing of the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

and was the largest town in the North to be occupied by the Confederate Army during the Civil War. *

Lititz Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the city of Lancaster. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,370. History Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756 and was named af ...

a small town and a suburb of Lancaster, which was listed as Budget Travel's 2013 "Coolest Small Town in America," is home to the historic

Wilbur Chocolate Company Wilbur Chocolate is one of four brands manufactured by Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate North America. Most of the Wilbur brand products were produced in plants chocolate manufacturing company located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Wilbur Chocolate was founde ...

and the

Sturgis Pretzel House The Sturgis Pretzel House of Lititz, Pennsylvania, founded in 1861, is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the United States. The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery remains active in pretzel production and is a tourist attraction. History In 1850 ...

(both originating back in the mid 1800s).

Dialect

Certain inhabitants of South Central Pennsylvania speak with the Susquehanna dialect. The Susquehanna dialect incorporates influences from the Philadelphia accent and that of Pennsylvania Dutch English, and is found throughout the region, especially among older generations of citizens. Here is a list of common words and phrases unique to the Susquehanna dialect: * Redd up- to straighten up, (''I redd up the house yesterday.'') *

Macadam Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the ...

- asphalt, influenced by the original macadam roads in Pennsylvania, (''Jason scraped his knee on the macadam.'') * Dippy eggs- fried eggs, sunny side up * ..awhile- used at the end of a sentence, signifying 'in the meantime' (''Can I take your drink orders awhile?'') * ..once (or wunst)- used at the end of a sentence, signifying 'quickly' or 'for just a moment' (''Come here once.'') * Outen the lights- turning the lights off, (''You need to outen the lights, John.'') * It's all- it is all gone, (''The coffee is all.'') * Furhuddled- disheveled, (''Patrick appeared furhuddled at his job interview.'') * Rutsching- wriggling, restless, (''Timmy, quit your rutsching around...sit still!'') * Yous(e)/You'ins- plural of you, (''Yous coming to dinner on Sunday?'') * Spritzing- lightly raining, (''It ain't raining hard, it's only spritzing.'') * Needs Fixed- Needs to be fixed, (''That broken door needs fixed awhile.'') * Doplic - lacking dexterity, (''He'll never be a good basketball player; he's too doplic.'') * Schnutz- mucus (or "schnutzy" for mucus-y) (''He has schnutz all over his face.'') (''He's all schnutzy.'') The Central Pennsylvania accent is commonly spoken in the western and northern counties of the South Central Pennsylvania region.

Film

The most significant film set in the region is the 1985 film ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

'' starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the '' Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films inclu ...

, Alexander Godunov,

Kelly McGillis Kelly Ann McGillis (born July 9, 1957) is an American stage actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in ''Witness'' (1985), for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in ''Top Gun'' (1986); ''Made in ...

, and

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

. It was set in and filmed in the borough of Strasburg and the village of Intercourse, both in Lancaster County. The film '' Lucky Numbers'' starring

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...

and

Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...

was filmed throughout Harrisburg and Palmyra, and was based on the 1980 Pennsylvania Lottery scandal. Its screenplay was written by Harrisburg native Adam Resnick. The movie ''

Girl, Interrupted ''Girl, Interrupted'' is a best-selling 1993 memoir by American author Susanna Kaysen, relating her experiences as a young woman in an American psychiatric hospital in the 1960s after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Th ...

'', starring

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

and Winona Ryder, was filmed in Mechanicsburg, as well as at the

Harrisburg State Hospital Harrisburg State Hospital, formerly known from 1851 to 1937 as Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was Pennsylvania's first public facility to house the mentally ill and disabled. Its campus is located on Cameron and ...

. Mechanicsburg was chosen for its old fashioned appearance and its old-fashioned drug store simply titled "Drugs," all of which gave the film its time-dated appearance. The Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County simulated scenes of

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

for ''The Assassination of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

'', by the

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educa ...

, and for ''Stealing Lincoln's Body'' by The History Channel.For TV needs, county becomes Land of Lincoln - News - LancasterOnline.com
. Articles.lancasteronline.com (2009-02-08). Retrieved on 2013-07-23. The Woodward Hill Cemetery and the Landis Valley Museum were also used to simulate the Oak Ridge Cemetery and other scenes of 1870s Springfield. '' Scotland, PA'', a modern retelling of Shakespeare's ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', is set in Scotland, a small town in Franklin County (though it was not filmed there). Historically, Scotland, Pennsylvania was originally settled by

Scots-Irish Americans Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) Americans are American descendants of Ulster Protestants who emigrated from Ulster in northern Ireland to America during the 18th and 19th centuries, whose ancestors had originally migrated to Ireland mainly fro ...

, and there are still people named McBeth living in the area. The Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie

Hollywood or Bust ''Hollywood or Bust'' is a 1956 American semi- musical comedy film starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was filmed from April 16 to June 19, 1956, and released on December 6, 1956, by Paramount Pictures, almost five mon ...

shows an

establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...

(likely taken by a 2nd unit film crew) of the Laughlin Mill in Newville, Cumberland county.

Music

Music in the South Central Pennsylvania region varies from the popular genres such as

Rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

, Hip hop,

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

Rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

, etc. to the softer melodies of the Amish and Mennonites. A few mainstream acts got their start in South Central Pennsylvania, such as the alternative rock quartet

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

from York. Another rock band called

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy b ...

started off playing in local venues in Harrisburg. The most famous bands from the region are the 1980s

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

band

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

from Mechanicsburg and rock band Halestorm from Red Lion. The region's Amish population inspired

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific ...

's 1996 parody of

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...

's '' Gangsta's Paradise'' called " Amish Paradise." The accompanying music video featured Weird Al in typical Amish clothing, with traffic signs reading "Welcome to Lancaster." "Emo rapper" Lil Peep was born in Allentown.

Sports

South Central Pennsylvania possesses a strong sporting tradition beginning at the youth level to the minor leagues. The

, a regional team, are the oldest team of the

and have won many of its championships. Professional baseball has a strong presence in the South Central Pennsylvania region with three teams: the Harrisburg Senators, the AA affiliate of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

; and the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a ...

and York Revolution of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. The Barnstormers and the Revolution are geographical rivals, contending for the Community Cup, the trophy for the War of the Roses series. As the Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster and York are named for the English cities of the same name, their former baseball teams possessed the names of the

Lancaster Red Roses The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named fo ...

and the York White Roses, after the rival sides of the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

References

External links

Hershey-Harrisburg Welcome Center
{{Pennsylvania Pennsylvania culture Regions of Pennsylvania