| Ephrata, Pennsylvania |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT EPHRATA, PENNSYLVANIA | |
| boroughs in pennsylvania | |
| lancaster county, pennsylvania | |
| settlements established in 1732 | |
Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County , Pennsylvania , 38 miles (61 km) south east of Harrisburg and about 57 miles (91 km) west by north of Philadelphia . It is named after Ephrath , a biblical town in what is now Israel . Ephrata's Sister City is Eberbach, Germany , the city where its founders originated. Ephrata is not a place known for manufacturing, though there has been, and still is, some small industry. 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, in 1910, 3,192, and by 1940, the population had increased to 6,199 . The population was 13,213 at the 2000 Census . 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.Gibbons, ''Pennsylvania Dutch and Other Essays'', (Philadelphia, 1872) Sachse, ''The German Sectarians of Pennsylvania'', two volumes, (Philadelphia, 1899-1900) GEOGRAPHY Ephrata is located at (40.17870, -76.17744). Like the rest of the county, it is mostly flat land suitable for farming. According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 9.3 Km&2 (3.6 Mi&2 ). 9.3 km&2 (3.6 mi&2) of it is land and 0.28% is water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 13,213 people, 5,477 households, and 3,565 families residing in the borough. The Population Density was 1,417.1/km&2 (3,672.7/mi&2). There were 5,672 housing units at an average density of 608.3/km&2 (1,576.6/mi&2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.10% White , 0.64% Black or African American , 0.26% Native American , 1.06% Asian , 0.14% Pacific Islander , 0.82% from Other Races , and 0.98% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population were Hispanic 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 for the borough was $19,659. About 3.7% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. ECONOMY Ephrata has a mix of large and small businesses of many types. LAW AND GOVERNMENT Ephrata is a Borough . The current mayor of Ephrata is Mayor Ralph Mowen. His term expires in December 2009. Ephrata is also used to describe nearby Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania . The Ephrata area, as well as most of Lancaster County, is usually described as a Republican stronghold, rarely electing Democrats. Elected Officials Representing Ephrata
SITES OF INTEREST Museums and historic sites
Area Attractions
Restaurants
Lodging
Shopping PUBLIC SERVICES
SISTER CITY Ephrata has one Sister City , as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI) :
GENERAL INFORMATION
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