Lititz, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia : L : LI : LIT : Lititz, Pennsylvania
Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 27 miles (43 km) southwest of Reading. It was founded by Moravians in 1756, and was named after a village in Bohemia where the ancient Moravian Brethren's Church had been founded in 1457. For a century, only Moravians were permitted to live in Lititz. Until the middle of the 1800's, only members of the congregation could own houses, others were required to lease. The lease-system was abolished in 1855, just 5 years before the beginning of the Civil War. The source of this information is the book A Brief History of Lititz Pennsylvania by Mary Augusta Huevener, published in 1947.
During a part of the Revolution, the Brothers' house, built in 1759, was used as a hospital. A number of soldiers died and were buried here.
In 1900, 1,637 people lived here, and in 1910, 2,082 lived here. As of the 2000 census, the population of the borough is 9,029. It is a quaint village nestled in the heart of Lancaster County. It is known for its small shops and the Wilbur Chocolate Company.
Lititz is also home to [Linden Hall School], the oldest all girls boarding school in the United States. Located adjacent to the Moravian Church on 47 acres of land, [Linden Hall School] was founded by the Moravians in 1746, a decade before the borough was incorporated.
General Information
- ZIP code: 17543
- Area code: 717
- Local phone exchanges: 625, 626, 627
Geography
Lititz is located at (40.154725, -76.303387)[Geographic references#1GR1].Pennsylvania routes 772 and 501 run through the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²), all land.
Law and government
Lititz is located in the Warwick school district.- Lititz Borough Office
- *7 South Broad Street
- *717-626-2044
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 9,029 people, 3,732 households, and 2,407 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,502.6/km² (3,884.0/mi²). There were 3,827 housing units at an average density of 636.9/km² (1,646.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.23% White, 0.44% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population.There were 3,732 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $40,417, and the median income for a family was $52,028. Males had a median income of $36,126 versus $25,997 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,601. About 2.6% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
The Borden case
The town attained nearly instantaneous national notoriety with the murder of Michael and Cathryn Borden and the apparent kidnapping of their daughter, Kara Beth, on 13 November 2005, by David Ludwig, through the issuing of an Amber Alert on her. Kara Beth and David have both been returned to Lititz, and criminal proceedings against the latter are in progress. Lancaster newspapers say both Kara Borden and David Ludwig were home schooled.Sites of interest
- Museums and Historic Sites
- *Candy Americana Museum -- Located in the Wilbur Chocolate Company
- *Grave of John A. Sutter
- *Heritage Map Museum
- *Johannes Mueller House
- *Kready's Country Store Museum
- *Sturgis Pretzel House
- Attractions
- *High Sports, Inc.
- *Lititz Public Library
- *Lititz Springs Park
- *Moravian Church Square
- *Wilbur Chocolate Company
- Restaurants
- *Chimney Corner Restaurant and Motor Lodge
- *Family Cupboard Restaurant and Buffet
- *General Sutter Inn
- *Oregon Dairy Country Restaurant
- Lodging
- *Alden House Bed and Breakfast
- *Charter Run Inn
- *Chimney Corner Restaurant and Motor Lodge
- *General Sutter Inn
- *Lancaster Country Inn
- *[Swiss Woods Bed and Breakfast]
- Shopping
- *The 1754 Checkerboard House
- *Bomberger's Store
- *Country Sampler of Lancaster County, Inc.
- *Keystone Pretzel Bakery
- *Seltzer's Smokehouse Meats
- *The Teddy Bear Emporium, Ltd.
- *Mathew 25
- *[The Tiger's Eye]
People from Lititz, PA
- Bob Longenecker (1909) - Hollywood talent agent
Publications
- Moravian Historical Society Transactions, volume ii, (Bethlehem, Pa.)
- Mombert, An Authentic History of Lancaster County, Pa., (Lancaster, 1869)
External links
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