York, also known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is a city located in South Central Pennsylvania. The population was 40,862 at the 2000 census. York is the county seat of York County, and is located at 39° 58' 00"N 76° 45' 00"W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles, of which, 5.2 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles of it (1.14%) is water. York is currently the 14th largest city in Pennsylvania (2010).
York was founded in 1741 by settlers from the Philadelphia region, and named for the English city of the same name. By 1777, most of the area residents were of either German or Scotch-Irish descent. York was incorporated as a borough on September 24, 1787, and as a city on January 11, 1887. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), York served as the temporary capital of the Continental Congress. The Articles of Confederation were drafted and adopted in York, though they would not be ratified until March of 1781.
York claims the title of First Capital of the United States, although historians generally consider it to be the fourth capital, after Philadelphia, Baltimore and Lancaster. The claim arises from the assertion that the Articles of Confederation was the first legal document to refer to the colonies as "the United States of America." The argument depends on whether the Declaration of Independence, which also uses the term, would be considered a true legal document of the United States, being drafted under and in opposition to British rule. This does not, however, prevent modern businesses and organizations in the York area, such as the First Capital Dispensing Co., First Capital Engineering and First Capital Federal Credit Union from using the name.
According to U.S. census reports from 1800 through 1840, York ranked within the nation's top 100 most populous urban areas.
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), York became the largest Northern town to be occupied by the Confederate army when the division of Major General Jubal Anderson Early spent June 28–30, 1863, in and around the town while the brigade of John B. Gordon marched to the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville and back. Early laid York under tribute and collected food, supplies, clothing, shoes, and $28,000 in cash from citizens and merchants before departing westward obeying the revised orders of Robert E. Lee. The sprawling York U.S. Army Hospital on Penn Commons served thousands of Union soldiers wounded at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg.
In the Postbellum era (1865–1877), York remained a regional center for local agriculture, but increasingly became an important industrial center, with such industries as steam engines, railroad manufacturing, and papermaking coming to the forefront. York also features some unique architecture ranging from colonial era buildings to large gothic churches.
The York Motor Car Co. built Pullman automobiles on South George St. from 1905 thorough 1917. An early and unique six-wheeled prototype was involved in one of the city's first known automobile accidents. Another model was driven to San Francisco and back over about one month to prove its reliability several years before the creation of the Lincoln Highway which ran through town, connecting New York and San Francisco.
The York area had also been home for more than 100 years to the Pfaltzgraff company, which built its first pottery factory in the area in 1895 and continued manufacturing in York until 2005. The York Peppermint Pattie was created in York in 1940 and is now made by The Hershey Company.
The city of York experienced many noteworthy achievements and embarrassments to start the 21st century.
In 2001, York mayor Charles H. Robertson was arrested in connection with the 1969 York Race Riot murder of Lillie Belle Allen, a young black woman. Witnesses at the trial testified that Mr. Robertson, then a police officer, handed out ammunition to whites and exhorted them to kill blacks. Robertson was acquitted of those charges in October 2002.
In 2002, the city faced a budget shortfall of $1,000,000. Mayor John Brenner's plan to raise the money by asking York County's 302,000 adult residents to donate $3.32 to the city received national attention. The plan, referred to by some as the "Big Mac" Plan, did not raise all the moneys sought.
After many years of attempting to secure funding for a stadium and a baseball team to play in it, the first decade of the century saw York realize both goals. In 2007, Sovereign Bank Stadium, home of the York Revolution, opened in the Arch Street neighborhood. The stadium, along with other large projects such as the York County Judicial Center and the Codo 241 luxury apartment lofts, symbolizes York's extensive redevelopment efforts.
York was featured during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, when National Public Radio's Michelle Norris and Steve Inskeep chose to showcase the city in "The York Project: Race & the '08 Vote." The program was aired as a 7-part series and featured different York citizens discussing race relations, racial perceptions, and the emotions inspired by the 2008 election. Norris stated that York was chosen due to its central location in a battleground state, its rich history (including its strained race relations), and demographics. On June 19, 2009, Norris announced on the air that she was taking time off to write a book inspired by her conversations "with a diverse group of voters" in York.
In 2009, Kim Bracey won the Democratic primary and became the favored candidate for mayor. She won the general election in November and will take office on the first Monday in 2010 as the city's first African-American and second woman mayor.
The city has been called an "architectural museum," because the downtown features numerous well-preserved historic structures, such as the 1741 Golden Plough Tavern, the 1751 General Horatio Gates House, the 1766 Friends Meeting House, the 1863 Billmeyer House, the 1888 Central Market House, and the 1907 Moorish Revival Temple Beth Israel.
York Barbell is a reseller of barbells and other equipment for weight training and bodybuilding, and is the home of the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame. A large Harley-Davidson motorcycle factory, which employs roughly half of Harley's production workforce, is located in York.
York is home to two major manufacturers of modern hydro-power water turbines, Voith Siemens Hydro and American Hydro, both of which manufacture enormous parts in their plants.
York is headquarters to York International, a Johnson Controls Company and one of the largest suppliers of HVAC systems in the United States. On February 2, 1998, a massive explosion occurred at the York International plant. A spark had set off a leak in the nearby propane storage house. The blast was felt up to 25 miles away, and blew out windows nearby as well as knocking down doors. About 20 people were injured in the blast but only one person was killed, as the explosion fortunately occurred during a shift change.
The Stauffer Biscuit Company (owned by Meiji Seika of Japan since February 2004) is rooted in York and has produced animal crackers since 1871. A major regional department store, The Bon-Ton, is headquartered in York. Just north of York is one of only four Starbucks roasting facilities in the world. York also boasts a BAE Systems facility which assembles various military tanks and equipment.