FRANKLIN COUNTY

County Offices
14 North Main Street
Chambersburg 717-264-4125
www.franklincountypa.gov

Chamber of Commerce
1255 Lberty Street
Franklin 814-432-5823
https://www.franklinareachamber.org/

With Chambersburg serving as the hub of government and commerce, Franklin County harmonizes small-town friendliness with close proximity to metropolitan advantages. This growing area offers a strategic location near major Eastern markets, a modern infrastructure, easy access to interstate highway systems, and family-friendly communities. Outdoor enthusiasts, students of history, and aficionados of the arts will all discover wonderful venues, attractions, and the preservation of nature’s beauty in Franklin County.

The rich limestone soil of the Cumberland Valley has contributed to Franklin County’s leading agricultural position in Pennsylvania, one that is maintained by lush landscapes of fruit orchards and rolling cropland with corn and alfalfa. This region maintains more than half of its total acreage for agricultural use, adding to the picturesque quality and feeling of openness. Nearly 1,500 farms are still in operation throughout the county. Franklin County ranks second in dairy, peach, and apple production and among the top five in total agricultural cash receipts on a statewide level.

Services
New residents of Franklin County can look forward to outstanding educational opportunities that include easy access to respected institutions of higher education and a quality vocational and technology center. Unique opportunities like the private education available at Mercersburg Academy enhance the well-equipped facilities operated by local school districts. Special programs for the gifted and talented as well as challenged students combine with a wide array of extracurricular activities to meet individual needs for development and expression.

Although world-renowned medical centers like Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and John Hopkins Hospital are located with 75 miles of Franklin County, residents enjoy state-of-the-art medical and surgical specialties close to home at Chambersburg Hospital. This regional facility maintains a 24-hour emergency room, intensive care unit, dedicated pediatric units, and coronary care. Complementing this regional institution, Waynesboro Hospital provides an acute-care community hospital that offers quality care in a friendly, home-like atmosphere. In addition to its popular family birthing unit, the hospital offers an outpatient rehabilitation and sports medicine center that provides state-of-the-art care.

Washington County in nearby Maryland provides commercial airline service to Franklin County, although this area is also with 75 miles of four major airports including Harrisburg International Airport. Closer to home, Chambersburg Municipal Airport meets general aviation needs. Greyhound Bus Lines maintains a terminal in Chambersburg, and the city also provides local bus service on replica trolleys.

Lifestyle
Whether you choose to settle into the heart of a small borough or one of the rapidly growing rural townships, Franklin County supports a kaleidoscope of lifestyles. From the natural beauty of vast parkland to an evening at Totem Pole Playhouse or the Capitol Theatre, the entire region is rich in amenities that are sure to please every taste. The colorful threads of recreation, culture, and history are uniquely woven into Franklin County’s appealing tapestry. Historic sites are not only found in the architectural treasures of downtown Chambersburg but also throughout the countryside at Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park, Mont Alto State Park, and Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The latter is the site of the Pine Grove Iron Works, but it also encompasses two lakes that offer four-season fishing, swimming, and ice-skating.

The sprawling expanse of Caledonia State Park covers 1,125 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a popular destination for hiking, biking, camping, picnicking, swimming, and fishing. At the same time, the park is home to the Totem Pole Playhouse, providing professional theatric productions for more than half a century. The unique Kings Gap Environmental Training and Education Center on 1,454 forested acres provides educational programs and miles of hiking trails. Colonel Denning State Park north of Chambersburg adds a 3.5-mile lake for swimming and 273 acres of panoramic landscape for hiking and camping.

Support for the arts is strong in this region, where a long list of groups keep the calendar filled with performances and productions. Community theatre, community chorus groups, concert associations, and schools for music and dance are just a few of the available resources. Active clubs and organizations enhance the quality of life by giving residents a chance to become involved in the community and play an active role in social and civic projects. From its patchwork fields and fertile orchards to close-knit communities and modern residential developments, Franklin County is well positioned for continued growth and prosperity.

Chambersburg
Municipal Offices
717-264-5151
www.borough.chambersburg.pa.us

Chamber of Commerce
814-432-5823
https://www.franklinareachamber.org/

Playing a vital role in Franklin County as the government seat, Chambersburg Borough also serves as the region’s historic and commercial center. The borough’s economic activity encompasses a thriving mix of small and mid-size industrial companies. The community supports a quaint downtown district, surrounding agricultural land, and tree-shaded residential neighborhoods. The local community center provides a focal point and gathering place for everything from sports to dances, parties, and weddings. Residents enjoy a full calendar of eclectic performances at the historic Capitol Theatre, including the long-standing Chambersburg Community Theatre established in 1954. More than a century old, the Kittochtinny Historical Society, headquartered in the Old Jail, serves the entire county through its library and museum.

Greencastle, Antrim
Municipal Offices
Greencastle Borough
717-597-7143
www.greencastlepa.gov
Antrim Township
717-597-3818
www.twp.antrim.pa.us

Chamber of Commerce
717-264-7101
www.chambersburg.org

Named for a place in Ireland, the small but welcoming community of Greencastle Borough is proud of its unusual genesis. The founder laid out the town into 246 equal parcels and raffled them off for $8 each. Also settled by Scotch-Irish and German immigrants and named for an Irish county, the neighboring Antrim Township shares a rich agricultural heritage. The township insignia features two of the area’s historic sites, the Brown’s Mill one-room school that now serves as a museum in the village of Kauffman Station and the 1859 Martin’s Mill covered bridge. The name “Antrim” is also derived from a County in Ireland. Farming remains the principle economic activity, although several major manufacturers like Corning Glass—now Advanced Glassfiber Yarns—and dozens of smaller industries have settled into the area. Transportation improvements on thoroughfares like Route 16, U.S. 11, and Interstate 81 have contributed to local development.

Greene, Guilford, Hamilton
Municipal Offices
Greene Township
717-263-4990
www.twp.greene.franklin.pa.us
Guilford Township
717-264-6626
www.guilfordtwp.us
Hamilton Township
717-264-2946

Chamber of Commerce
717-264-7101
www.chambersburg.org

Closely associated with Chambersburg Borough are the surrounding rural townships of Greene, Guilford, and Hamilton. Rural areas such as these have welcomed the majority of suburban development and new-home construction in Franklin County in recent years. Greene Township to the northeastern side of Chambersburg is the most highly developed part of the region, a scenic area that grew up along the waters of Conococheague Creek. The township is typical of those surrounding Chambersburg in its blending of vast acreage secured for agricultural activity with handsome residential development and thriving businesses. In addition to more than 200 businesses, Green Township is home to the only enclosed shopping mall in Franklin County. Residents of these largely rural townships can also take advantage of the park-and-ride facility located in Greene Township for easy commutes to major employment centers.

Mercersburg
Municipal Offices
717-328-3116
www.mercersburg.org/boro

Chamber of Commerce
717-328-5827
www.mercersburg.org

The small Borough of Mercersburg has managed to preserve its historic look and atmosphere by preserving a collection of structures built between 1780 and 1850. In fact, many of these charming buildings still serve as residences. The borough is the boyhood home of former president James Buchanan and the location of the private prep school, Mercersburg Academy. Historic sites and treasures harmonize beautifully with outstanding modern developments like the Whitetail Golf Resort, one of the newest outstanding public golf facilities in south-central Pennsylvania. While the borough excels in grand architecture and a backdrop of woodland and mountain beauty, the surrounding rural townships of Montgomery and Warren provide prime land for new construction that includes generous acreage.

Waynesboro, Quincy, Washington
Municipal Offices
Waynesboro Borough
717-762-2101
www.waynesboropa.org
Quincy Township
717-762-5679
www.quincytwp.org
Washington Township
717-762-3128
www.washtwp-franklin.org

Chamber of Commerce
717-762-7123
www.waynesboro.org

Situated in one of Pennsylvania’s most fertile counties, Waynesboro Borough is surrounded by an agricultural legacy that continues to enrich daily life within the community. Through careful planning and a cooperative attitude, the borough has successfully blended growing businesses and industries with the farming activity that prevails in the surrounding townships. Residents of Waynesboro as well as those in nearby townships like Quincy and Washington are familiar with pastoral sites like dairy farms, fruit orchards, and patchwork fields. Fruit and vegetable stands dot the landscape from early spring to late fall, offering nature’s bounty. The Waynesboro Historical Society has diligently preserved the area’s history in sites that include the Pennsylvania Room at the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library, the Waynesboro Industrial Heritage Museum, and the Nicodemus Center for Ceramic Studies.

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