Best Web Design in Lancaster, PA (2026)

Web Design for Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States, a red-brick county seat wrapped in the rolling farmland of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish country. It served as the national capital for a single day in 1777 and as Pennsylvania's state capital for over a decade, and today it pairs a nationally recognized food and arts scene with a deep refugee-resettlement identity.

AppWT works with Lancaster, PA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Lancaster

Also known as. The Red Rose City. Spanish Rose. America's Refugee Capital.

History. German immigrants (Pennsylvania Dutch, from 'Deutsch') settled the area around 1709, when it was called 'Hickory Town.' John Wright named it Lancaster after Lancaster, England; it was laid out in 1729 and became the Lancaster County seat. Incorporated as a borough in 1742 and as a city in 1818. Served as capital of the American colonies for one day, September 27, 1777, when the Continental Congress fled British-occupied Philadelphia. Was the capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812 before the seat of government moved to Harrisburg. Adopted the red rose of Lancaster, England into its official seal on May 1, 1907.

Local economy. Healthcare anchors the economy: Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health is the largest employer with roughly 9,000+ workers. Other major employers include Giant Food Stores, Lancaster County government, and Lancaster Laboratories. Tourism tied to Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish country is a core industry, alongside manufacturing and agriculture. The Hamilton Watch Company operated a major complex here and produced the world's first battery-powered (electric) watch in 1957. Lancaster resettles roughly 20 times more refugees per capita than the U.S. average, earning it the label 'America's refugee capital.'

Culture and community. Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is central: whoopie pies, crustless chicken pot pie (a noodle stew), shoofly pie, and scrapple. Lancaster Central Market, built in 1889, is billed as the oldest continuously operated farmers market in the United States. The annual Lancaster County Whoopie Pie Festival features hundreds of flavors of the marshmallow-filled cake. The Lancaster Stormers play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and have won multiple championships. A strong Puerto Rican community gives the city its 'Spanish Rose' nickname and shapes its food and music. The Fulton Theatre (Fulton Opera House) is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the country.

What makes Lancaster distinct. Marshmallow Peeps trace back to Lancaster's Rodda Candy Company, later acquired by Just Born. James Buchanan, the only U.S. president from Pennsylvania, lived and is buried in Lancaster. The Conestoga wagon that carried pioneers west takes its name from the Conestoga area near Lancaster. The rifled 'Pennsylvania (Kentucky) long rifle' was developed by Lancaster-area gunsmiths in the 1700s. Lancaster was an important munitions center during the Revolutionary War.

Lancaster Landmarks and Local Life

• Lancaster Central Market - Built 1889, the oldest continuously operated farmers market in the United States
• Fulton Opera House - National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest continually running theaters in the United States
• Wheatland - Historic estate home of President James Buchanan, now a museum
• Historic Rock Ford - Federal-style 1794 mansion, home of Revolutionary War General Edward Hand