Population

In 2005, there were 490,562 residents in Lancaster County, representing a 4.2% growth since 2000 and 11.3% growth since 1990. Those same growth pressures have also affected the Route 30 study area municipalities.

Of the six townships, Salisbury Township has experienced the most dramatic growth spurt, with an increase of almost 17 percent during the 1990s. Not far behind, East Lampeter and Sadsbury Townships have experienced a growth rate of almost 13 percent and 12 percent over the same period. More modestly, Strasburg, Paradise and Leacock Townships have maintained growths of 9.0 percent, 6.0 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.

The Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities of Lancaster County exist as very distinct elements of the county's total population. It was estimated that, in the early 1990s, Old Order Amish totaled 16,400 people, while the Old Order Mennonite population was approximately 5,000. Both Plain Sect groups reside throughout the study area.


Housing

Single-family housing is the predominant residential land use throughout the study area. Concentrations are found in and adjacent to Ronks, Soudersburg, Gordonville, Paradise, Vintage, Kinzers and Gap villages. Based on local and county planning objectives, future development will most likely take place around the Gap village. Total housing units for each municipality increased in ranges from 8 percent to almost 28 percent. The ratio of housing units to population growth has been relatively equal.


Economy and Employment

Throughout most of the last several decades, Lancaster County has had one of the strongest economies in the commonwealth. In fact, during the late 1980s, Mellon Bank's Economic Performance Index indicated that the county's economy grew faster than any other region in Pennsylvania.

One primary reason for this is the county's diversity of industry that includes agriculture, business and tourism. As no single industry dominates the county, economic dropoff is low during recessionary times and is generally among the first to recover.

Commerce has played a significant role in the development of the Lancaster area, and Route 30 has facilitated the channeling of people and goods between key industry hubs throughout the region. In response to the high number of truck traffic and other commuter traffic, truck stops and gas stations have become common sites along the Route 30 corridor. That corridor, which stretches between routes 896 and 897, is crowded with 215 businesses—mostly retail shops, restaurants and hotels. The success of these businesses, which are at the heart of the study area's economy, depends on the expanding tourist trade.

Tourism is a predominant industry in the region, but it is anticipated that agriculture will continue to dominate as the leading economic activity within the study area. In order to maintain this vital industry, urban growth boundaries (UGB), designed to give farmers assurance of the long-term viability of their farm operations, were incorporated into the Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan. This designation encourages farmers to continue to invest in their farming operations.