Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey, Pennsylvania
Census-designated place

Downtown Hershey at the intersection of Chocolate and Cocoa avenues
Motto: The Sweetest Place on Earth[1]

Location in Dauphin County and state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°16′42″N 76°39′4″W / 40.27833°N 76.65111°W / 40.27833; -76.65111Coordinates: 40°16′42″N 76°39′4″W / 40.27833°N 76.65111°W / 40.27833; -76.65111
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Dauphin
Township Derry
Area
 • Total 14.4 sq mi (37.3 km2)
 • Land 14.4 sq mi (37.2 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 410 ft (120 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 14,257
 • Density 993/sq mi (383.4/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 17033
Area code(s) 717 Exchanges: 312, 520, 531, 533, 534
FIPS code 34-71385
GNIS feature ID 1176895
Designated March 2, 2003[3]

Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. Hershey's chocolates are made in Hershey, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey.

The community is located 14 miles (23 km) east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg−Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality, and all its municipal services are provided by Derry Township. The population was 14,257 at the 2010 census.[2]

It is popularly called "Chocolatetown, USA". Hershey is also referred to as "The Sweetest Place on Earth".[1]

Geography

Hershey is located in southeastern Dauphin County, in the center and eastern parts of Derry Township. It is bordered to the east by Palmdale (also in Derry Township) and by Campbelltown (in South Londonderry Township, Lebanon County). To the west is the borough of Hummelstown. Over half the population of Derry Township is within the Hershey CDP.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hershey CDP has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37.3 km2), of which 14.4 square miles (37.2 km2) is land and 0.058 square miles (0.15 km2), or 0.41%, is water.[4]

Demographics

2010

As of the 2010 census, there were 14,257 people living there. Hershey was made up of 83.5% white, 6.6% Asian, 6.1% African American, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 2.4% all other.[2]

2000

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 12,771 people, 5,451 households, and 3,297 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 886.5 people per square mile (342.2/km²). There were 5,887 housing units at an average density of 408.7/sq mi (157.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.07% White, 2.12% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.87% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 1.55% of the population.

There were 5,451 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $45,098, and the median income for a family was $63,385. Males had a median income of $42,013 versus $31,086 for females. The per capita for the CDP was $28,487. About 3.8% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

U.S. Route 422 (Chocolate Avenue) runs through the center of Hershey, and U.S. Route 322 passes south of the center. The two highways merge at the western end of Hershey, at an interchange with Pennsylvania Route 39. US 422 leads east 43 miles (69 km) to Reading, while US 322 leads southeast 28 miles (45 km) to Ephrata and west 15 miles (24 km) to Harrisburg, the state capital. Route 39 provides access to Hersheypark and Chocolate World, located in the northern part of the CDP, and continues north 6 miles (10 km) to Interstate 81 at Skyline View.

Hershey is accessible via Harrisburg International Airport, approximately 12 miles (19 km) to the southwest. Amtrak's Keystone Service provides frequent rail service to the nearby towns of Middletown (9 miles), Harrisburg (13 miles) and Elizabethtown Amtrak Station (11 miles). CAT and LT (formerly known as COLT) provide bus service.

From 1944 to 1981, Hershey had its own small general aviation airport.[6]

Climate

Hershey has a humid continental climate, very common in Pennsylvania. Temperatures can be up to 95 °F in the summer, and less than 20 °F in the winter.

Climate data for Hershey, Pennsylvania
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 36
(2)		 40
(4)		 49
(9)		 62
(17)		 71
(22)		 80
(27)		 84
(29)		 82
(28)		 75
(24)		 64
(18)		 52
(11)		 40
(4)		 61.3
(16.3)
Average low °F (°C) 20
(−7)		 23
(−5)		 29
(−2)		 39
(4)		 48
(9)		 58
(14)		 62
(17)		 61
(16)		 53
(12)		 42
(6)		 33
(1)		 25
(−4)		 41.1
(5.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.96
(75.2)		 2.77
(70.4)		 3.34
(84.8)		 3.68
(93.5)		 4.10
(104.1)		 4.15
(105.4)		 4.56
(115.8)		 3.64
(92.5)		 3.93
(99.8)		 3.49
(88.6)		 3.49
(88.6)		 3.34
(84.8)		 43.45
(1,103.5)
Source: [7]

Education

Sports

Club League Venue Established Championships won
Hershey Bears AHL, Ice hockey Giant Center 1932 11

Hershey was once home to the Hershey Wildcats of the A-League. This professional soccer team folded after the 2001 season when its owners decided that it would not be successful financially. The Wildcats were named after a popular roller-coaster in Hersheypark. Hershey was also home to the Hershey Impact over the AISL indoor soccer league.

National Basketball Association player Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a regular season game played at Hersheypark Arena in 1962; his effort remains a single-game record for the league.

Elizabethtown College hosted the 2015 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center.

Points of interest

Hershey Chocolate Factory, 1976.

The community is home to The Hershey Company, which makes the well-known Hershey Bar and Hershey's Kisses and is the parent company of the H. B. Reese Candy Company, manufacturer of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Hershey's Chocolate World is a factory store and virtual tour ride of The Hershey Company. The original Hershey Chocolate Factory, located downtown along Chocolate Avenue, was closed in 2012 due to high operational costs and has since been demolished. [8]

Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company owns and operates Hersheypark, Hersheypark Stadium, and other attractions such as ZooAmerica and Hershey Gardens, and is a major employer of the community and surrounding area.

The Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Milton Hershey School for underprivileged youth are also located in Hershey.

The Pennsylvania State Police Academy is located north along Hersheypark Drive. In addition, the Derry Township Police Department is a nationally recognized law enforcement agency.

Hershey is also home to four world-class golf courses, a few museums, and an opulent spa.

Hershey is known to host a variety of famous people through its Stadium Hershey Stadium. For example, this venue will host "The Dixie Chicks" and on a separate occasion Demi Lovato this summer (2015). In the past (2004), it hosted a President George W. Bush's re-election campaign event. Not only does this Stadium host famous people, it is also the venue of the Cocoa Bean Game. The football game in-between Hershey High School and Milton S. Hershey High School.

In popular culture

In the Mad Men season 6 finale, "In Care Of", Donald Draper makes a pitch that impresses Hershey's executives. He then reverses the effect (and gets himself suspended from the firm) by sharing his sordid background and the role Hershey's candy bars played in it. At the episode's end, Don takes his children to see the brothel he grew up in, in Hershey, Pennsylvania.[10][11]
In the Simpsons episode "Homerland", Homer says: "I’ve never prayed to a city in my life and if I did it’d be Hershey, Pennsylvania."[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Experience Hershey, PA". Hershey Entertainment & Resorts. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "2010 Census Interactive Population Search PA - Hershey CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  3. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hershey CDP, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ URL last accessed October 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Hershey, PA". Weather.com. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Hershey Area Playhouse
  10. ↑ Alan Sepinwall (June 23, 2013). "What's Alan Watching: Season finale review: 'Mad Men' - 'In Care Of': Both sides, now". Hitfix.
  11. ↑ Todd VanDerWerff (June 24, 2013). "S6/E13: In Care Of". AVClub.
  12. ↑ http://tstoaddicts.com/2013/09/30/doh-merland/

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hershey, PA.
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