Emergency Crime Scene and Biohazard Cleanup in Lancaster, PA

Lancaster is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States, settled in the 1720s, originally called Hickory Town, laid out by James Hamilton in 1734, and renamed after the English city of Lancaster.

Lancaster served as the capital of the United States for exactly one day — September 27, 1777 — when the Continental Congress met at its courthouse while fleeing the British capture of Philadelphia.

Lancaster was the capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812, before the seat of government moved to Harrisburg.

Lancaster had a population of 58,039 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in Pennsylvania, and it is the county seat of Lancaster County.

Lancaster has about 22,000 households, and only about 49% of its homes are owner-occupied, a sign of its large renter population.

Lancaster is nicknamed the Red Rose City, after the red rose symbol of England's House of Lancaster.

Lancaster Central Market, established in 1730 and now housed in an 1889 Romanesque brick market house, is the nation's oldest continuously operating farmers market.

Lancaster is the home of Franklin & Marshall College, a liberal arts college that traces its roots to Franklin College, founded in 1787 and named for Benjamin Franklin.

Wheatland, the home of James Buchanan — Pennsylvania's only U.S. president — sits just outside Lancaster's downtown and is open for tours.

Lancaster is the urban heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and nearly 40 percent of the city's residents are Latino, with about 18 percent African American.