Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Published February 2013
Ephrata Borough is the location of choice in northern Lancaster County. The borough offers an outstanding variety of services and activities that contribute to the quality of life – making Ephrata a great place to live, work and play.
Located in southeast Pennsylvania, Ephrata is a community with a long and rich history. The Ephrata Cloister, one of America’s earliest religious communities, founded the town in the 1700s and the Borough of Ephrata was incorporated in 1891. Today, the Cloister is a National Historic Landmark and is open for tours, special programs and research.
Ephrata is now largely a residential community and retains its charming small-town feel. The borough is located in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, about five miles from the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Local organizations including Downtown Ephrata Inc., Ephrata Merchants Association and the Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce work with area businesses to facilitate economic development.
Carefree community
The Ephrata Fair is a tradition dating back to 1919. Originally started as a homecoming celebration to greet returning World War I veterans, the fair now continues under the sponsorship of the Ephrata Farmers Day Association and has grown to become the oldest and largest street fair of its kind of any Pennsylvania borough.
The annual fair features free entertainment, contests, competitions, rides and attractions. The 95th Annual Ephrata Fair will take place this year Sept. 24-28.
Lancaster County is the potato chip and pretzel capital of America, and tours of these snack food manufacturing facilities draw visitors from all over.
The borough boasts many recreational parks, and celebrates the arts with amphitheater, theaters and performing arts center. Ephrata’s 20,000 square foot public library is the largest circulating library in Lancaster County.
Excellence in health care has been a priority for the borough. The Ephrata Community Hospital was independently developed more than 65 years ago to serve local needs. The hospital is noted for combining medical technology with friendly and personalized care, and offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services.
A fun fact: Ephrata is the hometown of 1954 Miss America, Evelyn Sempier, 1976 Mr. America, Mike Mentzer, and actor-producer Kevin Carvell.
Maximizing resources
The Borough of Ephrata Electric Division has been serving customers since it was started in 1902.
Currently the Borough provides water and wastewater utility services to adjacent communities, which result in more efficient operations and lower utility rates. The Electric Division is operated for the sole benefit of the borough and distributes about 140-million kilowatt hours (kWh) of power each year. As a municipal power supplier, there are no shareholders and no dividends. All proceeds from the sale of electricity stay within the borough, and are used provide additional services and amenities to community residents.
Ephrata has been named a Reliable Power Public Provider (RP3) program recipient by the American Public Power Association (APPA). RP3 is recognition for providing consumers with the highest degree of reliable and safe electric service.
As a member of AMP, Ephrata participates in a number of AMP programs and projects that assist in providing reliable energy and other benefits to the community and its citizen-owners. These include:
- Pennsylvania AMP Service Group (PASG)
- AMP Fremont Energy Center, a natural gas combined cycle facility that supplies intermediate and peaking power
- Efficiency Smart, a comprehensive energy-efficiency program administered for AMP by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
- EcoSmart Choice, a green pricing program which enables members to extend the benefits of renewable generation to their customers regardless of the communities’ power supply mix
- Blue Creek Wind Farm, a 314-MW wind farm in northwest Ohio that helps diversify AMPs pool of resources providing power to members
For more information on the Borough of Ephrata, visit www.ephrataboro.org
