COMMUNITY PROFILES

Preserving the finest of yesterday while keeping pace with high technology and modern conveniences, Central Pennsylvania offers delightful contrasts. Productive farms, roadside markets, and unspoiled countryside lie in close proximity to renowned colleges and internationally recognized healthcare institutions. Students receive a quality education in some of the finest public and private schools in the nation. Computer use, the Internet, and high technology are well integrated into the core curriculum, preparing students to assume leading roles and achieve success in a competitive world. While Pennsylvania public schools emphasize a strong core curriculum, they also excel in presenting opportunities for self-expression and enrichment in such areas as the arts, sports, foreign languages, and vocational training. Private schools, both independent and parochial, add to the selection of educational environments.

Progressive and comprehensive technical and career schools provide a variety of programs to students of all ages. The City of York is especially rich in the number and variety of specialized institutions, from the visual arts to business and technical schools. Private colleges like Gettysburg, Elizabethtown, Wilson, Juniata, Franklin & Marshall, and Lebanon Valley College join several state colleges including Shippensburg University, Millersburg University, and York College as well as Pennsylvania State University extensions and branch campuses.

Hospitals, medical centers, and research institutes that enjoy a worldwide reputation for excellence such as the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland are available within a reasonable drive from Central Pennsylvania communities. Throughout the region are high respected regional and community hospitals, family practice clinics, emergency care centers, women’s health centers, specialty centers, rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care units. Skilled physicians and dentists in private practice represent every specialty. Community education, public health screenings, and wellness programs are part of the proactive attitude toward health maintenance.