By GERALD L. MOLLOY
_Manager, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce_
Lancaster has long been noted for its unusually stable economy. The
factors which contribute to this stability are numerous but perhaps can
best be summarized by pointing out that in this historic area one finds
a unique balance between agriculture, commerce and industry. Lancaster
County ranks in the first five of the 3,073 Counties in the United
States in the value per acre of its agricultural production; more than
600 industrial plants provide employment for approximately 55,000
industrial workers; and Lancaster City, strategically located in the
center of this prosperous agricultural-industrial County, serves as the
commercial trade center for more than 318,400 persons. Thus with
commerce, industry and agriculture complementing each other,
Lancastrians traditionally have enjoyed a particularly healthy economic
climate.
Since the days prior to the American Revolution, Lancaster has been
famed for its skilled industrial workers and the wide diversity of
precision products manufactured in its factories. With its workers
largely drawn from fourth and fifth generation Lancaster families of
English and German origin, local industry has established a far-flung
reputation for the uniformly high quality of its labor.
Among the products manufactured in Lancaster plants are such nationally
distributed items as Alcoa screw machine products, Armstrong floor
coverings, Black & Decker tools, R. R. Donnelley & Sons printing,
Eshelman feeds, Hamilton watches, Howmet aluminum products, Hubley toys,
Lambert-Hudnut cosmetics, New Holland Farm Machinery, R.C.A. television
and electronic tubes, Raybestos asbestos products, Schick electric
shavers and Trojan power boats.
Side by side with industry in Lancaster County, retail trade and
wholesale distribution has grown and prospered since Colonial times.
There are now 450 wholesale firms and over 3,000 retail outlets serving
this thriving area. Attesting to the stability of the local economy is
the fact that included among the retail groups are the oldest department
store and oldest tobacco store in America, each of which is still
operated by the same family interests which founded them and each is
still situated at its original location.
The traditional stability and prosperity of Lancaster industrial and
commercial enterprises form a sound economic base upon which to build a
fine community. This becomes apparent as the visitor views the excellent
schools and hospitals, the recreational and cultural facilities, the
beautiful residential areas and other community assets which are a
hallmark of the good living in Lancaster County.