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Big small town

Living in Columbia, PA

Columbia is a big small town of 10,278 people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It's about 10 miles from Lancaster, PA and 51 miles from Baltimore, MD, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 86°F and winter highs 38°F, with about 22 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $197k and rent runs about $1k a month.

10,278people
$197kTypical home
$1,075/moRent
86° / 38°Summer / winter
22"Snow
213Sunny days
125Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 10,278
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 4,258 people per sq mi
  • 51 mi to Baltimore, MD
  • 10 mi to Lancaster, PA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $197k (≈$1,239/mo)
  • Median rent $1,075/mo
  • Median household income $54k
  • Property tax about 1.9% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 86°F
  • Winter highs around 38°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 213 sunny days a year (65 totally clear)
  • 152 cloudy days a year
  • 48 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 125 days a year with rain or snow
  • 22" of snow a year
  • 6 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 9 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (162 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,098 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 42
  • 24% of households have kids
  • 23% are 65 or older
  • 18% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 3% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 26 min
  • 7% walk or take transit to work
  • 12 mi to LNS airport
  • 60 mi to BWI (major hub)
  • 5 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 62% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1938
  • 84% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 358 ft
  • 40 mi to the ocean
  • 164 mi to a big lake
  • 16 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 23 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 42 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 623 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 50 bars within 25 mi
  • 181 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 3 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 70 museums within 25 mi
  • 16 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 5 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 41% of Pennsylvania districts (reading)
  • 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 10 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 13 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 2 mi to the nearest vet
  • 6 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 11 congregations per 10k people
  • 8 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Lancaster County: R+16 in 2024
  • Pennsylvania: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Moderate hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Columbia

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