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Messiah College is a small town of 2,329 people in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It's about 10 miles from Harrisburg, PA and 62 miles from Baltimore, MD, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 87°F and winter highs 39°F, with about 27 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $278k and rent runs about $1k a month.
2,329people
$278kTypical home
$1,249/moRent
87° / 39°Summer / winter
27"Snow
213Sunny days
128Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 2,329
- Part of a metro area
- About 7,255 people per sq mi
- 62 mi to Baltimore, MD
- 10 mi to Harrisburg, PA
- 10 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $278k (≈$1,751/mo)
- Median rent $1,249/mo
- Median household income $87k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 8.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 87°F
- Winter highs around 39°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
- 128 days a year with rain or snow
- 27" of snow a year
- 8 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 6 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (27 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (282 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 20
- 5% of households have kids
- 4% are 65 or older
- 65% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 83% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 13 min
- 50% walk or take transit to work
- 12 mi to MDT airport
- 70 mi to BWI (major hub)
- 9 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 96% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1980
- 57% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 459 ft
- 61 mi to the ocean
- 154 mi to a big lake
- 7 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 4 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 38 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 573 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 42 bars within 25 mi
- 131 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 3 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 37 museums within 25 mi
- 13 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 3 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 24% of Pennsylvania districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 9 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 2 mi to the nearest vet
- Dog park in town
- 8 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Cumberland County: R+9 in 2024
- Pennsylvania: Purple — split almost evenly
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.