Paradise offers idyllic living and highway access in Lancaster County
Surrounded by cheeky Lancaster County locales like Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand, there’s a rural village and township with a more nirvanic name: Paradise. Part of the Pequea Valley, the area covers a rolling expanse of fertile farmland, country roads and centuries-old settlements. Through a regional shift toward agritourism, housing development and public school consolidation, Paradise has also managed to preserve the sights, small-town traditions and slower pace of Central Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. “One of the best things about Paradise is that you can still feel like you’re in the country, but have quick, easy access to the highway,” says Amy Beachy, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Realty who specializes in and lives in Lancaster County. “You can be in Lancaster or anywhere you need to go in 25 minutes.”
Low inventory in Paradise’s villages and surrounding countryside
Most of the township's homes are in historic villages built along U.S. Route 30, like Paradise, Vintage and Kinzers. Farmhouses, bungalows and Foursquares from the early 1900s fill grassy, closely plotted lots. Nearby, buyers find Cape Cods, ranch-style homes and split-levels built from the 1950s through 1980s. Craftsman-inspired homes are found in a couple of 2010s subdivisions in attached and detached forms. Prices typically range from around $260,000 to $540,000. Homes on small acreages in the outlying township have sold for as much as $910,000, but these properties rarely come on the market. “There’s just such low inventory in Paradise; people aren’t moving,” Beachy says. “If I look at what’s sold in the last six months, I might see a handful of homes. Other towns in Lancaster County? There will have been 150 sales. A lot of homes, farms and properties are staying in families.”
Pequea Valley School District earns a C-plus
Paradise is served by the Pequea Valley School District. Paradise Elementary School scores a C-plus from Niche. Pequea Valley Secondary School opened for the 2025-26 school year and is currently ungraded by Niche. The school serves the district’s seventh through 12th graders, replacing C-plus-rated Pequea Valley Intermediate School and B-rated Pequea Valley High School. Older students can earn dual-enrollment credit through a partnership with Harrisburg University.
Shopping and dining on Route 30
Sandwiched between industrial areas, Paradise has many businesses along Route 30. Latte Luv is a tiny roadside establishment and a favorite for drive-through pastries and specialty coffee. Weekend visitors and novelty-seeking locals can head to Magic & Wonder Dinner Theater for a meal and entertainment or to dine in a converted railroad car at Casey Jones’ Restaurant at Paradise Station. Vendors display all kinds of oddities in the mazelike Cackleberry Farm Antique Mall, one of several antique stores in the township. Family Dollar and local farmstands can supply some groceries. Aldi is a handful of miles down Route 30, between two major outlet malls, the Tanger Outlets Lancaster and The Shops @ Rockvale.
Community parks, fishing, hiking and rural recreation around Paradise
Paradise Community Park is a grassy, forest-fringed space where a walking trail connects baseball fields, basketball courts and a playground. Anglers might cast into Pequea Creek from the community park or private lots that line the waterway's ribbon-like bends. Denlinger Pond is another local fishing hole, set in a wooded pocket beyond a red covered bridge. Hikers listen for birdsong, the rustle of maple trees and the rush of Eshleman Run in the Homewood Nature Preserve. Private businesses like Cherry Crest Adventure Farm and the Strasburg Rail Road allow visitors to explore a seasonal pumpkin patch or picnic beside heritage railroad tracks.
Community picnics, mud sales and other township traditions
Family-friendly entertainment, fair food and fireworks fill the township’s community park each summer at the Paradise Community Picnic. Tens of thousands place bids at mud sales, or Amish auctions, held a few times a year at the Pequea Valley Fire Department’s stations. Neighbors get together and continue the good-luck Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day, also courtesy of the fire department. Several houses of worship hold religious services throughout the township, with some, like Leacock Presbyterian Church, also holding free community meals and other special events.
Lancaster County and eastern Pennsylvania commuting
Taking Route 30, the county seat of Lancaster is about 12 miles from Paradise. Red Rose Transit Authority buses make stops along Route 30, but residents often rely on cars to get around. Lancaster General Hospital is around 10 miles away. Harrisburg International Airport is about 40 miles west, and Philadelphia is roughly 60 miles to the east. Anabaptist neighbors often use buggies to get around, so motorists should expect to occasionally share the road.
Flood risk on Pequea Creek
Waterways like Pequea Creek may flood low-lying properties and roads after unusually heavy rain. Buyers can check maps to understand the potential risk and need for flood insurance.
Written By
Julia Szymanski
