Lancaster County living in Strasburg, or Train Town USA
Shrill train whistles sound in Strasburg, a historic Lancaster County transit hub that's earned the nickname “Train Town USA.” Tracks run from this small borough to its surrounding, namesake township, connecting centuries-old landmarks to flocks of modern tourists seeking the bucolic beauty of Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. Engineered as it is to meet the region’s agritourism sector, Strasburg is far from a simple tourist trap. Carefully preserved rural calm, a housing development boom and a vital collection of cultural and community centers serve full-time residents, long after heritage train tours stop for the season. “Strasburg has a ton of touristy things around, like the Strasburg Rail Road, but it’s also in a really good school district,” says Amy Beachy, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Realty who specializes in and lives in Lancaster County. “It’s got the kinds of things and laidback, peaceful feeling that are attractive to young families.”
A blend of historic and modern homes on suburban and rural land
Evenly spaced, small-town blocks center Strasburg’s borough center, full of the grand Victorian and simple National homes built in the mid-1800s through early 1900s. Subdivisions were laid out nearby in the 1950s through 1970s, full of quiet suburban lots and classic ranch-style, split-level and Cape Cod homes. These older single-family houses sell for around $230,000 to $600,000. New Traditional homes on similarly suburban plots from the 1990s through the 2020s can go for around $350,000 to $900,000, depending on whether they're small 55-plus community homes or expansive four-bedroom builds. Many styles of homes stand on an acre or two of land farther out in the township, and can sell for $400,000 to $820,000. Larger acreages come on the market less often and can go for anywhere from $1.1 million to $3.2 million, depending on whether they’re several acres or several dozen acres in size.
Attending Lampeter-Strasburg School District
Strasburg is served by the Lampeter-Strasburg School District. Lampeter-Strasburg Early Childhood Center is the district’s kindergarten facility and is not currently graded by Niche. Lampeter Elementary School serves first and second grade and earns an A-minus, as does Hans Herr Elementary School, which serves third through fifth grades. Martin Meylin Middle School scores an A. At A-minus-rated Lampeter-Strasburg High School, students can earn dual enrollment credit through institutions like Harrisburg Area Community College.
Train attractions and stage plays around Strasburg
The Strasburg Rail Road’s steam engines have been hauling cargo and passengers through bucolic Amish countryside since 1832, making it the oldest continually operating railroad in the nation. Other locomotives and railroad artifacts fill the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s showrooms near the tracks. Model train enthusiasts can find the Choo Choo Barn just down the road. The palatial Sight & Sound Theatres draws enormous crowds to faith-based theatrical productions known for their over-the-top set design and live animal costars. The borough also brings neighbors together for classic community events, including Halloween parades and Christmas tree lightings.
Shopping and dining on Main Street and in the country
Downtown Strasburg falls along Main and Decatur streets, connected by narrow sidewalks and views of the decorative towers on the landmark Gonder Mansion and historic churches like Westley United Methodist Church. “You can walk around town and just go into all Strasburg's little shops,” Beachy says. Don’s Collectibles, one of many antique and secondhand stores in the borough, is the next block over from the workshop of Barebones Bicycle and Fitness. Diners can opt for casual or upscale American dishes at the historic Fireside Tavern. Locally, often Amish-owned restaurants draw customers with pastoral vistas in the outlying township. Ice cream fans pet horses and goats that greet them outside Down on the Farm Creamery. Strasburg Market Place and Tractor Supply are the nearest spots for groceries. Walmart is about 5 miles away, past Lancaster County’s U.S. Route 30 outlet shopping malls collection.
Playing, singing and swimming in borough parks
Birds and butterflies flock to Strasburg Community Park, a quiet green space where signage directs nature trail walkers between preserved woodlands, savannahs, vernal ponds and rain gardens. An amphitheater stands in the middle of a flower-dotted meadow, a casual venue for events like the summertime Sounds of Strasburg Free Concert Series. Strasburg Jaycee Park offers a playground, athletic courts and baseball fields nearby, and is home to the Strasburg Senior Softball team. Locals dive into the Strasburg Pool through the warmer months. Strasburg-Heisler Library offers a more weatherproof place to browse books or join a hobby group like the go club.
Lancaster hubs and commuting outside the county
The county seat of Lancaster and Lancaster General Hospital are roughly 10 miles from Strasburg. Philadelphia is nearly 65 miles away. Harrisburg International Airport is about 40 miles from home. The area is car-dependent, though drivers should expect to share the road with Anabaptist neighbors getting around on bicycles or in horse-drawn buggies.
Written By
Julia Szymanski
