Lancaster. 1 Uninc. city (1990 pop. 97,291), Los Angeles co., S Calif., in Antelope Valley and in the Mojave Desert; laid out 1894. It developed as a trade center for an irrigated farming area and has since become an important site for electronic, aerospace, aircraft, and defense industries. Local borax mining and the nearby Edwards Air Force Base, a major military installation, add to Lancaster's economy. The city is the seat of Antelope Valley College and has a Native American museum with prehistoric artifacts.
2 Village (1990 pop. 11,940), Erie co., W N.Y.; inc. 1849. Its industries include lumber mills, dairy farms, and stone quarries.
3 City (1990 pop. 34,507), seat of Fairfield co., S central Ohio, on the Hocking River, in a livestock and dairy area; founded 1800 by Ebenezer Zane, inc. as a village 1831. Its manufactures include glassware, shoes, heating equipment, and automotive parts. The birthplace of the brothers Gen. William T. Sherman and Senator John Sherman has been preserved. In the area are many covered bridges and a Native American mound in the form of a cross. The city contains a campus of Ohio Univ.
4 City (1990 pop. 55,551), seat of Lancaster co., SE Pa., on the Conestoga River, in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country; inc. as a city 1818. It is the commercial center for a productive agricultural county. Chief products are livestock, poultry, grain, potatoes, soybeans, alfalfa, apples, and dairy items. Manufacturing includes electrical, concrete, and aluminum products; security and medical equipment; automotive parts; and food products. There is also commercial printing. Lancaster is the seat of Franklin and Marshall College and a theological seminary, and it is noted for its large Amish and Mennonite communities. The area was settled by German Mennonites c.1709 and was a starting point for westward-bound pioneers. The famous Conestoga wagon was developed there. The borough of Lancaster was laid out in 1730 and was one of the first inland cities in the country. A munitions center during the Revolution, it was briefly (1777) a meeting place of the Continental Congress and served as capital of the state for more than 10 years before 1812. Robert Fulton was born nearby. Points of interest include Wheatland, the home of President James Buchanan (built in 1828), and the Fulton Opera House (1854).
5 City (1990 pop. 22,117), Dallas co., in NE Tex.; settled 1846, inc. 1886. It is a processing and shipping center for a fruit, vegetable, and cotton region. Chemicals, transportation equipment, bricks, brass valves, and metal products are manufactured.
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