Offering the cultural attractions of a big city and the down-home charm of a small town, York is an an extraordinary place to live, work, and play. Not many cities of York's size (just over 40,000 residents living within 5.3 square miles) can boast of two downtown farmers' markets, 24 parks, a premiere performing arts center that is undergoing a $15 million reconstruction, an elegant hotel designated as a National Trust Historic Hotel of America, a liberal arts college and university, a top-flight downtown library, six museums and a Visitors' Center, a Symphony Orchestra, downtown access to a 42-mile nature and jogging trail, 34 outdoor murals and mini-murals, a Junior League "Exchange City," and a Poet Laureate! Moreover, boasting over 10,000 trees, the City of York has been honored by the National Arbor Day Foundation for 18 consecutive years as "Tree City, U.S.A." And as much as we love our trees, we love our recreation. The City has 20 baseball and softball diamonds and an ice rink, and 21 golf courses are within a 30-minute drive of York. In fact, York County is second only to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in terms of golf courses per capita. Oh, and we forgot to mention our over 30 styles of remarkable architecture spanning the entire history of our nation and including some of the most spacious and beautiful red-brick, Victorian homes that you will ever see.

Below the Rail Trail winds the Codorus Creek - a tributary of the Susquehanna River that runs through the City for several miles. The York Foundation is administering the $2 million Codorus Fund to clean the water of the Codorus and to make it a recreational attraction. We envision kayakers, canoers, and waterboat paddlers enjoying fascinating views of the City from their floating views, while others stroll, jog, and ponder near the Codorus' banks, covered with flora and fauna.In the years to come, we will be connecting streetscaping enhancements, erecting antique-styled lights that emit bright, white light, and adding colorful, historical-themed murals throughout the downtown, thereby improving the aesthetics, charm, and walkability of the City. In conjunction with these improvements, we also are working on cultivating niche districts in downtown York - an Arts District, Antiques District, and Heritage Tourism District - to expand on recreational, commercial, and educational opportunities for our residents, to bolster neighborhood and civic pride, and to stimulate more economic activity.