Carlisle is the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 18,682 (2010 Census). The town is also considered an exurb of Harrisburg, which lies to the east, and in 2010 the towns were named together by Forbes as one of the Best Places to Raise a Family .
Carlisle has an interesting history that goes back to it's founding in 1751. It is said Benjamin Franklin negotiated with Indians here in 1753. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1782, and in 1794, Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops assembled in Carlisle under the leadership of President George Washington. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, developed Carlisle Grammar School and chartered it as Dickinson College, from which President James Buchanan graduated in 1809. Today, Dickinson College with an enrollment of over 2,400 students, is still an important part of Carlisle, along with other impressive schools located here which include Penn State Dickinson School of Law, and the U.S. Army War College which trains high-level military personnel for leadership responsibilities.
Other famous names with connections to Carlisle include Revolutionary legend Molly Pitcher and Olympic star Jim Thorpe. Carlisle is also very popular with car enthusiasts from all over the United States, and famous for its national car shows with several events held throughout the year. Picture of Carlisle's downtown courtesy of Wikipedia and Doug Kerr, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0/ picture of Dickinson College courtesy of Wikipedia and Tomwsulcer; picture of U.S. Army College courtesy of Wikipedia, both in the public domain. |