Messiahcollegebridge2, 1997
Messiah College’s story
117 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1997 and 7 maps from 1906 on.
- 1909Messiah College is settled
Messiah CollegePA
With 2,329 residents, this town was settled in 1909.
Is Messiah College a good place to live?
70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Messiah College, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Of the 1,036 Pennsylvania towns we compare, none has a lower age of the median resident than Messiah College. Messiah College’s concentration of trails is 5.3 miles per square mile, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. We don’t grade Messiah College yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Messiah College stand out
Where Messiah College beats most towns.
A growing town
Messiah College has grown 28% from 2010 to 2020
2,215 counted in 2010 and 2,841 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Nearby attractions
All 68 attractions →Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument and 36 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Messiah College. Close and well known come first.
11 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
Big draw37 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
19 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
19 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
27 mi Ancient siteGettysburg BattlefieldSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Messiah College: who provides what
Messiah College is unincorporated, so Cumberland County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVeolia Mechanicsburg water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesCumberland CountyCumberland County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCumberland County Board of ElectionsCumberland County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2025
ZIP code1702717027 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Messiah College.
Work & commute
Messiah College stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally: the average trip to work there is shorter
Half of commuters travel less than 66 miles. The share of working residents in Messiah College who work locally: 0.3%. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Messiah College dropped by 56, to 726. The top destinations are Philadelphia (4%), York (3%) and Pittsburgh (2%).
0%work in town
| Messiah College | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 10 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Messiah College0%
Philadelphia4%
York3%
Pittsburgh2%
West Manchester Township2%
66 mi
median commute distance
726
jobs based in Messiah College
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Compared with most of Pennsylvania and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Messiah College is lower
Of the losses FEMA expects in Messiah College, 59% come from inland flooding and 10% from hurricanes. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities.
2risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Messiah College has four seasons and pleasant summers
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 22°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
30″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring41–62°
Summer63–84°
Fall45–65°
Nov 2
typical first frost
Apr 9
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Messiah College is
This Pennsylvania town does better than the Pennsylvania average on 16 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 7. 35% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Messiah College. Of the 1,036 Pennsylvania towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Messiah College. Two figures for adults locally: 21% have obesity, 1.2% have diabetes.
| Messiah College | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.2% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 1.2% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 17% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
16 better3 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Messiah College | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 0.7% | 7.4% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 0.9% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 19% | 79.2% |
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center
7.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 213 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 5.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bittner Beach | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 2. Miller Meadow | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Messiah College
15pages on Messiah College
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Messiah College
Messiah UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Mechanicsburg0.3 mi$42,240 tuitionHarrisburg Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Harrisburg10.9 mi$6,975 in-state tuitionPennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgUniversity or college · Public · Middletown13.2 mi$15,972 in-state tuition
College town 100 of every 100 Messiah College residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
A job hub
Every workday, about 725 people come to Messiah College for work
Where Messiah College’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
726jobs based in Messiah College
0%of working residents work in town
66 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Messiah College
Private university in Grantham, Pennsylvania, US
Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university with it main campus in Grantham, Pennsylvania and Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1909
- ZIP code
- 17055
Messiah College’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Messiah College.
Upper Allen TownshipMonaghan TownshipMessiah College
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messiah College | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Upper Allen Township | #66 | A+ | C− | A | A− | A |
| Monaghan Township | #231 | A | B | — | B+ | A− |
Monaghan Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Messiah College isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Messiah College with a neighbor →
Questions about Messiah College
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Messiah College, PA a good place to live?
We don’t grade Messiah College yet; the figures below are still real.