York County was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster County and named either for the Duke of York, an early patron of the Penn family, or for the city and shire of York in England. Its county seat is the city of York.
It is little known that York was designated the first capital of the United States of America. This is due to the fact that the Articles of Confederation were adopted here by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 after a year of debate. Also, it is said that George Washington initially chose the borough of Wrightsville, located on the eastern side of York County along the Susquehanna River, to be the capital of the United States.
As of the census of 2000, there were 381,751 people, 148,219 households, and 105,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 422 people per square mile (163/km²). There were 156,720 housing units at an average density of 173 per square mile (67/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.76% White, 3.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.96% of the population. 42.0% were of German, 12.6% American, 7.7% Irish, 6.4% English and 5.1% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.8% spoke English and 2.9% Spanish as their first language.
There were 148,219 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
The York-Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area is the fastest-growing metro area in the Northeast region, and is ranked nationally among the fastest-growing in the nation, according to the "2006 Population Estimates for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas" (U.S. Census Bureau). The estimates listed York-Hanover as the 95th fastest-growing metro area in the nation, increasing 9.1 percent between 2000 and 2006.
York County is home to Martin's Potato Chips in Thomasville, Utz Quality Foods, Inc. in Hanover, Snyder's of Hanover in Hanover, Gibble's Potato Chips in York, Wolfgang Candy in York, The Bon-Ton in York, Dentsply in York, and a major manufacturing branch of Harley-Davidson Motor Company.