Carlisle, PA

Carlisle centers around a historic square where High and Hanover Streets meet beside the Cumberland County courthouse. The borough is compact and walkable, with red-brick sidewalks connecting several distinct neighborhoods. Just a few blocks west, the limestone buildings and green quads of Dickinson College and Penn State Dickinson Law bring students, faculty, and cozy coffee shops into the mix. Head northeast, and you will find the manicured grounds of Carlisle Barracks and the peaceful walking paths along Letort Spring Run. It creates a diverse, welcoming atmosphere where local attorneys, college students, and military officers all share the same favorite lunch spots.

ATTRJ. Passepartout / CC BY-SA 4.0

The town's military roots have a major influence on the community. Carlisle Barracks, one of the nation's oldest military posts, is home to the U.S. Army War College. Because high-ranking officers and their families relocate here from across the country and around the globe for year-long programs, Carlisle has an unexpectedly worldly feel for a small Pennsylvania town. The post also holds sobering history as the former site of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, now being preserved and interpreted as a federal national monument. The combination of academic curiosity and deep historical heritage gives the community a distinctive character that you feel walking down any residential street.

ATTRDoug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0

Employment is anchored by a healthy mix of local institutions and major regional commerce. The colleges, the military, county government, and local healthcare provide steady professional jobs in the center of town. Just outside the borough, the regional headquarters for The GIANT Company and major logistics hubs along Interstate 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike offer plenty of additional career opportunities. Outside of work, residents gather at the year-round Farmers on the Square market on Wednesday afternoons, catch concerts and movies at the vintage Carlisle Theatre, or walk the downtown restaurant row. Car culture is another signature draw, with the Carlisle Fairgrounds hosting world-famous automotive events and car shows that bring a fun, lively buzz to town every season.