Gratz, PA

Gratz is a Dauphin County borough at the base of Short Mountain and Bear Mountain, with 743 residents in the 2020 census. Pennsylvania Route 25 runs through the borough, leading east toward Interstate 81 and west to Millersburg on the Susquehanna River. The Appalachian ridge-and-valley setting is part of daily orientation, with Short Mountain rising south of the residential streets. Gratz lies within the Harrisburg metropolitan area and keeps its local institutions near the borough center.

The borough was named for Simon Gratz, who also donated land for Simeon United Lutheran Church and cemetery on what was known as Wildcat Hill. The congregation formed in 1822, and the present church building was in use by 1832. The Gratz Fair began with a charter in 1873 and still brings agricultural exhibits, shows, and rides to the fairgrounds each September. The Gratz Historical Society, founded in 1977, maintains another link to the borough’s past. Gratz is a Pennsylvania mountain-base borough where church, fairground, road, and local history meet.