Highspire, PA

Highspire is a Dauphin County borough on the northeast bank of the Susquehanna River, about six miles south of Harrisburg. The 2020 census counted 2,741 residents. The town was laid out in 1814, with the name linked either to a church spire visible from the river or to Spire in Bavaria. The Pennsylvania Canal and river shaped the early economy, bringing logging, milling, boat building, knitting, distilling, and food factories. Highspire’s industrial past is still visible in the old high school, listed on the National Register, and in the street grid between Harrisburg and Middletown. Highspire’s green space follows the same transportation story.

Memorial Park sits near the center and hosts baseball and community gatherings; Reservoir Park occupies the old canal reservoir area, now a 37-acre wetland with a 1.3-mile walking and biking trail. The borough maintains five parks and playgrounds, with pavilion rentals at Memorial and Reservoir. Pennsylvania Route 230 runs through town, while the Turnpike curls around the north and west edges. Highspire is a compact river borough with a big industrial backstory, a daily Harrisburg connection, and enough park and river ground to keep the old canal landscape in the picture.