Marietta, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Marietta, Pennsylvania
Borough
Old Town Hall
Location in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Marietta, Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Marietta, Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Lancaster
Area
• Total	0.75 sq mi (1.95 km²)
• Land	0.75 sq mi (1.93 km²)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²)
Elevation	279 ft (85 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,623
• Density	3,511.38/sq mi (1,356.05/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	17547
Area codes	717 and 223
School district	Donegal School District

Marietta is a small town, called a borough, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It's located right on the east bank of the Susquehanna River. In 2020, about 2,633 people lived there. It's a historic place with a lot of charm!

Marietta's Location and Size
The History of Marietta
Marietta's Population Over Time
Education in Marietta
Famous People from Marietta
Images for kids
See also

Marietta's Location and Size

Marietta is in the western part of Lancaster County. It sits by the Susquehanna River. On the other side of the river is Hellam Township in York County.

The town is quite small. It covers about 0.75 square miles (1.95 square kilometers). Only a tiny bit of this area is water.

A main road called Market Street runs through the whole town. Another important road, Pennsylvania Route 441, passes just north of Marietta. This highway can take you to nearby towns like Columbia and Middletown.

The History of Marietta

How Marietta Began

Marietta started to take shape in 1727. James Anderson and David Cook were among the first to plan out parts of the town. Later, other people like Jacob Grosh and John Myers also helped develop the area.

In 1812, these different areas officially joined together to become one town, a borough. This made Marietta an official place on the map!

Early Challenges and Growth

For a few years, Marietta didn't grow much. Then, the town faced some tough economic times until around 1830. After that, things got better. Industries like timber (wood) and iron smelting (making iron) brought many jobs and helped the town grow.

How Marietta Got Its Name

The name "Marietta" is a mix of two first names. It comes from Mary Cook and Etta Anderson. They were the wives of two of the very first settlers in the area.

Historic Places in Marietta

Marietta has several buildings and areas that are very old and important. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are protected because of their history. Some of these include the Ashley and Bailey Silk Mill and the Joseph Bucher House.

Marietta's Population Over Time

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	1,428	—
1850	2,099	47.0%
1860	2,186	4.1%
1870	2,397	9.7%
1880	2,503	4.4%
1890	2,402	−4.0%
1900	2,469	2.8%
1910	2,079	−15.8%
1920	1,735	−16.5%
1930	1,969	13.5%
1940	2,128	8.1%
1950	2,442	14.8%
1960	2,385	−2.3%
1970	2,838	19.0%
1980	2,740	−3.5%
1990	2,778	1.4%
2000	2,689	−3.2%
2010	2,588	−3.8%
2020	2,633	1.7%
2021 (est.)	2,978	15.1%
Sources:

In 2000, there were about 2,689 people living in Marietta. There were 1,092 households, which are groups of people living together. The average age of people in Marietta was 36 years old.

Education in Marietta

Students in Marietta go to schools in the Donegal School District.

Younger students (kindergarten to second grade) attend Donegal Primary School.
Students in third through sixth grade go to Donegal Intermediate School.
Seventh and eighth graders attend Donegal Junior High School.
High school students (ninth through twelfth grade) go to Donegal Senior High School.

All these schools are located either in or near Mount Joy.

Famous People from Marietta

Some notable people have come from Marietta:

Henry B. Cassel (1855–1926) was a politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Alan Dawson (1929–1996) was a famous jazz drummer and teacher.
George Clayton Foulk (1856–1893) was a U.S. Ambassador to Korea.
David Hickernell (born 1959) is a politician in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Simon Snyder Rathvon (1812–1891) was an expert on insects, known as an entomologist.