CQPolitics

Situated west of the Susquehanna River, mostly east of the South Mountain ridge and mostly south of Harrisburg (in the neighboring 17th), the 19th’s historic landscape has a reliably Republican constituency and flourishing agricultural and manufacturing industries.

Located along several major highways, the district is a prime location for manufacturing and distribution centers, including depots and logistical support facilities for the Defense Department, and York County serves as the 19th’s industrial hub. Residential growth, a more recent trend, also can be attributed to the district’s location — many Marylanders have moved here for lower taxes and affordable real estate. Adams and York counties both have grown by more than 20 percent since 1990, with Cumberland having grown 16 percent over the same time period.

Tourism also plays a major role in the district’s economy. Nearly 2 million visitors each year come to see the site of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in Adams County, now a largely fruit-growing area. Many come for the annual re-enactment of one of the Civil War’s most significant battles and to see monuments, military grave sites, historic markers and the site of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

George W. Bush won 64 percent of the 19th’s vote in the 2004 presidential election. Cumberland County (shared with the 9th) is strongly Republican, with Bush winning 63 percent of the district’s portion of the county. York and Adams also have strong GOP leans, with Democrats only finding strength in the city of York, where blacks and Hispanics combined make up more than 40 percent of the population, and Gettysburg, which has a large college-age population.

Major Industry

Agriculture, manufacturing, distribution, defense, tourism

Military Bases

Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, 296 military, 1,047 civilian (2004); Carlisle Barracks, 602 military, 1,065 civilian (2007)

Cities

York, 40,862; Carlisle, 17,970; Hanover, 14,535

Notable

York served as the first U.S. Capital from 1777-78 while the British occupied Philadelphia; Tours are available of the York Harley-Davidson manufacturing facility, which covers 230 acres and employs 3,200.