Mount Joy has been my new home since July. My boys and I have been warmly welcomed here in Pennsylvania and we love our little town. So, I think it's time to share about this delightful borough.
Mount Joy has a population of 7,410 (2010) and has a total area of 2.3 square miles. It is part of Lancaster County and considered part of the Susquehanna Valley. It may be a small town, but it's only 15-20 minutes to Lancaster and only 30 minutes to Harrisburg. Not to mention it's a quick 1.5 hour to Philadelphia and Baltimore.
There is very little diversity in Mount Joy but it makes up for it with its strong, proud heritage. Around the 1700s, "most the Scottish Presbyterians left their Irish homeland and came to the colonies. One of the biggest settlements was Donegal, and the settlers brought with them the names from Ireland. Donegal and Mount Joy are two of those names" (http://mountjoyborough.com/about/history/). Also, Mountjoy was the name of an Irish supply ship that broke through a river blockade in Ireland in 1688-89.
While researching for this review, I found out that because Mount Joy is not an actual mountain , it is not proper to use Mt. Joy when referring to the town when addressing an envelope or in print. Now I know!
Mount Joy is a wonderful town to raise a family. I have found the people here to be warm, friendly, hardworking and extremely respectful. I have never seen such patient drivers as I do here. Everyone lets someone else go first.
While I don't have the ocean nearby, the rolling country roads and the gorgeous Susquehanna River allows me to forget about the blue sea and sandy beaches. This town has several parks, an amazing butcher, tons of Mom and Pop stores instead of chains--this is what small town America should be.
**I've got to say that I'm giving 4 stars for a couple of reasons but one is because of the smells. A good portion of the time, when I go outside my door, it smells like something died. Whether it's manure or from a factory--I could do without the odor. I do enjoy the chocolate smell! read more