Dover, Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 40°00′14″N 76°50′58″W / 40.00389°N 76.84944°W / 40.00389; -76.84944
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dover, Pennsylvania
Borough
Englehart Melchinger House
Englehart Melchinger House
Location in York County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Location in York County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Dover is located in Pennsylvania
Dover
Dover
Location of Dover in Pennsylvania
Dover is located in the United States
Dover
Dover
Dover (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°00′14″N 76°50′58″W / 40.00389°N 76.84944°W / 40.00389; -76.84944
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyYork
Settled1764; 260 years ago (1764)
Incorporated1864; 160 years ago (1864)
Government
 • TypeBorough Council
Area
 • Total0.54 sq mi (1.41 km2)
 • Land0.54 sq mi (1.41 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
443 ft (135 m)
Population
 • Total1,954
 • Density3,598.53/sq mi (1,390.20/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code
17315
Area code(s)717; prefixes 292, 308[3]
FIPS code42-19696
Websitedoverboroughpa.com

Dover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,954 at the 2020 census.[2] The United States Census Bureau says the borough has a total area of 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²). All of it is land. There are no lakes or rivers in Dover.

History[change | change source]

James Joner bought 203 acres of land in 1764. On this land, he created the town of Dover. It was known as Jonerstown until 1815, when the name was changed to Dover. Dover was incorporated in 1864, exactly 100 years after its founding.

Intelligent design controversy[change | change source]

Dover is most well known for something that happened in 2004-05. The Dover Area School District voted to include a statement about intelligent design in what is taught on about biology in its schools. This action led to the court case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District in late 2005.

On December 20, 2005, Judge John E. Jones III decided in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that a public school district in Pennsylvania cannot teach Intelligent Design in a science class room. He said it was because it is based on a religious belief. The first amendment in the United States Constitution does not allow the government to deal with anything that deals with religious points of view. [1][permanent dead link] [2] [3]

References[change | change source]

  1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Dover borough, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  3. "Area Code 717 phone numbers". Whitepages. Retrieved June 1, 2020.

Other websites[change | change source]