Adams County (Pennsylvania)

Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. Its county seat is Gettysburg. The county was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams. On 1–3 July 1863, Gettysburg and its vicinity was the site of the pivotal battle of the American Civil War, and as a result is a center for Civil War tourism.Adams County comprises the Gettysburg, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area.GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.6%) is water. The Borough of Gettysburg is located at the center of Adams County. This county seat community is surrounded on three sides by the Gettysburg National Military Park (GNMP). The Eisenhower National Historic Site adjoins GNMP on its southwest edge. Most of Adams County's rural landscapes and its mid-19th century roadway pattern remain intact today. Thirteen historic roadways converge at or near Gettysburg Borough. Two circular rings of towns surround Gettysburg; the first ring is typically found at a distance of about 7mi from Gettysburg. The second ring is found at a distance of 12 to 15mi from the County Seat. This "spokes and wheel" pattern represents one of the few examples of Central Place Theory in the Eastern United States.