West Fairview is located on the eastern edge of Cumberland County and East Pennsboro Township at 40.273538° North, 76.916346° West (40.273538, -76.916346).[2] It is on the west shore of the Susquehanna River facing Harrisburg, the state capital. It occupies a hilly peninsula of land between the Susquehanna to the east and Conodoguinet Creek to the south and west. U.S. Route 11/U.S. Route 15 runs north-to-south through West Fairview, and Route 944 has its eastern terminus there on US 11/US 15.
According to the United States Census Bureau, West Fairview has a total area of 0.34 square miles (0.87 km2), of which 0.32 square miles (0.83 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), or 3.76%, is water.
History
West Fairview is the oldest village of East Pennsboro Township.[3] First acquired as a farm by Abraham Neidigh in 1802, by 1815 he subdivided lots into the town called Fairview to sell to builders. Harrisburg businessmen Norman Callendar, J.S. and B.J. Weistling purchased a 25-acre lot in 1830 to construct a mill on the Conodoguinet Creek. Deed records suggest that by around 1842 the town was renamed West Fairview.[4] The merger of the former borough with East Pennsboro Township in 1998 was spearheaded by Mr. & Mrs. Leonard A. Portzline of West Fairview. The couple and other citizens were interested in the pursuit of greater cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement in the delivery of local governmental services. The merger has become a model used by other communities across the state.[5]
^Blauch, Ron (December 2016). "The Harrisburg Nail Factory, West Fairview, Pennsylvania". The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association. 69 (4): 150–156. ProQuest1888660452.
