Our County
Municipal History of Lebanon County
In colonial times, the Lebanon Valley was part of Chester County, one of the three original counties of the Province of Pennsylvania. In 1729, the western section was divided off to make Lancaster County. After the Revolution, the area was divided again in 1785 with the formation of Dauphin County. In the early 1800s, local residents petitioned the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a new county, citing the inconvenient travel time to Harrisburg and Lancaster to conduct routine county business. Finally, in 1813, Lebanon County was formed from portions of Lancaster and Dauphin counties, with minor boundary revisions in 1814 and 1821. [More History ยป]
The town of Lebanon became a borough in 1821, and in 1886, it was organized into a third-class city. Other townships of the county were divided and boroughs formed at various times as listed below.
Lebanon County Today
| Municipality | Year Formed | Current Population |
| Lebanon County | 1813 | 127,889 |
| Lebanon City | 1821/1886 | 24,124 |
| Annville Township | 1799/1912 | 4,727 |
| North Annville Township | 1845 | 2,474 |
| South Annville Township | 1845 | 3,169 |
| North Lebanon Township | 1840 | 10,900 |
| South Lebanon Township | 1840 | 8,613 |
| West Lebanon Township | 1901 | 840 |
| North Cornwall Township | 1926 | 6,534 |
| West Cornwall Township | 1892 | 1,983 |
| Heidelberg Township | 1813 | 4,114 |
| Millcreek Township | 1844 | 3,147 |
| Jackson Township | 1813 | 8,387 |
| Bethel Township | 1739 | 5,610 |
| Swatara Township | 1813 | 4,201 |
| Union Township | 1842 | 3,338 |
| Cold Spring Township | 1853 | 50 |
| East Hanover Township | 1737/1813 | 3,203 |
| North Londonderry Township | 1894 | 6,948 |
| South Londonderry Township | 1894 | 7,114 |
| Cleona Borough | 1929 | 2,114 |
| Cornwall Borough | 1926 | 3,480 |
| Jonestown Borough | 1870 | 1,012 |
| Mount Gretna Borough | 1883/1926 | 234 |
| Myerstown Borough | 1910 | 3,112 |
| Palmyra Borough | 1813 | 6,975 |
| Richland Borough | 1906 | 1,486 |
Annville Township was divided into North and South in 1845. In 1912, the new Annville Township was formed between the two to encompass the town of Annville. Hanover Township of Dauphin County was divided into East, West, and South. When Lebanon County was formed, East Hanover was split between the two counties. Londonderry Township was divided into North and South in 1894. Cold Spring Township was split off of East Hanover and Union Townships. Today it remains largely an unpopulated forest designated as state game lands.
Population statistics are 2007 estimates from the US Census Bureau.
More Information
Please see the Web Resources page for links to websites of local interest.
Lebanon County Bicentennial
In February, 2013, Lebanon County will mark its 200th year. See the Bicentennial page for details of the celebration.
