East Shore/Central - Harrisburg, PA Area Guide

Linglestown boasts a long and rich history dating back to 1765, making it the oldest village in Lower Paxton township. Thomas Lingle purchased a large parcel of land that he developed as a community for European settlers. He named his settlement “The Town of St. Thomas,” but after he died the villagers began calling his village “Lingle’s Town.” The name stuck and the area still retains the name Linglestown.

Thomas Lingle created a village that supported the full spectrum of the settlers' needs including housing, commerce, religion, education and civic responsibilities. To this day, that robust character is retained in Linglestown’s historic village center.

Lower Paxton Township itself dates back to the early 1700s as well, when European immigrants developed the area primarily as farmland. The village of Paxtonia developed later in the 1900s.

The East Shore area offers a wide variety of dining options, ranging from national chains to popular independent restaurants. Fast food options and popular chains like Red Robin Gourmet Burgers can be found in Paxtonia as well The Sandwich Man, a local favorite which serves up the area's "Best Sandwiches" as voted by Harrisburg Magazine readers. The Sandwich Man's extensive menu includes the legendary and truly addictive G8 grinder, piled high with oven-roasted turkey, smoked bacon and melted American cheese.

Linglestown Square hosts some of the area's most popular independent dining options including St. Thomas Roasters, an independently owned boutique coffee shop and cafe. St. Thomas roasts over twenty different coffee blends daily with their in-house roaster. Tea lovers also have over 20 different tea blends to choose from. The cafe serves an assortment of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, savory sandwiches and soup. Patrons enjoy the cozy and eclectic interior atmosphere as well as the porch during the warmer months. The impressive quality of coffee, independent vibe and reasonable prices have made St. Thomas Roasters a favorite destination for coffee lovers throughout the region as well as travelers on I-81 that happily take the five-minute diversion from the highway as a welcome alternative to typical highway coffee options.

The wings at the Eagle Hotel Restaurant & Bar in Linglestown have been winning people's choice awards in the region for years including multiple Harrisburg Magazine's Reader's Choice awards for "Best Wings." Owned and operated by the current family for over 40 years, the Eagle Hotel is famous for their amazing wings, homemade crab cakes, peanut butter pie and extensive beer selection. Wing options include standard bone-in as well as boneless wings with a variety of different sauce options including honey barbecue and garlic Parmesan. The Eagle dates back to the early 1800s as a hotel and tavern for travelers and residents of the rural village and continues as a regional hot spot today, thanks to amazing food and reasonable prices. Cafe D’Afric provides the area with generous portions of exotic cuisine. It serves African fare during the week and Ethiopian food on the weekends. Try the key wat or sambussa, or opt for the vegetarian platter, which is typically described as yummy. Just don't leave without trying the coffee, one of the main reasons locals flock to this joint.

Nightlife in this area of the East Shore focuses around restaurant and bar/lounge options. Places like the Eagle Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Ted's Bar & Grill and the Colonial Lounge have hopping bar scenes, extensive drink menus, terrific drink specials and late hours.

One of the country’s major interstate highways, I-81, runs east/west through the East Shore area between Paxtonia and Linglestown, providing convenient highway access for regional and national travel.

The East Shore residential areas, including Paxtonia and Linglestown, offer plenty of free on-street parking and parking lot spaces. The retail and restaurant destinations provide free parking as well.

Most residential neighborhoods are suitable for walking and biking safely. Some of the newer and larger housing developments in the Linglestown area, for example, offer dedicated walking and biking trails within the development, and the commercial area of Linglestown Village is very pedestrian and bike friendly.

Several taxicab companies provide service to all points in the East Shore, including Linglestown and Paxtonia. Pick-up service is available on call.

Capital Area Transit (CAT) provides bus transportation throughout the Harrisburg/ Linglestown and Paxtonia regions. CAT offers a direct bus circuit that connects Linglestown to/from the Colonial Commons Shopping Plaza and Gateway Corporate Center, for maximum convenience. Amelia’s Grocery Outlet in Linglestown also hosts a Park-and-Ride location for CAT service. Base fares for the bus cost $1.75 per ride and zone fares cost $0.60.

Amtrak services the historic train station in downtown Harrisburg, located about 9 miles and 12 minutes away, providing trains that run frequently between Philadelphia, New York City and as far west as Chicago. For travel further afield, the Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), located about 15 miles and a 17-minute drive away, offers a new terminal building and regional flights on major airlines including flights to Canada.

The most popular park in Lower Paxton Township, Koons Park in Linglestown, offers a wide variety of recreational options for everyone and plays an important role in the rich fabric of Linglestown village.

The park boasts 33 acres of green space in the heart of Linglestown. The extensive facilities include illuminated tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, four baseball fields including one illuminated field, three softball fields and a football field. Horseshoe pits, bocce courts and a shuffleboard court provide fun gaming options as well.

In addition to the numerous sports fields and gaming courts, children can play on a variety of playground equipment, and kids and dogs alike can frolic freely in the abundant green space.

Amenities include picnic tables, picnic pavilions, bathrooms and a concession area. The parking lots accommodate over 200 cars and patrons enjoy free parking and free admission.

The average apartment rental rate in Harrisburg’s East Shore area, specifically the Linglestown neighborhood, costs around $801 per month.

Average gas prices are about five percent higher than the national average, with some of the more competitive gas stations offering pricing on par with the national average. Hopping a bus in to downtown Harrisburg costs $1.75 per ride and the typical price for a pint of beer is around $4.

Located adjacent to the major retail and commercial hubs in Colonial Park, Paxtonia hosts a continuation of the retail activity concentrated along Jonestown Road (Route 22).

These East Shore villages host several grocery stores including Weis Markets, a popular regional grocery store chain that is open 24/7. Other options include Karns Grocery Store, a local family-owned chain, and Amelia’s Grocery Outlet, a regional chain, provides a wide variety of overstock grocery store items at heavily discounted prices.

Where Paxtonia and Colonial Park meet on Jonestown Road, several of the area’s big box retailers and national chains lie within the edge of Paxtonia’s boundaries including Home Depot, Target and Costco as well as Babies “R” Us, hhgregg, Petco and Kohl’s department store.

Further west on Jonestown Road, other retailers include Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Super Shoes and Advance Auto Parts. Amenities are concentrated around the I-81 interchange including lodging like a Comfort Inn and Quality Inn, fast food including McDonald’s and Burger King, Enterprise Car Rental, U-Haul and several gas stations.

Independent and speciality stores include a Harley-Davidson showroom and retailer, Fishbone skateboard shop and Paperback Exchange, a family-run independent bookstore that won Harrisburg Magazine’s 2013 Reader’s Choice Award for Best Independent Bookstore in the region.

Boutique retailers include White Starlet Bridal and Made To Keep (custom invitations and stationery), Simply Chic Consignment Boutique specializes in women’s clothing and accessories while Treasures From Home Consignments specializes in home décor and furniture. Stop by Framed In St. Thomas for custom framing and shop at The Vaping Vault where you'll be met with a wide variety of electronic cigarette products.