Sometimes called the White Rose City, after the House of York in Great Britain, York, Pennsylvania, is located in the south-central portion of this eastern state. Because of its pristine preservation of a large number of historic buildings, York has also been referred to as an "architectural museum." York, which was originally known as Yorktown, was first established in 1741 when settlers originating in Philadelphia decided to create a town that would honor the city of the same name in England. Less than three decades later, by 1777, the large majority of the population of York were of German or Scottish-Irish origin. Due to its rapid growth, York was incorporated as a borough in 1787, and exactly one century later, in 1887, it was officially incorporated as a city.

York played an important part during the Revolutionary war, serving as a temporary capital to the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1778. Additionally, York is the location where the Articles of Confederation were first drafted. It is said that because of this, York is considered to be the first capital of the United States, even though historians consider it to be the fourth. Those who adhere to the first capital argument say it is because the Articles of Confederation drafted in York are the first legal document that uses the term "United States of America." Regardless of whether York was the first or the fourth capital city of the budding nation, the reality is that the role it played in history is one of immense honor.

York has been the birthplace of a number of important personalities, including Tony Terlazzo, a 1936 Olympic medalist. Additionally, the York Peppermint Pattie was first created in York in 1940, and it is the site where Phineas Davis created the first working coal-fueled locomotive in 1831. Another first for which York is known is the holding of the first fair in the country in 1765, over a decade before the United States was born.