Gettysburg College
- Local Atmosphere

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Gettysburg College - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler1.93

Local Atmosphere

Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Gettysburg Battlefield
  • Ghost Tours

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Gettysburg is somewhat of a culture shock for anyone coming from a large town or big city. The town is an exotic blend of small-town, rural America and a commercial tourist trap. Gettysburg reverts to its small-town roots in the winter, but as May approaches and tourists begin to show up in large numbers, the hoop-skirts and wool uniforms of re-enactors overtake the more traditional Penn State sweatshirts and designer baggy jeans of students. The immigration of decked-out Civil War buffs to the area is both tragic and a bit hilarious for much of the GC student population.

Gettysburg offers the essentials to students, including a slew of fast food restaurants, a Wal-Mart, a Staples, and a few other assorted mega stores. However, other than an inordinate number of bars and restaurants, Gettysburg offers little else. Of course, if a little exploring is undertaken, a wide range of interesting (albeit out-of-the-way) destinations can be discovered. This is perhaps reserved, however, to people who are interested in more than drinking and partying—a combination that quickly becomes the routine for GC students.

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Gettysburg Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Gettysburg College

elizat1107

'04

History

4.2
A-

A Pretty, Historical Town

There are so many cute old people here, and I love the historical charm in town.

Nov 16, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Gettysburg College

bstetler

'13

Sociology

3.8
B+

College Atmosphere in and Around College

Gettysburg is a small school in a not very big town. After two years, I recognize about 1/3 of the people I pass around campus, though I don't know many of their names. The campus is friendly-people will smile and say hi and hold doors for you. Theft is rarely and issue. However, as a small school, the campus is often cliquey. The Greek scene is HUGE on campus. If you don't like to drink/party, sometimes it is hard to find something to do on Thursday-Saturday nights, though the Campus Activities Board (CAB)often has activities planned for non-frat party fun. If you're not into partying, aside from the CAB activities, there are 2 movie theaters in the area, the Majestic Theatre showing indie films/documentaries, art/music exhibits, friends often hang out in each others rooms, walk through town, go to the Gettysburg tourist attractions like Ghost Tours in the fall. D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore are fairly close to go visit for a day or weekend. Gettysburg residents seem to be split in their views toward the college students. Many do not like the college because of the partying. Most think we are all rich and snobby (we aren't). The Gettysburg Outlets provide good shopping and there are also Walmart, CVS, RiteAid, and Kennie's Grocery for college necessities. The campus is pretty safe, campus security is always patrolling.

May 31, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Gettysburg College

littbr01

'13

Biological Sciences

2.7
C+

Gettysburg

Gettysburg is a small town with some of attractions that stems from the Civil War. You can visit the battle fields and see the history in daily routines. Neighboring colleges are only a hour away, such as McDaniel College, and Shippensburg University. There is also a shopping outlet that is only ten minutes away.

Apr 26, 2010

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Gettysburg Village
  • Hanover Mall
Major Sports Teams
  • Baltimore Orioles: baseball
  • Baltimore Ravens: football
  • Washington Capitals: hockey
  • Washington Nationals: baseball
  • Washington Redskins: football
  • Washington Wizards: basketball
City Web Sites www.gettysburg.com
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Baltimore: MD: 1 hour
  • Philadelphia: PA: 2 hours, 30 minutes
  • Washington: D.C.: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Did You Know?

Fun Facts about Gettysburg:
• Gettysburg’s primary industry is tourism, and each year the town swells as nearly two million tourists visit the area.
• Though the battlefield is the main attraction in Gettysburg, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s house, a national historic site, is also located in the town.
• Every year on July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, re-enactors descend on the Gettysburg battlefield to commemorate the battle. The Battle of Gettysburg in 1998 was the largest re-enactment in history, with perhaps as many as 25,000 “troops” taking part.
• Though the Gettysburg national cemetery was originally created for the bodies of Union soldiers killed in the battle, today the cemetery is the final resting place for over 6,000 honorably-discharged servicemen and their dependents from the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
• The last time a soldier’s remains were discovered on the Gettysburg battlefield was in 1996.

Famous People from Gettysburg:
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Hall of Fame pitcher Eddie Plank

Local Slang:
Nothing specific, but be prepared for Southern accents. (Gettysburg is widely known as a little town in Arkansas that got lost somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania.)

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Majestic Theater
25 Carlisle St.
(717) 337-8200

R/C Theatres Hanover Movies 16
380 Eisenhower Dr.
(717) 646-1111

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Gettysburg

Name: Steven Moxley

Hometown: Bakersfield, CA

Major: Computer Science

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