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Welcome to McKnightstown ...

McKnightstown is located in Adams County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of McKnightstown, you might consider that their post office opened in 1868.

McKnightstown is 630 feet [192 m] above sea level.<2>.

Time Zone: McKnightstown lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for McKnightstown: 717 & 223<3>

The ZIP code for McKnightstown: 17343<4>

Communities near McKnightstown ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near McKnightstown.

  • Chambersburg
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Hanover
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Waynesboro
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Gettysburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Thurmont
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Thurmont is located in Frederick County (MD)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thurmont
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,070 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thurmont <5>
  • Taneytown
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Shippensburg
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Littlestown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Carroll Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Emmitsburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around McKnightstown. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for McKnightstown.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of McKnightstown. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around McKnightstown.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around McKnightstown. See our Newspapers Page for McKnightstown.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for McKnightstown ...

Looking for more information about McKnightstown? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for McKnightstown, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for McKnightstown.

Adding McKnightstown to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of McKnightstown in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for McKnightstown was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>

From that list, the McKnightstown post office opened in 1868.

For more details, see References and Mentions for McKnightstown.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties, including Adams, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The elevation is an estimate for the area around McKnightstown - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 717 code has been Overlayed with the 223 area code. New phone numbers in the McKnightstown area will be assigned with one of these codes: 717 or 223. As a result, placing a call in the McKnightstown area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<4>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as McKnightstown). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether McKnightstown or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/