Earlier this year, pharma giant GSK broke ground on an $800-million biopharma facility in Lancaster—the oldest Amish settlement in America, where horse-drawn buggies still trot down the street on occasion. This juxtaposition captures the magic of Red Rose City: modern, bustling life in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. With the 5th-best walkability in our rankings, there are few better places to stroll through history. Here, your feet can take you from a covered (or “kissing”) bridge to one of the country’s oldest continually running theaters: the 1852 Fulton Opera House. Green spaces, ranked #16, are everywhere. There’s Reservoir Park, smack dab downtown and sporting a hockey rink; Buchanan Park, next to the North Museum of Nature and Science; and Long’s Park, with its amphitheater and, importantly, a Wegman’s. Lancaster’s housing is affordable (#30), especially when compared to the Baltimores and Philadelphias of the world, both a 90-minute drive away. Not that the city needs help from other metros. Business is good, with established manufacturing, foodservice and financial industries in the city. Online job postings are up 29% in the county, and tech firms see the potential. Two new data centers for AI and cloud computing are already underway.