Over the past decade, the tranquil landscape around Exit 24 on Interstate 81 in central Pennsylvania has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. What was once dotted with 19th-century farmhouses, silos, and barns now hosts a sprawling 1.8-million-square-foot fulfillment center for Walmart Inc., alongside several other warehouses and a Sheetz Inc. gas station. This evolution mirrors a broader trend reshaping Shippensburg and its neighboring towns into a bustling warehousing and distribution megaregion.
Driven by the surge in online shopping, retailers and consumer goods manufacturers have raced to overhaul their supply chains. The imperative: establish centralized hubs close to major population centers and efficient transportation networks. Shippensburg, strategically positioned within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S. population and half of Canada’s, has emerged as a prime location. Accessible via the toll-free Interstates 81 and 78, it offers direct links to the Port of New York and New Jersey, the largest on the East Coast.
The scale of development is staggering. Since 2014, over 170 million square feet of warehouse space has been constructed along these interstates in Pennsylvania—double the office space found in all of San Francisco. This growth has not only reshaped the physical landscape but also the economic and employment dynamics of the region.
A generation ago, Shippensburg and its environs thrived primarily on farming, military service, and manufacturing. Today, these industries have taken a back seat to the warehouse boom. Jobs on the warehouse floor, particularly attractive for those without a college degree, offer wages reaching up to $35 per hour. Meanwhile, for those pursuing higher education, opportunities abound, such as the supply chain and logistics major at Shippensburg University, catering directly to the demands of this burgeoning sector.
The impact on the community has been profound. What was once an agrarian idyll has rapidly evolved into a nerve center for logistics and distribution, bringing economic prosperity and employment opportunities to thousands. McKenna Borrell, employed at the Walmart fulfillment center alongside 500 others, represents just a fraction of the workforce drawn to this new economic engine.
Shippensburg continues to evolve but questions about sustainability and community integration loom large. The influx of warehouses has transformed the local economy, but it has also brought challenges such as increased traffic and concerns over environmental impact.
