Harrisburg's Market Square is located in Downtown Harrisburg

Downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Downtown Harrisburg, is the central core business and government center which surrounds the focal point of Market Square, and serves a the regional center for the greater metropolitan area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA....

 at the intersection of 2nd and Market Streets. The square

Town square

A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...

 was created in 1785. Since then, it has traditionally been the heart of the city, and since the 1980s has undergone a revival with several new commercial, residential and retail spaces either planned or built. It is one block from Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park (Harrisburg)

Riverfront Park is a public park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.The park runs parallel to the Susquehanna River between the shoreline and Front Street from Vaughn Street South to Paxton Street. Riverfront Park offers picturesque views of the river, City Island, Wormleysburg and Blue Mountain in the...

 and the Market Street Bridge

Market Street Bridge (Harrisburg)

The Market Street Bridge is a stone arch bridge that spans the Susquehanna River between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania...

, which crosses over the Susquehanna River

Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

.

History

John Harris, Jr.

John Harris, Jr.

John Harris, Jr. , was a storekeeper and frontiersman who operated a ferry along the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg. John Harris, Jr...

 the founder of Harrisburg had his son-in-law, William Maclay

William Maclay

William Maclay was a politician from Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century.-Biography:Maclay pursued classical studies, and then served as a lieutenant in an expedition to Fort Duquesne in 1758. He went on to serve in other expeditions in the French and Indian Wars. He studied law and was...

, draw up a plan for the town in 1785. It allowed for 207 quarter-acre building lots aligned along streets set to a standard width of fifty-two feet, six inches. Market Street, envisioned as the grand avenue of the new town, was planned

Planned community

A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...

 at eighty feet wide. Where it intersected with Second Street, Maclay planned in ample setbacks to allow for a “Market Square,” which has remained a prominent feature of Harrisburg to this present day.

Since the 1980s, open concert

Concert

A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

s performed by professional artists have taken place at Market Square.