Lancaster Central Market, founded in 1730, is regarded as the oldest continuously operating farmers’ market in the United States.
The market operates in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a city with deep agricultural connections. Its location reflects Lancaster County’s role as a major farming region, and vendors traditionally sold locally produced meat, produce, baked goods, and other foods.
The present market building dates from the nineteenth century, but the public-market tradition at the site began much earlier. This distinction matters: the market’s founding date refers to the start of market activity, not the construction date of the current building.
Lancaster Central Market is sometimes confused with older market structures or with Pike Place Market in Seattle, which opened in 1907. Lancaster’s significance is its unusually long, continuous operating history as a farmers’ market.