[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all of it land.

Although no water source runs directly through the borough, the Killinger, Quittapahilla, Spring, and Swatara Creeks are all nearby.

Geologist William E. Kochanov wrote an extensive report on the geology of the Palmyra area as part of the 1995 publication, Karst Geohazards.

In his article, Kochanov discusses how the geology of the region contributes to the high number of sinkholes found in the area.

[citation needed] The development of the borough has interrupted the natural drainage systems present in the Epler Formation.

All of the natural drainage ways, including the Killinger, Quittapahilla, Spring and Swatara Creeks, lie outside the borough's municipal borders.

The storm water runoff is directed outside the borough via a multitude of ways, and it is these discharge areas in which the appearance of sinkholes is most prevalent.

The installation of a storm sewer system was widely supported, but the estimated $10 million cost was a major hurdle.

Additionally, being part of William Penn’s colony, his charter providing civil rights and religious freedom also attracted settlers to the area.

Because the squatters had no official documents stating when they came to the land, it is difficult to precisely trace family migrations to and from the area.

Examples of the churches they built include Derry near Hershey, Donegal in Lancaster County, Paxtang near Harrisburg, and Silver Spring near Carlisle.

[6] Of the first Scotch-Irish settlers in the Palmyra area, the surnames of Aspey, Campbell, Caruthers, Ewing, Galbraith, McCallen, McClure, McCord, Mitchell, Sawyer, Walker and Wilson are recorded.

These Germans saw farming as a way of life, and tended to be conservative, religious, frugal and hard working people.

[6] Of the first German settlers in the Palmyra area, the surnames of Bindnagle, Bowman, Carmany, Deininger, Early, Forney, Gingrich, Hemperly, Hetrick, Kettering, Killinger, Naftzger, Nye, Ober, Ricker, and Zimmerman are recorded.

[6] The Palmyra area, as well as the entire western edge of the European colonies, was susceptible to attack from the tribes of natives living in the region.

These forts were built at regular intervals, roughly ten to fifteen miles (24 km) apart, and in any major gaps along the mountains.

In June 1766, Palm secured the 100-acre plot of land originally surveyed for Johannes Deininger in 1951 and previously owned by Conrad Raisch.

By 1776, Palm had drawn up drafts for a settlement he called “Palmstown”, with his residence located on the 100-Block of West Main Street.

Upon its opening in 1817, Palmyra gained a direct connection to its neighbors Millerstown (now Annville) and Derry (now Hershey), and to the larger markets in eastern Pennsylvania.

Another important route that crossed the Palmyra area included the road which led from the Bindnagle settlement to Campbelltown, which is now PA 117.

Blacksmith shops, general stores and other small business also began to pop up in Palmyra to serve both travelers and locals alike.

The growth of rail traffic signaled the end for the Union Canal, and for the Berks and Dauphin Turnpike as a toll road.

[6] With the fall of Fort Sumter in 1861 to the Confederate Army, President Abraham Lincoln called on volunteers to preserve the Union.

The growth of Milton S. Hershey’s chocolate company in nearby Derry also encouraged people to move to the Palmyra area.

By this time, the Hershey Trolley Company had also formed, and soon thereafter connected to the Lebanon Valley Line at the square in Palmyra.

The design, which is modeled on the Pennsylvania state seal and features the official orange and black colors of the Palmyra School District.

The 2000 film Lucky Numbers, starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow, had multiple scenes shot throughout Palmyra.

[12] Since its formation the district has served the Borough of Palmyra, and both North and South Londonderry Townships, including the villages of Campbelltown, Lawn, and Timber Hills.