Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, 42 miles east of Harrisburg and about 60 miles west-northwest of Philadelphia. It is named after Ephrath, a biblical town that is now an Israeli Settlement in the West Bank. Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated. In its early history, Ephrata was a pleasure resort and an agricultural community.
Ephrata's population has steadily grown over the last century. In 1900, 2,452 people lived there, and by 1940, the population had increased to 6,199. The population was 13,394 at the 2010 census. Ephrata is the most populous borough in Lancaster County.