Welcome to Chocolate Town U.S.A.

Milton Hershey’s utopia after less than 3/4 of a century.

Best known for the chocolate bar that carries his name and is known across the world, Milton Hershey actually got started in the caramel business. His initial success with incorporating fresh milk into their production would ultimately lead him to apply the same principal to chocolate. In order to have access to one of the primary ingredients, Hershey bought several acres of farmland in Pennsylvania with ready access to regional dairy farms and created the world’s largest chocolate factory in 1905.

He soon added a leisure area for the park’s workers, a school for their children, housing, etc. and, gradually, the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania grew into what can be seen on this map. Nearly everything pictured is owned in whole, or partially by the Hershey Trust Company. An excellent visual example of how one man can affect future generations. Published anonymously, but signed ‘Gist’ under the title.