Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 42 miles east of Harrisburg and about 60 miles west-northwest of Philadelphia and is named after Ephrath, the former name for current-day Bethlehem. 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.