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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA (its postal abbreviation which succeeds the archaic Penn. and Penna. as common abbreviations) by natives and Northeasterners, is a state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 located in the Northeastern
Northeastern United States

The Northeast is a region of the United States. According to the definition used by the United States Census Bureau, the Northeast region consists of nine states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
 and Middle Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States

The Mid-Atlantic States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
 regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
 and Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 to the south, West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 to the southwest, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 to the west, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 and a water border with Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 to the north, and New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 to the east.






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Timeline

1681   Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania.

1758   Seven Years' War: French and Indian War: Mary Campbell is abducted from her home in Pennsylvania by Lenape.

1763   Pontiac's War - Battle of Bushy Run - British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Chief Pontiac's Indians at Bushy Run in the Pennsylvania backcountry.

1777   Battle of Brandywine - Major American Revolutionary war victory for British in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

1778   American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and begins to train the Continental Army.

1787   Pennsylvania becomes the second U.S. state.

1789   At Federal Hall in New York City, the United States House of Representatives holds its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first House Speaker.

1794   Whiskey Rebellion begins: Farmers in the Monongahela Valley of Pennsylvania rebel against the federal tax on liquor and distilled drinks.

1848   Geneva College in Pennsylvania is founded.

1851   Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.







Encyclopedia


The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA (its postal abbreviation which succeeds the archaic Penn. and Penna. as common abbreviations) by natives and Northeasterners, is a state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 located in the Northeastern
Northeastern United States

The Northeast is a region of the United States. According to the definition used by the United States Census Bureau, the Northeast region consists of nine states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
 and Middle Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States

The Mid-Atlantic States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
 regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
 and Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 to the south, West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 to the southwest, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 to the west, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 and a water border with Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 to the north, and New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 to the east. The state's most populated city is Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania has been known as the Keystone
Keystone (architecture)

A keystone is the architectural piece at the crown of a Vault or arch which marks its apex , locking the other pieces into position. This makes a keystone very important structurally....
 State since 1802, based in part upon its central location among the original Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783....
 forming the United States. It was also a keystone state economically, having both the industry common to the North
Northern United States

The Northern United States is a large geographic region of the United States of America. Most Americans refer to the region simply as "the North"....
, making such wares as Conestoga wagons and rifles
Long rifle

The term Long Rifle refers to a type of rifle used in History of the United States by both United States Armed Forces and civilians. It is characterized by an unusually long barrel, sometimes over four feet in length, which is felt to be in large part a unique development of American rifles, and is almost never seen in European rifles of t...
, and the agriculture common to the South
Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
, producing feed, fiber, food, and tobacco
Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines....
.

Another one of Pennsylvania's nicknames is the Quaker
Religious Society of Friends

The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers, was founded in England in the 17th century as a Christian denomination by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity....
 State; in colonial times, it was known officially as the Quaker Province
Province of Pennsylvania

The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was a North American colony granted to William Penn on March 4, 1681 by King Charles II of England....
, in recognition of Quaker William Penn
William Penn

William Penn was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the England North American colony and the future U.S. state of Pennsylvania....
's First Frame of Government
Frame of Government of Pennsylvania

The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania was a constitution for the Province of Pennsylvania, a proprietary colony granted to William Penn by Charles II of England....
 constitution
Constitution

A constitution is a system for government — often codified as a written document — that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity....
 for Pennsylvania that guaranteed liberty
Freedom (political)

Political freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression. The members of a free society would have full dominion over their public and private lives....
 of conscience
Conscience

Conscience is an ability or a Power that distinguishes whether one's actions are right or wrong. It leads to feelings of remorse when one does things that go against his/her moral values, and to feelings of rectitude or integrity when one's actions conform to our moral values....
. He knew of the hostility Quakers faced when they opposed religious ritual, taking oaths, violence, war and military service, and what they viewed as ostentatious frippery.

Pennsylvania has of coastline along Lake Erie
Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time....
 and of shoreline along the Delaware
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
 Estuary.

Geography

National Atlas Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is north to south and east to west. Of a total , are land, are inland waters and are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state
List of U.S. states by area

This is a complete list of the U.S. state and its major Territories of the United States ordered by total area, land area, and water area....
 in the United States.

Pennsylvania Counties Map
The bounds of the state are the Mason-Dixon Line
Mason-Dixon line

The Mason?Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America....
 (39° 43' N) in the south, the Delaware River
Delaware River

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
 in east, 80° 31' W on the west, and the 42° N parallel on the north, with the exception of a short segment on the western end, where a triangle extends north to Lake Erie. Pennsylvania borders six other states: New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 to the north; New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 to the east; Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
 and Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 southeast; West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 southwest, and finally Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 to the west. Pennsylvania also shares a water border with Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

It has cities of Philadelphia in the south-east, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
 in the central-west, tri-cities of Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh....
, Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and Northampton County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States....
, Easton
Easton, Pennsylvania

Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, located on the eastern Pennsylvania side of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border, in the United States....
 in the central-east, Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton is a city in Northeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area....
 and Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Wilkes-Barre is a city in Northeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and the central city of the Wyoming Valley....
 in the north east, and Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is an industrial city on the shore of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Named for the lake and the Erie tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth largest city , with a population of 104,000....
 in the north-west, with state capital Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania, Reading, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pennsylvani...
 on the Susquehanna River in the central region of the commonwealth.

Climate

Pennsylvania's diverse geography also produces a variety of climates. Straddling two major zones, the southeastern corner of the state has the warmest climate. Greater Philadelphia lies at the southernmost tip of the humid continental climate
Humid continental climate

The humid continental climate is a climate found over large areas of land masses in the temperate climates of the mid-latitudes where there is a zone of conflict between North Pole and Tropics air masses....
 zone, with some characteristics of the humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate....
 that lies in Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
 and Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 to the south. Moving toward the mountainous interior of the state, the climate becomes markedly colder, the number of cloudy days increases, and winter snowfall amounts are greater. Western areas of the state, particularly cities near Lake Erie
Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time....
, can receive over 100 inches (254 cm) of snowfall annually, and the entire state receives plentiful rainfall throughout the year.

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Pennsylvania Cities in Fahrenheit
City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Scranton 34/18 37/20 47/28 59/38 71/48 78/57 83/61 81/60 72/53 61/42 49/34 39/24
Erie 33/20 36/21 45/28 56/38 67/49 76/59 80/64 79/63 72/56 61/46 49/36 39/27
Pittsburgh 37/20 39/21 50/29 62/38 71/48 80/56 85/62 83/60 76/53 64/41 53/33 42/25
Harrisburg 38/23 41/25 51/33 63/42 73/51 81/61 86/66 84/64 76/57 64/45 53/36 42/28
Philadelphia 39/25 42/28 51/35 62/44 72/55 81/64 86/70 84/69 77/61 66/49 55/40 44/31
Allentown 35/19 39/21 49/29 60/38 71/48 79/58 84/63 82/61 74/53 63/41 51/33 40/24
, , , , ,

History

Before the Commonwealth was settled, the area was home to the Delaware
Lenape

The Lenape are organized bands of Native Americans in the United States peoples with shared cultural and linguistic characteristics.These are the people who are living in what is now New Jersey and along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, the northern shore of Delaware, and the lower Hudson Valley and New York Harbor in New York, at the t...
 (also known as Lenni Lenape), Susquehannock
Susquehannock

The Susquehannock people were native Americans in the United States of areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York, through Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland at the north end of the Chesapeake Bay....
, Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
, Eriez, Shawnee
Shawnee

The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are a people native to North America. They originally inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania....
, and other Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 tribes.

Johndickinson
In 1681, Charles II
Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
 granted a land charter to William Penn
William Penn

William Penn was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the England North American colony and the future U.S. state of Pennsylvania....
, to repay a debt of £20,000 (around $30,000,000 in 2007) owed to William's father, Admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
 Penn
William Penn (admiral)

Sir William Penn was an England admiral, and the father of William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania.Penn was born in St. Thomas Parish, Bristol to Giles Penn and Joan Gilbert ....
. This was one of the largest land grants to an individual in history. It was called Pennsylvania, meaning "Penn's Woods", in honor of Admiral Penn. William Penn, who had wanted his province to be named "Sylvania", was embarrassed at the change, fearing that people would think he had named it after himself, but King Charles would not rename the grant.

Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the county commission, and freedom of religious conviction.

Between 1730 and when it was shut down by Parliament with the Currency Act of 1764, the Pennsylvania Colony made its own paper money to account for the shortage of actual gold and silver. The paper money was called Colonial Scrip
Colonial Scrip

Colonial scrip was paper money fiat money as opposed to wiktionary:specie#noun issued by the Thirteen Colonies in the pre-revolution era, up until 1775....
. The Colony issued "bills of credit" which were as good as gold or silver coins because of their legal tender status. Since they were issued by the government and not a banking institution, it was an interest-free proposition, largely defraying the expense of the government and therefore taxation of the people. It also promoted general employment and prosperity since the Government used discretion and did not issue too much to inflate the currency. Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and Printer , Satire, list of political philosophers, politician, scientist, inventor, activism, statesman, and diplomacy....
 had a hand in creating this currency, of which he said its utility was never to be disputed, and it also met with the "cautious approval" of Adam Smith
Adam Smith

Adam Smith was a Scotland Ethics and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations....
.

After the Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act Congress

The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting in the building that would become Federal Hall in New York City in October of 1765 consisting of delegates from 9 of the 13 colonies that discussed and acted upon the recently passed Stamp Act 1765....
 of 1765, Delegate John Dickinson
John Dickinson (delegate)

John Dickinson was an United States lawyer and a politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, Governor of Delaware, Governor of Pennsylv...
 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population city in the United States. It is the fifth-largest metropolitan area and fourth-largest urban area by population in the United States, the nation's fourth-largest consumer media market as ranked by the Nielsen Media Research, and the 49th-most...
 wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. The Congress was the first meeting of the thirteen colonies
Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783....
, called at the request of the Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
 Assembly, but only nine colonies sent delegates. Dickinson then wrote Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, To the Inhabitants of the British Colonies, which were published in the Pennsylvania Chronicle between December 2, 1767, and February 15, 1768.

When the Founding Fathers of the United States
Founding Fathers of the United States

The Founding Fathers of the United States were the political leaders who signed the United States Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriot s, or who participated in drafting the United States Constitution eleven years later....
 were to convene in Philadelphia in 1774, 12 colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen Kingdom of Great Britain North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution....
. The First Continental Congress drew up and signed the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire....
 in Philadelphia, but when that city was captured by the British, the Continental Congress escaped westward, meeting at the Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the South Central Pennsylvania part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania....
 courthouse on Saturday, September 27, 1777, and then to York
York, Pennsylvania

York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in South Central Pennsylvania. The population was 40,862 at the United States Census 2000....
. There they drew up the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was the constitution of the revolutionary wartime alliance of the thirteen United States. The Articles' ratification was completed in 1781, and legally federated several sovereign and independent states, allied under the Articles of Association into a new federation styled the "United States...
 that formed 13 independent colonies into a new nation. Later, the Constitution
United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
 was written, and Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the new American Nation.

Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 12, 1787, five days after Delaware
Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the East Coast of the United States in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named....
 became the first.

Hillscapitol
Dickinson College
Dickinson College

Dickinson College is a private, residential Liberal arts colleges in the United States in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773 , Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris , making it the first college to be founded in the newly-recognized United States....
 of Carlisle
Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Carlisle is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 18 miles west by southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the State capital....
 was the first college founded in the United States. Established in 1773, the college was ratified five days after the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and United States, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775....
 on September 9, 1783. The school was founded by Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Rush was a Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. Rush lived in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, Education in the United States, Humanitarianism and a devout Christian, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
 and named after John Dickinson.

For half a century, the Commonwealth's legislature met at various places in the general Philadelphia area before starting to meet regularly in Independence Hall in Philadelphia for 63 years. But it needed a more central location, as for example the Paxton Boys
Paxton Boys

The Paxton Boys was a vigilante group that murdered at least twenty Native Americans in events sometimes called the Conestoga Massacre. Backcountry Presbyterian Scots-Irish American frontiersmen from central Pennsylvania, near Paxton Church, Paxtang, Pennsylvania, now Dauphin County, formed a vigilante group in response to the Native Americ...
 massacres of 1763 had made them aware. So, in 1799 the legislature moved to the Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the South Central Pennsylvania part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania....
 Courthouse, and finally in 1812 to Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania, Reading, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pennsylvani...
. The legislature met in the old Dauphin County
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle, Pennsylvania Harrisburg metropolitan area....
 Court House until December 1821, when the Redbrick Capitol was finished. It burned down in 1897, presumably because of a faulty flue
Flue

A flue is a Duct , pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or Electrical generator to the outdoors....
. The legislature met at Grace Methodist Church on State Street (still standing), until the present capitol was finished in 1907.

The new state Capitol
Pennsylvania State Capitol

The State Capitol of Pennsylvania, located in Central Business District Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is the seat of government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania....
 drew rave reviews. Its dome was inspired by the domes of St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica

The Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian language as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is located within the Vatican City....
 in Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 and the United States Capitol. President
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt , also known as T.R., and to the public as Teddy, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
 called it the "the most beautiful state Capitol in the nation", and said "It's the handsomest building I ever saw" at the dedication. In 1989, the New York Times praised it as "grand, even awesome at moments, but it is also a working building, accessible to citizens ... a building that connects with the reality of daily life".

Pennsylvania accounts for nine percent of all wooded areas in the United States. In 1923 President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
 established the Allegheny National Forest
Allegheny National Forest

The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers of land. Within the forest is the Kinzua Dam, which created the Allegheny Reservoir....
 under the authority of the Weeks Act
Weeks Act

The Weeks Act is a federal law passed by the US Congress on 1 March 1911 in the United States. It authorized the United States Secretary of Agriculture to "Examine, locate and recommend for purchase ......
 of 1911 in the northwest part of the state in Elk, Forest, McKean, and Warren Counties for the purposes of timber production and watershed protection in the Allegheny River
Allegheny River

The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point State Park#History" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
 basin. The Allegheny is the state's only national forest.

James Buchanan
James Buchanan

James Buchanan, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, of Franklin County
Franklin County, Pennsylvania

Franklin County is a county located in South Central Pennsylvania Pennsylvania. A large part of Franklin County lies within the Cumberland Valley....
, was the only bachelor
Bachelor

A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been marriage .The term is sometimes restricted to men who do not have and are not actively seeking a spouse or other personal partner....
 President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and the only one to be born in Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
 — the major turning point of the Civil War — took place near Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg is a city located in the state of Pennsylvania, USA. Although known primarily as an attraction because of its proximity to the Gettysburg Battlefield, site of the Battle of Gettysburg, the town is also known for its institutions of higher learning, namely the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, founded in 1826, and Gettys...
. An estimated 350,000 Pennsylvanians served in the Union Army
Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
 forces along with 8,600 African American
African American

African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
 military volunteer
Military volunteer

A military volunteer is a person who enlists in military service by free will, and is not a mercenary or a foreign legionaire. Volunteers often enlist to fight in the armed forces of a foreign country....
s.

Pennsylvania was also the home of the first commercially drilled oil well. In 1859, near Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville, Pennsylvania

Titusville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,146 at the 2000 census. In 1859, Petroleum was successfully drilled in Titusville, resulting in the birth of the modern oil industry....
, Edwin L. Drake successfully drilled the well, which led to the first major oil boom in United States history.

Demographics

The center of population
Center of population

In demographics, the center of population of a region is the geographical point nearest to all the inhabitants of that region, on average....
 of Pennsylvania is located in Perry County
Perry County, Pennsylvania

Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania–Carlisle, Pennsylvania Harrisburg metropolitan area....
, in the borough of Duncannon
Duncannon, Pennsylvania

Duncannon is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania–Carlisle, Pennsylvania Harrisburg metropolitan area....
.

As of 2006, Pennsylvania has an estimated population of 12,440,621, which is an increase of 35,273 from the previous year, and an increase of 159,567 since the year 2000. Net migration
Human migration

Human migration denotes any movement by humans from one district to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups.Migration is one of the four evolutionary forces ...
 from other states resulted in a decrease of 27,718, and immigration
Immigration to the United States

American immigration refers to the movement of World population to the United States. Immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of history of the United States....
 from other countries resulted in an increase of 126,007. Net migration to the Commonwealth was 98,289. Migration of native Pennsylvanians resulted in a decrease of 100,000 people. In 2006, 5.00% of Pennsylvanians were foreign born (621,480 people). The state has an estimated 2005 poverty rate of 11.9%. The state also has the 3rd highest proportion of elderly (65+) citizens in 2005.

Foreign-born Pennsylvanians are largely from Asia (36.0%), Europe (35.9%), Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
 (30.6%), 5% coming from Africa, 3.1% coming from North America, and 0.4% coming from Oceania.

Pennsylvania Population Map
Pennsylvania's reported population of Hispanics, especially among the Asian, Hawaiian and White races, has markedly increased in recent years. The Hispanic population is greatest in Allentown
Allentown

Allentown is the name of some places in the United States of America:*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County*Allentown, New Jersey, a borough in Monmouth County...
, Reading and around Philadelphia, with over 20% being Hispanic. It is not clear how much of this change reflects a changing population, and how much reflects increased willingness to self-identify minority status.

Pennsylvania's population was reported as 5.9% under 5 and 23.8% under 18, with 15.6% were 65 or older. Females made up 51.7% of the population.

The five largest ancestry groups self-reported in Pennsylvania are: German
German American

German Americans are citizens of the United States of Germans ancestry, with traditions and self-identity based on German language and culture....
 (27.66%), Irish
Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey....
 (17.66%), Italian
Italian American

An Italian American is an United States of Italians descent and/or dual citizenship. The phrase refers to someone born in the United States or who has immigrated to the United States and is of Italian heritage....
 (12.82%), English (8.89%) and Polish
Polish American

A Polish American is a Demographics of the United States of Poles descent. There are an estimated 10 million Americans of Polish descent.More than one million Poles immigrated to the United States, primarily during the late 19th and early 20th century....
 (7.23%).

Religion


Of all the colonies, only in Rhode Island
Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
 was religious freedom as secure as in Pennsylvania - and one result was an incredible religious diversity
Multiculturalism

The term multiculturalism generally refer to an applied ideology of Race , culture and Ethnic group diversity within the demographics of a specified place, usually at the scale of an organization such as a school, business, neighborhood, city or nation....
, one which continues to this day.

Pennsylvania's population in 2000 was 12,281,054. Of these, 8,448,193 were estimated to belong to some sort of organized religion. According to the Association of religion data archives
Association of religion data archives

The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion....
 at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Land-grant university, space grant college public research university located in State College, PA, Pennsylvania, United States....
, reliable data exists for 7,116,348 religious adherents in Pennsylvania in 2000, following 115 different faiths. Their affiliations, including percentage of all adherents, were:
  • Roman Catholic: 3,802,524 (53.43%)
  • Orthodox: 75,354 (1.06%)
  • Mainline Protestant: 2,140,682 (30%)
    • United Methodist Church
      United Methodist Church

      The United Methodist Church is a Christian Church that understands itself to be a part of the one Holy catholic Church of Jesus Christ and the Communion of Saints....
      : 659,350 (9.27%)
    • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
      Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

      The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestantism List of Christian denominations headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1988 by the merging of three churches and currently having about 4.70 million baptized members, it is the largest of all the Lutheranism denominations in the Religion in the United States and t...
      : 611,913 (8.60%)
    • Presbyterian Church
      Presbyterianism

      Presbyterianism is a group of Christian congregations adhering to the Calvinism theological tradition within Protestantism. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Bible and the necessity of Divine grace through faith in Christ....
      : 324,714 (4.56%)
    • United Church of Christ
      United Church of Christ

      The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Protestantism Christian denomination principally in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed churches tradition....
      : 241,844 (3.40%)
    • American Baptist Churches in the USA
      American Baptist Churches USA

      The American Baptist Churches USA is a group of Baptist churches within the United States; the denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania....
      : 132,858 (1.87%)
    • Episcopal Church: 116,511 (1.64%)
  • Evangelical Protestant
    Evangelicalism

    Evangelicalism is a Protestantism Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s.Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for Biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus....
    : 704,204 (10%)
    • Assemblies of God
      Assemblies of God

      The World Assemblies of God Fellowship, or Assemblies of God for short, is the world's largest Pentecostal denomination, with over 283,413 churches and outstations in over 110 countries and approximately 57 to 60 million adherents worldwide....
      : 84,153 (1.18%)
    • Church of the Brethren
      Church of the Brethren

      The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight people led by Alexander Mack, a miller, in Schwarzenau , Germany....
      : 52,684 (0.74%)
    • Mennonite Church USA
      Mennonite Church USA

      The Mennonite Church USA represents the largest group of Mennonite Christians in the United States. Though the organization is recent, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century....
      : 48,215 (0.68%)
    • Christian and Missionary Alliance
      Christian and Missionary Alliance

      The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an evangelicalism Protestant religious denomination within Christianity.Founded by Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887, the Christian & Missionary Alliance did not start off as a denomination, but rather began as two distinct parachurch organizations: The Christian Alliance which focused on the pur...
      : 45,926 (0.65%)
    • Southern Baptist Convention
      Southern Baptist Convention

      The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based, mostly conservative Christian denomination. The name "Southern" stems from its having been founded and rooted in the Southern United States....
      : 44,432 (0.62%)
    • Independent Non-charismatic churches: 42,992 (0.60%)
  • Other theology: 393,584 (5.53%)
    • Jewish estimate
      Judaism

      Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
      : 283,000 (3.98%)
    • Muslim estimate
      Islam

      Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
      : 71,190 (1.00%)
    • Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
      Unitarian Universalism

      Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion religion characterized by its support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning." Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth....
      : 6,778 (0.10%)
    • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 31,032 (0.44%)


Pennsylvania is also noted for having the highest concentration of an Amish
Amish

The various Amish or Amish Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious denominations, and form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches....
 population in the United States.

While Pennsylvania owes its existence to Quakers and many of the older trappings of the Commonwealth are rooted in the teachings of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends

The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers, was founded in England in the 17th century as a Christian denomination by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity....
 (as they are officially known), practicing Quakers are a small minority today.

Economy

1999 Pa Proof
Pennsylvania's 2007 total gross state product
Gross state product

Gross state product is a measurement of the economic output of a State or province. It is the sum of all value added by industries within the state and serves as a counterpart to the gross domestic product or GDP....
 (GSP) of $531.31 billion ranks the state 6th in the nation. If Pennsylvania were an independent country, its economy would rank as the 18th largest in the world. On a per-capita basis, Pennsylvania's per-capita GSP of $34,619 ranks 26th among the 50 states. Philadelphia in the southeast corner, Pittsburgh in the southwest corner, Erie
Erie

Erie is a city in Pennsylvania, United States. It may also refer to:...
 in the northwest corner, Scranton-Wilkes-Barre
Wyoming Valley

Wyoming Valley is a region of northeastern Pennsylvania. The valley is a crescent-shaped depression, a part of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians or folded Appalachian Mountains....
 in the northeast corner, and Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton in the east central region are urban manufacturing centers. Much of the Commonwealth is rural; this dichotomy affects state politics as well as the state economy. Philadelphia is home to eight Fortune 500 companies, with more located in suburbs like King of Prussia
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

King of Prussia is an unincorporated community in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 18,511....
; it's a leader in the financial and insurance industry. Pittsburgh is home to seven Fortune 500 companies, including U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel

The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe....
, PPG Industries
PPG Industries

PPG Industries is an United States manufacturer of glass and chemical products, including automobile safety glass. PPG is also the world's third largest producer of chlorine and caustic soda , vinyl chloride , and chlorinated solvents....
, H.J. Heinz, and Alcoa
Alcoa

Alcoa, Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 44 countries....
. In all, Pennsylvania is home to fifty Fortune 500
Fortune 500

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 United States public corporations as measured by their gross revenue, although Fortune makes adjustments to the revenue for a number of companies, particularly to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect....
 companies.

As in the US as a whole and in most states, largest private employer in the Commonwealth is Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American Public company that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500....
, followed by the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
, United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service, Inc. , commonly referred to as UPS, is the world's largest package delivery company. UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world....
 and Giant Food
Giant Food of Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Giant Food Stores, LLC is an United States supermarket chain that currently operates stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia under the names of Giant, FoodSource, and Martin's....
 (called Stop and Shop in other states). The largest manufacturing employer is Merck
Merck

Merck may refer to:* Merck KGaA, , a German-based chemical and pharmaceutical company.** Merck Serono , the pharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA...
.

Agriculture

Pennsylvania ranks 19th overall in agricultural production, but 1st in mushrooms
Fungiculture

Fungiculture is the process of producing food, medicine, and other products by the cultivation of mushrooms and other fungi.The word is commonly used to refer to the practice of cultivating fungi by leafcutter ants, termites, ambrosia beetles, and marsh snails....
, 3rd in Christmas tree
Christmas tree

File:Christmas Tree.JPGThe Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. Normally an evergreen Pinophyta tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, a Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful Christmas ornaments during the days around Christmas....
s and layer chickens
Egg (food)

An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals, consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo and its nutrient reserves....
, 4th in nursery
Nursery (horticulture)

A nursery is a place where plants are plant propagation and grown to usable size. There are retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to...
 and sod
Sod

Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of this material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns....
, milk
Milk

Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals . It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digestion other types of food....
, corn
Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
 for silage
Silage

File:Cattle eating corn silage.jpgSilage is fermentation , high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters....
, grapes grown (including juice grapes
Grape juice

Grape juice is a juice obtained from crushing grapes. The juice is often fermentation and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar. In the wine industry grape juice which contains 7-23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds, is often referred to as "must"....
), and horses production. It is also 8th in the nation for Wine County
Winemaking

Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine....
, Pennsylvania. The term "Dutch," when referring to the Pennsylvania Dutch, means "German" or "Teutonic" rather than "Netherlander." Germans, in their own language, call themselves "Deutsch," which in English became, misleadingly, "Dutch." The Pennsylvania Dutch language
Pennsylvania German language

The Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America. It has traditionally been the language of many of the descendants of late 17th and early 18th century immigrants to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and even North Carolina from southern Germany, eastern Franc...
 is a descendant of German, in the West Central German
West Central German

West Central German belongs to the Central German, High German languages dialect family in the German language. Its dialects are thoroughly Franconian languages including the following sub-families:...
 dialect family. The language is only very rarely used as a first language among Pennsylvanians; however, in eastern and south central areas of the state it is a common second language and greatly influences dialect and accent.

Politics


Government of the Commonwealth

Pennsylvania has had five constitution
Pennsylvania Constitution

The current Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most recently revised in 1968, forms the law for the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania....
s during its statehood: 1776, 1790, 1838, 1874, and . Prior to that, the province of Pennsylvania was governed for a century by a Frame of Government, of which there were four versions: 1682, 1683, 1696, and 1701. The capital of the Commonwealth is Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania, Reading, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pennsylvani...
. The legislature meets in the State Capitol there.
Pacap

Governor
The current Governor is Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell

Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an Politics of the United States and Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party , was elected List of Governors of Pennsylvania of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003....
, a former head of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee

The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support of Democratic Party candidates, and not on public policy....
 who began as a popular District Attorney
District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a district attorney is the local public official who represents the government in the Prosecutor of alleged criminals....
 and mayor in Philadelphia. The other elected officials composing the executive branch are the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General....
 Joseph Scarnati, Attorney General Tom Corbett
Tom Corbett

Tom Corbett is the current State Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania, United States, elected in 2004 and reelected in 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party ....
, Auditor General Jack Wagner
Jack Wagner

Jack Wagner may refer to:*Jack Wagner *Jack Wagner , an announcer for Disney theme parks*Jack Wagner , from The Bold and the Beautiful...
, and State Treasurer Robert McCord
Robert McCord

Robert M. McCord is the Treasurer of Pennsylvania....
.

General Assembly
Pennsylvania has a bicameral legislature set up by Commonwealth's constitution in 1790. The original Frame of Government of William Penn had a unicameral legislature. The General Assembly
Pennsylvania General Assembly

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
 includes 50 Senators and 203 Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania....
. Joseph B. Scarnati III is currently President Pro Tempore
President pro tempore

A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer....
 of the State Senate, Dominic Pileggi
Dominic Pileggi

Dominic Pileggi is an American politician from Pennsylvania who serves as Republican Leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Pileggi represents the 9th district, which includes portions of Chester County, Pennsylvania and Delaware County, Pennsylvania....
 the Majority Leader
Majority leader

In U.S. politics, the majority leader is a partisan position in a legislature body. If the presiding officer of the body is not elected by the body itself, the majority leader is the floor leader of the majority caucus; otherwise, the majority leader is the second-most senior member of the majority caucus, while the floor leader becomes the...
, and Robert J. Mellow
Robert J. Mellow

Robert J. "Bob" Mellow is a Democratic Party member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the Pennsylvania Senate, District 22 since 1971....
 the Minority Leader
Minority leader

In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the Floor Leader of the second-largest caucus in a legislature body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S....
. Keith R. McCall
Keith R. McCall

Keith R. McCall is a Democratic Party member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 122 since 1982....
 is Speaker
Speaker (politics)

The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like....
 of the House of Representatives, with Todd A. Eachus
Todd A. Eachus

Todd A. Eachus is a Democratic Party member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 116 since 1997....
 as Majority Leader and Samuel Smith
Samuel H. Smith (politician)

Samuel H. "Sam" Smith is a Republican Party member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 66 and was elected in 1986....
 as Minority Leader. As of the 2008 elections, the Democrats have a narrow majority in the state house and the Republicans retain their lead in the state senate.

Districts
Pennsylvania is divided into 60 judicial districts, most of which (except Philadelphia
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia County is a County located in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania. It is coterminous with the city of Philadelphia which also serves as its county seat....
 and Allegheny
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 1,281,666....
 Counties) have magisterial district judges (formerly called district justices and justices of the peace), who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small civil claims. Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which also serve as appellate court
Appellate court

An appellate court is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In most jurisdictions, the court system is divided into at least three levels: the trial court, which initially hears cases and reviews evidence and testimony to determine the facts of the case; at least one intermediate appell...
s to the district judges and for local agency decisions. The Superior Court hears all appeals from the Courts of Common Pleas not expressly designated to the Commonwealth Court or Supreme Court. It also has original jurisdiction
Original jurisdiction

The original jurisdiction of a court is the right to hear a case for the first time as opposed to appellate jurisdiction when a court has the right to review a lower court's decision....
 to review warrant
Warrant (law)

Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which wikt:commands an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is performed....
s for wiretap
Telephone tapping

Telephone tapping is the monitoring of telephone and Internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The telephone tap or wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was applied to the wires of the telephone line being monitored and drew off or tapped a small amount of the electrica...
 surveillance. The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the supreme court for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
 is the final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected; the chief justice
Chief Justice

The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of India, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Supreme Court...
 is determined by seniority. The state holds 21 electoral
Electoral college

An electoral college is a set of Votings who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entity, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way....
 votes.

Taxation
Sales tax
Sales tax

A sales tax is a consumption tax charged at the point of purchase for certain goods and services. The tax is usually set as a percentage by the government charging the tax....
 provides 39% of Commonwealth's revenue; personal income tax
State income tax

State income tax is an income tax in the United States that is levied by each individual U.S. states. Seven states choose to impose no income tax....
 34%; motor vehicle taxes about 12%, and taxes on cigarettes and alcohol beverage 5%.

Counties, municipalities, and school district
School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public elementary school and high school schools. They exist mostly in the United States, where they operate nearly all government-funded schools....
s levy taxes on real estate. In addition, some local bodies assess a wage tax
Income tax

An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income of people, corporations, or other legal entities. Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence....
 on personal income. Generally, the total wage tax rate is capped at 1% of income but some municipalities with home rule
Home rule

Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-governance within the greater administrative purview of the central government....
 charters may charge more than 1%. Thirty-two of the Commonwealth's sixty-seven counties levy a personal property tax
Property tax

Property tax, or millage tax, is an ad valorem tax that an owner is required to pay on the value of the property being taxed.There are three species or types of property: Land, Improvements to Land , and Personal ....
 on stocks, bonds, and similar holdings.

Representation in the 111th Congress

Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 in the 111th Congress are Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter is the senior senator United States Senate from Pennsylvania and a member of the United States Republican Party. Elected in 1980, he is currently the Seniority in the United States Senate as well as 5th most senior Republican in this body....
 and Bob Casey, Jr.
Bob Casey, Jr.

Robert Patrick Casey, Jr. , better known as Bob Casey, Jr. or Bob Casey is the Senate seniority United States Senate from Pennsylvania, and a member of the Democratic Party ....


Pennsylvania's U.S. Representatives for the term beginning January 2009 are Robert Brady
Bob Brady

Robert A. "Bob" Brady is a politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Since 1998, he has represented in the United States House of Representatives....
 (1st
Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district

Pennsylvania's first congressional district includes primarily central and South Philadelphia, the Chester, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia International Airport, and other small sections of Delaware County, Pennsylvania....
), Chaka Fattah
Chaka Fattah

Chaka Fattah , has served as a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives since 1994, representing the Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district of Pennsylvania , which includes North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, West Philadelphia, a very small portion of Northeast Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania...
 (2nd
Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district

Pennsylvania's second district includes West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania...
), Kathy Dahlkemper
Kathy Dahlkemper

Kathleen A. Dahlkemper is an United States politician and a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 2009....
 (3rd
Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district

Pennsylvania's third district is located in the northwestern part of the state and includes the cities of Erie, Pennsylvania, Sharon, Pennsylvania, Butler, Pennsylvania and Meadville, Pennsylvania....
), Jason Altmire
Jason Altmire

Jason Altmire is a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives representing Pennsylvania's Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district....
 (4th
Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district

Pennsylvania's fourth district is located in western Pennsylvania and includes suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and Mercer County, Pennsylvania....
), Glenn "G.T." Thompson (5th
Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district

Pennsylvania's fifth district is currently the largest of all of Pennsylvania's congressional districts. It is Republican Party leaning. It is currently represented by Glenn "G.T." Thompson ...
), Jim Gerlach
Jim Gerlach

James "Jim" Gerlach is a politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, currently representing the state's Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district in the U.S....
 (6th
Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district was substantially redrawn in 2002. Its strange shape brought charges of gerrymandering by Democrats who argued it "looms like a dragon descending on Philadelphia from the west, splitting up towns and communities throughout Montgomery and Berks Counties." The current representative is Republican Part...
), Joe Sestak
Joseph A. Sestak

Joseph A. "Joe" Sestak, Jr. is a retired United States Navy Vice admiral and currently a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 2007....
 (7th
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district incorporates parts of the Philadelphia suburbs, including most of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is currently represented by Democratic Party Joe Sestak, who defeated longtime Republican Party United States incumbent Curt Weldon in the 2006 midterm elections in this once safely Republican distric...
), Patrick Murphy
Patrick Murphy (politician)

Patrick Joseph Murphy is the Congressman from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district, an Law of the United States, and a United States Army soldier....
 (8th
Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district

The 8th Pennsylvania Congressional District serves Bucks County, Pennsylvania, along with a small portion of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Northeast Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania....
), Bill Shuster
Bill Shuster

William Shuster is a Republican Party Politics of the United States from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the United States House of Representatives from the ....
 (9th
Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district is a relatively safe seat for the Republican Party s. In 2004, for example, the Republican candidate, former businessman Bill Shuster, won a convincing majority over his Democratic Party opponent winning 70% of the vote....
), Chris Carney
Chris Carney

Christopher P. "Chris" Carney is a professor and Congressman of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district....
 (10th
Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district is located primarily in the northeast corner of the state. The district was one of the United States Congressional Delegations from Pennsylvania#1793-1803: 13 Seats created prior to the 4th United States Congress....
), Paul E. Kanjorski
Paul E. Kanjorski

Paul E. Kanjorski is an American Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, currently representing Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives....
 (11th
Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district is in the northeastern part of the state and has been a safe seat for Democratic Party for some time....
), John Murtha
John Murtha

John Patrick ?Jack? Murtha, Jr. is an Politics of the United States from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democratic Party , has represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 1974....
 (12th
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is currently represented by Democratic Party John Murtha....
), Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Schwartz

Allyson Young Schwartz is an United States politician and United States Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district of Pennsylvania since 2005....
 (13th
Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district

The 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, covering eastern Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
), Michael F. Doyle
Michael F. Doyle

Michael F. "Mike" Doyle is an United States politician and Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 1995....
 (14th
Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district is overwhelmingly Democratic Party . The district includes the entire city of Pittsburgh, which is solidly Democratic because of its strong ethnic labor, liberal professional, and black voting blocks....
), Charlie Dent
Charlie Dent

Charles "Charlie" Dent is a Republican Party Member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district , including the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania....
 (15th
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

Pennsylvania's Congressional 15th District is located in eastern Pennsylvania, comprising all of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, most of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and small parts of Berks County, Pennsylvania and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Counties....
), Joe Pitts (16th
Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district

Pennsylvania?s 16th congressional district is located in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia. Created after the 2000 Census, the district is composed of a large portion of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, all of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and a sliver of Berks County, Pennsylvania, including a sliver o...
), Tim Holden
Tim Holden

Thomas Timothy "Tim" Holden is an Politics of the United States who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993....
 (17th
Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district

Pennsylvania?s 17th congressional district is located in the central part of Pennsylvania, including the state capital, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
), Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy (congressman)

Timothy "Tim" F. Murphy is an United States politician who currently serves in the United States House of Representatives for the Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district of Pennsylvania ....
 (18th
Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district includes parts of Washington County, Pennsylvania County, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Counties....
), and Todd Russell Platts
Todd Russell Platts

Todd Russell Platts is a politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, currently representing the state's Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district in the U.S....
 (19th
Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district includes all of Adams County, Pennsylvania and York County, Pennsylvania Counties, and parts of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania County....
).

See map of congressional districts
List of United States congressional districts

This is a complete list of congressional Electoral district for representation in the United States House of Representatives. The quantity and boundaries of districts are determined after each census, although in some cases states have changed the boundaries more than once per census....


Regional strength

In the past decade, no political party
Political party

A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain politics power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns....
 has been clearly dominant in Pennsylvania. This, combined with Pennsylvania's rank of 6th in the country in population, has made it one of the most important swing states. Democrats are strong in urban Philadelphia and the areas of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
, Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and the center of the Greater Reading Area....
, Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh....
, Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is an industrial city on the shore of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Named for the lake and the Erie tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth largest city , with a population of 104,000....
, Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States, miles east of Pittsburgh and west-south west of Altoona, Pennsylvania....
, State College
State College, Pennsylvania

State College is the largest Borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre county....
 and Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton is a city in Northeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area....
/Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Wilkes-Barre is a city in Northeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and the central city of the Wyoming Valley....
. Republicans are generally dominant in the vast rural areas that make up the balance of the Commonwealth. Traditionally, Republicans have also fared well in the densely populated and wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but in the 1990s and 2000s many of these suburbs began to associate more with the Democratic Party.

Since 1992, Pennsylvania has been trending Democratic in Presidential elections, voting for Bill Clinton twice by large margins, and slightly closer in 2000 for Al Gore. In the 2004 Presidential Election, Senator John F. Kerry beat President George W. Bush
George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
 in Pennsylvania 2,938,095 (50.92%) to 2,793,847 (48.42%). Most recently, in the 2008 Presidential Election, Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
 defeated Republican John McCain
John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior senator United States United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election....
 in Pennsylvania, 3,184,778 (55%) to 2,584,088 (44%).

Important cities and municipalities

Phila
Municipalities in Pennsylvania are incorporated as cities
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 of several classes, as boroughs, as townships
Township (Pennsylvania)

A township in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is a unit of local government subordinate to a county, and distinct from cities and boroughs. Townships were established based on convenient geographical boundaries and vary in size from six to forty square miles ....
 of several classes, or under home rule charters. A "village," often identified by a roadside sign, is unincorporated, and is merely a locale without distinct boundaries. There are 2,567 municipalities in the state.

There is some confusion about the number of "towns" in Pennsylvania. In 1870, Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 40 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River....
, the county seat of Columbia County
Columbia County, Pennsylvania

Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 64,151.Columbia County was created on March 22, 1813, from part of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania and named for Historical Columbia, a poetic name for the United States that alludes to Christopher Columbus....
 was incorporated as a town, and is recognized by state government publications as "the only incorporated town" in Pennsylvania. However, in 1975, McCandless Township
McCandless, Pennsylvania

McCandless is a township and census-designated place in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,022 at the United States Census, 2000....
, in Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 1,281,666....
 adopted a home rule charter under the name "Town of McCandless".

The ten most populated cities in Pennsylvania, in order, are:
  1. Philadelphia
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population city in the United States. It is the fifth-largest metropolitan area and fourth-largest urban area by population in the United States, the nation's fourth-largest consumer media market as ranked by the Nielsen Media Research, and the 49th-most...
     (1,449,634)
  2. Pittsburgh
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
     (312,819)
  3. Allentown
    Allentown, Pennsylvania

    Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh....
     (106,632)
  4. Erie
    Erie, Pennsylvania

    Erie is an industrial city on the shore of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Named for the lake and the Erie tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth largest city , with a population of 104,000....
     (103,717)
  5. Reading
    Reading, Pennsylvania

    Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and the center of the Greater Reading Area....
     (81,207)
  6. Scranton
    Scranton, Pennsylvania

    Scranton is a city in Northeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area....
     (72,485)
  7. Bethlehem
    Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

    Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and Northampton County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States....
     (71,329)
  8. Lancaster
    Lancaster, Pennsylvania

    Lancaster is a city in the South Central Pennsylvania part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania....
     (55,381)
  9. Altoona
    Altoona, Pennsylvania

    Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
     (49,523)
  10. Harrisburg
    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

    Harrisburg is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania, Reading, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pennsylvani...
     (47,196)


Recreation

Pennsylvania is home to the nation's first zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, was the first zoo in the United States....
. Other long-accredited AZA zoos include the Erie Zoo
Erie Zoo

The Erie Zoological Park and Botanical Garden of Northwestern Pennsylvania, or Erie Zoo, is a Zoo in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is located on of land in List of city parks of Erie, Pennsylvania, just off West 38th Street between Cherry Street and Glenwood Park Avenue....
 and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

The Pittsburgh Zoo is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the United States. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Highland Park , the zoo sits on of park land where it exhibits over 4,000 animals representing 475 species, over 70 of which are threatened or endangered....
. The Lehigh Valley Zoo and ZOOAMERICA
Hersheypark

Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, close to the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened in 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of The Hershey Company, an United States confectionery company....
 are other notable zoos. The Commonwealth boasts some of the finest museums in the country, including the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, known locally and colloquially as "The Art Museum", is among the largest art museums in the United States....
 and several others. One of the unique museums is the Houdini Museum
Houdini Museum

The Houdini Museum was established in 1988 at 1433 N. Main Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA. It is in a turn-of-the-20th-century building that has been entirely renovated....
 in Scranton, the only building in the world devoted to the legendary magician. Pennsylvania is also home to the National Aviary
National Aviary

The National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania is United States of America only independent indoor nonprofit aviary. It is also America's largest aviary, and the only accorded honorary "National" status by the United States Congress....
, located in Pittsburgh.

All 121 state parks
List of Pennsylvania state parks

This List of Pennsylvania state parks contains the 120 state parks in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, as of 2007. The Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks, a division of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , is the governing body for all these parks, and directly operates 111 of them....
 in Pennsylvania feature free admission.

Pennsylvania offers a number of notable amusement parks, including Camel Beach, Conneaut Lake Park
Conneaut Lake Park

Conneaut Lake Park is a summer amusement resort, located in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, USA. It has long served as a regional tourist destination, and is loved by roller coaster enthusiasts for its classic Blue Streak coaster....
, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an amusement park and water park located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
, Dutch Wonderland
Dutch Wonderland

Dutch Wonderland is a amusement park just east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, appealing primarily to families with small children. The park's theme is a "Kingdom for Kids." The entrance to the park has a real stone castle fa?ade, which was built by Earl Clark, a potato farmer, before he opened the park in 1963....
, DelGrosso Amusement Park, Hersheypark
Hersheypark

Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, close to the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened in 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of The Hershey Company, an United States confectionery company....
, Idlewild Park, Kennywood
Kennywood

Kennywood is an amusement park near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the borough of West Mifflin. It ranked second to Cedar Point in the category of "Favorite Park" in Theme Park Magazine's 2004 Reader's Choice Awards....
, Knoebels
Knoebels

Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove and campground, located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, the park has over 50 rides, free admission, two world-class wooden roller coasters, a 1913 carousel and a haunted house dark ride that has been featured on the Discovery Channel....
, Lakemont Park
Lakemont Park

Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899....
, Sandcastle Waterpark
Sandcastle Waterpark

Sandcastle is a water park located in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburb of West Homestead, Pennsylvania. The park is located on a piece of land along the banks of the Monongahela River....
, Sesame Place
Sesame Place

Sesame Place is an United States theme park in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States, east of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, northeast of Philadelphia, and west of Trenton, New Jersey....
, Great Wolf Lodge and Waldameer Park
Waldameer Park

Waldameer Park and Water World is an amusement park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle State Park. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, and the tenth oldest in the United States....
. Pennsylvania also is home to the largest indoor waterpark resort on the East Coast, Splash Lagoon
Splash Lagoon

Splash Lagoon Indoor Waterpark Resort is a Polynesian-themed large indoor waterpark located in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is approximately . It features 7 water slides, 3 hot tubs, 1 large activity pool, and a children's area....
 in Erie.

There are also notable music festivals that take place in Pennsylvania. These include Musikfest
Musikfest

Musikfest is a music festival held each August in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. The festival begins on the first Friday in August and ends on a Sunday ten days later....
 in Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and Northampton County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States....
, the Philadelphia Folk Festival
Philadelphia Folk Festival

The Philadelphia Folk Festival is a three-day festival of folk music that has been held annually in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Philadelphia by the non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society since 1962....
, Creation Festival
Creation Festival

Creation Festival is a series of popular Christian music festivals held in the United States. The original festival began in 1979 at Muddy Run Park in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania until 1984 when the Northeast festival was moved to Agape Farm in Mount Union, Pennsylvania....
, the Great Allentown Fair and Purple Door
Purple Door

The Purple Door Christian music festival is held annually each August. The festival was first held in 1996 at the Lancaster Mennonite High School in Lancaster, PA....
.

There are nearly one million licensed hunters in Pennsylvania. Whitetail deer, cottontail rabbits, squirrel, turkey, and grouse are common game species. Pennsylvania is considered one of the finest wild turkey hunting states in the Union, alongside Texas and Alabama. Sport hunting in Pennsylvania is a massive boost for the Commonwealth's economy. A report from The Center for Rural Pennsylvania (a Legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly) reported that hunting, fishing, and furtaking generated a total of $9.6 billion statewide.

The Boone and Crockett Club
Boone and Crockett Club

The Boone and Crockett Club is a conservationist organization, founded in the United States in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt. The original name was intended to honor Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, who were seen as ethical hunters and honest men who loved the outdoors and earthly pursuits....
 shows that five of the ten largest (skull size) black bear
American black bear

The American Black Bear is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Alaska south into Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean....
 entries came from the state. The state also has a tied record for the largest hunter shot black bear in the Boone & Crockett books at and a skull
Skull

The skull is a bone structure found in the head of many animals. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury....
 of 23 3/16 tied with a bear shot in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 in 1993. The largest bear ever found dead was in Utah
Utah

The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
 in 1975 and second largest was shot by a poacher
Poaching

Poaching is the illegal hunting, fishing or eating of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international Conservation and wildlife management laws....
 in the state in 1987. Pennsylvania holds the second most number of Boone & Crockett recorded record black bears at 183 second only to Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
's 299.

Transportation

There are 69 railroads
Rail transport

Rail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways . Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth....
 in the state and of railways which is 5th in the nation. There are 134 public-use airports
List of airports in Pennsylvania

This is a list of airports in Pennsylvania , grouped by type and sorted by location. It contains all public-use and military airports in the state....
 and 6 international airports. The Port of Erie is the state's only Great Lakes port and provides access to the St. Lawrence Seaway. It boasts some of the finest port facilities on the Great Lakes. The port of Pittsburgh is the 2nd largest inland port in the United States. There are of highway
Highway

A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as city and towns. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated freeway....
s in the state. SEPTA, based in Philadelphia, is the fifth largest transportation agency in the United States. The Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County

Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S....
, which services Pittsburgh, is the 12th largest transportation agency in the United States.

Sports

Pennsylvania is home to many professional sports teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and are the reigning 2008 World Series champions....
 and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They play in the National League Central of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions and played in the first one....
 of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
, the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the NFC East of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
 and Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the AFC North of the American Football Conference in the National Football League) ....
 of the National Football League
National Football League

The National Football League is the Major North American professional sports leagues American football Sports league in the United States. It is an unincorporated 501#501.28c.29.286.29 association controlled by its members....
, the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are Major North American professional sports teams basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the National Basketball Association ....
 of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is North America's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of thirty teams: twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada....
, the Erie Bayhawks
Erie BayHawks

The Erie BayHawks is a 2008-09 expansion team in the NBA Development League. The team plays its home games at the Louis J. Tullio Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania....
 of the National Basketball Association Development League, the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are an ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ....
 and Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ....
 of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America. It is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the North American Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada....
, and the Philadelphia Soul
Philadelphia Soul

The Philadelphia Soul are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play in 2004 as a expansion team. The team plays in the Eastern Division of the National Conference....
 of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League

The Arena Football League was founded in 1987 in sports as an American football arena football. The AFL's attendance increased dramatically over its last few years, rising to an average of 12,415 people per game in 2007, and 12,957 per game in 2008, but the increases were accompanied by greatly increased expenses and debt, leading to the can...
. Among them, these teams have accumulated 7 World Series
World Series

The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
 Championships (Pirates 5, Phillies 2), 14 National League
National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest existent professional team sports league....
 Pennants, 3 pre-Super Bowl
Super Bowl

In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League . The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday....
 era NFL Championships (Eagles), 6 Super Bowl Championships (Steelers), 1 Arena Bowl Championship (Soul), 2 NBA Championships (76ers), and 4 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League Season structure of the NHL#Stanley Cup playoffs champion....
 winners (Flyers 2, Penguins 2).

In baseball, the Phillies moved their Triple A-level team from Ottawa, Ontario, in Canada, to a newly-constructed stadium, Coca-Cola Park in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh....
, beginning with the 2008 season. Because the Lehigh Valley is a core fan base for both the Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the NFC East of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
 (who conduct their pre-season training camp on the practice fields of Lehigh University
Lehigh University

Lehigh University is a private university, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States....
), there are understandably lofty expectations that the new team, called the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Lehigh Valley IronPigs

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team, serving as the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball....
 (after pig iron
Pig iron

Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with coke , usually with limestone as a flux. Pig iron has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5?4.5%, which makes it very brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications....
, which is an instrumental part in the construction of steel
Steel

Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.14% by weight , depending on grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten....
 which has been a large part of the local economy for decades), is likely to prove hugely popular among Allentown and Lehigh Valley Phillies fans. The Phillies' AA team is located in Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and the center of the Greater Reading Area....
, and one of their A-level affiliates is also located in Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Williamsport is a List of municipalities in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania in the United States....
. The Tigers AA team is located in Erie. The Pirates' AA team is located in Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania

Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, and the Nationals' AA affiliate is in the capital of Harrisburg. The Yankees' AAA team is also located in Scranton, in the northeastern part of the state. Two independent-league teams, the Lancaster Barnstormers
Lancaster Barnstormers

The Lancaster Barnstormers are a professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the United States. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball....
 and York Revolution
York Revolution

The York Revolution is a professional baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania, in the United States. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball....
 of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, Independent league baseball baseball organization located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Maryland, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C....
, are located in south-central Pennsylvania.

College football is also very popular in Pennsylvania. The Penn State University Nittany Lions are coached by Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno

Joseph Vincent Paterno , nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State University Penn State Nittany Lions team, a position he has held since 1966....
 who led Penn State to two national championships (1982 & 1986) as well as five undefeated seasons (1968, 1969, 1973, 1986 and 1994). Penn State plays its home games in the largest stadium in the United States, Beaver Stadium
Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium is an outdoor American football stadium located on the campus of The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania....
, that seats 107,282. In addition, the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States....
 Panthers have won nine national championships (1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937 and 1976) and have played eight undefeated seasons (1904, 1910, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1937 and 1976). Pitt plays its home games at Heinz Field
Heinz Field

Heinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers football American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively....
, a facility it shares with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the AFC North of the American Football Conference in the National Football League) ....
. Other Pennsylvania schools that have won national titles in football include Lafayette College
Lafayette College

Lafayette College is a private school coeducational Liberal arts colleges in the United States located in Easton, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States....
 (1896) and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
 (1895, 1897, 1904 and 1908).

College basketball is also popular in the state, especially in the Philadelphia area where five universities, collectively termed the Big Five
Philadelphia Big 5

The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic Ten Conference, the Big East Conference, and the Ivy League....
, have a rich tradition in NCAA Division I basketball. National titles in college basketball have been won by the following Pennsylvania universities: La Salle University
La Salle University

La Salle University is a private university, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States Named for St....
 (1954), Temple University
Temple University

Temple University is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple University was founded in 1884 by Dr....
 (1938), University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is America's first university and is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States....
 (1920 and 1921), University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States....
 (1928 and 1930) and Villanova University
Villanova University

Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States....
 (1985).

In motorsports, the Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti

Mario Gabriele Andretti is an Italian American former automobile auto racing driver, and one of the most successful United States in the history of the sport....
 dynasty of race drivers is from Nazareth
Nazareth, Pennsylvania

Nazareth is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 6,023 at the 2000 United States Census....
. Notable Racetracks in Pennsylvania include the Jennerstown Speedway
Jennerstown Speedway

Jennerstown Speedway is a racetrack in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, United States....
 in Jennerstown
Jennerstown, Pennsylvania

Jennerstown is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, the Lake Erie Speedway
Lake Erie Speedway

Lake Erie Speedway is a 3/8 mile paved, banked oval race track which opened on June 21, 2002 in North East, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Asphalt Racing Alliance....
 in North East
North East, Pennsylvania

North East is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 14 miles northeast of Erie, Pennsylvania. Fruit growing was an early economic endeavor, and is still to this day, as this is a popular area for especially cherries and grapes....
, the Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton
Lehighton, Pennsylvania

Lehighton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 86 miles north by west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the past, it was the site of silk and lace mills, a meat-packing house, shirt factory, automatic-press works, car shops, stoneworks, foundries, etc....
, the Motordome Speedway in Smithton
Smithton, Pennsylvania

Smithton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.Smithton's early industry was in coal mining, coke ovens, and shipping goods produced in the valley of Jacobs Creek ....
, the Mountain Speedway in St. Johns, the Nazareth Speedway
Nazareth Speedway

Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing track in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania which operated from the 1910s to 2004. The track is often associated with local drivers Mario Andretti and Michael Andretti....
 in Nazareth
Nazareth, Pennsylvania

Nazareth is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 6,023 at the 2000 United States Census....
; and the Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway is a superspeedway located in the The Poconos of Pennsylvania at Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held just weeks apart in June and August....
 in Long Pond
Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Long Pond, Pennsylvania is a unincorporated location in the The Poconos region of Pennsylvania, a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The zip code is 18334....
, which is home both the Pennsylvania 500
Pennsylvania 500

The Sunoco Presents The American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 is the second of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car racing held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the other being the Pocono 500....
 and the Pocono 500
Pocono 500

The Pocono 500 is the first of two stock car racing held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in mid-June, the other being the Pennsylvania 500, usually held in July....
.

Also, the Little League World Series
Little League World Series

The Little League World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11, 12 and 13 years old. Named for the World Series in Major League Baseball, it was first held in 1947 in baseball and is held every August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania in the United States....
 is held in Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Williamsport is a List of municipalities in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania in the United States....
, where it was founded. Also the first World Series
World Series

The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
 between the Boston Pilgrims (now Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in . The Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball?s American League East. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park....
) and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. They play in the National League Central of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions and played in the first one....
 was played in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
.

There are also two motocross race tracks that host a round of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championships in Pennsylvania. [High Point Raceway] in located in Mt. Morris, PA, and Steel City is located in Delmont, PA.

Race courses for horses in Pennsylvania consist of The Meadows Racetrack, south of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, in Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Wilkes-Barre is a city in Northeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and the central city of the Wyoming Valley....
 and Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack in Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 36,854 at the 2000 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware....
 which offer harness racing
Harness racing

Harness racing is a form of horse-racing in which the horses race in a specified gait. They usually pull two-wheeled carts called sulky, although races to saddle are still occasionally conducted, especially in Europe....
, and Penn National Race Course
Penn National Race Course

Penn National Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing race track located in Grantville, Pennsylvania, 17 miles east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania....
 in Grantville
Grantville, Pennsylvania

Grantville is an unincorporated area in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States....
 and Philadelphia Park, in Bensalem, and Presque Isle Downs
Presque Isle Downs

Presque Isle Downs and Casino is a racino complex in Erie, Pennsylvania. The owner, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for its new racino, which opened on February 28, 2007....
, south of Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is an industrial city on the shore of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Named for the lake and the Erie tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth largest city , with a population of 104,000....
, which offer thoroughbred racing. Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones

Smarty Jones is a thoroughbred race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.He is a third-generation descendant of Mr....
, the 2004 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a graded stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbreds, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival....
 and Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an United States Graded stakes race 1-3/16 mile thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses, held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland....
 winner, had Philadelphia Park as his home course.

Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer

Arnold Daniel Palmer is an United States professional golfer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golfer....
, one of the leading 20th century pro golfers, comes from Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States approximately 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census ....
, and Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk

James Michael Furyk is an United States professional golfer golfer, known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing....
, one of the leading 21-century pro golfers, grew up near in Lancaster
Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Manheim Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which borders the city limits of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania to the north....
. PGA tournaments in Pennsylvania include the 84 Lumber Classic, played at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, in Farmington
Farmington, Pennsylvania

Farmington is an unincorporated area in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh....
 and the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, played at Glenmaura National Golf Club, in Moosic
Moosic, Pennsylvania

Moosic is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania six miles south of Scranton, PA and 13 miles northeast of Wilkes-Barre, PA on the Lackawanna River....
.

Philadelphia is home to LOVE Park
LOVE Park

LOVE Park is a plaza located in Center City, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park is nicknamed LOVE Park for Robert Indiana LOVE which overlooks the plaza....
, once a skateboard
Skateboard

A skateboard is a four wheeled piece of wood used for the activity of skateboarding. The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1950's....
ing mecca, and across from City Hall, host to ESPN
ESPN

ESPN is a United States cable television Television network dedicated to Broadcasting of sports events and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
's X Games
X Games

The X Games is an annual event with a focus on Extreme sport. The Winter X Games are held in January or February and the Summer X Games are usually held in August, both in the United States....
 in 2001 and 2002.

Food

In his book Yo Mama Cooks Like a Yankee, author Sharon Hernes Silverman calls Pennsylvania the snack food capital of the world. It leads all other states in the manufacture of pretzel
Pretzel

A pretzel is a bread pastry of Medieval European origin, that has the shape of a three looped knot or twisted braid. Pretzels are either soft or hard....
s and potato chips. The Sturgis Pretzel House
Sturgis Pretzel House

The Sturgis Pretzel House of Lititz, Pennsylvania, founded in 1861, is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the United States.. The bakery remains active in pretzel production and as being a tourist attraction....
 introduced the pretzel to America, and companies like Anderson Bakery Company, Intercourse Pretzel Factory, and Snyder's of Hanover are leading manufacturers in the Commonwealth. Two of the three companies that define the U.S. potato chip industry are based in Pennsylvania: Utz Quality Foods, Inc.
Utz Quality Foods, Inc.

Utz Quality Foods, Inc. , based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, is the largest independent privately held snack brand in the United States. The company was founded in 1921 and distributes a variety of potato chips and other snack foods throughout the eastern United States....
, which started making chips in Hanover, Pennsylvania
Hanover, Pennsylvania

Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 19 miles southwest of York, Pennsylvania and 54 miles north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland....
 in 1921, and Wise Snack Foods
Wise Foods, Inc.

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 which started making chips in Berwick
Berwick, Pennsylvania

Berwick founded by Evan Owen a Surveyor, is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 27 miles, which is 43 km, southwest of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania....
 in 1921 (the third, Lay's Potato Chips
Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay North America is a division of PepsiCo which manufactures, markets and sells a variety of corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods....
, is a Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
 company). Other companies such as Herr Foods, Martin's Potato Chips, Snyder's of Berlin (not associated with Snyder's of Hanover) and Troyer Farms Potato Products are popular chip manufacturers. The U.S. chocolate industry is centered in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle, Pennsylvania Harrisburg metropolitan area....
, with Mars
MARS

In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
 and Wilbur Chocolate Company
Wilbur Chocolate Company

The Wilbur Chocolate Company is a chocolatier located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1865 by Henry Oscar Wilbur and Samuel Croft. It produces more than 150 million pounds of chocolate a year, which is sold to major food companies and thousands of small shops....
 nearby, and smaller manufacturers such as Asher's near Lansdale and Gertrude Hawk
Gertrude Hawk

Gertrude Hawk Chocolates is a chocolate company based in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.The company was started by Gertrude Jones Hawk in 1936....
 of Dunmore
Dunmore, Pennsylvania

Dunmore is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, adjoining Scranton, Pennsylvania. Dunmore was settled in 1835 and incorporated in 1862....
. Other notable companies include Just Born
Just Born

Just Born is a candy manufacturer based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States.They produce Mike and Ike, Hot Tamales, ZOURS, Teenee Beanee Gourmet Jelly Beans, and Marshmallow Peeps....
 in Bethlehem, PA, makers of Hot Tamales
Hot Tamales

Hot Tamales are a cinnamon candy manufactured by Just Born.They are shaped like Mike and Ike candies and were introduced in 1950.In addition to the hot and spicy flavor, there are also Hot Tamales Fire which are more intense than the original, a darker red in color, and less opaque....
, Mike and Ike
Mike and Ike

Mike and Ike is a brand of fruit-flavored, gummy candy. They were first introduced by Just Born Inc. in 1940. They are oblong, fruit-flavored chewy candies that come in several colors and varieties ....
s, and the Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 favorite marshmallow Peeps
Peeps

Peeps are small marshmallow candies, sold in the US and Canada, that are shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals. There are also different shapes used for various holidays....
, Benzel's Pretzels and Boyer Brothers
Boyer Brothers

Boyer Brothers, Inc. is a candy company located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Founded by brothers Bill and Bob Boyer, with help from their mother Emily, the company initially produced Mallo Cups, a cup-shaped candy consisting of a marshmallow center covered with chocolate....
 of Altoona, PA, which is well known for its Mallo Cups. Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Auntie Anne's

Auntie Anne's, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is an United States chain of pretzel bakeries founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988....
 started in Maryland, but their corporate headquarters is now located in Lancaster. Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch foods include chicken potpie, schnitz un knepp (dried apples, hame, and dumplings), fasnachts
Fasnachts

A Fasnacht, sometimes spelled Fastnacht or Faschnacht, is a fatty doughnut treat served traditionally on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent starts....
 (raised doughnuts), scrapple, pretzels, bologna, and chow-chow. Shoofly is another traditional Pennsylvanian Dutch food. D.G. Yuengling & Son, America's oldest brewery, has been brewing beer in Pottsville
Pottsville, Pennsylvania

Pottsville is the largest and only chartered city in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is thus the county seat thereof. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census....
 since 1829.

Among the regional foods associated with Pennsylvania are pierogies, cheesesteaks, hoagie, soft pretzels, liver on a stick, Italian water ice, scrapple
Scrapple

Scrapple is a Mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour. The mush is formed into a loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then fried before serving....
, Tastykake
Tastykake

Tastykake is the brandname for a line of snack foods manufactured by the Tasty Baking Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1914 by Philip J....
, and strombolis
Stromboli (food)

Stromboli is a type of Turnover filled with various cheeses, Italian meats or vegetables. The dough is Italian bread dough.Stromboli are similar to but distinct from calzones, as calzones are pockets of dough filled with meat, cheese and vegetables, and stromboli can contain the same ingredients but are rolled into an oblong loaf and sl...
. In Pittsburgh, tomato ketchup was improved by Henry John Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company

H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz, famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan, is an American processed-food product company with its world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
 from 1876 to the early 1900s. Famous to a lesser extent than Heinz ketchup are the Pittsburgh's Primanti Brothers Restaurant sandwiches. Outside of Scranton, in Old Forge
Old Forge, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

Old Forge is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,798 at the 2000 census....
 there are dozens of Italian restaurants specializing in pizza made unique by thick, light crust and American cheese. Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut

File:Kiszona kapusta.JPGSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermentation by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus....
 along with pork and mashed potatoes is a common meal on New Year's Day in Pennsylvania.

Multi-ethnic cuisine is common, especially in the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Coal Region
Coal Region

The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, and the extreme n...
 areas. Amish
Amish

The various Amish or Amish Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious denominations, and form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches....
, Chinese
Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine originated from the various regions of China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world ? from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa....
, Italian
Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots traced back to 4th century BC....
, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican
Mexican cuisine

Mexican cuisine is a style of food that originated in Mexico with a considerable Spanish influence. Mexican cuisine is known for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices....
, Pakistani, Persian, Polish
Polish cuisine

Polish cuisine is a mixture of Slavs and Germanic culinary traditions. It is rich in meat, especially chicken and pork, and winter vegetables , and spices, as well as different kinds of noodles the most notable of which are the pierogi....
, Russian
Russian cuisine

Russian cuisine derives its rich and varied character from the vast and multicultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of plentiful fish, poultry, game , mushrooms, Berry, and honey....
, Thai, Turkish cuisine and many others can be found not only in specialty restaurants but at hundreds of community or religious festivals.

State symbols

Ruffedgrouse23
Usbrigniagarainport
 Pennsylvania state insignia and historical facts
State tree Eastern Hemlock
State bird
List of U.S. state birds

This is a list of U.S. state birds as designated by each state's legislature. The selection of state birds began in 1927, when the legislatures for Alabama, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming selected their state birds....
 		 Ruffed grouse
Ruffed Grouse

The Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus, is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska....
State flower Mountain laurel
Kalmia latifolia

Kalmia latifolia, commonly called Mountain-laurel or Spoonwood, is a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to the eastern United States, from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana....
State insect Photuris pennsylvanica
Photuris pennsylvanica

Photuris pennsylvanica, known by the common names Pennsylvania Firefly, Lightning Bug, Pennsylvania Lightning Bug, and Glowworm, is a species of firefly from the United States and Canada....
 (Pennsylvania Firefly
Firefly

Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey....
)
State animal White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer

File:Wtdfishwild.jpgThe white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to all but five states in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and northern portions of South America as far south as Peru....
State dog
List of U.S. state mammals

A state mammal is the official or representative animal of a U.S. state. States also have separate List of U.S. state birdss, and sometimes state fish or state butterfly....
 		 Great Dane
Great Dane

The Great Dane, Danish Hound, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, or German Mastiff is a dog breed of domestic dog known for its giant size and gentle personality....
State fish Brook trout
Brook trout

The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the Salmonidae family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail....
State fossil
State fossil

Most American states have made a state fossil designation, in many cases during the 1980s. It is common to designate one species in which fossilization has occurred, rather than a single specimen, or a category of fossils not limited to a single species....
 		 the trilobite
Trilobite

Trilobites are extinction marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. They appeared in the Early Cambrian period and flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before beginning a drawn-out decline to extinction when, during the Late Devonian extinction, all trilobite orders, with the sole exception of Proetida, died out....
 Phacops rana
Phacops rana

Phacops rana is a species of trilobite from the middle Devonian period. Their fossils are found chiefly in the northeastern United States, southwestern Ontario, Canada, and in Morocco, Africa....
State beverage
List of U.S. state beverages

This is a list of official state beverages:See also* Lists of U.S. state insigniaReferences ...
 		 Milk
Milk

Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals . It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digestion other types of food....
State capital
List of capitals in the United States

Washington, D.C. has been the capital of the United States since 1800. #Former national capitals have served as the meeting place for Congress and are therefore considered to have once been the capital of the United States....
 		 Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Erie, Pennsylvania, Reading, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Pennsylvani...
Union admission rank
List of U.S. states by date of statehood

This is a list of U.S. states by date of statehood, or is it that is, the date when each U.S. state joined the United States. Although the Thirteen Colonies can be considered to have been members of the United States from the date of the United States Declaration of Independence – Thursday, July 4, 1776 – they are p...
 		 2nd
State song
List of U.S. state songs

Introduction Forty-nine U.S. state of the United States have one or more state songs, selected by the State legislature as a symbol of the state....
 		 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (song)

"Pennsylvania" is the official state song of the Pennsylvania. The song was written and composed by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner and serves as the official song for all public purposes....
 (Formerly Hail, Pennsylvania!
Hail, Pennsylvania!

"Hail, Pennsylvania!" written by Edgar M. Dilley in 1897, was the official state song of the Pennsylvania. Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner "Pennsylvania " superseded "Hail, Pennsylvania!" as Pennsylvania's official state song in 1990....
, until 1990)
State toy Slinky
Slinky

Slinky is a helix-shaped toy that can travel down stairs end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its own momentum....
State ship United States Brig Niagara
State electric locomotive Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
 GG1
PRR GG1

The Pennsylvania Railroad's GG1 class of electric locomotives were built between 1934 to 1943 at the PRR shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with a total of 139 units constructed....
 #4849 Locomotive
State steam locomotive Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an United States railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
 K4s
PRR K4s

The Pennsylvania Railroad's K4s 4-6-2 "Pacific" was their premier passenger-hauling steam locomotive from 1914 through the end of steam on the PRR in 1957....
 Locomotive
State beautification plant Crown vetch
Crown Vetch

Securigera varia, commonly known as Crown Vetch or Purple Crown Vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States and Canada for erosion control, roadside planting and soil rehabilitation....
State soil
List of U.S. state soils

This is a list of Representative U.S. State Soils. A state soil is a soil that has special significance to a particular U.S. State. Each state in the United States of America has selected a state soil, twenty of which have been legislatively established....
 		 Hazleton


Gallery


See also

  • List of Pennsylvania-related topics
    List of Pennsylvania-related topics

    The following is a list of prominent people, places, events, businesses and other things based in or otherwise prominently affiliated, either historically or currently, with the U.S....


External links