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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania (/ˌpɛnsɪlˈvniə/ (listen); (Pennsylvania Dutch: Pennsilfaani)), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,[b] is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio to its west, Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest, New York to its north, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east.

Pennsylvania
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Nickname(s)
Keystone State;[1] Quaker State
Motto(s)
Virtue, Liberty and Independence
Anthem: "Pennsylvania"
Map of the United States with Pennsylvania highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodProvince of Pennsylvania
Admitted to the UnionDecember 12, 1787 (2nd)
CapitalHarrisburg
Largest cityPhiladelphia
Largest metro and urban areasDelaware Valley
Government
 • GovernorTom Wolf (D)
 • Lieutenant GovernorKim Ward (R) (acting)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
 • Upper houseState Senate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciarySupreme Court of Pennsylvania
U.S. senatorsBob Casey Jr. (D)
John Fetterman (D)
U.S. House delegation9 Democrats
8 Republicans (list)
Area
 • Total46,055 sq mi (119,283 km2)
 • Land44,816.61 sq mi (116,074 km2)
 • Water1,239 sq mi (3,208 km2)  2.7%
 • Rank33rd
Dimensions
 • Length170 mi (273 km)
 • Width283 mi (455 km)
Elevation
1,100 ft (340 m)
Highest elevation3,213 ft (979 m)
Lowest elevation0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020[4])
 • Total13,011,844
 • Rank5th
 • Density290/sq mi (112/km2)
  • Rank9th
 • Median household income
$59,195[3]
 • Income rank
23rd
DemonymsPennsylvanian
Pennsylvanier (Pennsylvania Dutch)
Language
 • Official languageNone
 • Spoken languageEnglish 90.15%
Spanish 4.09%
German (including Pennsylvania Dutch) 0.87%
Chinese 0.47%
Italian 0.43%[5]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
PA
ISO 3166 codeUS-PA
Traditional abbreviationPa., Penn., Penna.
Latitude39°43′ to 42°16′ N
Longitude74°41′ to 80°31′ W
Websitewww.pa.gov

Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the nation with over 13 million residents as of 2020.[4] It is the 33rd-largest state by area and ranks ninth among all states in population density. The southeastern Delaware Valley metropolitan area comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the state's largest and nation's sixth most populous city. Another 2.37 million reside in Greater Pittsburgh in the southwest, centered around Pittsburgh, the state's second-largest and Western Pennsylvania's largest city. The state's subsequent five most populous cities are: Allentown, Reading, Erie, Scranton, and Bethlehem.[7] The state capital is Harrisburg.

Pennsylvania's geography is highly diverse: the Appalachian Mountains run through the center of the state; the Allegheny and Pocono mountains span much of Northeast Pennsylvania; close to 60% of the state is forested. While it has only 140 miles (225 km) of waterfront along Lake Erie and the Delaware River,[8] Pennsylvania has more navigable rivers than any other state in the nation, including the Delaware, Ohio, and Pine Creek rivers.

Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn, son of the state's namesake; a southeast portion of the state was once part of the colony of New Sweden. Established as a haven for religious and political tolerance, the Province of Pennsylvania was known for its relatively peaceful relations with native tribes, innovative government system, and religious pluralism. Pennsylvania was one of thirteen British colonies from which the nation was formed.

Pennsylvania played a vital and historic role in the American Revolution and the ultimately successful quest for independence from the British Empire. Its largest city, Philadelphia, was the gathering place of the nation's Founding Fathers and home to much of the thinking, activism, and writing that inspired the American Revolution. Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in Carpenters' Hall in 1774, and, beginning the following year, the Second Continental Congress in Independence Hall, which in 1776 unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, a document that historian Joseph Ellis has described as "the most potent and consequential words in American history" and which formally launched the American Revolutionary War.[9]

On December 25 and 26, 1776, Washington secretly led a column of Continental Army troops across the Delaware River from Bucks County, launching a successful surprise attack against Hessian mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton. In 1777 and 1778, the national capital of Philadelphia fell under British control for nine months, and multiple Revolutionary War battles were fought in Pennsylvania. For six months, Washington and 12,000 Continental Army troops encamped at Valley Forge over a harsh winter with limited supplies; roughly 1,700 to 2,000 of them died at Valley Forge from disease and malnutrition.

In Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress, on June 21, 1778, ratified the Articles of Confederation, which served as the foundation for the ultimate development and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state after Delaware, which had previously been part of Pennsylvania as the three lower counties, to ratify the Constitution.[10] On eight separate occasions prior to the construction of Washington, D.C. as the nation's capital, a Pennsylvania city served as the nation's capital (Philadelphia from 1775 to 1776, 1777, twice in 1778, 1781, and 1790; York in 1777; and Lancaster in 1777).

During the American Civil War, Pennsylvania's 360,000 Union Army volunteers proved influential in strengthening the Union, successfully guarding the national capital of Washington, D.C., which was vulnerable following the fall of Fort Sumter, and later leading daring raids against Confederate Army strongholds in the Deep South. The bloodiest battle of the Civil War with over 50,000 casualties, and one of the Union Army's most important victories, was fought on Pennsylvania soil at Gettysburg over three days in July 1863. The Union Army's victory at Gettysburg is considered the turning point in the war, leading to the Union's preservation. President Abraham Lincoln's 271-word address dedicating Gettysburg National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, remains one of the best-known speeches in American history.[11][12]

In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, Bethlehem-based Bethlehem Steel, and other Pennsylvania manufacturing companies inspired the American Industrial Revolution and contributed to the development of much of the nation's early infrastructure, including key bridges, skyscrapers, and warships, tanks, and other military hardware used in U.S.-led victories in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Eastern Pennsylvania has become an epicenter for the growth of the U.S. logistics industry, including warehousing and the intermodal transport of goods.[13] Since Pennsylvania's 1787 founding, a number of influential Pennsylvanians have contributed significantly to the nation in many fields, including the military, politics, business, scientific innovation, thought leadership, philanthropy, music, art, and sports.

History

Indigenous settlement

Pennsylvania's history of human habitation extends to thousands of years before the foundation of the colonial Province of Pennsylvania in 1681. Archaeologists believe the first settlement of the Americas occurred at least 15,000 years ago during the last glacial period, though it is unclear when humans first entered the area now known as Pennsylvania. There also is open debate in the archaeological community regarding when ancestors of Native Americans expanded across the two continents down to the tip of South America; possibilities range between 30,000 and 10,500 years ago.[14] Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Jefferson Township includes the earliest known signs of human activity in Pennsylvania and perhaps all of North America,[15] including the remains of a civilization that existed over 10,000 years ago and possibly pre-dated the Clovis culture.[16][15] By 1000 CE, in contrast to their nomadic hunter-gatherer ancestors, the native population of Pennsylvania had developed agricultural techniques and a mixed food economy.[17]

By the time European colonization of the Americas began, at least two major Native American tribes inhabited Pennsylvania.[16] The first, the Lenape, spoke an Algonquian language and inhabited the eastern region of the state, then known as Lenapehoking. It included most of New Jersey and most of the Lehigh Valley and Delaware Valley regions of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. The Lenape's territory ended somewhere between the Delaware River in the east and the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania. The Susquehannock, who spoke an Iroquoian language, were based in more western regions of Pennsylvania from New York in the north to West Virginia in the southwest that included the Susquehanna River all the way to the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers near present day Pittsburgh.[18] European disease and constant warfare with several neighbors and groups of Europeans weakened these tribes, and they were grossly outpaced financially as the Hurons and Iroquois blocked them from proceeding west into Ohio during the Beaver Wars. As they lost numbers and land, they abandoned much of their western territory and moved closer to the Susquehanna River and the Iroquois and Mohawk tribes located more to the north. Northwest of the Allegheny River was the Iroquoian Petun,[19] known mostly for their vast tobacco plantations, although this is believed to be complete fabrication.[20] They were fragmented into three groups during the Beaver Wars: the Petun of New York, the Wyandot of Ohio, and the Tiontatecaga of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. South of the Allegheny River was a nation known as Calicua.[21] They may have been the same as the Monongahela culture and little is known about them except that they were probably a Siouan culture. Archaeological sites from this time in this region are scarce.

17th century

 
William Penn, a Quaker and son of a prominent admiral, founded the colonial Province of Pennsylvania in 1681

In the 17th century, the Dutch and the English each claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their colonial lands in America.[22][23][24] The Dutch were the first to take possession.[24] By June 3, 1631, the Dutch began settling the Delmarva Peninsula by establishing the Zwaanendael Colony on the site of present-day Lewes, Delaware.[25] In 1638, Sweden established New Sweden Colony in the region of Fort Christina on the site of present-day Wilmington, Delaware. New Sweden claimed and, for the most part, controlled the lower Delaware River region, including parts of present-day Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but settled few colonists there.[26][27]

On March 12, 1664, King Charles II of England gave James, Duke of York a grant that incorporated all lands included in the original Virginia Company of Plymouth Grant and other lands. This grant was in conflict with the Dutch claim for New Netherland, which included parts of today's Pennsylvania.[28]

On June 24, 1664, the Duke of York sold the portion of his large grant that included present-day New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret for a proprietary colony. The land was not yet in British possession, but the sale boxed in the portion of New Netherland on the West side of the Delaware River. The British conquest of New Netherland began on August 29, 1664, when New Amsterdam was coerced to surrender while facing cannons on British ships in New York Harbor.[29][30] This conquest continued, and was completed in October 1664, when the British captured Fort Casimir in what today is New Castle, Delaware.

The Peace of Breda between England, France, and the Netherlands confirmed the English conquest on July 21, 1667,[31][32] although there were temporary reversions.

On September 12, 1672, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch reconquered New York Colony/New Amsterdam, establishing three County Courts, which went on to become original Counties in present-day Delaware and Pennsylvania. The one that later transferred to Pennsylvania was Upland.[33] This was partially reversed on February 9, 1674, when the Treaty of Westminster ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War and reverted all political situations to the status quo ante bellum. The British retained the Dutch Counties with their Dutch names.[34] By June 11, 1674, New York reasserted control over the outlying colonies, including Upland, and the names started to be changed to British names by November 11, 1674.[35] Upland was partitioned on November 12, 1674, producing the general outline of the current border between Pennsylvania and Delaware.[36]

On February 28, 1681, Charles II granted a land charter[37] to Quaker leader William Penn to repay a debt of £16,000[38] (around £2,100,000 in 2008, adjusting for retail inflation)[39] owed to William's father. This transaction represents ne of the largest land grants to an individual in history.[40] Penn proposed that the land be called New Wales, but there were objections to that name, so he recommended Sylvania (from the Latin silva: "forest, woods"). The King named it Pennsylvania (literally "Penn's Woods") in honor of Admiral Penn. The younger Penn was embarrassed at this name, fearing that people would think he had named it after himself, but King Charles would not rename the grant.[41] Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the county commission and freedom of religious conviction.[40]

What had been Upland on the Pennsylvania side of the Pennsylvania-Delaware border was renamed as Chester County when Pennsylvania instituted their colonial governments on March 4, 1681.[42][43] Penn signed a peace treaty with Tamanend, leader of the Lenape, which began a long period of friendly relations between the Quakers and the Indians.[44] Additional treaties between Quakers and other tribes followed. The treaty of William Penn was never violated.[45][46][47]

18th century

 
Shelter House in Emmaus, constructed in 1734 by Pennsylvania German settlers, is the oldest continuously occupied building structure in the Lehigh Valley and one of the oldest in Pennsylvania[48]
 
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were adopted in 1776 and 1787-88, respectively

Between 1730 and when the Pennsylvania Colony 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. 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 excessive amounts that inflated the currency. Benjamin Franklin had a hand in creating this currency, whose utility, he said, was never to be disputed. The currency also met with "cautious approval" by Adam Smith.[49]

The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740, becoming one of the nine colonial colleges and the first college established in the state and one of the first in the nation; today, it is an Ivy League university that is ranked one the world's best universities.[50] Dickinson College in Carlisle was the first college founded after the states united.[50] Established in 1773, Dickinson was ratified five days after the Treaty of Paris on September 9, 1783, and was founded by Benjamin Rush and named after John Dickinson.

James Smith wrote that in 1763, "the Indians again commenced hostilities, and were busily engaged in killing and scalping the frontier inhabitants in various parts of Pennsylvania." Further, "This state was then a Quaker government, and at the first of this war the frontiers received no assistance from the state."[51] The ensuing hostilities became known as Pontiac's War.

After the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, Delegate John Dickinson of Philadelphia wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. The Congress was the first meeting of the Thirteen Colonies, called at the request of the Massachusetts Assembly, but only nine colonies sent delegates.[52] 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.[53]

When the Founding Fathers convened in Philadelphia in 1774, 12 colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress.[54] The Second Continental Congress, which also met in Philadelphia (in May 1775), authored and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia,[55] but when Philadelphia was captured by the British in the Philadelphia Campaign, the Continental Congress moved west, meeting at the Lancaster courthouse on Saturday, September 27, 1777, and then to York. In York, they adopted the Articles of Confederation, largely authored by John Dickinson, that formed 13 independent States[c] into a new union. Later, the Constitution was written, and Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the new nation.[56] The Constitution was drafted and signed at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, and the same building where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.[57]

Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 12, 1787,[58] five days after Delaware became the first. At the time, Pennsylvania was the most ethnically and religiously diverse of the thirteen colonies. Because a third of Pennsylvania's population spoke German, the Constitution was presented in German so those citizens could participate in the discussion about it. Reverend Frederick Muhlenberg, a Lutheran minister and the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, acted as chairman of Pennsylvania's ratifying convention.[59]

For half a century, the Pennsylvania General Assembly met at various places in the Philadelphia area before it began meeting regularly in Independence Hall in Philadelphia for 63 years.[60] However, events such as the Paxton Boys massacres of 1763 had made the legislature aware of the need for a central capital. In 1799 the General Assembly moved to the Lancaster Courthouse.[60]

19th century

 
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1–3, 1863 in Gettysburg, was the Civil War's deadliest battle but also is widely considered the war's turning point in the Union's ultimate victory. The battle is depicted in this 1887 Thure de Thulstrup painting, Battle of Gettysburg.
 
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln (center, facing camera) arrived in Gettysburg and delivered the Gettysburg Address, considered one of the best-known speeches in American history.[11][12]

The General Assembly met in the old Dauphin County Court House until December 1821[60] when the Federal-style Hills Capitol, named for Lancaster architect Stephen Hills, was constructed on a hilltop land grant of four acres set aside for a seat of state government in Harrisburg by the son and namesake of John Harris, Sr., a Yorkshire native who founded a trading post and ferry on the east shore of the Susquehanna River in 1705.[61] The Hills Capitol burned down on February 2, 1897, during a heavy snowstorm, presumably because of a faulty flue.[60]

The General Assembly met at a nearby Methodist Church until a new capitol could be built. Following an architectural selection contest that some alleged had been rigged, Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb was asked to design and build a replacement building. However, the legislature had little money to allocate to the project. When they dubbed the roughly finished somewhat industrial Cobb Capitol building complete, the General Assembly refused to occupy the building. In 1901, political and popular indignation prompted a second contest that was restricted to Pennsylvania architects; Joseph Miller Huston of Philadelphia was chosen to design the present Pennsylvania State Capitol that incorporated Cobb's building into a magnificent public work, finished and dedicated in 1907.[60]

James Buchanan, a Franklin County native, served as the 15th U.S. president and was the first president to be born in Pennsylvania.[62] The Battle of Gettysburg, the major turning point of the American Civil War, took place near Gettysburg in July 1863.[63] An estimated 350,000 Pennsylvanians served in the Union Army forces, including 8,600 African American military volunteers.

The politics of Pennsylvania were for decades dominated by the financially conservative Republican-aligned Cameron machine, established by U.S. Senator Simon Cameron,[64] later the Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln. Control of the machine was subsequently passed on to Cameron's son J. Donald Cameron, whose ineffectiveness resulted in a transfer of power to the more shrewd Matthew Quay and finally to Boies Penrose.

The post-Civil War era, known as the Gilded Age, saw the continued rise of industry in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was home to some of the largest steel companies in the world. Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh and Charles M. Schwab founded Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem. Other titans of industry, including John D. Rockefeller and Jay Gould, also operated in Pennsylvania. In the latter half of the 19th century, the U.S. oil industry was born in Western Pennsylvania, which supplied the vast majority of kerosene for years thereafter. As the Pennsylvania oil rush developed, Pennsylvania's oil boom towns, such as Titusville, rose and later fell. Coal mining, primarily in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Coal Region, also was a major industry in the state. In 1903, Milton S. Hershey began construction on a chocolate factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania; The Hershey Company grew to become the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Heinz Company was also founded during this period. These huge companies exercised a large influence on the politics of Pennsylvania; as Henry Demarest Lloyd put it, oil baron John D. Rockefeller "had done everything with the Pennsylvania legislature except refine it".[65] Pennsylvania created a Department of Highways and engaged in a vast program of road-building, while railroads continued to see heavy usage.[citation needed]

The growth of industry eventually provided middle class incomes to working-class households after the development of labor unions helped them gain living wages. However, the rise of unions also led to a rise of union busting with several private police forces springing up.[65] Pennsylvania was the location of the first documented organized strike in North America, and Pennsylvania was the location of two hugely prominent strikes, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the Coal Strike of 1902. The eight-hour day was eventually adopted, and the coal and iron police were banned.[66]

20th century

 
Hazleton coal miners in 1900 in Pennsylvania's Coal Region, one of the world's largest sources of anthracite coal. Coal mining was a leading Pennsylvania industry throughout the 19th and early and mid-20th centuries.
 
An anti-nuclear protest at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex following the March 28, 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Londonderry Township

At the beginning of the 20th century, Pennsylvania's economy centered on steel production, logging, coal mining, textile production, and other forms of industrial manufacturing. A surge in immigration to the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries provided a steady flow of cheap labor for these industries, which often employed children and people who could not speak English from Southern and Eastern Europe.[citation needed] Thousands of Pennsylvanians volunteered during the Spanish–American War. Pennsylvania was an important industrial center in World War I, and the state provided over 300,000 soldiers for the military. On May 31, 1918, the Pittsburgh Agreement was signed in Pittsburgh to declare the formation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia with future Czechoslovak president Tomáš Masaryk.

In 1923, President Calvin Collidge established the Allegheny National Forest under the authority of the Weeks Act of 1911.[67] The forest is located 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 basin. The Allegheny is the state's only national forest.[68]

Pennsylvania manufactured 6.6 percent of total U.S. military armaments produced during World War II, ranking sixth among the 48 states.[69] The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard served as an important naval base, and Pennsylvania produced important military leaders, including George C. Marshall, Hap Arnold, Jacob Devers, and Carl Spaatz. During the war, over a million Pennsylvanians served in the armed forces, and more Medals of Honor were awarded to Pennsylvanians than to individuals from any other state.[citation needed]

The Three Mile Island accident was the most significant nuclear accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.[70][71] The state was hard-hit by the decline and restructuring of the steel industry and other heavy industries during the late 20th century. With job losses came heavy population losses, especially in the state's largest cities. Pittsburgh lost its place among the top ten most populous cities in the United States by 1950, and Philadelphia dropped to the fifth and later sixth largest city after decades of being among the top three.

After 1990, as information-based industries became more important in the economy, state and local governments put more resources into the old, well-established public library system. Some localities, however, used new state funding to cut local taxes.[72] New ethnic groups, especially Hispanics and Latinos, began entering the state to fill low-skill jobs in agriculture and service industries. For example, in Chester County, Mexican immigrants brought the Spanish language, increased Catholicism, high birth rates, and cuisine when they were hired as agricultural laborers; in some rural localities, they made up half or more of the population.[73] Meanwhile, Stateside Puerto Ricans built a large community in the state's third largest city, Allentown. They comprised over 40% of the city's population by 2000.[74]

In the 20th century, as Pennsylvania's historical national and even global leadership in mining largely ceased and its steelmaking and other heavy manufacturing sectors slowed, the state sought to grow its service and other industries to replace the jobs and economic productivity lost from the downturn of these industries. Pittsburgh's concentration of universities has enabled it to be a leader in technology and healthcare. Similarly, Philadelphia has a concentration of university expertise. Healthcare, retail, transportation, and tourism are some of the state's growing industries of the postindustrial era. As in the rest of the nation, most residential population growth has occurred in suburban rather than central city areas, although both major cities have had significant revitalization in their downtown areas.[75] Philadelphia anchors the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country, while Pittsburgh is the center of the twenty-seventh largest metro area in the country. The growth of the Lehigh Valley has made it one of the seventy most populous metro areas in the country,[76] while Pennsylvania also has six other metro areas among the top 200 most populous American metro areas. Philadelphia forms part of the Northeast megalopolis and is associated with the Northeastern United States, while Pittsburgh is part of the Great Lakes megalopolis and is often associated with the Midwestern United States and the Rust Belt.

21st century

 
The Stonycreek Township crash site of Flight 93, one of four planes hijacked in the September 11 attacks; the site is now a national memorial. Flight 93 passengers wrestled with al-Qaeda terrorist hijackers for control of the plane, preventing it from being flown into the White House or U.S. Capitol.[77]

On September 11, 2001, during the terrorist attacks on the United States, the small town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania received worldwide attention after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, 1.75 miles (2.82 km) north of the town, killing all 40 civilians and four Al-Qaeda hijackers on board. The hijackers had intended to crash the plane into either the United States Capitol or The White House.[77] After learning from family members via air phone of the earlier attacks on the World Trade Center, however, Flight 93 passengers on board revolted against the hijackers and fought for control of the plane, causing it to crash. It was the only one of the four aircraft hijacked that day that never reached its intended target and the heroism of the passengers has been commemorated.[78]

Beginning in 2003, the Tekko anime convention is held annually in Pittsburgh.[79] In October 2018, the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation experienced the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.[80]

Geography

Pennsylvania is 170 miles (274 km) north to south and 283 miles (455 km) east to west.[81] Of a total 46,055 square miles (119,282 km2), 44,817 square miles (116,075 km2) are land, 490 square miles (1,269 km2) are inland waters, and 749 square miles (1,940 km2) are waters in Lake Erie.[82] It is the 33rd-largest state in the United States.[83] Pennsylvania has 51 miles (82 km)[84] of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km)[8] of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Of the original Thirteen Colonies, Pennsylvania is the only state that does not border the Atlantic Ocean.

The boundaries of the state are the Mason–Dixon line (39°43' N) to the south, Twelve-Mile Circle on the Pennsylvania-Delaware border, the Delaware River to the east, 80°31' W to the west, and the 42° N to the north, except for a short segment on the western end where a triangle extends north to Lake Erie. The state has five geographical regions: Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Erie Plain.

Climate

 
Köppen climate types in Pennsylvania
 
Autumn in North Branch Township in Wyoming County, October 2011

Pennsylvania's diverse topography produces a variety of climates, though the entire state experiences cold winters and humid summers. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, except for the southeastern corner, has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The southern portion of the state has a humid subtropical climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa).

Summers are generally hot and humid. Moving toward the mountainous interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increases, and snowfall amounts are greater. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches (250 cm) of snowfall annually, and the entire state receives plentiful precipitation throughout the year. The state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into autumn. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, such as 30 recorded tornadoes in 2011; generally speaking, these tornadoes do not cause significant damage.[85]

Monthly Average High and Low Temperatures For Various Pennsylvania Cities (in °F)
City Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Scranton 33/19 37/21 46/28 59/38 70/48 78/56 82/61 80/60 72/52 61/41 49/33 38/24
Erie 34/21 36/21 44/27 56/38 67/48 76/58 80/63 79/62 72/56 61/45 50/37 38/27
Pittsburgh 36/21 39/23 49/30 62/40 71/49 79/58 83/63 81/62 74/54 63/43 51/35 39/25
Harrisburg 37/23 41/25 50/33 62/42 72/52 81/62 85/66 83/64 76/56 64/45 53/35 41/27
Philadelphia 40/26 44/28 53/34 64/44 74/54 83/64 87/69 85/68 78/60 67/48 56/39 45/30
Allentown 36/20 40/22 49/29 61/39 72/48 80/58 84/63 82/61 75/53 64/41 52/33 40/24
Sources:[86][87][88][89][90]

Municipalities

Cities in Pennsylvania include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, and the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton in the central east, known as the Lehigh Valley. The northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Nanticoke, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest. State College is located in the central region. Williamsport is in the north-central region with York, Carlisle, and the state capital Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River in the east-central region of the state. Altoona and Johnstown are in the state's west-central region.

The state's three most populated cities, in order of size, are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown.

Adjacent states and province

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790434,373
1800602,36538.7%
1810810,09134.5%
18201,049,45829.5%
18301,348,23328.5%
18401,724,03327.9%
18502,311,78634.1%
18602,906,21525.7%
18703,521,95121.2%
18804,282,89121.6%
18905,258,11322.8%
19006,302,11519.9%
19107,665,11121.6%
19208,720,01713.8%
19309,631,35010.5%
19409,900,1802.8%
195010,498,0126.0%
196011,319,3667.8%
197011,793,9094.2%
198011,863,8950.6%
199011,881,6430.1%
200012,281,0543.4%
201012,702,3793.4%
202013,002,7002.4%
2022 (est.)12,972,008−0.2%
Source: 1910–2020[91]

As of the 2020 U.S. census, Pennsylvania had a population of 13,011,844, up from 12,702,379 in 2010. In 2019, net migration to other states resulted in a decrease of 27,718, and immigration from other countries resulted in an increase of 127,007. Net migration to the Commonwealth was 98,289. Migration of native Pennsylvanians resulted in a decrease of 100,000 people. From 2008 to 2012, 5.8% of the population was foreign-born.[92] Pennsylvania is the fifth most populated state in the U.S. after California, Florida, New York, and Texas.[93]

Place of origin

 
John Morton, a Pennsylvania jurist, was one of nine Pennsylvanians, the most of any of the Thirteen Colonies, to sign the Declaration of Independence; the other eight are: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Ross, Benjamin Rush, James Smith, George Taylor, and James Wilson.
 
Pennsylvania's population growth from 1790 to 2000

Among Pennsylvania residents, as of 2020, 74.5% were born in Pennsylvania, 18.4% were born in a different U.S. state, 1.5% were born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s), and 5.6% were foreign born.[94] Foreign-born Pennsylvanians are largely from Asia (36.0%), Europe (35.9%), and Latin America (30.6%) with the remainder from Africa (5%), North America (3.1%), and Oceania (0.4%). The state's largest ancestry groups, expressed as a percentage of total people who responded with a particular ancestry for the 2010 census, are:[95][96]

Race and ethnicity

Pennsylvania's Hispanic or Latino American population grew by 82.6% between 2000 and 2010, marking one of the largest increases in a state's Hispanic population. The significant growth of the Hispanic or Latino population is due to migration to the state mainly from Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, and to a lesser extent immigration from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and various Central and South American nations and a wave of Hispanic and Latinos leaving New York and New Jersey for safer and more affordable living. The Asian population swelled by almost 60%, fueled by Indian, Vietnamese, and Chinese immigration, and many Asian transplants moving to Philadelphia from New York. The rapid growth of this community has given Pennsylvania one of the largest Asian populations in the nation. The African American population grew by 13%, which was the largest increase in that population among the state's peers (New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan).[97] Pennsylvania has a high in-migration of black and Hispanic people from other nearby states with the eastern and south-central portions of the state seeing the bulk of the increases.[98][99]

The majority of Hispanic or Latino Americans in Pennsylvania are of Puerto Rican descent.[100][101] Most of the remaining Hispanic or Latino population is made up of Mexicans and Dominicans. Most Hispanic or Latinos are concentrated in Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, and South Central Pennsylvania.[102] The Hispanic or Latino population is greatest in Bethlehem, Allentown, Reading, Lancaster, York, and around Philadelphia. It is not clear how much of this change reflects a changing population and how much reflects increased willingness to self-identify minority status. As of 2010, it is estimated that about 85% of all Hispanics or Latino Americans in Pennsylvania live within a 150-mile (240 km) radius of Philadelphia, with about 20% living within the city itself.

Among the state's black population, the vast majority in the state are African American. There are also a growing number of blacks of West Indian, recent African, and Hispanic or Latino origins.[103] Most blacks live in the Philadelphia area, Pittsburgh, and South Central Pennsylvania. Non-Hispanic whites make up the majority of Pennsylvania; they are mostly descended from German, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Italian, and English immigrants. Rural portions of South Central Pennsylvania are recognized nationally for their notable Amish communities. Wyoming Valley, including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, has the highest percentage of white residents of any metropolitan area with a population of 500,000 or above in the U.S.; in Wyoming Valley, 96.2% of the population claim to be white with no Hispanic background. Pennsylvania's center of population is in Duncannon in Perry County.[104]

Racial and ethnic composition as of the 2020 census
Race and ethnicity[105] Alone Total
White (non-Hispanic) 73.4% 73.4
 
76.6% 76.6
 
African American (non-Hispanic) 10.5% 10.5
 
11.8% 11.8
 
Hispanic or Latino[d] 8.1% 8.1
 
Asian 3.9% 3.9
 
4.5% 4.5
 
Native American 0.1% 0.1
 
1.1% 1.1
 
Pacific Islander 0.02% 0.02
 
0.1% 0.1
 
Other 0.4% 0.4
 
1.3% 1.3
 
Historical racial and ethnic composition to 2010
Racial composition 1990[106] 2000[107] 2010[108]
White 88.5% 85.4% 81.9%
Black 9.2% 10.0% 10.9%
Asian 1.2% 1.8% 2.8%
Native 0.1% 0.1% 0.2%
Native Hawaiians and
other Pacific Islanders
Other race 1.0% 1.5% 2.4%
Two or more races 1.2% 1.9%

Age and poverty

As of the 2010 census, Pennsylvania had the fourth-highest proportion of elderly (65+) citizens in the nation at 15.4%, compared to a national average of 13.0%.[109] According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the state's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2017 compared to 13.4% for the U.S. as a whole.[110]

Languages

As of 2010, 90.2% (10,710,239) of Pennsylvania residents age five and older spoke English at home as a primary language while 4.1% (486,058) spoke Spanish, 0.9% (103,502) spoke German including Pennsylvania Dutch, and 0.5% (56,052) spoke Chinese, which includes Mandarin of the population over the age of five. In total, 9.9% (1,170,628) of Pennsylvania's population age 5 and older spoke a mother tongue other than English.[111]

Pennsylvania Dutch language

 
An Amish family riding in a traditional Amish buggy in Lancaster County. Pennsylvania has the largest Amish population of any state.

Pennsylvania German, spoken by nearly one percent of Pennsylvania's population as of 2010, is often misleadingly called Pennsylvania Dutch. The term Dutch was used to mean German,[112] including the Netherlands, before the Latin name for them replaced it. When referring to the language spoken by the Pennsylvania Dutch people, Pennsylvania German, it means German". In fact, Germans, in their own language, call themselves Deutsch, (Pennsylvania German: "Deitsch"). Pennsylvania Dutch is a descendant of German in the West Central German dialect family and is closest to Palatine German. Pennsylvania German is still very vigorous as a first language among Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites, principally in the Lancaster County and Berks County areas; it is almost extinct as an everyday language outside the plain communities, though a few words have passed into English usage.

Religion

Religion in Pennsylvania (2014)[113]
religion percent
Protestant
47%
Catholic
24%
Unaffiliated
21%
Other faiths/don't know
2%
Hindu
1%
Jehovah's Witnesses
1%
Jewish
0.8%
Muslim
0.6%

Of the original Thirteen Colonies, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island had the most religious freedom.[114] Voltaire, writing of William Penn in 1733, observed: "The new sovereign also enacted several wise and wholesome laws for his colony, which have remained invariably the same to this day. The chief is, to ill-treat no person on account of religion, and to consider as brethren all those who believe in one God."[115] One result of this uncommon freedom was a wide religious diversity, which continues to the present.

Pennsylvania's population in 2010 was 12,702,379; of these, 6,838,440 (53.8%) were estimated to belong to some sort of organized religion. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) at Pennsylvania State University, the largest religious bodies in Pennsylvania by adherents were the Roman Catholic Church with 3,503,028 adherents, the United Methodist Church with 591,734 members, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 501,974 members. Since 2014, among the state's religious population, 73% were Christian, according to Pew Research Center.[113] In 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute estimated 68% of the population identified with Christianity.[116] As of 2014, 47% of all Pennsylvanians identified as Protestants, making Protestantism far and away the most prominent religious affiliation among Pennsylvanians. Among all self-identified Christians in the state, however, 24% identified as Catholics, the most of any Christian religious affiliation.

Pennsylvania, especially in the Greater Pittsburgh area, has one of the largest communities of Presbyterians in the nation, the third highest by percentage of population and the largest outright in membership as Protestant Christians.[117] The American Presbyterian Church, with about 250,000 members and 1,011 congregations, is the largest Presbyterian denomination while the Presbyterian Church in America is also significant, with 112 congregations and approximately 23,000 adherents; the EPC has around 50 congregations, including the ECO, according to 2010 estimates. The fourth-largest Protestant denomination, the United Church of Christ, has 180,000 members and 627 congregations in the state. The American Baptist Churches, also referred to as the Northern Baptist Convention is based in King of Prussia.

Pennsylvania was the center state of the German Reformed denomination from the 1700s.[118] Bethlehem is one of the headquarters of the Moravian Church in the U.S. Pennsylvania also has a very large Amish population, second only to Ohio among U.S. states.[119] As of 2000, there was a total Amish population of 47,860 in Pennsylvania and an additional 146,416 Mennonites and 91,200 Brethren. The total Anabapist population including Bruderhof[120] was 232,631, about two percent of the population.[121] While Pennsylvania owes its existence to Quakers, and much of the historic character of the Commonwealth is ideologically rooted in the teachings of the Religious Society of Friends (as they are officially known), practicing Quakers are a small minority of about 10,000 adherents as of 2010.[122]

Economy

 
  Pennsylvania unemployment rate, 1976–2021
  US unemployment rate
 
Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem was one of the world's leading steel manufacturers for most of the 19th and 20th century. In 1982, however, it discontinued most of its operations, declared bankruptcy in 2001, and was dissolved in 2003.
 
Average income by location in Pennsylvania as reported by American Community Survey's five-year estimates as of 2014

As of 2021, Pennsylvania's gross state product (GSP) of $839.4 billion ranks 6th among all U.S. states, behind California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois.[123] As of 2021, if Pennsylvania were an independent country, its economy would rank as the 22nd largest in the world.[124] On a per capita basis, Pennsylvania's 2021 per capita GSP of $64,751 ranks 24th among the fifty states.[123] As of 2016, there were 5,354,964 people in employment in Pennsylvania with 301,484 total employer establishments. As of May 2020, the state's unemployment rate is 13.1%.[125][126]

Philadelphia in the southeast corner, Pittsburgh in the southwest corner, Erie in the northwest corner, Scranton-Wilkes-Barre in the northeast corner, and the Lehigh Valley in the east central region are urban manufacturing centers. Much of Pennsylvania is rural; this dichotomy affects state politics and the state economy.[127] Philadelphia is home to six Fortune 500 companies,[128] with more located in suburbs like King of Prussia; it is a leader in the financial[129] and insurance industries.

Pittsburgh is home to eight Fortune 500 companies, including U.S. Steel, PPG Industries, and H.J. Heinz.[128] In all, Pennsylvania is home to 50 Fortune 500 companies.[128] Hershey is home to The Hershey Company, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. Erie is home to GE Transportation, the nation's largest manufacturer of train locomotives.

As in the U.S. as a whole and in most states, the largest private employer in Pennsylvania is Walmart, followed by the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League private research university in Philadelphia.[130][131] Pennsylvania is home to the oldest investor-owned utility company in the U.S., The York Water Company.

Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
GDP in mil. US$[132] 506.505 525.979 559.876 579.432 573.964 596.662 615.411 637.896 659.792 684.781 708.402 724.936
GDP per capita in real 2009 US$[132] 45,035 45,021 46,330 46,862 45,312 46,387 46,872 47,540 48,278 49,155 50,418 50,997
Real growth rate in %[133] 1.3% 0.5% 3.3% 1.5% −2.9% 2.7% 1.3% 1.6% 1.6% 2.0% 2.6% 0.9%
unemployment rate (in July)[134] 4.9% 4.7% 4.4% 5.2% 8.2% 8.3% 8.0% 7.9% 7.3% 5.8% 5.3% 5.5%

Banking

The first nationally chartered bank in the U.S., the Bank of North America, was founded in 1781 in Philadelphia. After a series of mergers, the Bank of North America is now part of Wells Fargo. Pennsylvania is home to the first nationally-chartered bank under the 1863 National Banking Act. That year, the Pittsburgh Savings & Trust Company received a national charter and renamed itself the First National Bank of Pittsburgh as part of the National Banking Act. That bank is still in existence today as PNC and remains based in Pittsburgh. PNC is currently the state's largest bank and the nation's sixth largest bank.

Agriculture

Pennsylvania ranks 19th overall among all states in agricultural production.[135] Its leading agricultural products are mushrooms, apples, Christmas trees, layer chickens, nursery, sod, milk, corn for silage, grapes (including juice grapes), and horses production. Pennsylvania ranks eighth in the nation in winemaking.[136]

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture worked with private companies to establish "PA Preferred" as a way to brand agricultural products grown or made in the state.[137] The financial impact of agriculture in Pennsylvania[138] includes employment of more than 66,800 people employed by the food manufacturing industry and over $1.7 billion in food product export as of 2011.

Gambling

Casino gambling was legalized in Pennsylvania in 2004. As of 2022, there are 16 casinos in the state.[139][140] Table games such as poker, roulette, blackjack, and craps were approved by the state legislature and signed into law in January 2010.

Film

The Pennsylvania Film Production Tax Credit began in 2004 and stimulated the development of a film industry in the state.[141]

Governance

 
Tom Wolf (D)
47th Governor
Since January 20, 2015
 
John Fetterman (D)
34th Lt. Governor
Since January 15, 2019

Pennsylvania has had five constitutions during its statehood:[142] 1776, 1790, 1838, 1874, and 1968. Before 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.[142] The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. The legislature meets there in the State Capitol.

In a 2020 study, Pennsylvania was ranked as the 19th hardest state for citizens to vote in.[143]

Executive

The current Governor is Tom Wolf. The other elected officials composing the executive branch are the Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, Attorney General Joshua Shapiro, Auditor General Timothy DeFoor, and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor run as a ticket in the general election and are up for re-election every four years during the midterm elections. The elections for Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer are held every four years coinciding with a Presidential election.[144]

Legislative

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.[145] The General Assembly includes 50 Senators and 203 Representatives. Joe Scarnati is currently President Pro Tempore of the State Senate, Jake Corman the Majority Leader, and Jay Costa the Minority Leader.[146] Bryan Cutler is Speaker of the House of Representatives, with Kerry A. Benninghoff as Majority Leader and Frank Dermody as Minority Leader.[147] As of the 2018 elections, the Republicans hold the majority in the State House and Senate.

Judiciary

Pennsylvania is divided into 60 judicial districts,[148] most of which (except Philadelphia) have magisterial district judges (formerly called district justices and justices of the peace), who preside mainly over preliminary hearings in felony and misdemeanor offenses, all minor (summary) criminal offenses, and small civil claims.[148] Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which also serve as appellate courts to the district judges and for local agency decisions.[148] 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 to review warrants for wiretap surveillance.[148] The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas.[148] The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected; the chief justice is determined by seniority.[148]

Local government

Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties.[149] Counties are further subdivided into municipalities that are either incorporated as cities, boroughs, or townships.[150] One county, Philadelphia County, is coterminous with the city of Philadelphia after it was consolidated in 1854. The most populous county in Pennsylvania is Philadelphia, while the least populous is Cameron (4,547).[98]

There are a total of 56 cities in Pennsylvania, which are classified, by population, as either first-, second-, or third-class cities.[149][151] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's largest city, has a population of 1.6 million and is the state's only first-class city.[150] Pittsburgh (303,000) and Scranton (76,000) are second-class and second-class 'A' cities, respectively.[150] The rest of the cities, like the third and fourth-largest—Allentown (126,000) and Reading (95,000)—to the smallest—Parker with a population of only 820—are third-class cities.[152] First- and second-class cities are governed by a "strong mayor" form of mayor–council government, whereas third-class cities are governed by either a "weak mayor" form of government or a council–manager government.[150]

Boroughs are generally smaller than cities, with most Pennsylvania cities having been incorporated as a borough before being incorporated as a city.[150] There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania, all of which are governed by the "weak mayor" form of mayor-council government.[149][150] The largest borough in Pennsylvania is State College (40,501) and the smallest is Centralia.

Townships are the third type of municipality in Pennsylvania and are classified as either first-class or second-class townships. There are 1,454 second-class townships and 93 first-class townships.[153] Second-class townships can become first-class townships if they have a population density greater than 300 inhabitants per square mile (120/km2) and a referendum is passed supporting the change.[153] Pennsylvania's largest township is Upper Darby Township (85,681), and the smallest is East Keating Township.

There is one exception to the types of municipalities in Pennsylvania: Bloomsburg was incorporated as a town in 1870 and is, officially, the only town in the state.[154] In 1975, McCandless Township adopted a home-rule charter under the name of "Town of McCandless", but is, legally, still a first-class township.[155] The state has 56 cities, 958 boroughs, 93 first-class townships, 1,454 second-class townships, and one town (Bloomsburg) for a total of 2,562 municipalities.

Taxation

Pennsylvania had the 15th-highest state and local tax burden in the nation as of 2012, according to the Tax Foundation.[156] Residents paid a total of $83.7 billion in state and local taxes with a per capita average of $4,589 annually. Residents share 76% of the total tax burden. Many state politicians have tried to increase the share of taxes paid by out-of-state sources. Suggested revenue sources include taxing natural gas drilling as Pennsylvania is the only state without such a tax on gas drilling.[157] Additional revenue prospects include trying to place tolls on interstate highways; specifically Interstate 80, which is used heavily by out of state commuters with high maintenance costs.[158]

Sales taxes provide 39% of the Commonwealth's revenue; personal income taxes 34%; motor vehicle taxes about 12%, and taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages 5%.[159] The personal income tax is a flat 3.07%. An individual's taxable income is based on the following eight types of income: compensation (salary); interest; dividends; net profits from the operation of a business, profession or farm; net gains or income from the dispositions of property; net gains or income from rents, royalties, patents and copyrights; income derived through estates or trusts; and gambling and lottery winnings (other than Pennsylvania Lottery winnings).[160]

Counties, municipalities, and school districts levy taxes on real estate. In addition, some local bodies assess a wage tax on personal income. Generally, the total wage tax rate is capped at 1% of income but some municipalities with home rule charters may charge more than 1%. Thirty-two of the Commonwealth's sixty-seven counties levy a personal property tax on stocks, bonds, and similar holdings. With the exception of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, municipalities and school districts are allowed to enact a local earned income tax within the purview of Act 32. Residents of these municipalities and school districts are required to file a local income tax return in addition to federal and state returns. This local return is filed with the local income tax collector, a private collection agency appointed by a particular county to collect the local earned income and local services tax (the latter a flat fee deducted from salaried employees working within a particular municipality or school district).[161][162][163][164]

Philadelphia has its own local income taxation system. Philadelphia-based employers are required to withhold the Philadelphia wage tax from the salaries of their employees. Residents of Philadelphia working for an employer are not required to file a local return as long as their Philadelphia wage tax is fully withheld by their employer. If their employer does not withhold the Philadelphia wage tax, residents are required to register with the Revenue Department and file an Earnings Tax return. Residents of Philadelphia with self-employment income are required to file a Net Profits Tax (NPT) return, while those with business income from Philadelphia sources are required to obtain a Commercial Activity License (CAL) and pay the Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT) and the NPT. Residents with unearned income (except for interest from checking and savings accounts) are required to file and pay the School Income-tax (SIT).[165]

The complexity of Pennsylvania's local tax filing system has been criticized by experts, who note that the outsourcing of collections to private entities is akin to tax farming and that many new residents are caught off guard and end up facing failure to file penalties even if they did not owe any tax. Attempts to transfer local income tax collections to the state level (i.e. by having a separate local section on the state income tax return, currently the method used to collect local income taxes in New York, Maryland, Indiana, and Iowa) have been unsuccessful.[166]

State law enforcement

The Pennsylvania State Police is the chief law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Politics

Voter registration totals as of October 31, 2022[167]
Party Registered voters Percentage
Democratic 3,991,706 45.60%
Republican 3,462,131 39.42%
Unaffiliated/Minor parties 1,303,034 14.98%
Total 8,756,871 100%
 
2020 U.S. presidential election results by county in Pennsylvania
  Democratic
  Republican

Since the latter half of the 20th century, Pennsylvania has been perceived as a powerful swing state, and winning Pennsylvania has since been deemed as essential to U.S. presidential candidates. Only twice between 1932 to 1988 (1932 and 1968 with Herbert Hoover and Hubert Humphrey, respectively) has a winning presidential candidate failed to carry Pennsylvania.

Between 1992 and 2016, Pennsylvania trended Democratic in presidential elections; Bill Clinton won the state twice by large margins and Al Gore won it by a slightly closer margin in 2000. In the 2004 presidential election, John F. Kerry beat President George W. Bush in Pennsylvania, 2,938,095 (51%) to 2,793,847 (48%). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in Pennsylvania, 3,276,363 (54%) to 2,655,885 (44%).

In the 2016 presidential election, however, Republican Donald Trump broke the Democratic streak in the state, winning by 2,970,733 (48%) votes to 2,926,441 (47%) votes.[168] The state returned to the Democratic column in 2020 by voting for Joe Biden over Trump, 3,458,229 (50%) to 3,377,674 (49%). The state holds 20 electoral votes.[169]

In recent national elections since 1992, Pennsylvania had leaned Democrat. The state voted for the Democratic ticket for president in every election between 1992 and 2012. During the 2008 election campaign, a recruitment drive saw registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by 1.2 million. However, Pennsylvania has a history of electing Republican U.S. Senators. From 2009 to 2011, the state was represented by two Democratic senators for the first time since 1947 after Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched party affiliation. In 2010, Republicans recaptured a U.S. Senate seat and a majority of the state's congressional seats, control of both chambers of the state legislature, and the governorship. Democrats won back the governorship, however, four years later in the 2014 election. It was the first time since a governor became eligible for reelection that an incumbent governor had been defeated in a reelection bid.

Historically, Democratic strength was concentrated in Philadelphia in the southeast, the Pittsburgh and Johnstown areas in the southwest, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the northeast. Republican strength was concentrated in the Philadelphia suburbs and the more rural areas in the state's central, northeastern, and western portions, some of which have long been considered among the nation's most conservative areas. Since 1992, however, the Philadelphia suburbs have swung Democratic; the brand of Republicanism there was traditionally a moderate one. In the 21st century, however, Pittsburgh suburbs, which historically had been Democrat strongholds, have swung more Republican.

Democratic political consultant James Carville once pejoratively described Pennsylvania as "Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle", suggesting that political power in the state was based in its two largest cities, which have been reliably Democrat, offset by the state's large rural power base, which has proven equally reliably Republican. Political analysts and editorials refer to central Pennsylvania as the "T" in statewide elections. The state's three valleys (Delaware, Lehigh, and Wyoming Valleys) and Greater Pittsburgh generally vote Democrat, while the majority of the counties in the central part of the state vote Republican. As a result, maps showing the results of statewide elections invariably form a shape that resembles a "T".

Federal representation

Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators are Bob Casey Jr. and John Fetterman, both of whom are Democrats. Casey would seek reelection in 2024 should he seek another term. Fetterman was elected in 2022 to succeed retiring Republican Pat Toomey.

Pennsylvania has 18 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as of 2022.[170]

Education

Pennsylvania has 500 public school districts, thousands of private schools, publicly funded colleges and universities, and over 100 private institutions of higher education.

Primary and secondary education

Under state law, school attendance in Pennsylvania is mandatory for a child from the age of 8 until the age of 17, or until graduation from an accredited high school (whichever is earlier) unless students are homeschooled.[171] As of 2005, 83.8% of Pennsylvania residents age 18 to 24 are high school graduates; Among residents age 25 and over, 86.7% have graduated from high school.

The following are the four-year graduation rates for students completing high school in 2016:[172]

Cohort All Students Male Female White Hispanic Black Asian Special Education
% graduating 86.09 84.14 88.13 90.48 72.83 73.22 91.21 74.06

Additionally, 27.5% of high school graduates in the state went on to obtain a bachelor's degree or higher, as of 2009.[173] State students consistently do well in standardized testing. In 2007, Pennsylvania ranked 14th in mathematics, 12th in reading, and 10th in writing for 8th grade students.[174] In 1988, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 169, which allows parents or guardians to homeschool their children as an option for compulsory school attendance. This law specifies the requirements and responsibilities of the parents and the school district where the family lives.[175]

Higher education

 
Benjamin Franklin statue on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution in Philadelphia and one of the top universities in the world.[176][177][178]

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is the public university system of the Commonwealth, with 14 state-owned schools. West Chester University has by far the largest student body of the 14 universities. The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is an organizing body of the four state-related schools in Pennsylvania; these schools (Pennsylvania State University, Lincoln University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Temple University) are independent institutions that receive some state funding. There are also 15 publicly funded two-year community colleges and technical schools that are separate from the PASSHE system. Additionally, there are many private two- and four-year technical schools, colleges, and universities.

Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Pittsburgh are members of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only organization of leading research universities. Lehigh University is a private research university located in Bethlehem. The Pennsylvania State University is the Commonwealth's land-grant university, Sea Grant College and, Space Grant College. The University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, is considered the first university in the United States and established the country's first medical school. The University of Pennsylvania is also the Commonwealth's only, and geographically most southern, Ivy League school. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is a private graduate school of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy with a main campus in Erie, and a branch campus located in Greensburg (with two other campuses outside of Pennsylvania). With over 2,200 enrolled medical students, the College of Osteopathic Medicine at LECOM is the largest medical school in the United States.[179][180][181][182] The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the first and oldest art school in the United States.[183] Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, now a part of University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, was the first pharmacy school in the United States.[184]

Recreation

 
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of 205 feet (62 m) and a top speed of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h).[185]

Pennsylvania is home to the nation's first zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo.[186] Other long-accredited AZA zoos include the Erie Zoo and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. The Lehigh Valley Zoo and ZooAmerica are other notable zoos. The Commonwealth boasts some of the finest museums in the country, including the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and several others. One unique museum is the Houdini Museum in Scranton, the only building in the world devoted to the legendary magician.[187] Pennsylvania is also home to the National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh.

All 121 state parks in Pennsylvania feature free admission.

Pennsylvania's notable amusement parks include Conneaut Lake Park, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Dutch Wonderland, DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Great Wolf Lodge, Hersheypark, Idlewild Park, Kalahari Resorts Poconos, Kennywood, Knoebels, Lakemont Park, Sandcastle Waterpark, Sesame Place, and Waldameer Park. Pennsylvania also is home to the largest indoor waterpark resort on the East Coast, Splash Lagoon in Erie.

The state's notable music festivals include Musikfest, the nation's largest free music festival held annually each August in Bethlehem,[188] the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Creation Festival, and Purple Door. The Great Allentown Fair, held annually at the Allentown Fairgrounds since the 19th century, is one of the nation's longest-running annual fairs.

There are nearly one million licensed hunters in Pennsylvania. Whitetail deer, black bear, 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 provides 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 reports that five of the ten largest (skull size) black bear entries came from the state.[189] The state also has a tied record for the largest hunter shot black bear in the Boone & Crockett books at 733 lb (332 kg) and a skull of 23 3/16 tied with a bear shot in California in 1993.[189] The largest bear ever found dead was in Utah in 1975, and the second-largest was shot by a poacher in the state in 1987.[189] As of 2007, Pennsylvania has the second highest number of Boone and Crockett-recorded record black bears at 183, behind Wisconsin's 299.[189]

Transportation

 
Road and rail map of Pennsylvania
 
U.S. Route 220 as it passes through Lamar Township, August 2010
 
Amtrak's Pennsylvanian navigating the historic Horseshoe Curve near Altoona
 
Philadelphia International Airport is the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st busiest airport in the nation with nearly 10 million passengers annually as of 2021.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, abbreviated as PennDOT, is responsible for transport issues within the commonwealth.

Air

Pennsylvania has seven major airports: Philadelphia International, Pittsburgh International, Lehigh Valley International, Harrisburg International, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International, Erie International, and University Park Airport. A total of 134 public-use airports are located in the state.[190]

Bus and coach

Intercity bus service is provided between cities in Pennsylvania and other major points in the Northeast by Bolt Bus, Fullington Trailways, Greyhound Lines, Martz Trailways, Megabus, OurBus, Trans-Bridge Lines, and various Chinatown bus companies. In 2018, OurBus began offering service from West Chester, Malvern, King of Prussia, and Fort Washington to New York City.

Rail

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is the sixth-largest transit agency in the United States and operates the commuter, heavy and light rail transit, and transit bus service in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is the 25th-largest transit agency and provides transit bus and light rail service in and around Pittsburgh.[191]

Intercity passenger rail transit is provided by Amtrak, with the majority of traffic occurring on the Keystone Service in the high-speed Keystone Corridor between Harrisburg and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station before heading north to New York City, as well as the Northeast Regional providing frequent high-speed service up and down the Northeast Corridor. The Pennsylvanian follows the same route from New York City to Harrisburg, but extends out to Pittsburgh. The Capitol Limited also passes through Pittsburgh, as well as Connellsville, on its way from Chicago to Washington, D.C.[190] Traveling between Chicago and New York City, the Lake Shore Limited passes through Erie once in each direction.[190] There are 67 short-line, freight railroads operating in Pennsylvania, the highest number in any U.S. state.[190] With more than four million inter-city rail passengers in 2018, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is Amtrak's third busiest train station in the nation after Penn Station in Manhattan and Union Station in Washington, D.C.[192] and North America's 12th-busiest train station overall.

Road

PennDOT owns 39,861 miles (64,150 km) of the 121,770 miles (195,970 km) of roadway in the state, making it the fifth-largest state highway system in the United States.[193] The Pennsylvania Turnpike system is 535 miles (861 km) long, with the mainline portion stretching from Ohio to Philadelphia and New Jersey.[193] It is overseen by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Another major east–west route is Interstate 80, which runs primarily in the northern tier of the state from Ohio to New Jersey at the Delaware Water Gap. Interstate 90 travels the relatively short distance between Ohio and New York through Erie County, in the extreme northwestern part of the state.

Primary north–south highways are Interstate 79 from its terminus in Erie through Pittsburgh to West Virginia, Interstate 81 from New York state through Scranton, Lackawanna County and Harrisburg to Maryland and Interstate 476, which begins 7 miles (11 km) north of the Delaware border, in Chester, Delaware County and travels 132 miles (212 km) to Clarks Summit, where it joins I-81. All but 20 miles (32 km) of I-476 is the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The highway south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is officially called the "Veterans Memorial Highway", but is commonly referred to colloquially as the "Blue Route".

Water

The Port of Pittsburgh is the second-largest inland port in the United States and the 18th-largest port overall; the Port of Philadelphia is the 24th-largest port in the United States.[194] Pennsylvania's only port on the Great Lakes is located in Erie. The Allegheny River Lock and Dam Two is the most-used lock operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers of its 255 nationwide.[195] The dam impounds the Allegheny River near Downtown Pittsburgh.

Culture

Sports

Professional sports

 
The Philadelphia Eagles are presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018
 
Pittsburgh Steelers' fans waving the Terrible Towel, a tradition that dates back to 1975
 
Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in American professional sports

Pennsylvania is home to eight major league professional sports teams: the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. Among them, these teams have accumulated seven World Series championships (with the Pirates winning five and Phillies winning two), 16 National League pennants (with the Pirates winning nine and Phillies winning seven), three pre-Super Bowl era NFL championships (all won by the Eagles), seven Super Bowl championships (with the Steelers winning six and the Eagles one), two NBA championships (both won by the 76ers), and seven Stanley Cup championships (with the Penguins winning five and Flyers winning two).

With five professional sports teams and some of the most passionate sports fans in the nation, Philadelphia is often described as the nation's best sports city.[196][197]

In baseball, in addition to its two MLB franchises, Pennsylvania has minor league and semi-pro sports teams: the Triple-A baseball Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A East; the Double-A baseball Altoona Curve, Erie SeaWolves, Harrisburg Senators, and Reading Fightin Phils of the Double-A Northeast; the collegiate summer baseball State College Spikes and Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League; the independent baseball Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball; the independent baseball Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League; the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League; the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League; the Reading Royals and of the ECHL; and the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. Among them, these teams have accumulated 12 triple and double-A baseball league titles (RailRiders 1, Senators 6, Fightin Phils 4 Curve 1), 3 Arena Bowl Championships (Soul), and 11 Calder Cups (Bears).

The first World Series between the Boston Americans (which later became the Boston Red Sox) and Pittsburgh Pirates was played in Pittsburgh in 1903. Since 1959, the Little League World Series has been held each August in South Williamsport near where Little League Baseball was founded in Williamsport.[198]

With the addition of the Philadelphia Union of the MLS, Pennsylvania now boasts three teams that are eligible to compete for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup annually. The other two teams are Philadelphia Union II and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.[199] Both of the United Soccer League (USL). Within the American Soccer Pyramid, the MLS takes the first tier while the USL-2 claims the third tier.

Arnold Palmer, one of the 20th century's most accomplished professional golfers, comes from Latrobe, and Jim Furyk, a current PGA member grew up near in Lancaster. PGA tournaments in Pennsylvania include the 84 Lumber Classic played at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, in Farmington and the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic played at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic.

Philadelphia is home to LOVE Park across from City Hall, a popular location for skateboarding and host to ESPN's X Games in 2001 and 2002.[200]

Motorsports

In motorsports, the Mario Andretti dynasty of race drivers hails from Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley. Pennsylvania racetracks include Jennerstown Speedway in Jennerstown, Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, and Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, which is home to two NASCAR Cup Series races and an IndyCar Series race. The state is also home to Maple Grove Raceway, near Reading, which hosts major National Hot Rod Association-sanctioned drag racing events each year.

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

Horse racing courses in Pennsylvania consist of The Meadows near Pittsburgh, Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre, and Harrah's Philadelphia in Chester, which offer harness racing, and Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Parx Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park) in Bensalem, and Presque Isle Downs near Erie, which offer thoroughbred racing. Smarty Jones, the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, had Philadelphia Park as his home course.

College sports

In college football, three Pennsylvania universities compete in NCAA Division I, the highest level of sanctioned collegiate play in the sport: Penn State in the Big Ten Conference, Pitt in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Temple in the American Athletic Conference.

Over their respective college football histories, Penn State claims two national championships (1982 and 1986) and seven undefeated seasons (1887, 1912, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, and 1994) and Pitt has won nine national championships (1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1976) and had eight undefeated seasons (1904, 1910, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1937, and 1976).[201] Penn State plays its home games at Beaver Stadium, a 106,572-capacity stadium that is the second largest stadium in the nation; the team is coached by James Franklin. Pitt plays its home games at Acrisure Stadium, a 68,400-capacity stadium it shares with the Pittsburgh Steelers; the team is coached by Pat Narduzzi. Over their respective histories, four additional Pennsylvania universities and colleges have won national college football championships: Lafayette in Easton (1896), Villanova in Villanova (2009), Penn in Philadelphia (1895, 1897, 1904, and 1908),[202] and Washington & Jefferson in Washington (1921).

In college basketball, five Philadelphia and Philadelphia-area universities, collectively known as the Big Five, have a rich tradition in NCAA Division I basketball. National titles in college basketball have been won by La Salle (1954), Temple (1938), Penn (1920 and 1921), Pitt (1928 and 1930), and Villanova (1985, 2016, and 2018).[203][204]

Pennsylvania has several universities and colleges known as national leaders in college wrestling. Penn State, coached by Cael Sanderson, has won ten NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in its history, second most among all universities and colleges after Oklahoma State. Lehigh in Bethlehem has had 28 NCAA Division I individual champions over its history.

Food

 
Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia is widely credited with inventing the cheesesteak in 1933[205]

In 2008, author Sharon Hernes Silverman called Pennsylvania the snack food capital of the world.[206] It leads all other states in the manufacture of pretzels and potato chips. The Sturgis Pretzel House 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, which started making chips in Hanover, Pennsylvania, in 1921 and Wise Foods, which started making chips in Berwick also in 1921. The third, Frito-Lay is part of PepsiCo, and is based in Plano, Texas. Other companies such as Herr's Snacks, Martin's Potato Chips, Snyder's of Berlin (not associated with Snyder's of Hanover), Middleswarth Potato Chips (in Middleburg) and Troyer Farms Potato Products are popular chip manufacturers.

The U.S. chocolate industry is centered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with Mars, Godiva, and Wilbur Chocolate Company nearby, and smaller manufacturers such as Asher's[207] in Souderton,[208] and Gertrude Hawk Chocolates of Dunmore. Other notable companies include Just Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, makers of Hot Tamales, Mike and Ikes, the Easter favorite marshmallow Peeps, and Boyer Brothers of Altoona, Pennsylvania, which is well known for its Mallo Cups. Auntie Anne's Pretzels began as a market-stand in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and now has corporate headquarters in Lancaster City.[209] Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch foods include chicken potpie, ham potpie, schnitz un knepp (dried apples, ham, and dumplings), fasnachts (raised doughnuts), scrapple, pretzels, bologna, chow-chow, and Shoofly pie. Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, headquartered in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, specializes in potato bread, another traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food. D.G. Yuengling & Son, America's oldest brewery, has been brewing beer in Pottsville since 1829.

Among the regional foods associated with Philadelphia are cheesesteaks, hoagies, soft pretzels, Italian water ice, Irish potato candy, scrapple, Tastykake, and strombolis. In Pittsburgh, tomato ketchup was improved by Henry John Heinz from 1876 to the early 20th century. Famous to a lesser extent than Heinz ketchup is the Pittsburgh's Primanti Brothers Restaurant sandwiches, pierogies, and city chicken. Outside of Scranton, in Old Forge, there are dozens of Italian restaurants specializing in pizza made unique by thick, light crust, and American cheese. Erie also has its share of unique foods, including Greek sauce and sponge candy. Sauerkraut along with pork and mashed potatoes is a traditional meal on New Year's Day in Pennsylvania; its tradition began with the Pennsylvania Dutch who believe the meal leads to good luck in the new year to come.

Nicknames

Pennsylvania has been known as the Keystone State since 1802,[210] based in part upon its central location among the original Thirteen Colonies forming the United States, and also in part because of the number of important American documents signed in the state (such as the Declaration of Independence). It was also a keystone state economically, having both the industry common to the North (making such wares as Conestoga wagons and rifles)[211][212] and the agriculture common to the South (producing feed, fiber, food, and tobacco).[213]

Another one of Pennsylvania's nicknames is the Quaker State; in colonial times, it was known officially as the Quaker Province,[214] in recognition of Quaker[215] William Penn's First Frame of Government[216] constitution for Pennsylvania that guaranteed liberty of conscience. He knew of the hostility[217] Quakers faced when they opposed religious ritual, taking oaths, violence, war and military service, and what they viewed as ostentatious frippery.[218]

"The Coal State", "The Oil State", "The Chocolate State", and "The Steel State" were adopted when those were the state's greatest industries.[219] "The State of Independence" currently appears on many road signs entering the state.

Notable people

Sister regions

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
  2. ^ Pennsylvania is one of only four U.S. states to use the term "Commonwealth" in its official name, along with Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky.
  3. ^ At the time, Vermont has not yet seceded from New York State.
  4. ^ Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.

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Sources

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pennsylvania, this, article, about, state, other, uses, disambiguation, penn, redirects, here, other, uses, penn, disambiguation, listen, dutch, pennsilfaani, officially, commonwealth, state, spanning, atlantic, northeastern, appalachian, great, lakes, regions. This article is about the U S state For other uses see Pennsylvania disambiguation Penn redirects here For other uses see Penn disambiguation Pennsylvania ˌ p ɛ n s ɪ l ˈ v eɪ n i e listen Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsilfaani officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania b is a state spanning the Mid Atlantic Northeastern Appalachian and Great Lakes regions of the United States It borders Delaware to its southeast Maryland to its south West Virginia to its southwest Ohio to its west Lake Erie and the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest New York to its north and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east PennsylvaniaStateCommonwealth of PennsylvaniaFlagSealNickname s Keystone State 1 Quaker StateMotto s Virtue Liberty and IndependenceAnthem Pennsylvania source source track Map of the United States with Pennsylvania highlightedCountryUnited StatesBefore statehoodProvince of PennsylvaniaAdmitted to the UnionDecember 12 1787 2nd CapitalHarrisburgLargest cityPhiladelphiaLargest metro and urban areasDelaware ValleyGovernment GovernorTom Wolf D Lieutenant GovernorKim Ward R acting LegislatureGeneral Assembly Upper houseState Senate Lower houseHouse of RepresentativesJudiciarySupreme Court of PennsylvaniaU S senatorsBob Casey Jr D John Fetterman D U S House delegation9 Democrats8 Republicans list Area Total46 055 sq mi 119 283 km2 Land44 816 61 sq mi 116 074 km2 Water1 239 sq mi 3 208 km2 2 7 Rank33rdDimensions Length170 mi 273 km Width283 mi 455 km Elevation1 100 ft 340 m Highest elevation Mount Davis 2 a 3 213 ft 979 m Lowest elevation Delaware River at Delaware border 2 0 ft 0 m Population 2020 4 Total13 011 844 Rank5th Density290 sq mi 112 km2 Rank9th Median household income 59 195 3 Income rank23rdDemonymsPennsylvanianPennsylvanier Pennsylvania Dutch Language Official languageNone Spoken languageEnglish 90 15 Spanish 4 09 German including Pennsylvania Dutch 0 87 Chinese 0 47 Italian 0 43 5 Time zoneUTC 05 00 Eastern Summer DST UTC 04 00 EDT USPS abbreviationPAISO 3166 codeUS PATraditional abbreviationPa Penn Penna Latitude39 43 to 42 16 NLongitude74 41 to 80 31 WWebsitewww wbr pa wbr govPennsylvania state symbolsFlag of PennsylvaniaLiving insigniaAmphibianEastern HellbenderBirdRuffed grouseDog breedGreat DaneFishBrook troutFlowerMountain laurelInsectFirefly Colloquially Lightning Bug Photuris pensylvanica MammalWhite tailed deerTreeEastern hemlockInanimate insigniaBeverageMilkDancePolkaFoodChocolate Chip Cookie 6 FossilTrilobiteSoilHazletonState route markerState quarterReleased in 1999Lists of United States state symbolsPennsylvania is the fifth most populous state in the nation with over 13 million residents as of 2020 4 It is the 33rd largest state by area and ranks ninth among all states in population density The southeastern Delaware Valley metropolitan area comprises and surrounds Philadelphia the state s largest and nation s sixth most populous city Another 2 37 million reside in Greater Pittsburgh in the southwest centered around Pittsburgh the state s second largest and Western Pennsylvania s largest city The state s subsequent five most populous cities are Allentown Reading Erie Scranton and Bethlehem 7 The state capital is Harrisburg Pennsylvania s geography is highly diverse the Appalachian Mountains run through the center of the state the Allegheny and Pocono mountains span much of Northeast Pennsylvania close to 60 of the state is forested While it has only 140 miles 225 km of waterfront along Lake Erie and the Delaware River 8 Pennsylvania has more navigable rivers than any other state in the nation including the Delaware Ohio and Pine Creek rivers Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 through a royal land grant to William Penn son of the state s namesake a southeast portion of the state was once part of the colony of New Sweden Established as a haven for religious and political tolerance the Province of Pennsylvania was known for its relatively peaceful relations with native tribes innovative government system and religious pluralism Pennsylvania was one of thirteen British colonies from which the nation was formed Pennsylvania played a vital and historic role in the American Revolution and the ultimately successful quest for independence from the British Empire Its largest city Philadelphia was the gathering place of the nation s Founding Fathers and home to much of the thinking activism and writing that inspired the American Revolution Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in Carpenters Hall in 1774 and beginning the following year the Second Continental Congress in Independence Hall which in 1776 unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence a document that historian Joseph Ellis has described as the most potent and consequential words in American history and which formally launched the American Revolutionary War 9 On December 25 and 26 1776 Washington secretly led a column of Continental Army troops across the Delaware River from Bucks County launching a successful surprise attack against Hessian mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton In 1777 and 1778 the national capital of Philadelphia fell under British control for nine months and multiple Revolutionary War battles were fought in Pennsylvania For six months Washington and 12 000 Continental Army troops encamped at Valley Forge over a harsh winter with limited supplies roughly 1 700 to 2 000 of them died at Valley Forge from disease and malnutrition In Philadelphia the Second Continental Congress on June 21 1778 ratified the Articles of Confederation which served as the foundation for the ultimate development and ratification of the U S Constitution On December 12 1787 Pennsylvania became the second state after Delaware which had previously been part of Pennsylvania as the three lower counties to ratify the Constitution 10 On eight separate occasions prior to the construction of Washington D C as the nation s capital a Pennsylvania city served as the nation s capital Philadelphia from 1775 to 1776 1777 twice in 1778 1781 and 1790 York in 1777 and Lancaster in 1777 During the American Civil War Pennsylvania s 360 000 Union Army volunteers proved influential in strengthening the Union successfully guarding the national capital of Washington D C which was vulnerable following the fall of Fort Sumter and later leading daring raids against Confederate Army strongholds in the Deep South The bloodiest battle of the Civil War with over 50 000 casualties and one of the Union Army s most important victories was fought on Pennsylvania soil at Gettysburg over three days in July 1863 The Union Army s victory at Gettysburg is considered the turning point in the war leading to the Union s preservation President Abraham Lincoln s 271 word address dedicating Gettysburg National Cemetery on November 19 1863 remains one of the best known speeches in American history 11 12 In the late 19th and 20th centuries Pittsburgh based U S Steel Bethlehem based Bethlehem Steel and other Pennsylvania manufacturing companies inspired the American Industrial Revolution and contributed to the development of much of the nation s early infrastructure including key bridges skyscrapers and warships tanks and other military hardware used in U S led victories in World War I World War II and the Cold War Eastern Pennsylvania has become an epicenter for the growth of the U S logistics industry including warehousing and the intermodal transport of goods 13 Since Pennsylvania s 1787 founding a number of influential Pennsylvanians have contributed significantly to the nation in many fields including the military politics business scientific innovation thought leadership philanthropy music art and sports Contents 1 History 1 1 Indigenous settlement 1 2 17th century 1 3 18th century 1 4 19th century 1 5 20th century 1 6 21st century 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 2 2 Municipalities 2 3 Adjacent states and province 3 Demographics 3 1 Place of origin 3 2 Race and ethnicity 3 3 Age and poverty 3 4 Languages 3 4 1 Pennsylvania Dutch language 3 5 Religion 4 Economy 4 1 Banking 4 2 Agriculture 4 3 Gambling 4 4 Film 5 Governance 5 1 Executive 5 2 Legislative 5 3 Judiciary 5 4 Local government 5 5 Taxation 5 6 State law enforcement 6 Politics 6 1 Federal representation 7 Education 7 1 Primary and secondary education 7 2 Higher education 8 Recreation 9 Transportation 9 1 Air 9 2 Bus and coach 9 3 Rail 9 4 Road 9 5 Water 10 Culture 10 1 Sports 10 1 1 Professional sports 10 1 2 Motorsports 10 1 3 College sports 10 2 Food 11 Nicknames 12 Notable people 13 Sister regions 14 See also 15 Notes 16 References 16 1 Citations 16 2 Sources 16 2 1 Web sources 16 2 2 Books 17 External linksHistory EditMain article History of Pennsylvania See also List of Pennsylvania firsts and List of people from Pennsylvania Indigenous settlement Edit Pennsylvania s history of human habitation extends to thousands of years before the foundation of the colonial Province of Pennsylvania in 1681 Archaeologists believe the first settlement of the Americas occurred at least 15 000 years ago during the last glacial period though it is unclear when humans first entered the area now known as Pennsylvania There also is open debate in the archaeological community regarding when ancestors of Native Americans expanded across the two continents down to the tip of South America possibilities range between 30 000 and 10 500 years ago 14 Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Jefferson Township includes the earliest known signs of human activity in Pennsylvania and perhaps all of North America 15 including the remains of a civilization that existed over 10 000 years ago and possibly pre dated the Clovis culture 16 15 By 1000 CE in contrast to their nomadic hunter gatherer ancestors the native population of Pennsylvania had developed agricultural techniques and a mixed food economy 17 By the time European colonization of the Americas began at least two major Native American tribes inhabited Pennsylvania 16 The first the Lenape spoke an Algonquian language and inhabited the eastern region of the state then known as Lenapehoking It included most of New Jersey and most of the Lehigh Valley and Delaware Valley regions of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania The Lenape s territory ended somewhere between the Delaware River in the east and the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania The Susquehannock who spoke an Iroquoian language were based in more western regions of Pennsylvania from New York in the north to West Virginia in the southwest that included the Susquehanna River all the way to the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers near present day Pittsburgh 18 European disease and constant warfare with several neighbors and groups of Europeans weakened these tribes and they were grossly outpaced financially as the Hurons and Iroquois blocked them from proceeding west into Ohio during the Beaver Wars As they lost numbers and land they abandoned much of their western territory and moved closer to the Susquehanna River and the Iroquois and Mohawk tribes located more to the north Northwest of the Allegheny River was the Iroquoian Petun 19 known mostly for their vast tobacco plantations although this is believed to be complete fabrication 20 They were fragmented into three groups during the Beaver Wars the Petun of New York the Wyandot of Ohio and the Tiontatecaga of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia South of the Allegheny River was a nation known as Calicua 21 They may have been the same as the Monongahela culture and little is known about them except that they were probably a Siouan culture Archaeological sites from this time in this region are scarce 17th century Edit Main article Province of Pennsylvania William Penn a Quaker and son of a prominent admiral founded the colonial Province of Pennsylvania in 1681 In the 17th century the Dutch and the English each claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their colonial lands in America 22 23 24 The Dutch were the first to take possession 24 By June 3 1631 the Dutch began settling the Delmarva Peninsula by establishing the Zwaanendael Colony on the site of present day Lewes Delaware 25 In 1638 Sweden established New Sweden Colony in the region of Fort Christina on the site of present day Wilmington Delaware New Sweden claimed and for the most part controlled the lower Delaware River region including parts of present day Delaware New Jersey and Pennsylvania but settled few colonists there 26 27 On March 12 1664 King Charles II of England gave James Duke of York a grant that incorporated all lands included in the original Virginia Company of Plymouth Grant and other lands This grant was in conflict with the Dutch claim for New Netherland which included parts of today s Pennsylvania 28 On June 24 1664 the Duke of York sold the portion of his large grant that included present day New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret for a proprietary colony The land was not yet in British possession but the sale boxed in the portion of New Netherland on the West side of the Delaware River The British conquest of New Netherland began on August 29 1664 when New Amsterdam was coerced to surrender while facing cannons on British ships in New York Harbor 29 30 This conquest continued and was completed in October 1664 when the British captured Fort Casimir in what today is New Castle Delaware The Peace of Breda between England France and the Netherlands confirmed the English conquest on July 21 1667 31 32 although there were temporary reversions On September 12 1672 during the Third Anglo Dutch War the Dutch reconquered New York Colony New Amsterdam establishing three County Courts which went on to become original Counties in present day Delaware and Pennsylvania The one that later transferred to Pennsylvania was Upland 33 This was partially reversed on February 9 1674 when the Treaty of Westminster ended the Third Anglo Dutch War and reverted all political situations to the status quo ante bellum The British retained the Dutch Counties with their Dutch names 34 By June 11 1674 New York reasserted control over the outlying colonies including Upland and the names started to be changed to British names by November 11 1674 35 Upland was partitioned on November 12 1674 producing the general outline of the current border between Pennsylvania and Delaware 36 On February 28 1681 Charles II granted a land charter 37 to Quaker leader William Penn to repay a debt of 16 000 38 around 2 100 000 in 2008 adjusting for retail inflation 39 owed to William s father This transaction represents ne of the largest land grants to an individual in history 40 Penn proposed that the land be called New Wales but there were objections to that name so he recommended Sylvania from the Latin silva forest woods The King named it Pennsylvania literally Penn s Woods in honor of Admiral Penn The younger Penn was embarrassed at this name fearing that people would think he had named it after himself but King Charles would not rename the grant 41 Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World the county commission and freedom of religious conviction 40 What had been Upland on the Pennsylvania side of the Pennsylvania Delaware border was renamed as Chester County when Pennsylvania instituted their colonial governments on March 4 1681 42 43 Penn signed a peace treaty with Tamanend leader of the Lenape which began a long period of friendly relations between the Quakers and the Indians 44 Additional treaties between Quakers and other tribes followed The treaty of William Penn was never violated 45 46 47 18th century Edit See also Pennsylvania in the American Revolution Further information George Washington s crossing of the Delaware River Philadelphia campaign and Constitutional Convention United States Shelter House in Emmaus constructed in 1734 by Pennsylvania German settlers is the oldest continuously occupied building structure in the Lehigh Valley and one of the oldest in Pennsylvania 48 Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were adopted in 1776 and 1787 88 respectively Between 1730 and when the Pennsylvania Colony 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 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 excessive amounts that inflated the currency Benjamin Franklin had a hand in creating this currency whose utility he said was never to be disputed The currency also met with cautious approval by Adam Smith 49 The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740 becoming one of the nine colonial colleges and the first college established in the state and one of the first in the nation today it is an Ivy League university that is ranked one the world s best universities 50 Dickinson College in Carlisle was the first college founded after the states united 50 Established in 1773 Dickinson was ratified five days after the Treaty of Paris on September 9 1783 and was founded by Benjamin Rush and named after John Dickinson James Smith wrote that in 1763 the Indians again commenced hostilities and were busily engaged in killing and scalping the frontier inhabitants in various parts of Pennsylvania Further This state was then a Quaker government and at the first of this war the frontiers received no assistance from the state 51 The ensuing hostilities became known as Pontiac s War After the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 Delegate John Dickinson of Philadelphia wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances The Congress was the first meeting of the Thirteen Colonies called at the request of the Massachusetts Assembly but only nine colonies sent delegates 52 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 53 When the Founding Fathers convened in Philadelphia in 1774 12 colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress 54 The Second Continental Congress which also met in Philadelphia in May 1775 authored and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia 55 but when Philadelphia was captured by the British in the Philadelphia Campaign the Continental Congress moved west meeting at the Lancaster courthouse on Saturday September 27 1777 and then to York In York they adopted the Articles of Confederation largely authored by John Dickinson that formed 13 independent States c into a new union Later the Constitution was written and Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the new nation 56 The Constitution was drafted and signed at the Pennsylvania State House now known as Independence Hall and the same building where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 57 Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U S Constitution on December 12 1787 58 five days after Delaware became the first At the time Pennsylvania was the most ethnically and religiously diverse of the thirteen colonies Because a third of Pennsylvania s population spoke German the Constitution was presented in German so those citizens could participate in the discussion about it Reverend Frederick Muhlenberg a Lutheran minister and the first Speaker of the U S House of Representatives acted as chairman of Pennsylvania s ratifying convention 59 For half a century the Pennsylvania General Assembly met at various places in the Philadelphia area before it began meeting regularly in Independence Hall in Philadelphia for 63 years 60 However events such as the Paxton Boys massacres of 1763 had made the legislature aware of the need for a central capital In 1799 the General Assembly moved to the Lancaster Courthouse 60 19th century Edit See also Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg Gettysburg Address and Industrial Revolution in the United States The Battle of Gettysburg fought from July 1 3 1863 in Gettysburg was the Civil War s deadliest battle but also is widely considered the war s turning point in the Union s ultimate victory The battle is depicted in this 1887 Thure de Thulstrup painting Battle of Gettysburg On November 19 1863 President Abraham Lincoln center facing camera arrived in Gettysburg and delivered the Gettysburg Address considered one of the best known speeches in American history 11 12 The General Assembly met in the old Dauphin County Court House until December 1821 60 when the Federal style Hills Capitol named for Lancaster architect Stephen Hills was constructed on a hilltop land grant of four acres set aside for a seat of state government in Harrisburg by the son and namesake of John Harris Sr a Yorkshire native who founded a trading post and ferry on the east shore of the Susquehanna River in 1705 61 The Hills Capitol burned down on February 2 1897 during a heavy snowstorm presumably because of a faulty flue 60 The General Assembly met at a nearby Methodist Church until a new capitol could be built Following an architectural selection contest that some alleged had been rigged Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb was asked to design and build a replacement building However the legislature had little money to allocate to the project When they dubbed the roughly finished somewhat industrial Cobb Capitol building complete the General Assembly refused to occupy the building In 1901 political and popular indignation prompted a second contest that was restricted to Pennsylvania architects Joseph Miller Huston of Philadelphia was chosen to design the present Pennsylvania State Capitol that incorporated Cobb s building into a magnificent public work finished and dedicated in 1907 60 James Buchanan a Franklin County native served as the 15th U S president and was the first president to be born in Pennsylvania 62 The Battle of Gettysburg the major turning point of the American Civil War took place near Gettysburg in July 1863 63 An estimated 350 000 Pennsylvanians served in the Union Army forces including 8 600 African American military volunteers The politics of Pennsylvania were for decades dominated by the financially conservative Republican aligned Cameron machine established by U S Senator Simon Cameron 64 later the Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln Control of the machine was subsequently passed on to Cameron s son J Donald Cameron whose ineffectiveness resulted in a transfer of power to the more shrewd Matthew Quay and finally to Boies Penrose The post Civil War era known as the Gilded Age saw the continued rise of industry in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania was home to some of the largest steel companies in the world Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh and Charles M Schwab founded Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem Other titans of industry including John D Rockefeller and Jay Gould also operated in Pennsylvania In the latter half of the 19th century the U S oil industry was born in Western Pennsylvania which supplied the vast majority of kerosene for years thereafter As the Pennsylvania oil rush developed Pennsylvania s oil boom towns such as Titusville rose and later fell Coal mining primarily in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Coal Region also was a major industry in the state In 1903 Milton S Hershey began construction on a chocolate factory in Hershey Pennsylvania The Hershey Company grew to become the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America Heinz Company was also founded during this period These huge companies exercised a large influence on the politics of Pennsylvania as Henry Demarest Lloyd put it oil baron John D Rockefeller had done everything with the Pennsylvania legislature except refine it 65 Pennsylvania created a Department of Highways and engaged in a vast program of road building while railroads continued to see heavy usage citation needed The growth of industry eventually provided middle class incomes to working class households after the development of labor unions helped them gain living wages However the rise of unions also led to a rise of union busting with several private police forces springing up 65 Pennsylvania was the location of the first documented organized strike in North America and Pennsylvania was the location of two hugely prominent strikes the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the Coal Strike of 1902 The eight hour day was eventually adopted and the coal and iron police were banned 66 20th century Edit Hazleton coal miners in 1900 in Pennsylvania s Coal Region one of the world s largest sources of anthracite coal Coal mining was a leading Pennsylvania industry throughout the 19th and early and mid 20th centuries An anti nuclear protest at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex following the March 28 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Londonderry Township At the beginning of the 20th century Pennsylvania s economy centered on steel production logging coal mining textile production and other forms of industrial manufacturing A surge in immigration to the U S during the late 19th and early 20th centuries provided a steady flow of cheap labor for these industries which often employed children and people who could not speak English from Southern and Eastern Europe citation needed Thousands of Pennsylvanians volunteered during the Spanish American War Pennsylvania was an important industrial center in World War I and the state provided over 300 000 soldiers for the military On May 31 1918 the Pittsburgh Agreement was signed in Pittsburgh to declare the formation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia with future Czechoslovak president Tomas Masaryk In 1923 President Calvin Collidge established the Allegheny National Forest under the authority of the Weeks Act of 1911 67 The forest is located 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 basin The Allegheny is the state s only national forest 68 Pennsylvania manufactured 6 6 percent of total U S military armaments produced during World War II ranking sixth among the 48 states 69 The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard served as an important naval base and Pennsylvania produced important military leaders including George C Marshall Hap Arnold Jacob Devers and Carl Spaatz During the war over a million Pennsylvanians served in the armed forces and more Medals of Honor were awarded to Pennsylvanians than to individuals from any other state citation needed The Three Mile Island accident was the most significant nuclear accident in U S commercial nuclear power plant history 70 71 The state was hard hit by the decline and restructuring of the steel industry and other heavy industries during the late 20th century With job losses came heavy population losses especially in the state s largest cities Pittsburgh lost its place among the top ten most populous cities in the United States by 1950 and Philadelphia dropped to the fifth and later sixth largest city after decades of being among the top three After 1990 as information based industries became more important in the economy state and local governments put more resources into the old well established public library system Some localities however used new state funding to cut local taxes 72 New ethnic groups especially Hispanics and Latinos began entering the state to fill low skill jobs in agriculture and service industries For example in Chester County Mexican immigrants brought the Spanish language increased Catholicism high birth rates and cuisine when they were hired as agricultural laborers in some rural localities they made up half or more of the population 73 Meanwhile Stateside Puerto Ricans built a large community in the state s third largest city Allentown They comprised over 40 of the city s population by 2000 74 In the 20th century as Pennsylvania s historical national and even global leadership in mining largely ceased and its steelmaking and other heavy manufacturing sectors slowed the state sought to grow its service and other industries to replace the jobs and economic productivity lost from the downturn of these industries Pittsburgh s concentration of universities has enabled it to be a leader in technology and healthcare Similarly Philadelphia has a concentration of university expertise Healthcare retail transportation and tourism are some of the state s growing industries of the postindustrial era As in the rest of the nation most residential population growth has occurred in suburban rather than central city areas although both major cities have had significant revitalization in their downtown areas 75 Philadelphia anchors the seventh largest metropolitan area in the country while Pittsburgh is the center of the twenty seventh largest metro area in the country The growth of the Lehigh Valley has made it one of the seventy most populous metro areas in the country 76 while Pennsylvania also has six other metro areas among the top 200 most populous American metro areas Philadelphia forms part of the Northeast megalopolis and is associated with the Northeastern United States while Pittsburgh is part of the Great Lakes megalopolis and is often associated with the Midwestern United States and the Rust Belt 21st century Edit Further information United Airlines Flight 93 The Stonycreek Township crash site of Flight 93 one of four planes hijacked in the September 11 attacks the site is now a national memorial Flight 93 passengers wrestled with al Qaeda terrorist hijackers for control of the plane preventing it from being flown into the White House or U S Capitol 77 On September 11 2001 during the terrorist attacks on the United States the small town of Shanksville Pennsylvania received worldwide attention after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township 1 75 miles 2 82 km north of the town killing all 40 civilians and four Al Qaeda hijackers on board The hijackers had intended to crash the plane into either the United States Capitol or The White House 77 After learning from family members via air phone of the earlier attacks on the World Trade Center however Flight 93 passengers on board revolted against the hijackers and fought for control of the plane causing it to crash It was the only one of the four aircraft hijacked that day that never reached its intended target and the heroism of the passengers has been commemorated 78 Beginning in 2003 the Tekko anime convention is held annually in Pittsburgh 79 In October 2018 the Tree of Life Or L Simcha Congregation experienced the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting 80 Geography EditMain article Geography of Pennsylvania Further information List of counties in Pennsylvania Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County June 2008 Pennsylvania is 170 miles 274 km north to south and 283 miles 455 km east to west 81 Of a total 46 055 square miles 119 282 km2 44 817 square miles 116 075 km2 are land 490 square miles 1 269 km2 are inland waters and 749 square miles 1 940 km2 are waters in Lake Erie 82 It is the 33rd largest state in the United States 83 Pennsylvania has 51 miles 82 km 84 of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles 92 km 8 of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary Of the original Thirteen Colonies Pennsylvania is the only state that does not border the Atlantic Ocean The boundaries of the state are the Mason Dixon line 39 43 N to the south Twelve Mile Circle on the Pennsylvania Delaware border the Delaware River to the east 80 31 W to the west and the 42 N to the north except for a short segment on the western end where a triangle extends north to Lake Erie The state has five geographical regions Allegheny Plateau Ridge and Valley Atlantic Coastal Plain Piedmont and Erie Plain Climate Edit Main article Climate of Pennsylvania Koppen climate types in Pennsylvania Autumn in North Branch Township in Wyoming County October 2011 Pennsylvania s diverse topography produces a variety of climates though the entire state experiences cold winters and humid summers Straddling two major zones the majority of the state except for the southeastern corner has a humid continental climate Koppen climate classification Dfb The southern portion of the state has a humid subtropical climate The largest city Philadelphia has a humid subtropical climate Koppen Cfa Summers are generally hot and humid Moving toward the mountainous interior of the state the winter climate becomes colder the number of cloudy days increases and snowfall amounts are greater Western areas of the state particularly locations near Lake Erie can receive over 100 inches 250 cm of snowfall annually and the entire state receives plentiful precipitation throughout the year The state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into autumn Tornadoes occur annually in the state sometimes in large numbers such as 30 recorded tornadoes in 2011 generally speaking these tornadoes do not cause significant damage 85 Monthly Average High and Low Temperatures For Various Pennsylvania Cities in F City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Scranton 33 19 37 21 46 28 59 38 70 48 78 56 82 61 80 60 72 52 61 41 49 33 38 24Erie 34 21 36 21 44 27 56 38 67 48 76 58 80 63 79 62 72 56 61 45 50 37 38 27Pittsburgh 36 21 39 23 49 30 62 40 71 49 79 58 83 63 81 62 74 54 63 43 51 35 39 25Harrisburg 37 23 41 25 50 33 62 42 72 52 81 62 85 66 83 64 76 56 64 45 53 35 41 27Philadelphia 40 26 44 28 53 34 64 44 74 54 83 64 87 69 85 68 78 60 67 48 56 39 45 30Allentown 36 20 40 22 49 29 61 39 72 48 80 58 84 63 82 61 75 53 64 41 52 33 40 24Sources 86 87 88 89 90 Municipalities Edit Main article List of municipalities in Pennsylvania See also List of counties in Pennsylvania List of cities in Pennsylvania List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania List of townships in Pennsylvania List of county seats in Pennsylvania by population List of census designated places in Pennsylvania and List of populated places in Pennsylvania Cities in Pennsylvania include Philadelphia Reading Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast Pittsburgh in the southwest and the tri cities of Allentown Bethlehem and Easton in the central east known as the Lehigh Valley The northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining cities of Scranton Wilkes Barre Pittston Nanticoke and Hazleton Erie is located in the northwest State College is located in the central region Williamsport is in the north central region with York Carlisle and the state capital Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River in the east central region of the state Altoona and Johnstown are in the state s west central region The state s three most populated cities in order of size are Philadelphia Pittsburgh and Allentown Largest municipalities in Pennsylvania Source 7 Rank Name County Pop Rank Name County Pop Philadelphia Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia Philadelphia 1 603 797 11 Lancaster Lancaster 58 039 Allentown Reading2 Pittsburgh Allegheny 302 971 12 Millcreek Township Erie 54 0733 Allentown Lehigh 125 845 13 Lower Paxton Township Dauphin 53 5014 Reading Berks 95 112 14 Haverford Township Delaware 50 4315 Erie Erie 94 831 15 Harrisburg Dauphin 50 0996 Upper Darby Delaware 85 681 16 York York 44 8007 Scranton Lackawanna 76 328 17 Wilkes Barre Luzerne 44 3288 Bethlehem Northampton 75 781 18 Altoona Blair 43 9639 Lower Merion Township Montgomery 63 633 19 Hempfield Township Westmoreland 41 46610 Bensalem Township Bucks 62 707 20 Penn Hills Allegheny 41 059 Adjacent states and province Edit Ontario Province of Canada Northwest New York North and Northeast New Jersey East and Southeast Delaware Extreme Southeast Maryland South West Virginia Southwest Ohio West Demographics EditMain article Demographics of Pennsylvania Further information List of people from Pennsylvania Historical populationCensus Pop 1790434 373 1800602 36538 7 1810810 09134 5 18201 049 45829 5 18301 348 23328 5 18401 724 03327 9 18502 311 78634 1 18602 906 21525 7 18703 521 95121 2 18804 282 89121 6 18905 258 11322 8 19006 302 11519 9 19107 665 11121 6 19208 720 01713 8 19309 631 35010 5 19409 900 1802 8 195010 498 0126 0 196011 319 3667 8 197011 793 9094 2 198011 863 8950 6 199011 881 6430 1 200012 281 0543 4 201012 702 3793 4 202013 002 7002 4 2022 est 12 972 008 0 2 Source 1910 2020 91 As of the 2020 U S census Pennsylvania had a population of 13 011 844 up from 12 702 379 in 2010 In 2019 net migration to other states resulted in a decrease of 27 718 and immigration from other countries resulted in an increase of 127 007 Net migration to the Commonwealth was 98 289 Migration of native Pennsylvanians resulted in a decrease of 100 000 people From 2008 to 2012 5 8 of the population was foreign born 92 Pennsylvania is the fifth most populated state in the U S after California Florida New York and Texas 93 Place of origin Edit John Morton a Pennsylvania jurist was one of nine Pennsylvanians the most of any of the Thirteen Colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence the other eight are George Clymer Benjamin Franklin Robert Morris George Ross Benjamin Rush James Smith George Taylor and James Wilson Pennsylvania s population growth from 1790 to 2000 Among Pennsylvania residents as of 2020 74 5 were born in Pennsylvania 18 4 were born in a different U S state 1 5 were born in Puerto Rico U S Island areas or born abroad to American parent s and 5 6 were foreign born 94 Foreign born Pennsylvanians are largely from Asia 36 0 Europe 35 9 and Latin America 30 6 with the remainder from Africa 5 North America 3 1 and Oceania 0 4 The state s largest ancestry groups expressed as a percentage of total people who responded with a particular ancestry for the 2010 census are 95 96 German 28 5 Irish 18 2 Italian 12 8 African Americans 9 6 English 8 5 Polish 7 2 French 4 2 Race and ethnicity Edit Pennsylvania s Hispanic or Latino American population grew by 82 6 between 2000 and 2010 marking one of the largest increases in a state s Hispanic population The significant growth of the Hispanic or Latino population is due to migration to the state mainly from Puerto Rico a U S territory and to a lesser extent immigration from countries such as the Dominican Republic Mexico and various Central and South American nations and a wave of Hispanic and Latinos leaving New York and New Jersey for safer and more affordable living The Asian population swelled by almost 60 fueled by Indian Vietnamese and Chinese immigration and many Asian transplants moving to Philadelphia from New York The rapid growth of this community has given Pennsylvania one of the largest Asian populations in the nation The African American population grew by 13 which was the largest increase in that population among the state s peers New York New Jersey Ohio Illinois and Michigan 97 Pennsylvania has a high in migration of black and Hispanic people from other nearby states with the eastern and south central portions of the state seeing the bulk of the increases 98 99 The majority of Hispanic or Latino Americans in Pennsylvania are of Puerto Rican descent 100 101 Most of the remaining Hispanic or Latino population is made up of Mexicans and Dominicans Most Hispanic or Latinos are concentrated in Philadelphia Lehigh Valley and South Central Pennsylvania 102 The Hispanic or Latino population is greatest in Bethlehem Allentown Reading Lancaster York and around Philadelphia It is not clear how much of this change reflects a changing population and how much reflects increased willingness to self identify minority status As of 2010 it is estimated that about 85 of all Hispanics or Latino Americans in Pennsylvania live within a 150 mile 240 km radius of Philadelphia with about 20 living within the city itself Among the state s black population the vast majority in the state are African American There are also a growing number of blacks of West Indian recent African and Hispanic or Latino origins 103 Most blacks live in the Philadelphia area Pittsburgh and South Central Pennsylvania Non Hispanic whites make up the majority of Pennsylvania they are mostly descended from German Irish Scottish Welsh Italian and English immigrants Rural portions of South Central Pennsylvania are recognized nationally for their notable Amish communities Wyoming Valley including Scranton and Wilkes Barre has the highest percentage of white residents of any metropolitan area with a population of 500 000 or above in the U S in Wyoming Valley 96 2 of the population claim to be white with no Hispanic background Pennsylvania s center of population is in Duncannon in Perry County 104 Racial and ethnic composition as of the 2020 census Race and ethnicity 105 Alone TotalWhite non Hispanic 73 4 73 4 76 6 76 6 African American non Hispanic 10 5 10 5 11 8 11 8 Hispanic or Latino d 8 1 8 1 Asian 3 9 3 9 4 5 4 5 Native American 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 Pacific Islander 0 02 0 02 0 1 0 1 Other 0 4 0 4 1 3 1 3 Historical racial and ethnic composition to 2010 Racial composition 1990 106 2000 107 2010 108 White 88 5 85 4 81 9 Black 9 2 10 0 10 9 Asian 1 2 1 8 2 8 Native 0 1 0 1 0 2 Native Hawaiians andother Pacific Islanders Other race 1 0 1 5 2 4 Two or more races 1 2 1 9 Age and poverty Edit As of the 2010 census Pennsylvania had the fourth highest proportion of elderly 65 citizens in the nation at 15 4 compared to a national average of 13 0 109 According to U S Census Bureau estimates the state s poverty rate was 12 5 in 2017 compared to 13 4 for the U S as a whole 110 Languages Edit As of 2010 90 2 10 710 239 of Pennsylvania residents age five and older spoke English at home as a primary language while 4 1 486 058 spoke Spanish 0 9 103 502 spoke German including Pennsylvania Dutch and 0 5 56 052 spoke Chinese which includes Mandarin of the population over the age of five In total 9 9 1 170 628 of Pennsylvania s population age 5 and older spoke a mother tongue other than English 111 Pennsylvania Dutch language Edit Main article Pennsylvania Dutch language An Amish family riding in a traditional Amish buggy in Lancaster County Pennsylvania has the largest Amish population of any state Pennsylvania German spoken by nearly one percent of Pennsylvania s population as of 2010 is often misleadingly called Pennsylvania Dutch The term Dutch was used to mean German 112 including the Netherlands before the Latin name for them replaced it When referring to the language spoken by the Pennsylvania Dutch people Pennsylvania German it means German In fact Germans in their own language call themselves Deutsch Pennsylvania German Deitsch Pennsylvania Dutch is a descendant of German in the West Central German dialect family and is closest to Palatine German Pennsylvania German is still very vigorous as a first language among Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites principally in the Lancaster County and Berks County areas it is almost extinct as an everyday language outside the plain communities though a few words have passed into English usage Religion Edit Main article Religion in Pennsylvania Religion in Pennsylvania 2014 113 religion percentProtestant 47 Catholic 24 Unaffiliated 21 Other faiths don t know 2 Hindu 1 Jehovah s Witnesses 1 Jewish 0 8 Muslim 0 6 Of the original Thirteen Colonies Pennsylvania and Rhode Island had the most religious freedom 114 Voltaire writing of William Penn in 1733 observed The new sovereign also enacted several wise and wholesome laws for his colony which have remained invariably the same to this day The chief is to ill treat no person on account of religion and to consider as brethren all those who believe in one God 115 One result of this uncommon freedom was a wide religious diversity which continues to the present Pennsylvania s population in 2010 was 12 702 379 of these 6 838 440 53 8 were estimated to belong to some sort of organized religion According to the Association of Religion Data Archives ARDA at Pennsylvania State University the largest religious bodies in Pennsylvania by adherents were the Roman Catholic Church with 3 503 028 adherents the United Methodist Church with 591 734 members and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 501 974 members Since 2014 among the state s religious population 73 were Christian according to Pew Research Center 113 In 2020 the Public Religion Research Institute estimated 68 of the population identified with Christianity 116 As of 2014 47 of all Pennsylvanians identified as Protestants making Protestantism far and away the most prominent religious affiliation among Pennsylvanians Among all self identified Christians in the state however 24 identified as Catholics the most of any Christian religious affiliation Pennsylvania especially in the Greater Pittsburgh area has one of the largest communities of Presbyterians in the nation the third highest by percentage of population and the largest outright in membership as Protestant Christians 117 The American Presbyterian Church with about 250 000 members and 1 011 congregations is the largest Presbyterian denomination while the Presbyterian Church in America is also significant with 112 congregations and approximately 23 000 adherents the EPC has around 50 congregations including the ECO according to 2010 estimates The fourth largest Protestant denomination the United Church of Christ has 180 000 members and 627 congregations in the state The American Baptist Churches also referred to as the Northern Baptist Convention is based in King of Prussia Pennsylvania was the center state of the German Reformed denomination from the 1700s 118 Bethlehem is one of the headquarters of the Moravian Church in the U S Pennsylvania also has a very large Amish population second only to Ohio among U S states 119 As of 2000 there was a total Amish population of 47 860 in Pennsylvania and an additional 146 416 Mennonites and 91 200 Brethren The total Anabapist population including Bruderhof 120 was 232 631 about two percent of the population 121 While Pennsylvania owes its existence to Quakers and much of the historic character of the Commonwealth is ideologically rooted in the teachings of the Religious Society of Friends as they are officially known practicing Quakers are a small minority of about 10 000 adherents as of 2010 122 Economy EditMain article Economy of Pennsylvania See also List of Pennsylvania counties by per capita income Pennsylvania unemployment rate 1976 2021 US unemployment rate Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem was one of the world s leading steel manufacturers for most of the 19th and 20th century In 1982 however it discontinued most of its operations declared bankruptcy in 2001 and was dissolved in 2003 Average income by location in Pennsylvania as reported by American Community Survey s five year estimates as of 2014 As of 2021 Pennsylvania s gross state product GSP of 839 4 billion ranks 6th among all U S states behind California Texas New York Florida and Illinois 123 As of 2021 if Pennsylvania were an independent country its economy would rank as the 22nd largest in the world 124 On a per capita basis Pennsylvania s 2021 per capita GSP of 64 751 ranks 24th among the fifty states 123 As of 2016 there were 5 354 964 people in employment in Pennsylvania with 301 484 total employer establishments As of May 2020 the state s unemployment rate is 13 1 125 126 Philadelphia in the southeast corner Pittsburgh in the southwest corner Erie in the northwest corner Scranton Wilkes Barre in the northeast corner and the Lehigh Valley in the east central region are urban manufacturing centers Much of Pennsylvania is rural this dichotomy affects state politics and the state economy 127 Philadelphia is home to six Fortune 500 companies 128 with more located in suburbs like King of Prussia it is a leader in the financial 129 and insurance industries Pittsburgh is home to eight Fortune 500 companies including U S Steel PPG Industries and H J Heinz 128 In all Pennsylvania is home to 50 Fortune 500 companies 128 Hershey is home to The Hershey Company one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world Erie is home to GE Transportation the nation s largest manufacturer of train locomotives As in the U S as a whole and in most states the largest private employer in Pennsylvania is Walmart followed by the University of Pennsylvania an Ivy League private research university in Philadelphia 130 131 Pennsylvania is home to the oldest investor owned utility company in the U S The York Water Company Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016GDP in mil US 132 506 505 525 979 559 876 579 432 573 964 596 662 615 411 637 896 659 792 684 781 708 402 724 936GDP per capita in real 2009 US 132 45 035 45 021 46 330 46 862 45 312 46 387 46 872 47 540 48 278 49 155 50 418 50 997Real growth rate in 133 1 3 0 5 3 3 1 5 2 9 2 7 1 3 1 6 1 6 2 0 2 6 0 9 unemployment rate in July 134 4 9 4 7 4 4 5 2 8 2 8 3 8 0 7 9 7 3 5 8 5 3 5 5 Banking Edit The first nationally chartered bank in the U S the Bank of North America was founded in 1781 in Philadelphia After a series of mergers the Bank of North America is now part of Wells Fargo Pennsylvania is home to the first nationally chartered bank under the 1863 National Banking Act That year the Pittsburgh Savings amp Trust Company received a national charter and renamed itself the First National Bank of Pittsburgh as part of the National Banking Act That bank is still in existence today as PNC and remains based in Pittsburgh PNC is currently the state s largest bank and the nation s sixth largest bank Agriculture Edit Main article Agriculture in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania ranks 19th overall among all states in agricultural production 135 Its leading agricultural products are mushrooms apples Christmas trees layer chickens nursery sod milk corn for silage grapes including juice grapes and horses production Pennsylvania ranks eighth in the nation in winemaking 136 The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture worked with private companies to establish PA Preferred as a way to brand agricultural products grown or made in the state 137 The financial impact of agriculture in Pennsylvania 138 includes employment of more than 66 800 people employed by the food manufacturing industry and over 1 7 billion in food product export as of 2011 Gambling Edit Main article Gambling in Pennsylvania See also List of casinos in Pennsylvania Rivers Casino located on the Ohio River in Pittsburgh is one of 16 Pennsylvania casinos Casino gambling was legalized in Pennsylvania in 2004 As of 2022 there are 16 casinos in the state 139 140 Table games such as poker roulette blackjack and craps were approved by the state legislature and signed into law in January 2010 Film Edit See also Harrisburg in film and television List of films and television shows shot in Pennsylvania List of films shot in the Lehigh Valley and List of films shot in Pittsburgh The Pennsylvania Film Production Tax Credit began in 2004 and stimulated the development of a film industry in the state 141 Governance Edit Tom Wolf D 47th GovernorSince January 20 2015 John Fetterman D 34th Lt GovernorSince January 15 2019 Main article Government of Pennsylvania See also Commonwealth U S state Pennsylvania has had five constitutions during its statehood 142 1776 1790 1838 1874 and 1968 Before 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 142 The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg The legislature meets there in the State Capitol In a 2020 study Pennsylvania was ranked as the 19th hardest state for citizens to vote in 143 Executive Edit Main article List of Governors of PennsylvaniaThe current Governor is Tom Wolf The other elected officials composing the executive branch are the Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman Attorney General Joshua Shapiro Auditor General Timothy DeFoor and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity The Governor and Lieutenant Governor run as a ticket in the general election and are up for re election every four years during the midterm elections The elections for Attorney General Auditor General and Treasurer are held every four years coinciding with a Presidential election 144 See also List of Pennsylvania state agencies Legislative Edit Main article Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg 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 145 The General Assembly includes 50 Senators and 203 Representatives Joe Scarnati is currently President Pro Tempore of the State Senate Jake Corman the Majority Leader and Jay Costa the Minority Leader 146 Bryan Cutler is Speaker of the House of Representatives with Kerry A Benninghoff as Majority Leader and Frank Dermody as Minority Leader 147 As of the 2018 elections the Republicans hold the majority in the State House and Senate Judiciary Edit Main article Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is divided into 60 judicial districts 148 most of which except Philadelphia have magisterial district judges formerly called district justices and justices of the peace who preside mainly over preliminary hearings in felony and misdemeanor offenses all minor summary criminal offenses and small civil claims 148 Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas which also serve as appellate courts to the district judges and for local agency decisions 148 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 to review warrants for wiretap surveillance 148 The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas 148 The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the final appellate court All judges in Pennsylvania are elected the chief justice is determined by seniority 148 Local government Edit Map of Pennsylvania s 67 counties Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties 149 Counties are further subdivided into municipalities that are either incorporated as cities boroughs or townships 150 One county Philadelphia County is coterminous with the city of Philadelphia after it was consolidated in 1854 The most populous county in Pennsylvania is Philadelphia while the least populous is Cameron 4 547 98 There are a total of 56 cities in Pennsylvania which are classified by population as either first second or third class cities 149 151 Philadelphia Pennsylvania s largest city has a population of 1 6 million and is the state s only first class city 150 Pittsburgh 303 000 and Scranton 76 000 are second class and second class A cities respectively 150 The rest of the cities like the third and fourth largest Allentown 126 000 and Reading 95 000 to the smallest Parker with a population of only 820 are third class cities 152 First and second class cities are governed by a strong mayor form of mayor council government whereas third class cities are governed by either a weak mayor form of government or a council manager government 150 Boroughs are generally smaller than cities with most Pennsylvania cities having been incorporated as a borough before being incorporated as a city 150 There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania all of which are governed by the weak mayor form of mayor council government 149 150 The largest borough in Pennsylvania is State College 40 501 and the smallest is Centralia Townships are the third type of municipality in Pennsylvania and are classified as either first class or second class townships There are 1 454 second class townships and 93 first class townships 153 Second class townships can become first class townships if they have a population density greater than 300 inhabitants per square mile 120 km2 and a referendum is passed supporting the change 153 Pennsylvania s largest township is Upper Darby Township 85 681 and the smallest is East Keating Township There is one exception to the types of municipalities in Pennsylvania Bloomsburg was incorporated as a town in 1870 and is officially the only town in the state 154 In 1975 McCandless Township adopted a home rule charter under the name of Town of McCandless but is legally still a first class township 155 The state has 56 cities 958 boroughs 93 first class townships 1 454 second class townships and one town Bloomsburg for a total of 2 562 municipalities Taxation Edit Pennsylvania had the 15th highest state and local tax burden in the nation as of 2012 according to the Tax Foundation 156 Residents paid a total of 83 7 billion in state and local taxes with a per capita average of 4 589 annually Residents share 76 of the total tax burden Many state politicians have tried to increase the share of taxes paid by out of state sources Suggested revenue sources include taxing natural gas drilling as Pennsylvania is the only state without such a tax on gas drilling 157 Additional revenue prospects include trying to place tolls on interstate highways specifically Interstate 80 which is used heavily by out of state commuters with high maintenance costs 158 Sales taxes provide 39 of the Commonwealth s revenue personal income taxes 34 motor vehicle taxes about 12 and taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages 5 159 The personal income tax is a flat 3 07 An individual s taxable income is based on the following eight types of income compensation salary interest dividends net profits from the operation of a business profession or farm net gains or income from the dispositions of property net gains or income from rents royalties patents and copyrights income derived through estates or trusts and gambling and lottery winnings other than Pennsylvania Lottery winnings 160 Counties municipalities and school districts levy taxes on real estate In addition some local bodies assess a wage tax on personal income Generally the total wage tax rate is capped at 1 of income but some municipalities with home rule charters may charge more than 1 Thirty two of the Commonwealth s sixty seven counties levy a personal property tax on stocks bonds and similar holdings With the exception of the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania municipalities and school districts are allowed to enact a local earned income tax within the purview of Act 32 Residents of these municipalities and school districts are required to file a local income tax return in addition to federal and state returns This local return is filed with the local income tax collector a private collection agency appointed by a particular county to collect the local earned income and local services tax the latter a flat fee deducted from salaried employees working within a particular municipality or school district 161 162 163 164 Philadelphia has its own local income taxation system Philadelphia based employers are required to withhold the Philadelphia wage tax from the salaries of their employees Residents of Philadelphia working for an employer are not required to file a local return as long as their Philadelphia wage tax is fully withheld by their employer If their employer does not withhold the Philadelphia wage tax residents are required to register with the Revenue Department and file an Earnings Tax return Residents of Philadelphia with self employment income are required to file a Net Profits Tax NPT return while those with business income from Philadelphia sources are required to obtain a Commercial Activity License CAL and pay the Business Income and Receipts Tax BIRT and the NPT Residents with unearned income except for interest from checking and savings accounts are required to file and pay the School Income tax SIT 165 The complexity of Pennsylvania s local tax filing system has been criticized by experts who note that the outsourcing of collections to private entities is akin to tax farming and that many new residents are caught off guard and end up facing failure to file penalties even if they did not owe any tax Attempts to transfer local income tax collections to the state level i e by having a separate local section on the state income tax return currently the method used to collect local income taxes in New York Maryland Indiana and Iowa have been unsuccessful 166 State law enforcement Edit See also Crime in Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania State Police is the chief law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Politics EditMain article Politics of Pennsylvania See also Elections in Pennsylvania Voter registration totals as of October 31 2022 167 Party Registered voters PercentageDemocratic 3 991 706 45 60 Republican 3 462 131 39 42 Unaffiliated Minor parties 1 303 034 14 98 Total 8 756 871 100 2020 U S presidential election results by county in Pennsylvania Democratic Republican Since the latter half of the 20th century Pennsylvania has been perceived as a powerful swing state and winning Pennsylvania has since been deemed as essential to U S presidential candidates Only twice between 1932 to 1988 1932 and 1968 with Herbert Hoover and Hubert Humphrey respectively has a winning presidential candidate failed to carry Pennsylvania Between 1992 and 2016 Pennsylvania trended Democratic in presidential elections Bill Clinton won the state twice by large margins and Al Gore won it by a slightly closer margin in 2000 In the 2004 presidential election John F Kerry beat President George W Bush in Pennsylvania 2 938 095 51 to 2 793 847 48 In the 2008 presidential election Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in Pennsylvania 3 276 363 54 to 2 655 885 44 In the 2016 presidential election however Republican Donald Trump broke the Democratic streak in the state winning by 2 970 733 48 votes to 2 926 441 47 votes 168 The state returned to the Democratic column in 2020 by voting for Joe Biden over Trump 3 458 229 50 to 3 377 674 49 The state holds 20 electoral votes 169 In recent national elections since 1992 Pennsylvania had leaned Democrat The state voted for the Democratic ticket for president in every election between 1992 and 2012 During the 2008 election campaign a recruitment drive saw registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by 1 2 million However Pennsylvania has a history of electing Republican U S Senators From 2009 to 2011 the state was represented by two Democratic senators for the first time since 1947 after Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched party affiliation In 2010 Republicans recaptured a U S Senate seat and a majority of the state s congressional seats control of both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship Democrats won back the governorship however four years later in the 2014 election It was the first time since a governor became eligible for reelection that an incumbent governor had been defeated in a reelection bid Historically Democratic strength was concentrated in Philadelphia in the southeast the Pittsburgh and Johnstown areas in the southwest and Scranton Wilkes Barre in the northeast Republican strength was concentrated in the Philadelphia suburbs and the more rural areas in the state s central northeastern and western portions some of which have long been considered among the nation s most conservative areas Since 1992 however the Philadelphia suburbs have swung Democratic the brand of Republicanism there was traditionally a moderate one In the 21st century however Pittsburgh suburbs which historically had been Democrat strongholds have swung more Republican Democratic political consultant James Carville once pejoratively described Pennsylvania as Philadelphia in the east Pittsburgh in the west and Alabama in the middle suggesting that political power in the state was based in its two largest cities which have been reliably Democrat offset by the state s large rural power base which has proven equally reliably Republican Political analysts and editorials refer to central Pennsylvania as the T in statewide elections The state s three valleys Delaware Lehigh and Wyoming Valleys and Greater Pittsburgh generally vote Democrat while the majority of the counties in the central part of the state vote Republican As a result maps showing the results of statewide elections invariably form a shape that resembles a T Federal representation Edit Main article Pennsylvania s congressional districts See also United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania s two U S Senators are Bob Casey Jr and John Fetterman both of whom are Democrats Casey would seek reelection in 2024 should he seek another term Fetterman was elected in 2022 to succeed retiring Republican Pat Toomey Pennsylvania has 18 seats in the U S House of Representatives as of 2022 170 Education EditMain article Education in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has 500 public school districts thousands of private schools publicly funded colleges and universities and over 100 private institutions of higher education Primary and secondary education Edit See also List of high schools in Pennsylvania and List of school districts in Pennsylvania South Philadelphia High School on Broad Street in South Philadelphia February 2010 Under state law school attendance in Pennsylvania is mandatory for a child from the age of 8 until the age of 17 or until graduation from an accredited high school whichever is earlier unless students are homeschooled 171 As of 2005 83 8 of Pennsylvania residents age 18 to 24 are high school graduates Among residents age 25 and over 86 7 have graduated from high school The following are the four year graduation rates for students completing high school in 2016 172 Cohort All Students Male Female White Hispanic Black Asian Special Education graduating 86 09 84 14 88 13 90 48 72 83 73 22 91 21 74 06Additionally 27 5 of high school graduates in the state went on to obtain a bachelor s degree or higher as of 2009 173 State students consistently do well in standardized testing In 2007 Pennsylvania ranked 14th in mathematics 12th in reading and 10th in writing for 8th grade students 174 In 1988 the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 169 which allows parents or guardians to homeschool their children as an option for compulsory school attendance This law specifies the requirements and responsibilities of the parents and the school district where the family lives 175 Higher education Edit See also List of colleges and universities in Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin statue on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania an Ivy League institution in Philadelphia and one of the top universities in the world 176 177 178 The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education PASSHE is the public university system of the Commonwealth with 14 state owned schools West Chester University has by far the largest student body of the 14 universities The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is an organizing body of the four state related schools in Pennsylvania these schools Pennsylvania State University Lincoln University the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University are independent institutions that receive some state funding There are also 15 publicly funded two year community colleges and technical schools that are separate from the PASSHE system Additionally there are many private two and four year technical schools colleges and universities Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania State University the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh are members of the Association of American Universities an invitation only organization of leading research universities Lehigh University is a private research university located in Bethlehem The Pennsylvania State University is the Commonwealth s land grant university Sea Grant College and Space Grant College The University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia is considered the first university in the United States and established the country s first medical school The University of Pennsylvania is also the Commonwealth s only and geographically most southern Ivy League school The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine LECOM is a private graduate school of medicine dentistry and pharmacy with a main campus in Erie and a branch campus located in Greensburg with two other campuses outside of Pennsylvania With over 2 200 enrolled medical students the College of Osteopathic Medicine at LECOM is the largest medical school in the United States 179 180 181 182 The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the first and oldest art school in the United States 183 Philadelphia College of Pharmacy now a part of University of the Sciences in Philadelphia was the first pharmacy school in the United States 184 Recreation EditSee also Gambling in Pennsylvania List of festivals in Pennsylvania and List of Pennsylvania state parks Dorney Park amp Wildwater Kingdom s Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown Steel Force is the eighth longest steel roller coaster in the world with a first drop of 205 feet 62 m and a top speed of 75 miles per hour 121 km h 185 Pennsylvania is home to the nation s first zoo the Philadelphia Zoo 186 Other long accredited AZA zoos include the Erie Zoo and the Pittsburgh Zoo amp PPG Aquarium The Lehigh Valley Zoo and ZooAmerica are other notable zoos The Commonwealth boasts some of the finest museums in the country including the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh the Philadelphia Museum of Art and several others One unique museum is the Houdini Museum in Scranton the only building in the world devoted to the legendary magician 187 Pennsylvania is also home to the National Aviary located in Pittsburgh All 121 state parks in Pennsylvania feature free admission Pennsylvania s notable amusement parks include Conneaut Lake Park Dorney Park amp Wildwater Kingdom Dutch Wonderland DelGrosso s Amusement Park Great Wolf Lodge Hersheypark Idlewild Park Kalahari Resorts Poconos Kennywood Knoebels Lakemont Park Sandcastle Waterpark Sesame Place and Waldameer Park Pennsylvania also is home to the largest indoor waterpark resort on the East Coast Splash Lagoon in Erie The state s notable music festivals include Musikfest the nation s largest free music festival held annually each August in Bethlehem 188 the Philadelphia Folk Festival Creation Festival and Purple Door The Great Allentown Fair held annually at the Allentown Fairgrounds since the 19th century is one of the nation s longest running annual fairs There are nearly one million licensed hunters in Pennsylvania Whitetail deer black bear 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 provides 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 reports that five of the ten largest skull size black bear entries came from the state 189 The state also has a tied record for the largest hunter shot black bear in the Boone amp Crockett books at 733 lb 332 kg and a skull of 23 3 16 tied with a bear shot in California in 1993 189 The largest bear ever found dead was in Utah in 1975 and the second largest was shot by a poacher in the state in 1987 189 As of 2007 Pennsylvania has the second highest number of Boone and Crockett recorded record black bears at 183 behind Wisconsin s 299 189 Transportation Edit Road and rail map of Pennsylvania U S Route 220 as it passes through Lamar Township August 2010 Amtrak s Pennsylvanian navigating the historic Horseshoe Curve near Altoona Philadelphia International Airport is the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st busiest airport in the nation with nearly 10 million passengers annually as of 2021 The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation abbreviated as PennDOT is responsible for transport issues within the commonwealth Air Edit See also List of airports in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has seven major airports Philadelphia International Pittsburgh International Lehigh Valley International Harrisburg International Wilkes Barre Scranton International Erie International and University Park Airport A total of 134 public use airports are located in the state 190 Bus and coach Edit Intercity bus service is provided between cities in Pennsylvania and other major points in the Northeast by Bolt Bus Fullington Trailways Greyhound Lines Martz Trailways Megabus OurBus Trans Bridge Lines and various Chinatown bus companies In 2018 OurBus began offering service from West Chester Malvern King of Prussia and Fort Washington to New York City Rail Edit See also List of Pennsylvania railroads and List of public transit authorities in Pennsylvania The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority SEPTA is the sixth largest transit agency in the United States and operates the commuter heavy and light rail transit and transit bus service in the Philadelphia metropolitan area Pittsburgh Regional Transit is the 25th largest transit agency and provides transit bus and light rail service in and around Pittsburgh 191 Intercity passenger rail transit is provided by Amtrak with the majority of traffic occurring on the Keystone Service in the high speed Keystone Corridor between Harrisburg and Philadelphia s 30th Street Station before heading north to New York City as well as the Northeast Regional providing frequent high speed service up and down the Northeast Corridor The Pennsylvanian follows the same route from New York City to Harrisburg but extends out to Pittsburgh The Capitol Limited also passes through Pittsburgh as well as Connellsville on its way from Chicago to Washington D C 190 Traveling between Chicago and New York City the Lake Shore Limited passes through Erie once in each direction 190 There are 67 short line freight railroads operating in Pennsylvania the highest number in any U S state 190 With more than four million inter city rail passengers in 2018 Philadelphia s 30th Street Station is Amtrak s third busiest train station in the nation after Penn Station in Manhattan and Union Station in Washington D C 192 and North America s 12th busiest train station overall Road Edit See also List of Interstate Highways in Pennsylvania List of state routes in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Turnpike PennDOT owns 39 861 miles 64 150 km of the 121 770 miles 195 970 km of roadway in the state making it the fifth largest state highway system in the United States 193 The Pennsylvania Turnpike system is 535 miles 861 km long with the mainline portion stretching from Ohio to Philadelphia and New Jersey 193 It is overseen by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Another major east west route is Interstate 80 which runs primarily in the northern tier of the state from Ohio to New Jersey at the Delaware Water Gap Interstate 90 travels the relatively short distance between Ohio and New York through Erie County in the extreme northwestern part of the state Primary north south highways are Interstate 79 from its terminus in Erie through Pittsburgh to West Virginia Interstate 81 from New York state through Scranton Lackawanna County and Harrisburg to Maryland and Interstate 476 which begins 7 miles 11 km north of the Delaware border in Chester Delaware County and travels 132 miles 212 km to Clarks Summit where it joins I 81 All but 20 miles 32 km of I 476 is the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike The highway south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is officially called the Veterans Memorial Highway but is commonly referred to colloquially as the Blue Route Water Edit See also Port of Philadelphia and Port of Pittsburgh The Port of Pittsburgh is the second largest inland port in the United States and the 18th largest port overall the Port of Philadelphia is the 24th largest port in the United States 194 Pennsylvania s only port on the Great Lakes is located in Erie The Allegheny River Lock and Dam Two is the most used lock operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers of its 255 nationwide 195 The dam impounds the Allegheny River near Downtown Pittsburgh Culture EditMain article Culture of Pennsylvania See also Culture of Allentown Pennsylvania Culture of Philadelphia and Culture of Pittsburgh Sports Edit Main article Sports in Pennsylvania Professional sports Edit The Philadelphia Eagles are presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LII on February 4 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers fans waving the Terrible Towel a tradition that dates back to 1975 Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia home of the Philadelphia Phillies the oldest continuous same name same city franchise in American professional sports NASCAR racing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond Beaver Stadium in University Park is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions football team with a capacity of 106 572 it is the second largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere and fourth largest stadium in the world Pennsylvania is home to eight major league professional sports teams the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer Among them these teams have accumulated seven World Series championships with the Pirates winning five and Phillies winning two 16 National League pennants with the Pirates winning nine and Phillies winning seven three pre Super Bowl era NFL championships all won by the Eagles seven Super Bowl championships with the Steelers winning six and the Eagles one two NBA championships both won by the 76ers and seven Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins winning five and Flyers winning two With five professional sports teams and some of the most passionate sports fans in the nation Philadelphia is often described as the nation s best sports city 196 197 In baseball in addition to its two MLB franchises Pennsylvania has minor league and semi pro sports teams the Triple A baseball Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders of the Triple A East the Double A baseball Altoona Curve Erie SeaWolves Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils of the Double A Northeast the collegiate summer baseball State College Spikes and Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League the independent baseball Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball the independent baseball Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins and Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League the Reading Royals and of the ECHL and the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League Among them these teams have accumulated 12 triple and double A baseball league titles RailRiders 1 Senators 6 Fightin Phils 4 Curve 1 3 Arena Bowl Championships Soul and 11 Calder Cups Bears The first World Series between the Boston Americans which later became the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates was played in Pittsburgh in 1903 Since 1959 the Little League World Series has been held each August in South Williamsport near where Little League Baseball was founded in Williamsport 198 With the addition of the Philadelphia Union of the MLS Pennsylvania now boasts three teams that are eligible to compete for the Lamar Hunt U S Open Cup annually The other two teams are Philadelphia Union II and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 199 Both of the United Soccer League USL Within the American Soccer Pyramid the MLS takes the first tier while the USL 2 claims the third tier Arnold Palmer one of the 20th century s most accomplished professional golfers comes from Latrobe and Jim Furyk a current PGA member grew up near in Lancaster PGA tournaments in Pennsylvania include the 84 Lumber Classic played at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington and the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic played at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic Philadelphia is home to LOVE Park across from City Hall a popular location for skateboarding and host to ESPN s X Games in 2001 and 2002 200 Motorsports Edit In motorsports the Mario Andretti dynasty of race drivers hails from Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania racetracks include Jennerstown Speedway in Jennerstown Lake Erie Speedway in North East Lernerville Speedway in Sarver and Pocono Raceway in Long Pond which is home to two NASCAR Cup Series races and an IndyCar Series race The state is also home to Maple Grove Raceway near Reading which hosts major National Hot Rod Association sanctioned drag racing events each year There are also two motocross race tracks that host a round of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championships in Pennsylvania High Point Raceway is located in Mount Morris Pennsylvania and Steel City is located in Delmont Pennsylvania Horse racing courses in Pennsylvania consist of The Meadows near Pittsburgh Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes Barre and Harrah s Philadelphia in Chester which offer harness racing and Penn National Race Course in Grantville Parx Racing formerly Philadelphia Park in Bensalem and Presque Isle Downs near Erie which offer thoroughbred racing Smarty Jones the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner had Philadelphia Park as his home course College sports Edit In college football three Pennsylvania universities compete in NCAA Division I the highest level of sanctioned collegiate play in the sport Penn State in the Big Ten Conference Pitt in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Temple in the American Athletic Conference Over their respective college football histories Penn State claims two national championships 1982 and 1986 and seven undefeated seasons 1887 1912 1968 1969 1973 1986 and 1994 and Pitt has won nine national championships 1915 1916 1918 1929 1931 1934 1936 1937 and 1976 and had eight undefeated seasons 1904 1910 1915 1916 1917 1920 1937 and 1976 201 Penn State plays its home games at Beaver Stadium a 106 572 capacity stadium that is the second largest stadium in the nation the team is coached by James Franklin Pitt plays its home games at Acrisure Stadium a 68 400 capacity stadium it shares with the Pittsburgh Steelers the team is coached by Pat Narduzzi Over their respective histories four additional Pennsylvania universities and colleges have won national college football championships Lafayette in Easton 1896 Villanova in Villanova 2009 Penn in Philadelphia 1895 1897 1904 and 1908 202 and Washington amp Jefferson in Washington 1921 In college basketball five Philadelphia and Philadelphia area universities collectively known as the Big Five have a rich tradition in NCAA Division I basketball National titles in college basketball have been won by La Salle 1954 Temple 1938 Penn 1920 and 1921 Pitt 1928 and 1930 and Villanova 1985 2016 and 2018 203 204 Pennsylvania has several universities and colleges known as national leaders in college wrestling Penn State coached by Cael Sanderson has won ten NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in its history second most among all universities and colleges after Oklahoma State Lehigh in Bethlehem has had 28 NCAA Division I individual champions over its history Food Edit Main article Cuisine of Pennsylvania Geno s Steaks in South Philadelphia is widely credited with inventing the cheesesteak in 1933 205 The Hershey Company in Hershey In 2008 author Sharon Hernes Silverman called Pennsylvania the snack food capital of the world 206 It leads all other states in the manufacture of pretzels and potato chips The Sturgis Pretzel House 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 which started making chips in Hanover Pennsylvania in 1921 and Wise Foods which started making chips in Berwick also in 1921 The third Frito Lay is part of PepsiCo and is based in Plano Texas Other companies such as Herr s Snacks Martin s Potato Chips Snyder s of Berlin not associated with Snyder s of Hanover Middleswarth Potato Chips in Middleburg and Troyer Farms Potato Products are popular chip manufacturers The U S chocolate industry is centered in Hershey Pennsylvania with Mars Godiva and Wilbur Chocolate Company nearby and smaller manufacturers such as Asher s 207 in Souderton 208 and Gertrude Hawk Chocolates of Dunmore Other notable companies include Just Born in Bethlehem Pennsylvania makers of Hot Tamales Mike and Ikes the Easter favorite marshmallow Peeps and Boyer Brothers of Altoona Pennsylvania which is well known for its Mallo Cups Auntie Anne s Pretzels began as a market stand in Downingtown Pennsylvania and now has corporate headquarters in Lancaster City 209 Traditional Pennsylvania Dutch foods include chicken potpie ham potpie schnitz un knepp dried apples ham and dumplings fasnachts raised doughnuts scrapple pretzels bologna chow chow and Shoofly pie Martin s Famous Pastry Shoppe headquartered in Chambersburg Pennsylvania specializes in potato bread another traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food D G Yuengling amp Son America s oldest brewery has been brewing beer in Pottsville since 1829 Among the regional foods associated with Philadelphia are cheesesteaks hoagies soft pretzels Italian water ice Irish potato candy scrapple Tastykake and strombolis In Pittsburgh tomato ketchup was improved by Henry John Heinz from 1876 to the early 20th century Famous to a lesser extent than Heinz ketchup is the Pittsburgh s Primanti Brothers Restaurant sandwiches pierogies and city chicken Outside of Scranton in Old Forge there are dozens of Italian restaurants specializing in pizza made unique by thick light crust and American cheese Erie also has its share of unique foods including Greek sauce and sponge candy Sauerkraut along with pork and mashed potatoes is a traditional meal on New Year s Day in Pennsylvania its tradition began with the Pennsylvania Dutch who believe the meal leads to good luck in the new year to come Nicknames EditPennsylvania has been known as the Keystone State since 1802 210 based in part upon its central location among the original Thirteen Colonies forming the United States and also in part because of the number of important American documents signed in the state such as the Declaration of Independence It was also a keystone state economically having both the industry common to the North making such wares as Conestoga wagons and rifles 211 212 and the agriculture common to the South producing feed fiber food and tobacco 213 Another one of Pennsylvania s nicknames is the Quaker State in colonial times it was known officially as the Quaker Province 214 in recognition of Quaker 215 William Penn s First Frame of Government 216 constitution for Pennsylvania that guaranteed liberty of conscience He knew of the hostility 217 Quakers faced when they opposed religious ritual taking oaths violence war and military service and what they viewed as ostentatious frippery 218 The Coal State The Oil State The Chocolate State and The Steel State were adopted when those were the state s greatest industries 219 The State of Independence currently appears on many road signs entering the state Notable people EditMain article List of people from PennsylvaniaSister regions EditSee also List of sister cities in Pennsylvania Matanzas Province Cuba 220 Rhone Alpes FranceSee also Edit Pennsylvania portal United States portalIndex of Pennsylvania related articles List of cathedrals in Pennsylvania Outline of PennsylvaniaNotes Edit Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 Pennsylvania is one of only four U S states to use the term Commonwealth in its official name along with Massachusetts Virginia and Kentucky At the time Vermont has not yet seceded from New York State Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry References EditCitations 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on February 22 2015 Retrieved September 16 2013 This day my country was confirmed to me under the great seal of England with privileges by the name of Pennsylvania a name the King would give it in honor of my father I chose New Wales being as this a pretty hilly country but Penn being Welsh for head as in Penmanmoire sic in Wales and Penrith in Cumberland and Penn in Buckinghamshire called this Pennsylvania which is the high or head woodlands for I proposed when the secretary a Welshman refused to have it called New Wales Sylvania and they added Penn to it and though I opposed it and went to the King to have it struck out and altered he said it was past nor could twenty guineas move the under secretary to vary the name Armstrong Edward ed 1860 Record of the Court at Upland in Pennsylvania 1676 to 1681 Vol 7 Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania p 196 Swindler William F ed 1973 1979 Sources and Documents of United States Constitutions 10 Volumes Vol 8 Dobbs Ferry New York 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