Pennsylvania- The Keystone State

2012-02-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

Pennsylvania is a leading manufacturing and industrial center of the United States. It also ranks as one of the nation's most historic states. Pennsylvania is one of four states officially called commonwealths. The other three are Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Harrisburg is the state capital, and Philadelphia is the largest city.

Pennsylvania's chief manufacturing activities include the production of chemicals, electrical equipment, and processed foods. Service industries, such as banking, education, health care, and retail trade, also play a leading role in the state's economy.

Eastern Pennsylvania supplies all the anthracite (hard coal) that is produced in the United States. Mines in western Pennsylvania produce huge quantities of bituminous (soft) coal. Bituminous coal is used in generating electric power and in making coke, an important fuel used in the steel industry.

Philadelphia, in southeast Pennsylvania, is the state's leading manufacturing city. It is one of the nation's great cultural, educational, financial, and historical centers and also a chief port city. Pittsburgh, on the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania, is an important financial center. It is also a center of manufacturing. Hershey, in southeastern Pennsylvania, is the headquarters of a large chocolate and confectionery company.

Most of Pennsylvania is made up of hills, plateaus, ridges, and valleys. The northwestern and southeastern corners of the state are low and flat. The lowest point in the state is sea level along the Delaware River. Mount Davis, in southern Pennsylvania, rises 3,213 feet (979 meters) above sea level and is the highest point in the state. Forests cover about three-fifths of Pennsylvania. Much of the state has rich farmland. The southeastern section has some of the richest soil in the United States. Crops flourish there. Poultry and cattle are also raised in the southeast. Dairy farming thrives in southern Pennsylvania. The soil along Lake Erie in the northwest is good for growing fruits and vegetables.

Many tourists travel through the section of southeastern Pennsylvania in which the Pennsylvania Dutch people live. Most Pennsylvania Dutch people are descended from German immigrants. These immigrants were called Dutch because the word Deutsch, which means German, was misinterpreted. The Pennsylvania Dutch are known for fine cooking and for the colorful designs and decorations on many of their buildings and belongings. Some Pennsylvania Dutch groups, including the Amish and Mennonites, are called the Plain People. Many Plain People live and dress as their ancestors did and do not believe in using electricity, automobiles, telephones, or modern machinery.

King Charles II of England gave the Pennsylvania region to William Penn in 1681. The word Pennsylvania means Penn's Woods. Penn was a Quaker. He established the Pennsylvania colony as a place where Quakers and people of other faiths could enjoy religious freedom.

The Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA, USA

The First and Second Continental Congresses met in Philadelphia before and during the Revolutionary War. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Pennsylvania's State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. British troops captured Philadelphia in September 1777, and held the city until June 1778. General George Washington and his troops spent the winter and spring of 1777-1778 in Valley Forge, northwest of Philadelphia. Philadelphia was the site of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and served as the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800. On Dec. 12, 1787, Pennsylvania ratified (approved) the U.S. Constitution and became the second state.

During the Civil War, Gettysburg, in southern Pennsylvania, was the site of the historic Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863). The battle marked a turning point in the fighting. Union forces broke the strength of General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army. On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address at the battlefield, now a national military park.

Pennsylvania is nicknamed the Keystone State because it was the center, or keystone, of the "arch" formed by the original 13 American states. It is sometimes called the Quaker State because William Penn and many of his followers were Quakers.

General information

Statehood: Dec. 12, 1787, the second state.

State abbreviations: Pa. or Penn. (traditional); PA (postal).

State capital: Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania since 1812. Earlier capitals were Chester (1681-1683), Philadelphia (1683-1799), and Lancaster (1799-1812).

State motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.

Popular name: The Keystone State.

State song: "Pennsylvania." Words and music by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner.

Symbols of Pennsylvania

State bird: Ruffed grouse.

State flower: Mountain laurel.

State tree: Eastern hemlock.

State flag and seal: Pennsylvania's state flag, adopted in 1907, bears the state coat of arms, which is supported by two horses on a blue background. The seal, adopted in 1791, has a shield that displays a sailing ship, a plow, and sheaves of wheat. To the left of the shield is a stalk of corn, and to the right is an olive branch. An eagle serves as a crest for the seal.

Land and climate

Area: 45,307 mi² (117,344 km²), including 490 mi² (1,269 km²) of inland water but excluding 749 mi² (1,939 km²) of Great Lakes water.

Elevation: Highest—Mount Davis, 3,213 ft (979 m) above sea level. Lowest—sea level along the Delaware River.

Record high temperature: 111 °F (44 °C) at Phoenixville on July 10, 1936.

Record low temperature: –42 °F (–41 °C) at Smethport on Jan. 5, 1904.

Average July temperature: 71 °F (22 °C).

Average January temperature: 27 °F (–3 °C).

Average yearly precipitation: 41 in (104 cm).

People¹

Population: 12,702,379.

Rank among the states: 6th.

Density: 280 per mi² (108 per km²), U.S. average 85 per mi² (33 per km²).

Distribution: 77 percent urban, 23 percent rural.

Largest cities in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia (1,526,006); Pittsburgh (305,704); Allentown (118,032); Erie (101,786); Reading (88,082); Upper Darby² (82,795).

Economy

Chief products

Agriculture: beef cattle, corn, greenhouse and nursery products, hay, hogs, milk, mushrooms, poultry products.

Manufacturing: chemicals, fabricated metal products, food products, machinery, steel, transportation equipment.

Mining: coal, limestone, natural gas, portland cement.

Government

State government

Governor: 4-year term.

State senators: 50; 4-year terms.

State representatives: 203; 2-year terms.

Counties: 67.

Federal government

United States senators: 2.

United States representatives: 19. (In 2013, Pennsylvania will have 18 representatives.)

Electoral votes: 21. (In 2012, Pennsylvania will have 20 electoral votes.)