Pennsylvania (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) is one of four states of the United States of America that is called a commonwealth. It has given its name to the Pennsylvanian time period in geology. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State.

Although Swedes and Dutch were the first European settlers, the Quaker William Penn named Pennsylvania for the Latin phrase meaning "Penn's woodlands", in honor of his father. Today, two major cities dominate the state -- Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, and a thriving metropolitan area, and Pittsburgh, a busy inland river port.

Pennsylvania is one of the nation's most historic states. Philadelphia is often called the cradle of the American Nation. It was here that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drawn up by the Founding Fathers. The Pocono Mountains and the Delaware Water Gap provide popular recreational activities.

The so-called "Pennsylvania Dutch" region in south-central Pennsylvania is another favorite of sightseers. Pennsylvania Germans, including the Amish and the Mennonites, dominate the area around the cities of Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers extending northeast to the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area and up the Susquehanna River valley. Most of the Old Order Amish have left the area, but many Mennonites remain, particularly in Lancaster County. Some adherents eschew modern conveniences and use horse-drawn farming equipment and carriages, while others are virtually indistinguishable from non-Amish or Mennonites.

(The term "Dutch" is a misnomer, as none of these groups are of Dutch origin; the German adjective for "German", "Deutsch", was misheard as "Dutch" and the name stuck.)

The battleship USS Pennsylvania, damaged at Pearl Harbor, was named in honor of this state, as were several other naval vessels.

Contents [showhide]
1 History

2 Law and Government

3 Notable Pennsylvanians

4 Geography

5 Economy

6 Demographics

7 Important cities and towns

8 Education

8.1 Colleges and universities

9 State symbols

10 See also

11 External links

[edit]
History
Main article: History of Pennsylvania

Before the state existed, the area was home to the Delaware (also known as Lenni Lenape), Susquehanna, Iroquois, Eriez, Shawnee and other native american tribes.

In 1643, the southeastern portion of the state, in the vicinity of Philadelphia, was settled by Sweden, but control later passed to the Netherlands, and then to England (later Great Britain).

On March 4, 1681, Charles II of England granted a land charter to William Penn for the area that now includes Pennsylvania. Penn then founded a colony there as a place of religious freedom for Quakers, and named it for the Latin phrase meaning "Penn's woods".

A large tract of land north and west of Philadelphia, in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties, was settled by Welsh Quakers and called the "Welsh Tract". Even today many cities and towns in that area bear the names of Welsh municipalities.

In 1704 the "three lower counties" of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex gained a separate legislature, and in 1710 a separate executive council, to form the new colony Delaware.

Pennsylvania and Delaware were two of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution of 1776. Pennsylvania became the second state on December 12, 1787 (five days after Delaware became the first).

In the latter half of the 19th century, the U.S. oil (kerosene) industry was born in western Pennsylvania, which supplied the vast majority of U.S. kerosene for years thereafter, and saw the rise and fall of oil boom towns.

During the 20th century Pennsylvania's existing iron industries expanded into a major center of steel production. Shipbuilding and numerous other forms of manufacturing flourished in the eastern part of the state, and coal mining was also extremely important in many regions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Pennsylvania received very large numbers of immigrants from Europe seeking work; dramatic, sometimes violent confrontations took place between organized labor and the state's industrial concerns.

Pennsylvania was hard-hit by the decline of the steel industry and other heavy U.S. industries during the late 20th century.

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Law and Government
The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. Its current governor is Edward G Rendell, a former mayor of Philadelphia (Democrat). (List of Pennsylvania Governors) Since 1790, Pennsylvania has had a bicameral legislature, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators are Rick Santorum (Republican) and Arlen Specter (Republican). Pennsylvania's 19 representatives in the House are Robert Brady (D, 1st District); Chaka Fattah (D, 2nd District); Phil English (R, 3rd District); Melissa Hart (R, 4th District); John E. Peterson (R, 5th District); Jim Gerlach (R, 6th District); Curt Weldon (R, 7th District); Jim Greenwood (R, 8th District); Bill Shuster (R, 9th District); Don Sherwood (R, 10th District); Paul E. Kanjorski (D, 11th District); John Murtha (D, 12th District); Joe Hoeffel (D, 13th District); Mike Doyle (D, 14th District); Pat Toomey (R, 15th District); Joe Pitts (R, 16th District); Tim Holden (D, 17th District); Tim Murphy (R, 18th District); and Todd Russell Platts (R, 19th District).

Pennsylvania's State Legislature includes 50 State Senators and over 190 State Representatives. Notable General Assembly members include: Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (republican), Senate Minority Leader Robert J. Mellow (democrat) and Senate Minority Appropriations Chairman Vincent Fumo (Democrat).

The origin of Pennsylvania's government is unique as it was based on consensus (as with Quakers) rather than voting.

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Notable Pennsylvanians
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the most important figures in Pennsylvania's history, although he was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He founded the University of Pennsylvania in 1742. He had the distinction of signing both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He is buried with his wife Deborah in Christ Church Cemetery in Philadelphia.
James Buchanan (1791-1868) was born and lived in Pennsylvania until his death. He was the 15th President of the United States and the only President from that state.
Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868)) was born and lived in Pennsylvania until his death. He was a key Pennsylvania state legislator in establishing and maintaining Pennsylvania's early system of public education. As a U.S. Congressman and leading "Radical Republican," he helped draft the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing "equal protection of the laws" to all Americans.
Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886) was born in Montgomery Square. He commanded Union troops during the U.S. Civil War, most notably during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Ida Tarbell (1857-1944) was born in Erie and was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris. She was a pioneering "muckraker" journalist and one of the few female journalists in the country during her time. In 1906, she joined with Lincoln Steffens and Ray Stannard Baker to establish the radical American Magazine. She also wrote several books on the role of women including The Business of Being a Woman (1912) and The Ways of Women (1915).
Pop artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh. The Andy Warhol Museum is located in Pittsburgh's North Side, and he is buried in nearby Bethel Park.
K. Leroy Irvis (1918- )was born near Albany, New York, but came to Pennsylvania to head Pittsburgh's Urban League in the 1940's. Fired under pressure after leading a successful boycott of Pittsburgh's department stores for discriminating against African-Americans, Irvis enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh law school, graduated with honors, became Pittsburgh's first black judicial law clerk, then an assistant district attorney, then a state legislator. Serving 30 years in the Pennsylvania House (1958-1988), 26 of them as an elected Democratic leader, Irvis became the first 20th Century African-American Speaker in 1977. He was a major force behind numerous successful efforts to expand educational opportunities in Pennsylvania.
Tom Ridge, The current Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (1945-), was Governor of Pennsylvania between 1995 and 2003. Prior to that, he was a US Representative from Erie between 1982 and 1995.
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Geography
See: List of Pennsylvania counties

Pennsylvania's nickname "The Keystone State" is quite apt, as the state forms a geographic bridge both between the Northeastern states and the Southern states, and between the Atlantic seaboard and the Midwest. It is bordered on the north and northeast by New York, on the east, across the Delaware River by New Jersey, on the south by Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia, on the west by Ohio, and on the northwest by Lake Erie. The Delaware, Susquehanna, Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers are the major rivers of the state. The capital is Harrisburg.

Pennsylvania is 180 miles (290 km) north to south and 310 miles (500 km) east to west. The total land area is 44,817 square miles (119,283 km²), 739,200 acres (2,990 km²) of which are bodies of water. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States. The highest point of 3,213 feet (979 m) above sea level is at Mt. Davis. The lowest point is 0 feet (0 m) above sea level on the Delaware River. Pennsylvania is in the Eastern time zone.

Pennsylvania is bisected diagonally by ridges of the Appalachian Mountain chain from southwest to northeast. To the northwest of the folded mountains is the Allegheny Plateau, which continues into southwestern and south central New York. This plateau is so dissected by valleys that it also seems mountainous. The Plateau is underlain by sedimentary rocks of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age, which bear abundant fossils, as well as natural gas and petroleum. In 1859 near Titusville Edwin L. Drake drilled the first oil well into these sediments. Similar rock layers also contain coal to the south and east of the oil and gas deposits. In the metamorphic (folded) belt of anthracite (hard coal) is mined near Wilkes-Barre and Hazelton. These fossil fuels have been an important resource to Pennsylvania. Timber and dairy farming are also sources of livelihood for midstate and western Pennsylvania. Along the shore of Lake Erie in the far northwest are orchards and vinyards.

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Economy

Farming near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania.Pennsylvania's 1999 total gross state product was $383 billion, placing it 6th in the nation and its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $29,539, 18th in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are dairy products, poultry, cattle, nursery stock, mushrooms, hogs, and hay. Its industrial outputs are food processing, chemical products, machinery, electric equipment, and tourism.

Small companies, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch Candies company, also exist in Pennsylvania.

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Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, Pennsylvania's population was estimated at 12,365,455 people.

The racial makeup of the state is:

84.1% White
10.0% Black
3.2% Hispanic
1.8% Asian
0.1% American Indian
1.2% are mixed race
The 5 largest ancestry groups in Pennsylvania are German (25.4%), Irish (16.1%), Italian (11.5%), African American (10%), English (7.9%).

The 5 largest religious denominations in Pennsylvania are Roman Catholic (29%), Lutheran (10%), Methodist (10%), Baptist (10%), "Christian" (6%). 13% of the population is nonreligious.

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

[edit]
Important cities and towns
Allentown
Bethlehem
Easton
Erie
Lancaster
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Reading
Scranton
State College
Washington
Wilkes-Barre
Williamsport
York

Pennsylvania also saw the Battle of Gettysburg, near Gettysburg. Many historians consider this battle the major turning point of the American Civil War. Dead from this battle rest at Gettysburg National Cemetery, site of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

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Education
[edit]
Colleges and universities
See List of colleges and universities in Pennsylvania.

[edit]
State symbols
State Animal: Whitetail Deer
State Beverage: Milk
State Bird: Ruffed Grouse
State Capital: Harrisburg
State Dog: Great Dane
State Fish: Brook Trout
State Flower: Mountain Laurel
State Insect: Firefly
State Song: Pennsylvania
State Tree: Hemlock
[edit]
See also
List of Pennsylvania-related topics
List of people from Pennsylvania

List of Pennsylvania counties

List of hospitals in Pennsylvania
[edit]
External links
Official state government site (http://www.state.pa.us)
Penna. Dept. of Transportation (http://www.dot.state.pa.us)
Pennsylvania Visitor's Guide (http://pittsburgh.about.com/library/weekly/aa_visit_pennsylvania.htm)
Pennsylvania News, Searches, Sources, and Reference. (http://www.HavenWorks.com/pennsylvania)
Road Atlases of Pennsylvania (http://atlasworld.info/atlasfinder/Pennsylvania)
Historical Maps of Pennsylvania (http://www.mapsofpa.com/home.htm)
U.S. Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42000.html)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pennsylvania".

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