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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is a commonwealth and one of the states of the United States of America. It has given its name to the State nickname: "The Keystone State" Pennsylvanian time period in geology. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State. Other U.S. States Although Swedes and Dutch Capital Harrisburg were the first European Largest City Philadelphia settlers, the Quaker Area Ranked 33rd William Penn named Ê- Total 119,283 km2 Pennsylvania for the Latin Ê- Land 116,074 km² phrase meaning "Penn's Ê- Water 3,208 km2 woodlands", in honor of Ê- % water 2.7% his father. Today, two major cities dominate the Population Ranked 6th state -- Philadelphia, Ê- Total (2000) 12,281,054 home of the Liberty Bell, Ê- Density 106/km² Constitution Hall, and a Admittance into thriving metropolitan Union Revolutionary War area, and Pittsburgh, a Ê- Order 2nd busy inland river port. Ê- Date December 12, 1787 Pennsylvania is one of the Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4 nation's most historic Latitude 39¡43'N to 42¡N states. Philadelphia is Longitude 74¡43'W to 80¡31'W often called the cradle of Width 255 km the American Nation. It Length 455 km was here that the Elevation Ê Declaration of Ê -Highest 979 meters Independence and the Ê -Mean 335 meters Constitution were drawn up Ê -Lowest 0 meters by the founding fathers. The Pocono Mountains and ISO 3166-2: US-PA 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. History 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 Netherlands, and then to Britain. On March 4, 1681, Charles II of England granted a land charter to William Penn for the area that now includes Pennsylvannia. 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). Law and Government The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. Its current governor is Edward G. "Ed" Rendell, a former mayor of Philadelphia (Democrat). Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators are Rick Santorum (Republican) and Arlen Specter (Republican). List of Pennsylvania Governors. The origin of Pennsylvania's government is unique as it was based on consensus (as with Quakers) rather than voting. 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 the city. 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. 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. The current Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge (1945-), was Governor of Pennsylvania between 1995 and 2003. Prior to that, he was a US Representative from Erie between 1982 and 1995. Geography Pennsylvania 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 north to south and 310 miles east to west. The total land area is 44,817 square miles, 739,200 acres (1,239 square miles) of which are bodies of water. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States. The highest point of 3,213 feet above sea level is at Mt. Davis. The lowest point is 0 feet above sea level on the Delaware River. Pennsylvania is in the Eastern time zone. Economy 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. Demographics As of 2000, the population was 12,281,054. When Pennsylvania became a state in 1787, it had a population of about 300,000. Important Cities and Towns * Philadelphia * Wilkes-Barre * Pittsburgh * Scranton * Erie * State College * Allentown * Bethlehem * Reading * Williamsport * Lancaster * 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. Education Colleges and Universities The Keystone State State Animal: Whitetail Deer * Albright College State Beverage: Milk * Allegheny College State Bird: Ruffed Grouse * Allegheny University of the Health Sciences (defunct and bankrupt; State Capital: Harrisburg absorbed by Drexel University State Dog: Great Dane College of Medicine) State Fish: Brook Trout * Alvernia College * American College State Flower: Mountain Laurel * Arcadia University (formerly State Insect: Firefly Beaver College) * Baptist Bible College State Song: Pennsylvania * Bloomsburg University of State Tree: Hemlock Pennsylvania * Bryn Athyn College of the New Church * Bryn Mawr College * Bucknell University * Cabrini College * California University of Pennsylvania * Carlow College * Carnegie Mellon University * Cedar Crest College * Chatham College * Chestnut Hill College * Cheyney University * Clarion University * College Misericordia * Curtis Institute of Music * Delaware Valley College * DeSales University (formerly Allentown College of St. Francis DeSales) * Dickinson College * Drexel University * Duquesne University * East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania * Eastern University (formerly Eastern College) * Edinboro University of Pennsylvania * Elizabethtown College * Franklin and Marshall College * Gannon University * Geneva College * Gettysburg College * Gratz College * Grove City College * Gwynedd Mercy College * Hanhemann Medical College (now a unit of Drexel University College of Medicine) * Harrisburg Area Community College * Haverford College * Holy Family College * Immaculata College * Indiana University of Pennsylvania * Juniata College * Keystone College * King's College * Kutztown University of Pennsylvania * La Roche College * Lafayette College * Lancaster Bible College * Lancaster Theological Seminary * LaSalle University * Lebanon Valley College * Lehigh University * Lincoln University * Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania * Lycoming College * Mansfield University of Pennsylvania * Marywood University * Medical College of Pennsylvania (now a unit of Drexel University College of Medicine) (formerly Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania) * Mercyhurst College * Messiah College * Millersville University * Moore College of Art and Design * Moravian College * Mount Aloysius College * Muhlenberg College * Neumann College * Peirce College * Pennsylvania College of Optometry * Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine * Pennsylvania School of Art and Design * Pennsylvania State University System o Pennsylvania State University Abington o Pennsylvania State University Altoona o Pennsylvania State University Beaver * Pennsylvania State University System Continued o Pennsylvania State University Erie, the Behrend College o Pennsylvania State University Berks - Lehigh Valley o Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine o Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth College o Pennsylvania State University Delaware County o Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law (formerly Dickinson Law School) o Pennsylvania State University DuBois o Pennsylvania State University Fayette o Pennsylvania State University Great Valley o Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg o Pennsylvania State University Hazleton o Pennsylvania State University McKeesport o Pennsylvania State University New Kensington o Pennsylvania State University Mont Alto o Pennsylvania College of Technology o Pennsylvania State University Schuylkill o Pennsylvania State University Shenango o Pennsylvania State University University Park o Pennsylvania State University Wilkes-Barre o Pennsylvania State University Worthington Scranton o Pennsylvania State University York * Philadelphia Biblical University * Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (now University of the Sciences in Philadelphia) * Philadelphia University (formerly Philadelphia College of Textiles) * Point Park Morris College * Robert Morris College * Rosemont College * Saint Francis College * Saint Joseph's University * Saint Vincent College * Seton Hill College * Shippensburg University * Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania * Susquehanna University * Swarthmore College * Temple University * Thiel College * Thaddeus Stevens State School of Technology * Thomas Jefferson University * University of Pennsylvania * University of Pittsburgh o University of Pittsburgh at Bradford o University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg o University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown o University of Pittsburgh at Titusville * University of Scranton * University of the Arts * University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (formerly Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science) * Ursinus College * Valley Forge Christian College * Villanova University * Washington and Jefferson College * Waynesburg College * West Chester University of Pennsylvania * Westminster College * Westminster Theological Seminary * Widener University * Wilkes University * Wilson College * York College of Pennsylvania Professional Sports Teams * National Football League * Arena Football League o Philadelphia Eagles o Philadelphia Soul o Pittsburgh Steelers * Women's United Soccer Association * Major League Baseball o Philadelphia Charge o Philadelphia Phillies * Minor League Baseball Teams o Pittsburgh Pirates o Erie SeaWolves * National Basketball o Altoona Curve Association o Harrisburg Senators o Philadelphia 76ers o Williamsport Crosscutters * National Hockey League o Reading Phillies o Philadelphia Flyers o Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red o Pittsburgh Penguins Barons Minor league hockey * American Hockey League o Hershey Bears o Philadelphia Phantoms o Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins * East Coast Hockey League o Johnstown Chiefs o Reading Royals * Ontario Hockey League o Erie Otters