Pennsylvania
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State flag
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PENNSYLVANIA,
in full, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the Middle Atlantic
states of the U.S., bounded on the N by Lake Erie and New York;
on the E by New York and New Jersey; on the S by Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia; and on the W by West Virginia and Ohio. The Delaware
R. forms the entire E boundary of the state.
Called the Keystone State, Pennsylvania entered the
Union
on Dec. 12, 1787, as the second state. It played a central role
in the birth of the U.S.; both the Declaration of Independence and
the U.S. Constitution were drawn up and signed in the state, at
Philadelphia. Since colonial times Pennsylvania has been an important
agricultural state, and it later became a major commercial,
manufacturing, and mining state as well. Although Pennsylvania has remained a national leader in agribusiness, manufacturing, and coal mining, sectors such as information technology, biotechnology, and health care, have become increasingly important in recent decades. President
James Buchanan was born in Pennsylvania. The name of the state was
probably coined by Charles II of England and combines the surname
of Adm. William Penn (1621–70), the father of William Penn,
to whom the king granted the colony in 1681, and sylva (Lat., “wood”).
| PENNSYLVANIA STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
December 12, 1787; 2d state |
| CAPITAL: |
Harrisburg |
| MOTTO: |
Virtue, liberty, and independence |
| NICKNAME: |
Keystone State |
| STATE TREE: |
Hemlock |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Mountain laurel |
| STATE BIRD: |
Ruffed grouse |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
12,281,054; 6th among the states |
| AREA: |
119,291 sq km (46,058 sq mi); 33d largest state;
includes 3208 sq km (1239 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Mt. Davis, 979 m (3213 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
Sea level, at the Delaware River |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
21 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 19 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Edward Rendell (Dem.) Took office January 2003 |
Pennsylvania, with an area of 119,291 sq km (46,058 sq mi),
is the 33d largest state in the U.S.; 2.3% of the land
area is owned by the federal government. The state is roughly rectangular
in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 274 km (about 170
mi) from N to S and about 495 km (about 308 mi) from E to W. Elevations
range from sea level in the SE along the Delaware R. to 979 m (3213
ft) atop Mt. Davis in the SW. The approximate mean elevation is
335 m (1100 ft).
Pennsylvania offers distinct contrasts in topography and soils, incorporating
seven landform regions from the Eastern Great Lakes Lowland in the
NW to the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the SE.
The Eastern Great Lakes Lowland is a narrow, level
region,
bordering on Lake Erie. It is mostly covered by sandy, alluvial
soils. An escarpment separates this region from the higher Appalachian
Plateau, which is sometimes known in Pennsylvania as the Allegheny
Plateau. The plateau extends across N and W Pennsylvania and
constitutes
about half the state’s area. It is a region of narrow valleys
separated by flat-topped ridges and underlain by horizontal beds
of sedimentary rocks, primarily sandstone, shale, and conglomerates.
The NE part of this region is known locally as the Pocono Mts.;
the most rugged portion is the Allegheny Mts. in the S, where the
state’s highest elevations are found. Along the E edge
of the Appalachian Plateau is a steep escarpment, the Allegheny
Front, which slopes abruptly downward from about 610 to 365 m (about
2000 to 1200 ft). This section has been described as one of the
most “savage and wild” of any area in the eastern
U.S. On the E side of the Allegheny Front is the Valley and Ridge
Region, made up of ridges separated by broad valleys; it was formed
by the folding and erosion of the underlying rock structures.
Elevations reach a maximum of about 760 m (about 2500 ft), with ridges generally
rising some 180 to 210 m (about 600 to 700 ft) above the valleys.
In the E part of the region is the Great Valley; about 24 km (about
15 mi) wide, it consists of the Cumberland, Lebanon, and Lehigh
valleys. The ridges of the region are formed of resistant rocks, and
the intervening valleys are usually covered with fertile soils.
The northernmost part of the Blue Ridge region extends into S
Pennsylvania,where it is sometimes known as the Cumberland, or Carlisle, Prong.
It rises to elevations in excess of 305 m (more than 1000 ft). To
the E lies the Piedmont Plateau, a region of low elevation ranging
from about 30 to 150 m (about 100 to 500 ft). The terrain is rolling
to slightly hilly, and soils are relatively fertile. At the NE edge
of the Piedmont Plateau is a small portion of the New England Upland,
known locally as the Reading Prong. Elevations here range from about
180 to 245 m (about 600 to 800 ft). In the state’s SE corner
lies a narrow strip of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, separated from
the Piedmont Plateau by the fall line. Elevations here are close
to sea level.
Three principal river systems drain nearly all
Pennsylvania:
the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Ohio. The Delaware R., with its two
major tributaries, the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers, drain the E
part of the state to Delaware Bay. The central third of the state
drains S to Chesapeake Bay by the Susquehanna and its major
tributaries,
which include the West Branch of the Susquehanna and the Juniata
R. Western Pennsylvania is drained by the Ohio R., which is formed
at Pittsburgh by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela
rivers. The state has more than 300 lakes, most of them small; many
are in the glaciated NW region. Conneaut Lake is the largest natural
lake, but several artificial lakes, including Pymatuning Reservoir and
Lake Wallenpaupack, are larger. Other artificial lakes include
Allegheny Reservoir, Conemaugh River Lake, and Shenango River Lake.
Pennsylvania has a humid continental climate,
characterized
by large temperature differences between the summer and winter months.
The state is subject to influences by interior continental air masses
as well as by air masses from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico. The average annual temperature ranges from 8.3° C
(47° F) in the N central part of the state to 13.9° C
(57° F) in the SE. The growing, or frost-free, season varies
from 130 days in the N to 170 or more days in the SE. The recorded
temperature
has ranged from -41.1° C (-42° F) in 1904 to 43.9° C
(111° F) in 1936. The average annual precipitation in the
state is about 1067 mm (about 42 in). Although relatively well
distributed
throughout the year, precipitation is slightly greater in the spring
and summer months. Between about 762 and 1372 mm (about 30 and 54
in) of snow falls annually, with maximums in the Allegheny Mts. and
along Lake Erie. Five or six tornadoes are recorded each year
but do relatively minor damage.
| PENNSYLVANIA AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Philadelphia |
Pittsburgh |
| Average January temperature range |
–4.4° to 4.4° C |
24° to 40° F |
–4.4° to 2.8° C |
24° to 37° F |
| Average July temperature range |
19.4° to 30.6° C |
67° to 87° F |
18.3° to 28.9° C |
65° to 84° F |
| Average annual temperature |
12.8° C |
55° F |
11.7° C |
53° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
1016 mm |
40 in |
914 mm |
36 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
508 mm |
20 in |
762 mm |
30 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
115 |
148 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
66% |
68% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
92 |
59 |
Forests cover about 56% of the total land area of
Pennsylvania, and nearly all are of commercial value; approximately
3% of the commercial forest area is part of the National
Forest System. A mixed forest, containing both hardwood and softwood
trees, predominates in the N and in part of the W plateau region.
Principal species include maple and beech as well as spruce, pine, and
hemlock. Forests in the S contain oak, ash, birch, hickory, and black
walnut. Wild azalea, dogwood, and mountain laurel are
common in many areas.
Wildlife includes some black bear in the more remote parts
of the N and W, as well as white-tailed deer, which are abundant
in many areas, and smaller mammals such as fox, beaver, skunk, raccoon,
woodchuck, squirrel, and rabbit. Common game birds include wild
turkey, ruffed grouse, quail, and pheasant. The many species of
songbirds include oriole, eastern meadowlark, goldfinch, sparrow,
bobolink, and cardinal. The lakes and streams of Pennsylvania contain
a variety of fish, including trout, perch, pickerel, muskellunge, catfish, and bass.
Pennsylvania’s most important mineral resources are
fuels. Huge deposits of bituminous (soft) coal lie in the SW Appalachian
Plateau. In the NE Valley and Ridge Region are the only major deposits
of anthracite (hard) coal in the U.S. Limited reserves of high-grade
petroleum are found in the Appalachian Plateau along with larger
amounts of natural gas. Other mineral deposits include iron ore,
lead, zinc, chromite, sandstone, shale, slate, granite, and clays.
According to the 2000 census, Pennsylvania had 12,281,054
inhabitants, an increase of 3.4% over 1990. The average
population density in 2000 was 274 people per sq mi of land area;
major population concentrations were in the E and W parts of the
state. Whites made up 85.4% of the population and blacks
10.0%; additional population groups included 18,348 American
Indians, 219,813 Asians, and 3417 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific
Islanders. (These figures do not include the 1.2% of the
population who reported more than one race.) A total of 394,088
persons, or 3.2%, reported being of Hispanic background.
The state’s largest cities were Philadelphia, the fifth
largest city in the U.S.; Pittsburgh; Allentown; Erie; and Upper
Darby. Harrisburg is the capital.
Roman Catholics make up the largest single religious group in Pennsylvania, accounting for nearly one-third of the total population and more than half of all religious adherents in the state according to a 2000 survey. Other leading religious groups tabulated in the survey included adherents of the United Methodist Church, 5.4% of the population; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 5.0%; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2.6%; and United Church of Christ, 2.0%. The state has a substantial Jewish community (2.3% in the survey) and is one of the principal centers of the Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers. The Pennsylvania Dutch, descendants of early German immigrants, live in Lancaster Co. and other parts of E Pennsylvania. Most of them adhere to the Amish, or Mennonite religion, wear distinctive clothing, and work as farmers.
In 2000 about 77% of all Pennsylvanians lived in areas broadly defined as urban, with the rest living in areas classified as rural.
| POPULATION OF PENNSYLVANIA SINCE 1790 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1790 |
434,000 |
10% |
| 1820 |
1,049,000 |
13% |
| 1850 |
2,311,000 |
24% |
| 1880 |
4,283,000 |
42% |
| 1900 |
6,302,000 |
55% |
| 1920 |
8,720,000 |
65% |
| 1940 |
9,900,000 |
67% |
| 1950 |
10,498,000 |
71% |
| 1960 |
11,319,000 |
72% |
| 1980 |
11,864,000 |
69% |
| 1990 |
11,881,643 |
69% |
| 2000 |
12,281,054 |
77% |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Philadelphia |
1,517,550 |
1,585,577 |
| Pittsburgh |
334,563 |
369,879 |
| Allentown |
106,632 |
105,090 |
| Erie |
103,717 |
108,718 |
| Upper Darby |
81,821 |
81,177 |
| Reading |
81,207 |
78,380 |
| Scranton |
76,415 |
81,805 |
| Bethlehem |
71,329 |
71,428 |
| Lower Merion |
59,850 |
58,003 |
| Bensalem |
58,434 |
56,778 |
Pennsylvania has a long tradition of high academic
standards and public support of the arts, which is evidenced by the
number and quality of the educational and cultural institutions in the
state.
The first school in Pennsylvania was established by
Swedish
settlers in the early 1640s at Tinicum, and the state’s
first public school, the Friends’ Public School in Philadelphia,
was founded in 1689 by Quakers. A public school system was envisioned
by William Penn, who in 1682 provided for the education of all children
in the colony in his Frame of Government. Not until 1834, however,
with the passage of the Free School Act, were definite provisions
made for the free education of all children. In 2004-05, Pennsylvania’s 3200 public elemenary and secondary schools 830,000 pupil.
In the same period Pennsylvania institutions
of higher education had a combined yearly enrollment of about 650,000
students. Among Pennsylvania’s many noted colleges and universities are the University
of Pennsylvania (founded 1740), the first institution of higher education in the
state, Temple University (1884), La Salle University (1863), Drexel
University (1891), and St. Joseph’s University (1851), in Philadelphia; Pennsylvania State University (1885), in University Park; the University of Pittsburgh (1787), Carnegie-Mellon
University (1900), and Duquesne University (1878), in Pittsburgh; Bucknell
University (1846), in Lewisburg; Dickinson College (1773), in Carlisle;
Bryn Mawr College (1885), in Bryn Mawr; Franklin and Marshall College (1787),
in Lancaster; Moravian College (1742) and Lehigh University, in
Bethlehem; Albright College (1856), in Reading; Gettysburg College (1832), in Gettysburg; Juniata College (1876), in Huntingdon; Lincoln University (1854), in Lincoln
University; Ursinus College (1869), in Collegeville; Widener University (1821), in
Chester; Haverford College (1833), in Haverford; Swarthmore College (1864),
in Swarthmore; Villanova University (1842), in Villanova; and
Washington and Jefferson College (1781), in Washington. Of special note
are
the Moore College of Art and Design (1844), University of the Arts
(1876), and Curtis Institute of Music (1924), all in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania contains many fine art museums. Among them are
the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, and the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts, in Philadelphia; the Carnegie Museum of
Art and the Frick Art Museum, in Pittsburgh; and the Brandywine
River Museum, in Chadds Ford. Other museums of note are the Franklin
Institute science museum, the University Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (the
oldest institute of natural history in America), and the Historical
Society of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia; the Allentown Art Museum,
in Allentown; and the Mercer Museum, in Doylestown. The state has
two of the nation’s finest symphony orchestras, the Philadelphia
Orchestra, in Philadelphia, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,
in Pittsburgh. Other cultural institutions include the Opera Company
of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet Company, both based
in Philadelphia, and the Pittsburgh Opera Company, in Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania is rich in history, and many of the
state’s
historical sites commemorate events and people associated with the
American Revolution. In Philadelphia are Independence Hall, where
the Declaration of Independence was drafted and the U.S. Constitution
was written, as well as where the Liberty Bell was sounded; the
First Bank of the United States, established in 1795; and Carpenter’s
Hall, the meeting place of the First Continental Congress in 1774.
Other points of interest include Valley Forge National Historical
Park, in Valley Forge; Gettysburg National Military Park, in
Gettysburg; and Fort Washington State Historical Park, in Ambler. Of
special
note are the preserved 18th- and early 19th-century buildings at
the Old Economy Village, in Ambridge; Historic Fallsington, in
Fallsington; and
Ephrata Cloisters, in Ephrata.
Pennsylvania has ample outdoor recreational facilities for both
summer and winter sports. Particularly popular are fishing, swimming,
boating, hunting, hiking, and golfing. Skiing is also popular, with
ski areas concentrated in the Pocono Mts. in the NE and the Allegheny Mts.
in the SW.
The state’s professional sports teams include: the
Philadelphia Phillies (major league baseball), the Philadelphia
76ers (basketball), the Philadelphia Eagles (football), the Philadelphia
Flyers (ice hockey), the Pittsburgh Pirates (major league baseball),
the Pittsburgh Steelers (football), and the Pittsburgh Penguins
(ice hockey).
KDKA in Pittsburgh, licensed
in 1920, was the first radio station in the state and the first
permanent commercial radiobroadcasting station in the world. KYW-TV
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s first commercial television
station, began operation in 1941. The American Weekly Mercury,
the state’s first newspaper, began publication in Philadelphia
in 1719. In 2004, Pennsylvania had 81 daily newspapers
with a combined daily circulation of about 2.6 million. Influential dailies
included the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia
Daily News, in Philadelphia; the Pittsburgh Press and
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in Pittsburgh; the Patriot and
the Evening News, in Harrisburg; the Times-Tribune,
in Scranton; and the Morning Call, in Allentown.
In 2003, 60%. of Pennsylvania’s households had computers, and 55% had Internet access.
Pennsylvania is one of four states in the nation that
are
officially designated commonwealths. It is governed under a
constitution
adopted in 1873 and substantially revised in 1967–68, as
amended. Three earlier constitutions were adopted in 1776,1790, and
1838. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by the
state legislature; to become effective it must be approved by a
majority of the persons voting on the issue in a general election.
The chief executive of Pennsylvania is a governor, who is
popularly elected to a 4-year term and who is limited to a maximum
of two consecutive terms. The same requirements apply to the lieutenant
governor, who succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die,
or be removed from office. Other elected officials include the attorney
general, treasurer, and auditor general. The governor appoints the
secretary of the commonwealth, the adjutant general, and other cabinet officials.
The bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly comprises a senate and a house of representatives. The 50 members of the senate are
elected to 4-year terms, and the 203 members of the house are elected
to 2-year terms.
Pennsylvania’s highest court, the supreme court,
is made up of a chief justice and six associate justices. The
intermediate appellate court is composed of the superior court with 15 judges and
the commonwealth court with 9 judges. The major trial courts
are the courts of common pleas, which have a total of 394 judges.
Judges of these courts are originally elected by partisan ballot
to serve 10-year terms, thereafter running on nonpartisan ballots. Courts of limited jurisdiction include the Philadelphia municipal court system and the Pittsburgh magistrates court.
Pennsylvania has 67 counties, including Philadelphia,
which consolidates the functions of city and county governmen. In the early 2000s the state had 1018 municipalities, 1546 townships, 516 school districts, and 1885 special districts. Most counties were governed by a three-member board of commissioners; other elected county officials typically included the district attorney, sheriff, comptroller, treasurer, coroner, court clerk, and recorder of deeds. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and other cities have elected mayors and councils.
Pennsylvania elects 2 senators and 19 representatives to the
U.S. Congress. The state has 21 electoral votes in presidential
elections.
Long a bulwark of the Republican party, Pennsylvania
was the only major industrial state to prefer Herbert Hoover to
Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. During the
1930s Philadelphia and Pittsburgh became centers of Democratic
strength. The Democrats held an edge in party registration in the
early 2000s, and Democratic nominees carried the state in the presidential elections of 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. However, Republicans have enjoyed success in elections to the U.S. Congress and the state legislature. Arlen Specter (1930-), a moderate Republican elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 and reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004, is the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania history and a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. John Murtha (1932-), a veteran of the Vietnam War, has served in the U.S. House since 1974 and is an influential Democratic spokesman on military affairs.
In October 2001 Tom Ridge, Pennsylvania’s
Republican governor (1995-2001), resigned to become the first director
of the nation’s Office of Homeland Security, which was created by the
Bush administration in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept.
11, 2001; from January 2003 to February 2005 he headed the newly created
federal Department of Homeland Security. Democrat Edward G. Rendell (1944- ), a former mayor (1992-99) of Philadelphia, was elected governor in November 2002 and reelected four years later.
Since colonial times Pennsylvania has been a national leader
in economic output. Fertile soils and extensive forests have been
important resources since the earliest settlement, and navigable
waterways and a strategic location at the heart of the eastern seaboard
have facilitated rapid commercial growth. Iron manufacturing developed
during the 18th century, and by the early 19th century the state’s
vast coal reserves were being exploited; the country’s
first successful oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. These
mineral and fuel resources spurred the swift development of the
state’s manufacturing industry. Following the decline of the U.S. domestic iron and steel industry in the late 1900s, mainly because of competition from low-cost foreign steel, steel-making centers such as Pittsburgh became increasingly important in high-tech fields such as software engineering, biomedical technology, and industrial automation.
Manufacturing remains significant in Pennsylvania’s economy, employing approximately 16% of the labor force. But management and professional occupations employ about 33% of the labor force, and sales and office jobs employ another 27%. Although a general exodus of both population and industry from NE states has occurred since the early 1970s, Pennsylvania has retained a strong overall economy, ranking high among the states in annual gross personal income.
| PENNSYLVANIA STATE ECONOMY |
| STATE BUDGET (in thousands) |
| Genera revenue |
$69,212,674 |
| General expenditure |
$57,353,773 |
| Accumulated debt |
$25,995,752 |
 |
| STATE TAXES PER CAPITA |
$2,054 |
|
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$34,897 |
|
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
10% |
|
| EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION |
| Management, business, finance |
824,000 |
| Professional and related |
1,267,000 |
| Services |
863,000 |
| Sales and related |
630,000 |
| Office and administrative support |
876,000 |
| Farming, fishing, forestry |
26,722 |
| Construction and extraction |
283,000 |
| Installation, maintenance, repair |
215,000 |
| Production |
460,000 |
| Transportation and moving |
380,000 |
|
| GROSS STATE PRODUCT |
$487.2 billion |
|
| NET FARM INCOME |
1,107,000 |
| Principal products |
dairy products, cattle (and calves), greenhouse (and nursery) |
Farming accounts for about 1% of the annual gross
state product in Pennsylvania. The state has some 58,000 farms,
which average 62 ha (153 acres) in size. The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, which began in 1988, helped slow the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses. As of 2007 Pennsylvania had preserved some 3200 farms. Livestock products make
up about 69% of Pennsylvania’s yearly farm income.
Dairy farming and poultry raising are especially important because
of the proximity to the large urban markets of the NE and Middle
Atlantic regions. Livestock raising is most important in the SE
part of the state.
Crops account for some about one-third of annual agricultural
income. The principal crops are hay and corn, but the state ranks
first in the U.S. in production of mushrooms. The most productive
farming area is Lancaster Co. The rich soil here is tended by highly
skilled farmers, primarily descendants of the German immigrants
who originally settled the area. The county’s leading crops
are corn, buckwheat, oats, potatoes, and tobacco. Farms in the mountain
valleys of S central Pennsylvania and the far NW corner of the state
specialize in the production of apples, peaches, cherries, berries, and
grapes. The countryside surrounding Kennett Square in the SE
is noted for its mushroom farms.
Although Pennsylvania has extensive forests, their commercial productivity
is relatively limited, and the state’s forestry industry
is small, employing only a few hundred workers. Hemlock is the principal
commercial species. Large numbers of Christmas trees are cut each
year. The commercial fishing industry is also of minor economic
importance. Most commercial fishing in the state takes place on
Lake Erie and on the Susquehanna River and the Delaware River.
The mining industry accounts for only about 1% of
the annual gross domestic product in Pennsylvania. Nevertheless,
Pennsylvania is one of the country’s leading mining states, and
its mineral wealth has been essential to its industrial growth.
Coal is the most significant mineral produced. The state ranks among
the leaders in the nation in yearly coal production. Bituminous
(soft) coal, which makes up 99% of the coal reserves in
the state, is mined in the SW Appalachian Plateau region. Nearly all
the anthracite (hard) coal mined in the U.S comes from the NE part
of the state’s Valley and Ridge Region. Modest amounts
of petroleum and natural gas are extracted in NW Pennsylvania. A
large share of the nation’s slate is quarried in the NE
part of the state. Also produced in Pennsylvania are lime, kaolin,
fireclay, and large quantities of construction materials.
Enterprises engaged in manufacturing accounted for 15% of the gross state product in Pennsylvania in 2005 and employed about 665,600 workers in 2006, down dramatically by about 200,000 from the year 2000. Primary and fabricated metals, especially iron, steel, and related products, remained important in the state’s economy; other manufactures
include industrial machinery, printed materials, food products,
electronic items, glass products, chemicals, transportation equipment,
clothing and textiles, paper and paper products, and precision instruments.
Because of its location on
inland waterways near coal, iron ore, limestone, and other mineral
deposits, Pittsburgh had been a major national center early on for the production of iron and steel and glass products. Other steel-producing cities have included Bethlehem, Johnstown, and Steelton. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is a center for other manufactures, including clothing, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, printed materials, and refined sugar. Biotechnology research, which has grown in importance, is centered in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other university
centers. Pennsylvania is also well known for certain specialty industries,
including the manufacture of chocolate at Hershey and the production
of silk at Wilkes-Barre.
Each year tourists spend more than $16 billion in
Pennsylvania. The state has a wide variety of attractions, from scenic landscapes and resort areas to historical sites and cultural institutions. Of the parks and historical areas administered by the National Park Service, Independence National Historical Park is the most popular,
receiving more than 3 million visitors annually. Other attractions
include Valley Forge National Historical Park, Gettysburg National Military
Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Pennsylvania
Dutch country of Lancaster Co., and the Pocono Mts., which constitute
a major winter and summer resort area. In addition, Pennsylvania maintains
a system of more than 100 state parks.
Pennsylvania is well provided with transportation facilities.
A dense network of about 193,800 km (about 120,400 mi) of federal, state, and local roads serves all sections of the state. This figure includes interstate highways totaling 2892 km (1758 mi), as well as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the first major superhighway built in the U.S. The state also ranks among the nation’s leaders in the length of Class I railroad service, with a total of approximately 5880 km (3654 mi) of track.
Many Pennsylvania cities are also served by water transportation.
Pittsburgh is the center of the state’s inland waterway
system, and Philadelphia is the focus of ocean traffic. Philadelphia
is one of the nation’s busiest handlers of water-transported
cargo; Marcus Hook to the S is another major port. Pennsylvania
has 128 public use airports and 262 heliports; the two busiest airports are
Philadelphia International Airport and Greater Pittsburgh International
Airport.
Electric power plants in Pennsylvania produced some 218 billion kwh of electricity in 2005, more than any other states except Texas and Florida. Conventional thermal facilities, principally coal-fired, produce about 56% of Pennsylvania’s annual electric output. Nuclear installations account for 36%, with hydroelectricity supplying about 1.6%. Five nuclear installations were operating in Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. One of the two reactors at Three Mile Island was permanently shut down after an accident in 1979; the other was restarted in 1985.
Two major groups of Indians, the Algonquians and the Iroquoians,
were represented within Pennsylvania. The main Algonquian tribes—the
Leni-Lenape (Delaware) and the Shawnee—occupied the coastal
region. The Iroquoian Susquehannocks lived along the Susquehanna
River, and in the west were the Erie and Seneca—also Iroquoians.
As early as 1609, Henry Hudson explored the Delaware Bay area and laid claim to it for the Dutch. Settlements were subsequently
begun by the Dutch West India Co., followed by those of the New
Sweden Co. The latter fell to the Dutch in 1655, by which time the
English had established fur-trading outposts and acquired territory
around Delaware Bay, and in 1664, England seized control of all
New Netherland.
English Quakers settled in New Jersey in the 1670s, and
in 1681 one of their leaders, William Penn, acquired a royal patent
to the land between New Jersey and Maryland, which he called
Pennsylvania
(Penn’s Woods). Penn prepared a written contract called
the Frame of Government between himself as proprietor and the
Pennsylvania
colonists. It guaranteed freedom of worship, protection of property,
and trial by jury and established a comprehensive code of laws.
Participation in government was limited to Christian males over the
age of 21 who possessed some property or paid a personal tax. The
proprietor or his deputy was to serve as governor. In 1682, Penn
founded Philadelphia and made a treaty of friendship with the Indians.
The Crown revoked his charter in 1692, but it was restored in 1699.
Penn’s Charter of Privileges (1701), which replaced the
Frame of Government, remained the colony’s constitution
until 1776. The charter established an elected assembly
with legislative, judicial, and administrative powers.
Pennsylvania’s population expanded rapidly in the
18th century with the arrival of new colonists from England, Scotland,
Ireland, and Germany. Many of the German-speaking settlers belonged
to Mennonite, Moravian, and other religious sects similar to
the English Quakers. In time they became known as the Pennsylvania
Dutch (the latter word being a variant of Deutsch, meaning “German”).
Philadelphia, a thriving seaport, soon became the chief city of
British North America.
A struggle between the British and French for control of western
Pennsylvania led to the outbreak of the French and Indian War (1754–63),
which ended with the British in full possession of the region. The Pennsylvania-Maryland
boundary, which had been in dispute for decades, was finally established
at the Mason-Dixon Line in 1767.
As Pennsylvania’s frontier moved westward, white
settlers began to come into conflict with the Indians. The proprietor
and the Quaker-dominated legislature, being opposed to violence
on principle, were reluctant to become involved in these conflicts.
In 1764, when Gov. John Penn (1729–95) tried to punish
the Paxton Boys, a band of rangers from the Paxton area of Lancaster
Co., who had killed some Susquehannock Indians, the people of the
area started a revolt. Benjamin Franklin, named as a negotiator,
succeeded in calming the situation.
With the close of the French and Indian War in 1763, Britain’s
imperial policy shifted toward stricter regulation of colonial trade. Dissatisfaction
with this policy and with the imposition of unpopular taxes by the
British government caused increasing sentiment in favor of independence
among many Americans in the early 1770s. In Pennsylvania, a split
developed between an anti-British party, led by Franklin and John
Dickinson, and a pro-British faction under Joseph Galloway (c. 1731–1803).
In 1774, with the imperial relationship deteriorating, the legislature, under
Galloway’s leadership, offered to host an intercolonial
conference (the First Continental Congress) as a means of restoring
goodwill between the colonies and England. Contrary to Galloway’s
expectations, the Congress rejected his plan of union, accepting
instead the Suffolk Resolves, which denounced British policy, and
adopting a commercial boycott against British merchandise. The Second
Continental Congress met in Philadelphia the following year. Just
before the session began, fighting broke out between the colonists and British troops in Massachusetts, marking the beginning of the
American Revolution. In January 1776, Thomas Paine, a transplanted
Englishman living in Philadelphia, published Common Sense,
a revolutionary political tract advocating separation from Britain.
The conservative Pennsylvania assembly continued to support royal dominance
until July 2, 1776, when it narrowly approved the Declaration of
Independence adopted by the Congress two days later. Pennsylvania’s
first constitution as a state established a unicameral legislature,
an executive without veto power, and proportional representation and eliminated property or financial qualifications for voting.
Philadelphia, the capital of the new nation, was occupied
by the British from September 1777 to May 1778; during that period
the Congress met in the nearby town of York, while the American
army suffered starvation, freezing weather, and rampant diseases
at Valley Forge. Wartime financial needs induced Congress to establish
the Bank of North America in Philadelphia. Chartered in 1781, it
was the first commercial bank in the U.S.
In 1787 the need was felt for a stronger federal government
than was provided for by the Articles of Confederation (1781); Pennsylvania
banking and mercantile interests helped pave the way for the Constitutional
Convention held in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania became the second
state to ratify the Constitution adopted by the convention. Under
the new government, banking activities were centered at Philadelphia
with the chartering of the Bank of the United States.
Pennsylvania’s burgeoning westernmost communities
increasingly complained of transportation difficulties in sending
their grains to the coastal markets. It became economically necessary
for farmers to convert grain to alcohol in order to offset carrying
costs. When Congress levied an excise tax on distilled alcohol,
Pennsylvania’s farmers showed their dismay in the Whiskey
Rebellion of 1794. Despite such difficulties, the western region
developed rapidly, especially in those areas with access to Pittsburgh. Challenged
by Baltimore’s better transportation connections with the
Ohio Valley and the construction of the Erie Canal in New York State,
Pennsylvania launched a grandiose program of road-and canal-building
in the first half of the 19th century. This program enhanced the
state’s position as the nation’s foremost supplier
of timber, coal, and iron to a world market; it was followed by
the construction of a railroad system connecting all parts of the
state.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, expanded as a manufacturing
center.
In addition to being the world’s largest manufacturer of
pharmaceutical chemicals by 1850, the city produced iron machinery and
tools, textiles, window glass, furniture, carriages, and ships, and it
remained important in printing and publishing. The face and
economy of America were transformed after 1859 with the discovery
of oil at Titusville. Initially used for medicinal and illumination
purposes, it spurred regional growth, as well as expansion of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, and led to the creation of the refinery industry
and the development of multimillion-dollar corporations. The
combination
of coal and iron resources, petroleum, and a transportation network
made Pennsylvania a leading industrial state.
Politically, Pennsylvania was regarded as primarily Democratic
prior to the American Civil War, but a long-standing opposition
to slavery moved the state into the Republican ranks by 1860. During the war, nearly 350,000 Pennsylvanians, including 8600 African-Americans, fought for the Union cause. A
Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania in 1863 ended with the Union
victory at Gettysburg.
The Republicans maintained control of the state for some 50
years after 1865. Significantly during that period, Simon Cameron,
Matthew S. Quay (1833–1904), Bois Penrose (1860–1921), and other Pennsylvania political leaders held important national
positions from which they could wield support and provide protection
for Pennsylvania’s rising industries. A reform constitution strengthening public education, expanding the size of the state legislature, and providing for the popular election of judges was adopted in 1873. One of the worst disasters in U.S. history occurred in Johnstown on May 31, 1889, when a dam collapse killed at least 2200 people.
Industrial enterprises in the late 19th century needed armies of workers, and these were supplied through immigration. Before the 1880s, most of the
new work force came from Ireland, France, Germany, England, and
the Scandinavian countries. Wave upon wave of immigrants then came
from Italy, Poland, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. They provided the
sinews for the steel, petroleum, and transportation industries,
for the operation of the coal mines, and for the myriad manufacturing
enterprises of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The earlier immigrants
supplied the agricultural labor force contributing ever more productive
crops. Agricultural mechanization encouraged concentration on livestock,
poultry, truck gardening, and dairy productsBeginning in the 1920s, some of Pennsylvania’s labor needs were filled by blacks migrating from the South. State population growth slowed after World War I and remained sluggish for the rest of the century. An important economic change was a redistribution of manufacturing activities from the older cities to smaller plants scattered throughout the countryside, which came about with the introduction of the automobile. During the second half of the 20th century, heavy industries declined, but finance, biomedical research, and other high-technology industries prospered. A major accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant near Harrisburg caused a near-meltdown in March 1979.
On Sept. 11, 2001, United Flight 93, one of four civilian jetliners hijacked in the U.S. by al-Qaeda terrorists, crashed near Shanksville, in rural W Pennsylvania, apparently after a struggle between the passengers and their captors; the crash site, where all 33 passengers and 7 crew members lost their lives (along with the 4 hijackers) was declared a national memorial in 2002. In a case that gained nationwide attention, a federal judge held in December 2005 that a school board in Dover had violated the constitutional separation of church and state when it mandated the teaching of "intelligent design" alongside evolution in public-school biology classes.
Pennsylvania has been closely contested in recent national and state elections. Democrats made major gains in November 2006, as Rendell won a second term as governor, and State Treasurer Robert P. (Bob) Casey, Jr. (1960– ), the son of a former Pennsylvania governor, defeated Republican incumbent Rick Santorum (1958– ) in a U.S. Senate race.