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Flag Of Pennsylvania
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Keystone State, Quaker State,<br/>Coal State, Oil State
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Ed Rendell (D)
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US-PA
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The (/) is a
State located in the
Middle Atlantic Region of the
United States Of America .
One of Pennsylvania's nicknames is the for Pennsylvania that guaranteed
Liberty of
Conscience . Penn knew of the hostility Pennsylvania translates to "Penn's woods."
Digital History: Persecution of the Quakers Quakers faced when they opposed rituals, oaths, violence, and ostentatious frippery.
The Quaker Province 1681–1776
Pennsylvania has also been known as the , producing feed, fiber, food, and
Tobacco .
PHMC: Agriculture in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has
National Parks Service: Our Fourth Shore of coastline along is Pennsylvania's largest city and is home to a major seaport and shipyards on the
Delaware River .
2
Pennsylvania is north to south and east to west.
Pennsylvania geography Of a total , are land, are inland waters and are waters in Lake Erie.
2006 Statistical Abstract: Geography & Environment: Land and Land Use It is the 33rd largest state in the
Time Zone .
Pennsylvania Time Zone
The original southern boundary of Pennsylvania was supposed to be at 40° North latitude,
Penn's Charter but as a result of a bad faith compromise by
Lord Baltimore during
Cresap's War , the king's courts moved the boundary south
Cecil County, Maryland to 39° 43' N. The city of Philadelphia, at 40°0'N 75°8'W,
Places Named: Philadelphia would have been split in half by the original boundary. While he was a captive, Cresap, a Marylander, was paraded through Philadelphia. He taunted the officers by announcing that Philadelphia was one of the prettiest towns in Maryland.
See Also: History of Pennsylvania
Before the Commonwealth was settled, the area was home to the
Delaware (also known as Lenni Lenape),
Susquehannock ,
Iroquois ,
Eriez ,
Shawnee , and other
Native American tribes.
Pennsylvania Indian tribes
]]
In 1681, and Pennsylvania. It was called Pennsylvania, meaning "Penn's Woods", in honor of Admiral Penn.
Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the county commission, and freedom of religious conviction. Writer
Murray Rothbard in his four-volume history of the U.S.,
Conceived In Liberty , refers to the years of 1681–90 as "Pennsylvania's Anarchist Experiment."
Pennsylvania's Anarchist Experiment
Between 1723 and when it 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 . It is generally regarded as the most successful currency experiment by any government that ever existed. 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 generally employment and prosperity since the Government used discretion and did not issue too much to inflate the currency.
Benjamin Franklin had a hand in creating this currency, of which he said its utility was never to be disputed and it also received the high praise of
Adam Smith .
After the ,
1767 , and
February 15 ,
1768 .
Dickinson Letters
When the courthouse on Saturday,
September 27 ,
1777 , and then to
York . There they drew up the
Articles Of Confederation that formed 13 independent colonies into a new nation. Later, the
Constitution was written, and Philadelphia was once again chosen to be cradle to the new American Nation.
Nine Capitals of the United States
Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the became the first.
For half a century, the Commonwealth's legislature met at various places in the general Philadelphia area before starting to meet regularly in Independence Hall in Philadelphia for 63 years.
Pennsylvania's Capitals But it needed a more central location, as for example the
Paxton Boys massacres of 1763 had made them aware. So, in 1799 the legislature moved to the
Lancaster Courthouse, and finally in 1812 to
Harrisburg . The legislature met in the old
Dauphin County Court House until December 1821, when the ''Redbrick Capitol'' was finished. It burned down in 1897, presumably due to a faulty
Flue . The legislature met at Grace Methodist Church on State Street (still standing), until the present capitol was finished in 1907.
The
New State Capitol drew rave reviews. Its dome was inspired by the domes of
St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome and the United States Capitol.
President Theodore Roosevelt called it the "the most beautiful state Capitol in the nation", and said "It's the handsomest building I ever saw" at the dedication. In 1989, the ''
New York Times '' praised it as "grand, even awesome at moments, but it is also a working building, accessible to citizens ... a building that connects with the reality of daily life."
— the major turning point of the Civil War — took place near
Gettysburg .
Battle of Gettysburg
The
Center Of Population of Pennsylvania is located in
Perry County , in the borough of
Duncannon {Link without Title} .
As of 2006, Pennsylvania has an estimated population of 12,440,621, which is an increase of 35,273 from the previous year, and an increase of 159,567 since the year 2000. Net
Migration from other states resulted in a decrease of 27,718, and
Immigration from other countries resulted in an increase of 126,007. Net migration to the Commonwealth was 98,289. Migration of native Pennsylvanians resulted in a decrease of 100,000 people. In 2006, 5.00% of Pennsylvanians were foreign born (621,480 people).
Components of Population Change
Foreign-born Pennsylvanians are largely from
Asia (36.0%),
Europe (35.9%),
Latin America (30.6%), 5% coming from
Africa , 3.1% coming from
North America , and 0.4% coming from Oceania.
Pennsylvania's reported population of Hispanics, especially among the Asian, Hawaiian and White races, has markedly increased in the last years.
Annual Estimates of the Population It is not clear how much of this change reflects a changing population, and how much reflects increased willingness to self-identify minority status.
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Pennsylvania's population was reported as 5.9% under 5 and 23.8% under 18, with 15.6% were 65 or older. Females made up 51.7% of the population.
FactFinder: Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights
The five largest ancestry groups self-reported in Pennsylvania are:
German (27.66%),
Irish (17.66%),
Italian (12.82%),
English (8.89%) and
Polish (7.23%).
American Community Survey 2003 Multi-Year Survey for Pennsylvania
Of all the colonies, only in
Rhode Island was religious freedom so secure as in Pennsylvania - and one result was an incredible religious
Diversity , one which continues to this day.
Religious diversity in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's population in 2000 was 12,281,054. Of these, 8,448,193 were estimated to belong to some sort of organized religion. According to the at
Penn State .) Terms used to describe organizations are ARDA's, and may not be the group's own preferred name.
- Roman Catholic : 3,802,524 (53.43%)
- Orthodox : 75,354 (1.06%)
- Mainline Protestant : 2,140,682 (30%)
- --- United Methodist Church : 659,350 (9.27%)
- --- Evangelical Lutheran Church In America : 611,913 (8.60%)
- --- Presbyterian Church : 324,714 (4.56%)
- --- United Church Of Christ : 241,844 (3.40%)
- --- American Baptist Churches In The USA : 132,858 (1.87%)
- --- Episcopal Church : 116,511 (1.64%)
- Evangelical Protestant : 704,204 (10%)
- --- Assemblies Of God : 84,153 (1.18%)
- --- Church Of The Brethren : 52,684 (0.74%)
- --- Mennonite Church USA : 48,215 (0.68%)
- --- Christian And Missionary Alliance : 45,926 (0.65%)
- --- Southern Baptist Convention : 44,432 (0.62%)
- --- Independent Non-charismatic churches: 42,992 (0.60%)
- Other theology: 393,584 (5.53%)
- --- Jewish Estimate : 283,000 (3.98%)
- --- Muslim Estimate : 71,190 (1.00%)
- --- Unitarian Universalist Association Of Congregations : 6,778 (0.10%)
- --- The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints : 31,032 (0.44%)
Pennsylvania is also noted for having the highest concentration of an
Amish population in the United States.http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml
While Pennsylvania owes its existence to
Quakers and many of the older trappings of the Commonwealth are rooted in the teachings of the
Religious Society Of Friends (as they are officially known), practicing Quakers are a small minority today.
]]
's closed manufacturing facility in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania . This site will become the site of a new multi-million dollar casino in 2007.]]
Pennsylvania's 2005 total , but behind the
Netherlands . On a per-capita basis, though, Pennsylvania's per-capita GSP of $34,619 ranks 26
th among the 50 states.
Philadelphia in the southeast corner and Pittsburgh in the southwest corner are urban manufacturing centers, with the "t-shaped" remainder of the Commonwealth being much more rural; this dichotomy affects state politics as well as the state economy.
Appeals court races wrap up with focus on voter mobilization Philadelphia is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies,
Fortune 500 with more located in suburbs like ,
PPG Industries ,
H.J. Heinz , and
Alcoa . In all, Pennsylvania is home to 49 Fortune 500 companies.
As in the US as a whole and in most states, largest private employer in the Commonwealth is
Wal-Mart , followed by the
University Of Pennsylvania ,
United Parcel Service and
Giant Food (called
Stop And Shop in other states). The largest manufacturing employer is
Merck .
Largest Employers in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development offers resources for business, community, site development, and concerned citizens at http://newpa.com/.
States cannot thrive by "taking in each other's laundry",
Community Economic Analysis but al Services is only 1.8% of the Commonwealth's GSP, that's twice the national average; only
Massachusetts ,
Rhode Island and
Vermont outrank Pennsylvania. Although Pennsylvania is known as a
Coal state,
Mining only amounts to 0.6% of the Commonwealth's economy, compared to 1.3% for the country as a whole.
.]]
Pennsylvania ranks 19
th overall in agricultural production,
Agricultural Census 2002 but 1
st in Mushrooms, 3
rd in
Christmas Tree s and layer chickens, 4
th in
Nursery and
Sod ,
Milk ,
Corn for
Silage , and
Horse production. Only about 9,600 of the Commonwealth's 58,000 farmers have sales of $100,000 or more, and with production expenses equaling 84.9% of sales, most not only have a net farming income below the $19,806 that marks poverty for a family of four,
Poverty levels but are liable for a 12.4% self-employment tax as well.
IRS: Tax Guide for farmers The average farmer is 53 and getting older,
Center for Rural Pennsylvania as young Pennsylvanians find low farming income a tough row to hoe.
Mid-Atlantic Farm Policy Leadership Forum
Many farms in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth have been sold to housing developers in the past years. This is largely due to rising taxes and land prices, reflecting high demand for land in the nations fifth largest metropolitan area. Bucks and Montgomery counties were the first to suburbanize, but this trend is now extending to Chester, Lancaster, Berks, and Lehigh counties.
Pennsylvania draws 2.1% of the Gross State Product from ''Accommodation and Food Services''. Only appeal to boaters, hikers, and nature lovers. Fourteen slots casinos, the majority of which are either in the process of being awarded licenses from the
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board or are under construction, are expected to make up a good portion of tourism in the Commonwealth.
{Link without Title}
The Commonwealth launched an extensive tourism campaign in 2003 under the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. An extensive website
VisitPA has been established to promote visits to the state and new license plates feature the VistPA.com website.
See Also: Pennsylvania Dutch Country
The ,
York , and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers extending northeast to the
Lehigh Valley and up the Susquehanna River valley.
The term "Dutch", when referring to the Pennsylvana Dutch, means "German" or "Teutonic" rather than "Netherlander". Germans, in their own language, call themselves "Deutsch", which in English became, misleadingly, "Dutch".
Definition of "dutch" The
Pennsylvania Dutch Language is a descendant of
German , in the
West Central German dialect family.
Pennsylvania has had five , of which there were four versions: 1682, 1683, 1696, and 1701.
The capital of the Commonwealth is
Harrisburg . The legislature meets in the new State Capitol there.
The current , Attorney General
Tom Corbett , Auditor General
Jack Wagner , and State Treasurer
Robin Weissman .
State Elected Officials
See Also: List of Pennsylvania state agencies
Pennsylvania has a as Minority Leader.
William DeWeese The 2006 election resulted in the Democrats regaining control of the House and the balance remaining unchanged in Republicans' favor in the Senate.
Pennsylvania is divided into 60 judicial districts,
Judicial districts most of which (except
Philadelphia and
Allegheny Counties) have magisterial district judges (formerly called district justices and justices of the peace), who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small civil claims. Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which also serve as
Appellate Court s to the district judges and for local agency decisions. 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
Warrant s for
Wiretap surveillance. The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas. The
Supreme Court Of Pennsylvania is the final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected; the
Chief Justice is determined by seniority.
2006 .
Counties, municipalities, and
School District s 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.
Pennsylvania's two
U.S. Senators in the
110th Congress are
Arlen Specter and
Bob Casey, Jr. .
Pennsylvania's
U.S. Congressmen for the term beginning January 2007 are
Robert Brady (
1st ),
Chaka Fattah (
2nd ),
Phil English (
3rd ),
Jason Altmire (
4th ),
John E. Peterson (
5th ),
Jim Gerlach (
6th ),
Joe Sestak (
7th ),
Patrick Murphy (
8th ),
Bill Shuster (
9th ),
Chris Carney (
10th ),
Paul E. Kanjorski (
11th ),
John Murtha (
12th ),
Allyson Schwartz (
13th ),
Mike Doyle (
14th ),
Charlie Dent (
15th ),
Joe Pitts (
16th ),
Tim Holden (
17th ),
Tim Murphy (
18th ), and
Todd Russell Platts (
19th ).
Congressional Directory Online
In the past decade, no
Political Party has been clearly dominant in Pennsylvania. This, combined with Pennsylvania's rank of 6th in the country in population, has made it one of the most important
Swing States . Democrats are strong in urban
Philadelphia and the areas of
Pittsburgh ,
Reading ,
Allentown ,
Erie ,
Johnstown , and
Scranton /
Wilkes-Barre . Republicans are generally dominant in the vast rural areas that make up the balance of the Commonwealth. Traditionally, Republicans have also fared well in the densely populated and wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but in the 1990s and 2000s many of these suburbs began to associate more with the Democratic Party.
In the 2004 Presidential Election, Senator
John F. Kerry beat President
George W. Bush in Pennsylvania 2,938,095 (50.92%) to 2,793,847 (48.42%).
Municipalities in Pennsylvania are incorporated as
Cities of several classes,
Boroughs , as
Townships of several classes, or under home rule charters. A "Village", often identified by a roadside sign, is unincorporated, and is merely a locale without distinct boundaries.
There is some confusion about the number of "towns" in Pennsylvania. In 1870, , in
Allegheny County adopted a home rule charter under the name "Town of McCandless".
Bloomsburg McCandless
The ten most populated cities in Pennsylvania, in order are:
Philadelphia ,
Pittsburgh ,
Allentown ,
Erie ,
Reading ,
Scranton ,
Bethlehem ,
Lancaster ,
Harrisburg , and
Altoona .
See Also: Pennsylvania locations by per capita income
Pennsylvania is home to the nation's first zoo, the , located in Pittsburgh.
All 121
State Parks in Pennsylvania feature free admission.
Pennsylvania offers a number of notable amusement parks, including
Conneaut Lake Park ,
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom ,
Dutch Wonderland ,
DelGrosso Amusement Park ,
Hershey Park ,
Idlewild Park ,
Kennywood ,
Knoebels ,
Lakemont Park ,
Sandcastle Waterpark ,
Sesame Place ,
Great Wolf Lodge and
Waldameer Park . Pennsylvania also is home to the largest indoor waterpark resort on the East Coast,
Splash Lagoon in Erie.
There are also notable music festivals that take place in PA. These include
Musikfest , the
Philadelphia Folk Festival ,
Creation Festival , and
Purple Door .
Pennsylvania is a great state for sportsmen and sportswomen. There are nearly 1 million licensed hunters. Whitetail deer, 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 is 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.
See Also: Pennsylvania sports
Pennsylvania is home to many professional sports teams, including the
Philadelphia Phillies and
Pittsburgh Pirates of
Major League Baseball , the
Pittsburgh Steelers and
Philadelphia Eagles of the
National Football League , the
Philadelphia 76ers of the
National Basketball Association , the
Pittsburgh Penguins and
Philadelphia Flyers of the
National Hockey League , and the
Philadelphia Soul of the
Arena Football League . Among them, these teams have accumulated 6
World Series Championships (Pirates 5, Phillies 1), 14
National League Pennants, 3 pre-
Super Bowl era NFL Championships (Eagles), 5 Super Bowl Championships (Steelers), 4 NBA Championships (76ers), and 4
Stanley Cup winners (Flyers 2, Penguins 2).
College football is also very popular in Pennsylvania. The , a facility it shares with the
Pittsburgh Steelers . Other Pennsylvania schools that have won national titles in football include
Lafayette College (1896) and the
University Of Pennsylvania (1895, 1897, 1904 and 1908).
{Link without Title}
College basketball is also popular in Pennsylvania, especially in the Philadelphia area where five universities, collectively termed the (1954),
Temple University (1938),
University Of Pennsylvania (1920 and 1921),
University Of Pittsburgh (1928 and 1930) and
Villanova University (1985).
{Link without Title} {Link without Title}
In motorsports, the
Mario Andretti dynasty of race drivers hail from
Nazareth . Notable Racetracks in Pennsylvania include the
Jennerstown Speedway in
Jennerstown , the
Lake Erie Speedway in
North East , the
Mahoning Valley Speedway in
Lehighton , the
Motordome Speedway in
Smithton , the
Mountain Speedway in
St. Johns , the
Nazareth Speedway in
Nazareth ; and the
Pocono Raceway in
Long Pond , which is home both the
Pennsylvania 500 and the
Pocono 500 .
There are also two motocross race tracks that host a round of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championships in Pennsylvania.
Point Raceway High Point in located in Mt. Morris, PA, and Steel City is located in Delmont, PA.
Race courses for horses in Pennsylvania consist of
Ladbroke At The Meadows , in
Pittsburgh ,
Mohegan Sun At Pocono Downs , in
Wilkes-Barre and
Harrah's Chester Casino And Racetrack in
Chester which offer
Harness Racing , and
Penn National Race Course in
Grantville and
Philadelphia Park , in
Bensalem which offer
Thoroughbred Racing .
Smarty Jones , the 2004
Kentucky Derby winner, had Philadelphia Park as his home course.
Arnold Palmer , one of the leading 20th century pro golfers, comes from
Latrobe , and
Jim Furyk , one of the leading 21-century pro golfers, 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 , once a
Skateboard ing mecca, and across from City Hall, host to
ESPN 's
X Games in 2001 and 2002.
Major League Baseball all-star,
Mike Piazza , is from
Phoenixville .
In his book ''Pennsylvania Snacks: A Guide to Food Factory Tours'', author Sharon Hernes Silverman calls Pennsylvania the snack food capital of the world. 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. The three companies that define the U.S. potato chip industry are
Utz Quality Foods, Inc. , which started making chips in
Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1921,
Wise Snack Foods which started making chips in
Berwick in 1921, and
Lay's Potato Chips , a
Texas company. Other companies such as Herr Foods, Martin's Potato Chips, and Troyer Farms Potato Products are popular chip manufacturers. The U.S. chocolate industry is centered in
Hershey, Pennsylvania , with
Mars and
Wilbur Chocolate Company nearby, and smaller manufacturers such as Asher's near
Lansdale and
Gertrude Hawk of
Dunmore . Other notable companies include
Just Born in
Bethlehem, PA , makers of
Hot Tamales ,
Mike And Ike s, and the
Easter favorite marshmallow
Peeps ,
Benzel's Pretzels and
Boyer Candies of
Altoona, PA , which is well known for its
Mallow Cups . Auntie Anne's Pretzels originated in Gap, but their corporate headquarters is now located in Lancaster, PA.
Among the regional foods associated with Pennsylvania are the
Pierogies ,
Cheesesteak and the
Hoagie , the
Soft Pretzel ,
Italian Water Ice ,
Scrapple ,
Tastykake , and the
Stromboli . In Pittsburgh, tomato ketchup was improved by
Henry John Heinz from 1876 to the early 1900s. Famous to a lesser extent than Heinz ketchup are the Pittsburgh's
Primanti Brothers Restaurant sandwiches. Outside the city of
Scranton , in the Borough of
Old Forge there are dozens of Italian restaurants specializing in pizza made unique by thick, light crust and American cheese.
Sauerkraut along with pork and mashed potatoes is a common meal on New Year's Day in Pennsylvania.
Multi-ethnic cuisine is common, especially in the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and
Coal Region areas.
Chinese ,
Italian ,
Mexican ,
Indian ,
Japanese ,
Korean ,
Thai ,
Turkish ,
Persian ,
Pakistani ,
Russian ,
Polish ,
Amish cuisine and many others can be found not only in specialty restaurants but at hundreds of community or religious festivals.
