One of the original 13 colonies, Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn as a refuge for his fellow Quakers. Pennsylvania’s capital, Philadelphia, was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775, the latter of which produced the Declaration of Independence and sparked the American Revolution.
After the war, Pennsylvania became the second state, after Delaware, to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In the American Civil War (1861-1865), Pennsylvania was the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, in which Union General George Meade defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee, ending the Union invasion of the Confederacy, as well as Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg address.
Tourists are drawn to Pennsylvania by the landmarks of America’s revolutionary history, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Famous Pennsylvanians include patriot and inventor Benjamin Franklin, frontiersman Daniel Boone, painter Mary Cassatt, inventor Robert Fulton, and comedian Bill Cosby.
Geography
Pennsylvania, a state located in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, is bordered by New York to the north, Maryland to the south, Delaware and New Jersey to the east, and Ohio and West Virginia to the west. The Appalachian Mountains run through much of Pennsylvania’s northern and western regions, with its highest peak being Mount Davis at 3,213 feet. The Appalachian Plateau stretches across most of the state’s northwestern region. Pennsylvania also has several rivers flowing through it including the Susquehanna, Delaware, Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. These rivers have been important for transportation throughout history.
The majority of Pennsylvania is an agricultural region with rolling hills and open fields in its southern part. This area is known as the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. There are many small towns scattered throughout this region as well as some larger cities such as Pittsburgh, Erie and Harrisburg.
The Piedmont Plateau runs through central Pennsylvania from east to west across its middle region. This area is characterized by flat land with many small hills throughout it. It is home to many cities such as Philadelphia, Lancaster and Allentown which are important cultural centers in Pennsylvania today.
In eastern Pennsylvania lies an area known as The Great Valley which consists of long ridges that run from northwest to southeast across this part of the state. This valley separates two mountain ranges: The Blue Mountains in its northern part and The Lehigh Mountains in its southern part. This area is home to a number of small towns such as Bethlehem and Easton that were once important industrial centers during America’s Industrial Revolution era.
The Susquehanna River Valley lies along much of southeastern Pennsylvania’s border with Maryland running northeastward into New York State where it forms a delta near Binghamton before emptying out into Lake Ontario near Oswego on Canada’s border with New York State. This valley provides fertile land for agriculture which makes up much of this region’s economy today along with manufacturing industries located in cities like Reading and Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania also has several lakes located within its borders including Lake Erie which forms a natural border between it and Ohio along much of their shared western boundary line . Another large lake located within Pennsylvania’s borders is Lake Wallenpaupack which is located in northeastern Pennsylvania near Scranton. Finally, there are several smaller lakes scattered throughout central Pennsylvania such as Raystown Lake near Huntingdon, Cowanesque Lake near Wellsboro, Conneaut Lake near Meadville, Pymatuning Lake near Jamestown, Shenango Reservoir near Hermitage, Nockamixon Reservoir near Quakertown, Blue Marsh Reservoir near Reading, Beltzville Reservoir near Lehighton, Prompton Reservoir near Honesdale, Tuscarora Reservoir near Carlisle, Raystown Branch Juniata River upstream from Huntingdon Valley.
Cities in Pennsylvania
Below are the top 15 cities by population in Pennsylvania. For all cities and towns in the state, please see Pennsylvania cities list.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 1,596,865 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 303,207 |
| 3 | Allentown | 125,250 |
| 4 | Erie | 95,536 |
| 5 | Reading city | 94,161 |
| 6 | Upper Darby | 84,986 |
| 7 | Scranton | 75,987 |
| 8 | Lower Merion | 63,064 |
| 9 | Bensalem | 62,456 |
| 10 | Abington | 58,131 |
| 11 | Lancaster city | 58,034 |
| 12 | Bethlehem city | 55,816 |
| 13 | Bristol township | 54,309 |
| 14 | Millcreek township | 54,022 |
| 15 | Lower Paxton | 52,925 |
Counties in Pennsylvania
The State of Pennsylvania consists of 67 counties. They are:
- Adams County, Pennsylvania
- Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
- Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
- Beaver County, Pennsylvania
- Bedford County, Pennsylvania
- Berks County, Pennsylvania
- Blair County, Pennsylvania
- Bradford County, Pennsylvania
- Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Butler County, Pennsylvania
- Cambria County, Pennsylvania
- Cameron County, Pennsylvania
- Carbon County, Pennsylvania
- Centre County, Pennsylvania
- Chester County, Pennsylvania
- Clarion County, Pennsylvania
- Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
- Clinton County, Pennsylvania
- Columbia County, Pennsylvania
- Crawford County, Pennsylvania
- Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
- Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
- Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Elk County, Pennsylvania
- Erie County, Pennsylvania
- Fayette County, Pennsylvania
- Forest County, Pennsylvania
- Franklin County, Pennsylvania
- Fulton County, Pennsylvania
- Greene County, Pennsylvania
- Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
- Indiana County, Pennsylvania
- Jefferson County, Pennsylvania
- Juniata County, Pennsylvania
- Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
- Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
- Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
- Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
- McKean County, Pennsylvania
- Mercer County, Pennsylvania
- Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
- Monroe County, Pennsylvania
- Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- Montour County, Pennsylvania
- Northampton County, Pennsylvania
- Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
- Perry County, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- Pike County, Pennsylvania
- Potter County, Pennsylvania
- Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
- Snyder County, Pennsylvania
- Somerset County, Pennsylvania
- Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
- Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
- Tioga County, Pennsylvania
- Union County, Pennsylvania
- Venango County, Pennsylvania
- Warren County, Pennsylvania
- Washington County, Pennsylvania
- Wayne County, Pennsylvania
- Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
- Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
- York County, Pennsylvania
