Pennsylvania
State in NE USA; nicknamed Keystone State
Area:
117,400 sq km/45,316 sq mi
Capital:
Harrisburg
Towns and Cities:
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Allentown, Scranton
Physical:
Allegheny Mountains; Ohio, Susquehanna, and Delaware rivers; Allegheny
national forest; the Poconos, a mountainous wilderness on the Delaware
River
Features:
Poconos resort region; Pennsylvania Dutch country (the name comes from
Deutsch, meaning German), settled in the 18th century by German immigrants
escaping religious persecution, and the home of sects, including the
Amish in Lancaster County; Hans Herr House (1719), former Mennonite
meeting place, the best example of early German architecture in North
America; Hopewell Furnace, a reconstruction of an 18th-century ironworks;
Independence national historic park, Philadelphia; Valley Forge national
historic park; Gettysburg national military park, site of the Civil
War battle 1863; Eisenhower national historic site; University of Pennsylvania;
Carnegie Mellon Institute; University of Pittsburgh; Andy Warhol museum,
Pittsburgh; Bryn Mawr College (1880); Swarthmore College (1864); Curtis
Institute of Music; Philadelphia Orchestra; Philadelphia Museum of Art;
Hershey, the ` Chocolate TownŽ, founded by Milton S Hershey 1903, including
Hersheypark and Hershey's Chocolate World
Industries:
Hay, cereals, mushrooms, cattle, poultry, dairy products, cement, coal,
steel, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles and equipment,
electronic components, textiles
Population:
(1995) 12,071,800
Famous People:
Marian Anderson, Andrew Carnegie, Stephen Foster, Benjamin Franklin,
Robert Fulton, Martha Graham, George C Marshall, Robert E Peary, Benjamin
Rush, Gertrude Stein, John Updike, Andy Warhol
History:
Disputed by Sweden, the Netherlands, and England early 17th century;
granted to Quaker William Penn 1682 by English King Charles II,
after the 1664 capture of New Netherlands. The Declaration of
Independence was proclaimed in Philadelphia, and many important
Revolutionary War battles were fought here 1777-78. One of the
original 13 states, Pennsylvania was a leader in both agriculture
and industry. The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 was a turning point
in the Civil War for the Union cause. Until 1920, Pennsylvania
was dominant in oil, coal, iron, steel, and textile production,
but it already was losing its industrial lead when the Great Depression
struck; by 1933, 37% of the work force was unemployed. Some areas
never fully recovered, and the state now looks to agriculture,
service-related industries, trade, and tourism for economic growth.
There was a breakdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor
plant in Harrisburg 1979.
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