|
Pennsylvania's nickname, the
Keystone State, is quite apt, because the state forms a geographic bridge both
between the Northeastern states and the Southern states, and between the
Atlantic seaboard and the Midwest. Pennsylvania is bisected diagonally by
ridges of the Appalachian Mountains from southwest to northeast
Pennsylvania has one of the
largest seaports in the
 U.S. on its narrow shore, the Port of Philadelphia. In
the west the Port of Pittsburgh is also very large and even exceeds Philadelphia
in rank by annual tonnage, because of the large volume of bulk coal shipped by
barge down the Ohio River. Chester, downstream from Philadelphia, and Erie, the
Great Lakes outlet on Lake Erie in the Erie Triangle, are smaller but still
important ports.
When first discovered by
Europeans, Pennsylvania, like the rest of the continent, was inhabited by groups
of American Indians, people of Mongoloid ancestry unaware of European culture.
In the early 1600s the English, Dutch, and Swedes disputed the right to the
region of Pennsylvania. In 1681, Charles II of England granted a land charter to
William Penn for the area that now includes Pennsylvania. Penn then founded a
colony there as a place of religious freedom for the Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers), and named it for the Latin phrase meaning "Penn's woods".
Beginning in the early
1700's, large numbers of German immigrants began settling throughout
Pennsylvania and for many generations, the German language dominated in many
rural areas of the state. Individuals claiming German ancestry currently make up
a majority of the ethnic composite of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania was one of the
thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution
of 1776. Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on
December 12, 1787. The Battle of Gettysburg took place in 1863. Many historians
consider this battle the major turning point of the Civil War. Dead soldiers
from this battle rest at Gettysburg National Cemetery, site of Abraham Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address.
In the latter half of the
19th century, the U.S. oil industry was born in western Pennsylvania, which
supplied the vast majority of U.S. kerosene for years thereafter. During the
20th century, Pennsylvania's existing iron industries expanded into a major
center of steel production. Shipbuilding and numerous other forms of
manufacturing flourished in the eastern part of the state, and coal mining was
also extremely important in many regions.
Pennsylvania's 2004 total
gross state product was
 $468 billion, this ranks Pennsylvania 6th 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, and electric equipment. Tourism is a very big
industry in the state, ranking as the 7th most visited state in the union, and
7th in tourism expenditures with $15.9 billion.
Pennsylvania has also been
called 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 state.
The three companies that define the U.S. potato chip industry are Utz Quality
Foods 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
Tennessee company. Hershey is known as the chocolate capital of the world.
|
|
Fast Facts
Motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
Population - 12,429,616
Capital City - Harrisburg
Counties 67
Largest Cities
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Allentown
State sales tax - 6%
Housing units 5,385,729
Median income - $42,952
|
|
