Pennsylvania Info
 |
Capital
City: Harrisburg
Economy: Industry, manufacturing, agriculture
and tourism
Population: 12,281,054
Time Zone: 5 hours behind Greenwich Mean
Time (-5 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the first Sunday in
April to the last Sunday in October
Pennsylvania's Flag:
Pennsylvania's State Flag is composed of a blue field on which
is embroidered the State Coat of Arms. The first State Flag bearing the
State Coat of Arms was authorized by the General Assembly in 1799. An act
of the General Assembly of June 13, 1907, standardized the flag and required
that the blue field match the blue of Old Glory.
History of Pennsylvania:
Rich in historic lore, Pennsylvania territory was disputed in the early
1600s among the Dutch, the Swedes, and the English. England acquired the
region in 1664 with the capture of New York and in 1681 Pennsylvania was
granted to William Penn, a Quaker, by King Charles II. Philadelphia was
the seat of the federal government almost continuously from 1776 to 1800;
there the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the U.S. Constitution
drawn up in 1787. Valley Forge, of Revolutionary War fame, and Gettysburg,
site of the pivotal battle of the Civil War, are both in Pennsylvania. The
Liberty Bell is located in a glass pavilion across from Independence Hall
in Philadelphia. With the decline of the coal, steel, and railroad industries,
Pennsylvania's industry has diversified, though the state still leads the
country in the production of specialty steel. Pennsylvania is a leader in
the production of chemicals, food, and electrical machinery and produces
10% of the nations's cement. Also important are brick and tiles, glass,
limestone, and slate. Data processing is also increasingly important. Pennsylvania's
9 million agricultural acres (6 million acres for crops and pasture, 3 million
acres in farm woodlands) produce a wide variety of crops, and its 55,535
farms are the backbone of the state's economy. Leading products are milk,
poultry, and eggs, a variety of fruits, sweet corn, potatoes, mushrooms,
cheese, beans, hay, maple syrup, and even Christmas trees. Pennsylvania
has the largest rural population in the nation. The state's farmers sell
more than $3.3 billion in crops and livestock annually, and agribusiness
and food-related industries account for another $35 billion in economic
activity annually. Tourists now spend approximately $6 billion in Pennsylvania
annually. Among the chief attractions are the Gettysburg National Military
Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Independence National Historical
Park in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Dutch region, the Eisenhower farm
near Gettysburg, and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Other Pennsylvania Links:
Pennsylvania State Association of Township
Supervisors
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and
Industry
Pennsylvania Association of Visitors and
Convention Bureaus
Pennsylvania Economic Development Association
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce Executives
Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities
Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities
Association
Pennsylvania Office of Travel and
Tourism
Pennsylvania Travel Council
Pennsylvania Utility Choice |
|
|
|
