The Keystone State is Home to the City of Brotherly Love

William Penn’s father was given this land by the king of England, and named it Pennsylvania (Penn’s Woods), due to the thick, beautiful woods and forests which covered the area in the 1600s. Today, Pennsylvania is 46,058 square miles with a mix of cities, small towns and farms, but the woodlands have survived in many areas. The state flower is the Mountain Laurel, which grows profusely in the Pocono Mountains in the east and the Allegheny Mountains in the west. Rolling hills and small mountains are the predominate land forms, with the highest point being Mount Davis, at 3,213 feet.

It was William Penn, or “Billy Penn” as he is affectionately called today, who built Philadelphia, “The City of Brotherly Love.” Both the Declaration Of Independence and the Constitution were written here. Pennsylvania was one of the 13 original colonies, and was the second state admitted to statehood, joining in December of 1787. Her strategic position between the six northern states and the six southern states earned her the nickname of the Keystone State. She was the key holding the Colonies together.

From Daniel Boone to Bill Cosby, Pennsylvania has birthed dozens of famous people, including President James Buchanan, Reggie Jackson, Andrew Wyeth, and Jimmy Stewart. The current population of Pennsylvania stands at 12.5 million. Most of those are concentrated in the three largest cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown.

Pennsylvania produces many agricultural goods, including dairy products, mushrooms, hogs, hay, poultry and cattle. Tourism is a big industry, as are food processing, machinery products, pharmaceuticals, steel and oil refining.

Both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are home to professional sports teams. The Pittsburgh teams are the Penguins (hockey), the Pirates (baseball), and the Steelers (football). The Philadelphia teams are the Flyers (hockey), the Phillies (baseball), the Eagles (football), and the 76’ers (basketball). The Philadelphia Eagles fans are known for their loud reception to all visitors, and are notorious for the event of throwing snowballs at Santa Claus during a football game several years ago.

Movie buffs are familiar with well-known movies which took place in Philadelphia, such as "Rocky," and "Philadelphia." Many visitors run up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum in imitation of Rocky. Places to visit in Pennsylvania include Longwood Gardens, Dorney Park, Valley Forge National Park, Amish country, Hershey, Pocono Mountains, the Allegheny Mountains, Lake Erie, 117 state parks, and all the historic areas of Philadelphia.

There are well over a hundred colleges in Pennsylvania, including the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Drexel University, Temple University, and the University of the Sciences.