Entered Union December 12, 1787 (2nd state)
Pennsylvania (12,702,379), Harrisburg (48,950), Philadelphia (1,517,550)
The granite capitol was originally completed in 1906 using the designs of Joseph Miller Huston. It is located on State Street at 6th Street. Interstate Highway 83 is 12 blocks southeast of the capitol. The Capitol is designed in Beaux Arts and Renaissance Revival style. The Commonwealth Court of Appeals Building in Harrisburg is the only supporting structure. The state was officially created as the 2nd state on December 12, 1787 from Native American lands and the Province of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia and Lancaster served as capital before Harrisburg which assumed the role in 1812. The state is named for founder William Penn and the Latin word for “woods.” Harrisburg is named for settler John Harris, Sr. Philadelphia is named for the Greek “beloved city.” Mount Davis in Somerset County is the highest point and the lowest point is the Delaware River at the Delaware border.
Pennsylvania government, in the Executive, consists of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, and Treasurer. There are 50 Senators and 203 Representatives in the Legislature. Seven Supreme Court Justices, Nine Commonwealth Court Justices, and Fifteen Superior Court Justices serve Pennsylvania in the Judicial. Pennsylvania is located in the east central part of the United States. The geographic center is in Centre County in State College. The state is surrounded clockwise by Canada, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio.
The area is 44,817 square miles. It is 33rd largest state in the country. It is the 5th most populated state in the country. It has a density of 284 persons per square mile making it 9th in the country. Its major rivers are the Delaware, the Susquehanna, the Schuylkill, the Lehigh, Ohio River, the Juniata River, the Allegheny, and the Monongahela. Harrisburg is located in the east central third of the state. Philadelphia is located in southeast quarter of the state on the border with New Jersey.
Click here to link to the Pennsylvania county slideshow
Click below to link to a Pennsylvania county page