'''Pennsylvania''' [http://www.state.pa.us/] is a state in the eastern United States. It is known for its revolutionary war era historical sites (mainly in Philadelphia) and its steel industry. The state's three largest cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown.

Pennsylvania is bordered by the states of New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Pennsylvania's three most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown.

Regions

Cities

<!-- Please limit this list to nine, and discuss changes on the talk page. -->

  • Harrisburg - the state capital
  • Allentown - the state's third largest city
  • Gettysburg - American Civil War historical site
  • Hershey - home of Hershey Park
  • Philadelphia - the state's largest city
  • Pittsburgh - the state's second largest city
  • Scranton/Wilkes-Barre - the state's six largest metropolitan area
  • State College - home of The Pennsylvania State University
  • Williamsport - home of annual Little League World Series
  • Other destinations

  • Lehigh Valley
  • Pocono Mountains
  • Understand

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a geographically diverse state with a Great Lake on one shore and a major seaport on the other. The climate of Pennsylvania is pleasant, with cold, often snowy winters, mild to hot, humid summers, and gorgeous green springtimes, and most notably, spectacular displays of colorful autumn foliage.

    Pennsylvania hosts a number of vital cities, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia houses the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, two major national historical landmarks. The interior of the state has a number of subcultures worth exploring, including the famous Amish countryside, a religious community based in Christian Anabaptist dogma.

    Pennsylvania is also home to a diverse group of people, with ethnic enclaves of black, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian populations in its major cities.

    Talk

    Most Pennsylvanians speak American English, although many subtle regional accents and 'dialects' do exist. There are large Latino, Spanish-speaking populations in Reading, Allentown, and Philadelphia, and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have their share of Asian, European, and other languages. There will be no problem communicating with people who live in Pennsylvania, except, of course, if they resort to the famous Pennsylvania Dutch "Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch" dialect of German. Although widescale non-Amish use of the language faded circa 1950, there are pockets of young people who are learning the language as a way to preserve their heritage. The Pittsburgh area and the anthracite coal region of northeast Pennsylvania are known for their colorful regional accents.

    Get in

    By car

    Interstate highways lead most traffic into the state. Clockwise from east:

  • from Boston: I-84 W.
  • from New York City to Scranton, Allentown, Philadelphia: I-80 W, I-78 W, I-95 S.
  • from Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia, Harrisburg: I-95 N, I-83 N.
  • from the Appalachian Mountains to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh: I-81 N, I-79 N.
  • from St. Louis and Indianapolis: I-70 E.
  • from Chicago: I-80 E.
  • from Cleveland to Erie: I-90 E.
  • from Toronto: I-90 W.
  • from Montreal: I-81 S.
  • Also, U.S. Routes 219, 15, and 220 (soon to be I-99) all enter the state at alternative points from both the north and south.

    State-operated Welcome Centers and Comfort Facilities are located just inside the borders at all major crossings into Pennsylvania.

    By train

    Amtrak serves Pennsylvania with major stops at Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia is a stop on the Northeast Corridor.

    By air

    The two major airports in Pennsylvania are Philadelphia International (booking code PHL) and Pittsburgh International (booking code PIT). Philadelphia is a major hub for US Airways and Pittsburgh is an large focus city for the same carrier. Both are served by all major carriers and have low fare service by Southwest and AirTran Airways. Philadelphia is also one of the Northeast's major international termini.

    Regional airports in Pennsylvania include Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. All of these airports are served by US Airways, US Airways Express, Delta, Northwest and Continental. Erie is slightly bigger. Lehigh Valley has low-fare service by Lehigh Valley Air and TMA, and Harrisburg has service by TMA as well(TMA suspended flights in 2005).

    Get around

    By car

    In addition to the Interstate highways that enter Pennsylvania and travel throughout:

  • The Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) is a toll freeway that is the main east-west route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with state capital Harrisburg along the way. Take note of the four tunnels through Appalachian ridges.
  • The Turnpike's "Northeast Extension" (I-476, also toll) reaches north from Philadelphia to Allentown and Scranton. Another tunnel is found along it.
  • U.S. Route 322 travels diagonally from the Philadelphia area to just below Erie. Many portions have been converted to freeway, but numerous small towns still lie directly on the way.
  • U.S. Route 22 is an alternative, more mountainous path west through Altoona and Johnstown to Pittsburgh.
  • U.S. Route 6 is a long, rural, scenic drive across Pennsylvania's "Northern Tier". Go west from the northern Poconos through the valley of Scranton and its suburbs, follow the Susquehanna River through the "Endless Mountains", spend three hours through state and national forest land, and end near Lake Erie.
  • U.S Route 30, also named the Lincoln Highway, is a section of the first coast-to-coast paved road in the United States. The highway is especially nice in the central part of Pennsylvania where it passes agricultural areas and is the main street of many small historic towns. Many of these towns have attempted to capitalize on their location on the Lincoln Highway by preserving original structures and opening them as visitors' centers.
  • Interstate 80 runs east and west throughout the northern area of the state.
  • There also exists a wide network of state highways and municipal roads that reach into the mostly forested and farmed rural areas. The more mountainous of these areas should be traversed with caution by visitors as they can be drastically winding, narrow, or steep (or all three!) in parts.

    Speed limit signs are almost exclusively posted in miles per hour, "mph". Seatbelts use is mandatory, and a second ticket and fine will be issued to those who are pulled over for speeding, etc. if not worn. Pennsylvania has not yet enacted a ban on hand-held cell phone usage while driving, as some neighboring states have.

    As conditions go, Pennsylvania has two seasons according to an old joke: winter and construction. In the rural majority of the state, large snowfalls render the most minor of roads impassable, but the major thoroughfares like Interstates are comparatively well plowed and salted. Still, car travel anywhere should be done with extreme care in the winter, especially by those unfamiliar with the visited area.

    Likewise, the jest rings true in the remainder of the year. Look out for occasional paving, line painting, or road widening projects on freeways that restrict travel to a single lane. Bridge repair or any major redesign may force detours that are typically marked clearly. Speed limits in work zones are always reduced and State Police will impose ''double fines'' for breaking them. Proceed carefully around PennDOT (state transportation department) crews, who are easily visible in fluorescent yellow attire.

    By thumb

    Although uncommon, hitchhiking is fairly well-received, especially in more rural areas. Keep in mind that it is always illegal to hitchhike on highways closed to pedestrians, so it's better to find a rest stop or a gas station right off the highway. I-80 in particular has many good hitchhiking spots and is the recommended route for someone trying to thumb their way across the state.

    Eat

  • A cheesesteak, this well-known American food found its roots in Philadelphia and is prepared differently (and almost all would say preferably) here than in any other part of the country.
  • A weber (like a cheesesteak, but may be made with ground chicken, and is topped with hoagie fixins).
  • Any sandwich (topped with fries and cole slaw) from Primanti's (around Pittsburgh).
  • Birch beer or sasparilla soda.
  • Chicken with waffles.
  • Hershey's chocolate.
  • Pennsylvania Dutch whoopie pies or apple butter.
  • Pennsylvania Dutch funnel cakes (deep fried sweet dough sprinkled with powdered sugar).
  • Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie (molasses and spice pie).
  • Scrapple.
  • Teaberry ice cream.
  • Waffles and ice cream.
  • Drink

  • '''Yuengling''' The oldest brewery in the United States still produces this eponymous, locally-cherished beer. Yuengling is available in almost every bar and beer distributor in the state, but is seldom found outside of the Mid-Atlantic region. Tours are available at the brewery in Pottsville. The locals traditionally order a Yuengling Lager with the term, "Lager." It is one of the best domestic beers you can get in the US.
  • However, Pennsylvania is home to many other beers. It is birth place of Rolling Rock - "#33". Serious beer drinkers probably know Pennsylvania for its wide selection craft breweries. Hundreds of fine ales are produced each year. Some great labels that every visitor should try include Yards, Sly Fox, Victory, Lancaster, Troegs, and Stoudts.

    Stay safe

    Outside of Greater Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the Lehigh Valley, crime is not a major problem in Pennsylvania. Gang activity is high in the larger cities, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Reading. You know you are in a rough area when you see graffiti, abandoned houses and vehicles, and shoes tossed over telephone wires, known as shoefiti, to mark that drugs are for sale. Street drag racing and prostitution are also problems in the state's urban areas.

    As with most locations in the United States, a major cause of injury and death in Pennsylvania comes from automobile accidents. Drivers can be down-right hostile on some of the more notorious urban freeways, such as the Schuykill Expressway in Philadelphia, route 22 in Allentown, the 376 in Pittsburgh and on the Interstate 95 corridor in the southeast section of the state. The roads in Pennsylvania are notoriously bad, so be careful.

    Road rage can be a problem during rush hour, so if you aren't familiar with the highway system, stay out of the left hand lane. The key to safe driving is to stay defensive, you are in unfamiliar areas and while you may feel wronged, it may be the norm.

    Rural '''mountain roads''' can sometimes be steep, and impassable in times of '''heavy snowfall'''. When traveling in the central to western part of the state, it is best to stay on main roads and highways. If you're canoeing, skiing, or doing any other outdoor activity, take necessary precautions.

    Be sure to stay out of '''abondoned mines and quarries'''. As this industry falls out of the state's economy, mines and quarries are left abandoned. If you explore one, you risk the dangers of unstable supports, unstable ground, rats, snakes and other animals, forgotten explosives, blasting caps, explosive methane gas, and pockets of "blackdamp" or air without enough oxygen to support life.

    Exploring the woods alone can be dangerous, due to the large deer and other wild animal population. Use insect repellant to avoid disease, wear long clothing, and do not wander onto someone's property.

    '''Flooding''' and '''snow''' are the most common '''natural disasters'''. Flash flooding can be a problem. Tornadoes are rare but experienced, and earthquakes are almost unheard of. Hurricanes coming up the Atlantic can strike, so be prepared. Temperatures in the summer can reach 100 degrees in places, so bring water and sunscreen. Thunderstorms are common in the summer.

    If you are not from Pennsylvania, you can buy any '''fireworks''' from an outlet and bring them home with you ONLY with a permit. Yet, it is illegal for residents of Pennsylvania to shoot off fireworks that leave the ground. For this reason, fireworks outlets are often near state borders.

    You do not need a permit to carry a firearm openly throughout the state, except in the city of Philadelphia. '''Gun laws''' are fairly loose compared to other states.

    During periods of '''hunting season''', persons entering the woods are advised by the PA Game Commission to wear "blaze orange".

    Get out

    Pennsylvania has borders with New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Ohio,and West Virginia. Connections to major cities such as Baltimore, Washington, DC, New York City, Cleveland, Columbus, and Buffalo are easy by car and air travel. Amtrak offers service on its high-speed northeast corridor line from Boston to Washington, DC.