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

Regions

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Coal Region

Cumberland Valley

Delaware Valley

Lehigh Valley

Northern Tier

Northwest Region

Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Laurel Highlands

The Poconos

Susquehanna Valley

Western Pennsylvania

Cities

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Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton

Altoona

Erie

Gettysburg

Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon

Johnstown

Lancaster

Malvern

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Reading

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre

State College

Sunbury-Lewisburg-Selinsgrove

Williamsport

York-Hanover

Willow Grove

Other destinations

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Chadds Ford near the location of the Battle of Brandywine, fought September 11, 1777.

Jim Thorpe

Pocono Mountains

Understand

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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

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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 heratige.

Get in

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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...