Pennsylvania, a Commonwealth in the US, bridges multiple regions: Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Appalachian, and Great Lakes. It shares borders with Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and the Canadian province of Ontario via Lake Erie. Philadelphia stands as its most populous city. The state's diverse geography and strategic location contribute to its significance.
In 1901, due to political and popular indignation, a second contest restricted to Pennsylvania architects was held to design the present Pennsylvania State Capitol, with Joseph Miller Huston of Philadelphia chosen.
Pennsylvania was the location of two hugely prominent strikes, including the Coal Strike of 1902.
In 1903, Milton S. Hershey began construction on a chocolate factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which would grow to become The Hershey Company, the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America.
Pitt had eight undefeated seasons, one in 1904.
In 1907, the present Pennsylvania State Capitol, designed by Joseph Miller Huston and incorporating Cobb's building, was finished and dedicated.
Penn won national college football championships in 1908.
Pitt had eight undefeated seasons, one in 1910.
In 1911, the Weeks Act was passed, which provided the authority for the establishment of the Allegheny National Forest in 1923.
Penn State had seven undefeated seasons, one in 1912.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1915.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1916.
Pitt had eight undefeated seasons, one in 1917.
On May 31, 1918, the Pittsburgh Agreement, signed by Tomáš Masaryk in Pittsburgh, established Czechoslovakia as an independent nation.
Coal production in Pennsylvania peaked in 1918.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1918.
Penn won national titles in college basketball in 1920.
Pitt had eight undefeated seasons, one in 1920.
In 1921, Utz Brands started making chips in Hanover.
Penn won national titles in college basketball in 1921.
Washington & Jefferson won national college football championships in 1921.
In 1922, 310,000 Pennsylvania miners joined the UMW General coal strike, which lasted 163 days and shut down most of the state's coal mines.
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge established the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania for timber production and watershed protection.
Pitt won national titles in college basketball in 1928.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1929.
Pitt won national titles in college basketball in 1930.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1931.
Franklin D. Roosevelt won the White House while losing Pennsylvania in 1932.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1934.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1936.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1937.
Temple won national titles in college basketball in 1938.
Until 2009, Pennsylvania had not been represented by two Democratic senators since 1947.
In 1950, Pittsburgh lost its place among the top ten most populous cities in the United States.
La Salle won national titles in college basketball in 1954.
Since 1959, the Little League World Series has been held annually in August in South Williamsport near where Little League Baseball was founded in Williamsport.
Penn State had seven undefeated seasons, one in 1968.
Pennsylvania adopted a new state constitution in 1968.
Penn State had seven undefeated seasons, one in 1969.
Penn State had seven undefeated seasons, one in 1973.
In 1975, McCandless Township adopted a home-rule charter under the name of "Town of McCandless", but is, legally, still a first-class township.
Pitt has won nine national championships, one in 1976.
On March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island accident occurred, marking the most significant nuclear accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.
In 1982, Bethlehem Steel reported an unexpected loss of US$1.5 billion and announced the suspension of most operations, highlighting the impact of deindustrialization in the Rust Belt.
Penn State claimed two national championships, one in 1982.
Villanova won national titles in college basketball in 1985.
Penn State claimed two national championships, one in 1986.
In 1988, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 169, which allows parents or guardians to homeschool their children as an alternative to compulsory school attendance.
After 1990, as information-based industries became more important in the economy, state and local governments invested more in the public library system.
Between 1992 and 2016, Pennsylvania trended Democratic in presidential elections.
Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic ticket for president in every election since 1992.
Since 1992, the Philadelphia suburbs have swung Democratic; the brand of Republicanism there was traditionally moderate.
The state also has a tied record for the largest hunter shot black bear in the Boone and Crockett record books at 733 lb and a skull of 23 3/16, tied with a bear shot in California in 1993.
Penn State had seven undefeated seasons, one in 1994.
As of 2000, Pennsylvania had a total Amish population of 47,860, along with 146,416 Mennonites and 91,200 Brethren, bringing the total Anabaptist population to 232,631, or about two percent of the population.
As of 2000, Stateside Puerto Ricans comprised over 40% of the population in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic or Latino American population in Pennsylvania grew by 82.6%, representing one of the largest increases in a state's Hispanic population.
On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers revolted against the Al-Qaeda hijackers, preventing it from reaching its intended target.
In 2004, Smarty Jones, whose home course was Harrah's Philadelphia in Chester, won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
In the 2004 presidential election, John F. Kerry beat President George W. Bush in Pennsylvania, 2,938,095 (51%) to 2,793,847 (48%).
The Pennsylvania Film Production Tax Credit began in 2004 and stimulated the development of a film industry in the state.
As of 2005, 83.8% of Pennsylvania residents age 18 to 24 are high school graduates, and 86.7% of residents age 25 and over have graduated from high school.
As of 2007, Pennsylvania has the second-highest number of Boone and Crockett-recorded record black bears at 183, behind Wisconsin's 299.
In 2007, Pennsylvania ranked 14th in the nation in mathematics, 12th in reading, and 10th in writing for eighth grade students.
In 2008, author Sharon Hernes Silverman wrote in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Pennsylvania was the snack food capital of the world.
In 2008, the £16,000 debt Charles II owed to William Penn's father was equivalent to around £2,100,000 when adjusted for retail inflation.
In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in Pennsylvania, 3,276,363 (54%) to 2,655,885 (44%).
As of 2009, 27.5% of Pennsylvania high school graduates went on to obtain a bachelor's degree or higher degree.
From 2009, Pennsylvania was represented by two Democratic senators for the first time since 1947 after Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched party affiliation.
Villanova won national college football championships in 2009.
As of 2010, 90.2% of Pennsylvania residents age five and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 4.1% spoke Spanish, 0.9% spoke German (including Pennsylvania Dutch), and 0.5% spoke Chinese (including Mandarin).
As of 2010, about 85% of Hispanic and Latino Americans in Pennsylvania lived within a 150-mile radius of Philadelphia, with about 20% residing in the city itself.
As of 2010, practicing Quakers in Pennsylvania were a small minority, with about 10,000 adherents.
As of the 2010 U.S. census, Pennsylvania had a population of 12,702,379.
Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic or Latino American population in Pennsylvania grew significantly, by 82.6%, primarily due to migration from Puerto Rico and other countries, as well as people leaving New York City and New Jersey.
In 2010 estimates, the American Presbyterian Church, with about 250,000 members and 1,011 congregations, is the largest Presbyterian denomination. Also the Presbyterian Church in America is also significant, with 112 congregations and approximately 23,000 adherents; the EPC has around 50 congregations, including the ECO.
In 2010, Pennsylvania's population was 12,702,379, with 6,838,440 (53.8%) estimated to belong to some sort of organized religion. The largest religious bodies in Pennsylvania by adherents were the Catholic Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
In 2010, Republicans recaptured a U.S. Senate seat and a majority of the state's congressional seats, control of both chambers of the state legislature, and the governorship.
In 2010, according to the census, the largest ancestry groups in Pennsylvania were German (28.5%), Irish (18.2%), Italian (12.8%), African Americans (9.6%), English (8.5%), Polish (7.2%), and French (4.2%).
As of 2011, the financial impact of agriculture in Pennsylvania included employment of more than 66,800 people employed by the food manufacturing industry and over $1.7 billion in food product export.
In 2011, Pennsylvania experienced a high number of tornadoes, with 30 recorded in the state.
Until 2011, Pennsylvania was represented by two Democratic senators for the first time since 1947 after Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched party affiliation.
As of 2012, Pennsylvania had the 15th-highest state and local tax burden in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. Residents paid a total of $83.7 billion in state and local taxes with a per capita average of $4,589 annually.
Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic ticket for president in every election until 2012.
In the 2014 election, Democrats won back the governorship. It was the first time since a governor became eligible for reelection that an incumbent governor had been defeated in a reelection bid.
Since 2014, among the state's religious population, 73% were Christian, according to Pew Research Center. 47% of all Pennsylvanians identified as Protestants.
Between 1992 and 2016, Pennsylvania trended Democratic in presidential elections.
In 2016, there were 5,354,964 people in employment in Pennsylvania with 301,484 total employer establishments.
In the 2016 election, Donald Trump won Pennsylvania with 2,970,733 votes (48%) against the Democratic candidate.
The following are the four-year graduation rates for students completing high school in 2016.
Villanova won national titles in college basketball in 2016.
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the state's poverty rate in 2017 was 12.5%, compared to 13.4% for the U.S. as a whole.
In October 2018, the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh experienced a shooting that resulted in 11 fatalities.
As of 2018, Pennsylvania ranked first in the nation in a few economic sectors and niches, including barrels of beer produced annually (3.9 million), farmers' markets (over 6,000), food processing companies (2,300), hardwood lumber production (a billion board feet annually), mushroom farms (68), natural gas production, potato chip manufacturing (24 facilities manufacturing one-fourth of the nation's total), and pretzel manufacturing (80 percent of the nation's total).
As of 2018, the top countries of origin for Pennsylvania's immigrants were India, the Dominican Republic, China, Mexico, and Vietnam.
In 2018, OurBus began offering service from West Chester, Malvern, King of Prussia, and Fort Washington to New York City.
In 2018, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is Amtrak's third-busiest train station in the nation with more than four million inter-city rail passengers.
Villanova won national titles in college basketball in 2018.
In 2019, net migration to other states resulted in a decrease of 27,718 in Pennsylvania's population.
As of 2020, the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania is the nation's 69th-largest metropolitan area.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, Pennsylvania had a population of 13,011,844, making it the fifth-most populated state in the U.S.
In 2020, 31,052 people in Pennsylvania identified as Native American alone, and 158,112 identified as Native American in combination with one or more other races.
In 2020, approximately 74.5% of Pennsylvania residents were native to the state, 18.4% were born in a different U.S. state, 1.5% were born in Puerto Rico or abroad to American parents, and 5.6% were foreign born.
In 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute estimated 68% of the population identified with Christianity.
In a 2020 study, Pennsylvania was ranked as the 19th-hardest state for citizens to vote.
Philadelphia County, which includes the city of Philadelphia, had a population of 1,603,797 in 2020, making it the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous in the United States.
As of 2021, 7.2% of the population in Pennsylvania was foreign-born.
In 2021, Pennsylvania's per capita income of $68,957 ranked 21st among the 50 states.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 12,691 homeless people in Pennsylvania.
In April 2023, a Franklin & Marshall College poll found that a plurality of Pennsylvania residents were religiously unaffiliated, with the rest predominately being Protestant or Catholic.
As of 2023, Pennsylvania has 17 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As of 2023, if Pennsylvania were an independent country, its economy would rank as the 20th-largest in the world.
As of January 2024, the unemployment rate in Pennsylvania is 3.4%.
On July 13, 2024, near Butler, Pennsylvania, there was an assassination attempt on the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
As of 2024, Pennsylvania has the largest inventory of abandoned mines in the United States, causing environmental problems.
In 2024, Pennsylvania swung back to Donald Trump, who won with 3,543,308 votes (50%) to Vice President Kamala Harris’s 3,423,042 votes (49%).
As of 2025, the Republicans hold the majority in the State Senate (27–23) and the Democrats in the State House (102–101).
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