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PA Fun Facts |
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Fun Facts:
Nickname: Keystone
State - During colonial times Pennsylvania was the middle colony of the original 13 colonies. It held the colonies together like the "keystone" in a window or door arch.
Background: Pennsylvania was settled in 1643. Philadelphia was our state capital during the Revolutionary War and York was the first capital of the United States.
State name’s meaning:
Penn’s Woods (after Admiral William Penn's father)
Motto:
Virtue, Liberty and Independence
Important Documents: Several important documents were written in Pennsylvania
The Constitution of the United States
The American Declaration of Independence
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Flower:
Mountain Laurel
Tree:
Hemlock
Bird:
Ruffed Grouse
Animal:
Whitetail Deer
Insect:
Firefly
Dog:
Great Dane
Beverage:
Milk
Fish
Brook Trout
Fossil:
Phacops Rana
Ship:
United States Brig Niagara
Geography:
Area: 45,888
square miles
Rank:
32nd in nation
Width:
310 miles (east to west) 180
miles (N to S)
Geographic center: Centre
County, home of Penn State University
Highest point:
Mt. Davis, Somerset County 3,213 feet. Somerset County was also the site of the September 11, 2001 crash of Flight 93.
Lowest point:Delaware
River
Largest County: Lycoming County with its county seat of Williamsport (the Home of Little League Baseball) is larger than the State of Rhode Island. Bradford County is second in size.
Counties with NO traffic lights: Forest County and Perry County
Capital: Harrisburg in Dauphin County
Counties: 67
Headwaters of three major rivers: Potter County
Population:
12,009,000
Lancaster County has more people than the entire state of Wyoming
Lakes:50 natural
lakes (over 20 acres wide) and 2,500 man-made lakes
Christmas Tree Capital of the World: Indiana County
Rivers and streams:
45,000 miles
State Parks:
116 Acreage: 282,500
State Forest Districts:
20 Acreage: 2,200,000
State Game Lands:
294 Acreage: 1,379,002
Government:
State Representatives: 203
State Senators: 50
U.S Representatives: 21
U.S. Senators: 2
Pennsylvania Firsts:
Hospital, Library, Zoo, Newspaper,
Nation's Capitol, all motion-picture theater, television broadcast, radio broadcast, educational public-television station, paper mill, druggist, locomotive for railroad use, high-speed multi-lane highway - the Pennsylvania Turnpike,
Banana Split, electronic computer built, commercial use of computer, cable television, educational public television station, government low-interest, long term business financing program
Agriculture:
Farms: 55,000
Farmland: 9,000,000 acres
Agricultural product sales: $3,500,000,000
Rural Population: 3,700,000
Leading Farm products: dairy products, mushrooms, apples, tobacco, grapes, peaches, cut flowers
PA is First Among US in:
Rural Population, number of licensed hunters, State Game Lands, covered bridges, potato chip production, pretzel bakeries, licensed bakeries, meat packing plants, mushroom production, sausage production, scrapple production
Annual Temperature
Averages: Maximum/Minimum |
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January
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32/18
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27/16
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34/22
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35/20
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April
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66/43
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61/42
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67/46
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67/56
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July
|
83/63
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78/62
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85/67
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85/66
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October
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65/44
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63/46
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65/49
|
69/50
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January
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29/16
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29/14
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30/16
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30/15 |
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April
|
67/43
|
62/41
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66/41
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65/40 |
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July
|
80/60
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80/60
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82/60
|
80/60 |
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October
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65/45
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62/43
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63/48
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62/47 |
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