Pennsylvania Almanac: Facts and Figures

Quick Facts and Figures on the State

Pennsylvania Almanac furnishes quick facts and figures on the state, its geography, climate and weather, elevation, land area, bordering states, electoral votes, number of senators and representatives to the US Congress, and other statistical data. Use this almanac of Pennsylvania for information on local issues, politics, events, celebrations, people and business pertaining to the state of Pennsylvania that can be found online.

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Pennsylvania in full, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the Middle Atlantic states of the US. Since colonial times Pennsylvania has been an important agricultural state, and it later became a major commercial, manufacturing, and mining state as well. In the early 1990s Pennsylvania remained a national leader in both manufacturing and mining output.

Pennsylvania Almanac
Official Name	Pennsylvania
Capital	Harrisburg
Nick Name	Keystone State
Motto	Virtue, liberty and independence
Location & Region	40.27605 N, 076.88450 W			Appalachia
Constitution Ratified	1968
Statehood	December 12, 1787			2nd state
Population	12,281,054	274.01 sq mi.		6th
Largest City (by population)	Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Upper Darby
Bordering States	North: Lake Erie and New York East: New York and New Jersey (Delaware River forms the entire Eastern boundary of the state) South: Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia West: West Virginia and Ohio
Number of Counties	67 Counties in Pennsylvania
Largest County (by population)	Philadelphia County	1,517,550		135 sq mi.
Electoral Votes	21 (as of the 2004 Presidential Election)
US Congress	2 Senators; 19 Representatives
Time Zone	Eastern Standard Time
Pennsylvania Climate and Weather
Pennsylvania has four distinct seasons, though their length and intensity vary around the state. In general, as you move into the more mountainous regions, the temperatures become cooler, and rain and snow are more frequent. Spring and summer tend to be wetter than the rest of the year. In the southeast, expect long summers, sometimes uncomfortably hot and humid. Temperatures of 90 F/32 C and higher aren't unusual, though average highs run in the mid 80s F/29 C. Midsummer lows are usually in the 60s F/15-21 C. The western part of the state is somewhat cooler but still tends to be sticky in the summer. Both the humidity and the temperatures are lower in the mountains. Fall offers warm days -- highs running 66-75 F/17-23 C, with nighttime lows in the 40s and 50s F/4-14 C. Winter is colder and more severe in the north and the mountains. Snowfall ranges from less than 10 in/25 cm in some parts of the state to more than 100 in/255 cm. In the southeast, the winters are rather mild, with snow cover about a third of the time and January temperatures ranging from 21 to 48 F/-5 to -8 C. The mountains are colder, with some days below 0 F/-18 C.
Highest Temperature	111 degrees July 10, 1936 - Phoenixville
Lowest Temperature	-42 degrees January 5, 1904 - Smethport
Avg Temp: High - Low	86.2 degrees		18.0 degrees
Pennsylvania Highest, Lowest, and Mean Elevations (Feet)
Mean Elevation	1,100
Highest Point	Mt. Davis			3,213
Lowest Point	Delaware River			Sea level
Pennsylvania Land Area (Square Miles)
Geographic Center
Total Area	46,055.24			33rd
Land Area	44,816.61			97.32%
Water Area	1,238.63			2.68%
Forested Land Area			58.9%
Dimensions (Length - Width)	283 miles		160 miles
Source:(US Census, April 1, 2000)

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Almanac: Facts and Figures

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