PENNSYLVANIA
- Origin of name: Quaker William Penn was granted the tract of land by King Charles II of England in 1681 as repayment of debt owed to Penn's father, Admiral William Penn. Originally, Penn suggested Sylvania (woodland) for his land.
- Capital: Harrisburg
- Largest city: Philadelphia
- Population: 12,773,801 (2013 est) Ranked 6th in the US.
- Nicknames: Keystone state; Quaker state; Coal state; Oil state; State of Independence
- Highest point: Mount Davis, 3,213 ft
- Admission to union: December 12th, 1787 (2nd)
- State motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
- State song: Pennsylvania
- State tree: Hemlock
- State flower: Mountain laurel
- State bird: Ruffed Grouse
- Area: 46,055 sq mi Ranked 33rd in the US.
Did you know……...
1) Betsy Ross made the first American flag in Philadelphia
2) Benjamin Franklin founded the Philadelphia Zoo, the first public zoo in the United States.
3) Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell.
4) The Liberty Tunnel in Pittsburgh opened in 1924. At that time the 5,700 foot facility was the longest artificially ventilated automobile tunnel in the world.
5) Thornbury Township was organized in 1687 with the appointment of Hugh Durborrow as constable and received its name from Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, England. At the time not more than five or six families lived within the limits of the township. George Peirce, one of the earliest and most influential inhabitants of the township, had a wife who was a native of Thornbury, in England, and the township was purportedly named to compliment her.