Difference between revisions of "Pennsylvania"

<p> Most populous but one of the American States, lies N. of [[Mason]] and Dixon's Line, separated by New Jersey, on the E. by the [[Delaware]] River, with [[Ohio]] on the W., New York on the N., and Lake Erie at the NW. corner. The country is hilly, being traversed by the Blue Mountains and the Alleghany ranges, with many fertile valleys between the chains, extensive forests, and much picturesque scenery. The [[Cumberland]] Valley in the W. is one of the best farming lands in New England. The Alleghany River in the W. and the two branches of the [[Susquehanna]] in the centre water the State. [[Pennsylvania]] is the greatest mining State in the Union; its iron-mines and petroleum-wells supply half the iron and most of the oil used in the country; its bituminous coal-beds in the W. are extremely rich, and the anthracite deposits of the E. are unrivalled; in manufactures, too, it ranks second among the States; these are very varied, the most valuable being iron, steel, and shipbuilding. Founded by Swedes, it passed to English settlers in 1664; the first charter was granted to [[William]] Penn in 1681. In the [[Revolution]] it took a prominent part, and was among the first States of the Union. [[Education]] is well advanced; there are 20 State colleges. The mining population includes many Irish, Hungarian, and [[Italian]] immigrants, among whom riots are frequent. Of the agriculturists many are of Dutch descent, and about two millions still speak a Low German <i> patois </i> known as Pennsylvanian Dutch. ''' ''' </p> <p> s the capital; the metropolis is </p> <p> 1,047), the second largest city in the country; while </p> <p> b>Alleghany , </p> <p> nd </p> <p> re among the many large towns. </p>