Central Pennsylvania
Central Pennsylvania , cut north to south by the broad Susquehanna River
, has no major cities, though the state capital, Harrisburg , is an
excellent base from which to explore sights that include the Hershey
chocolate empire and the rolling Amish farmlands of Lancaster County to
the east, and the Civil War site of Gettysburg on the state's southern
border. To the north, the mighty forests of the "Grand Canyon of
Pennsylvania," around Williamsport , reveal the legacy of its great
nineteenth-century lumber wealth in mansion-lined streets. Cities like
Johnstown , beyond the dramatic Allegheny Mountains in the west, and
Scranton are industrial towns with little of interest for the casual
visitor.
Philadelphia
The original capital of the nation, PHILADELPHIA was laid out by William
Penn Jr. in 1682, on a grid system that was to provide the pattern for
most American cities. It was envisaged as a "greene countrie towne" and
today, for all its historical and cultural significance, it still
manages to retain a certain quaintness. Just a few blocks away from
downtown, shady cobbled alleys stand lined with red-brick colonial
houses, while the peace and quiet of huge Fairmount Park make it easy to
forget you're in a major metropolis.
Settled by Quakers , Philadelphia prospered swiftly on the back of trade
and commerce, and by the 1750s had become the second largest city in the
British Empire. Economic power fueled strong revolutionary feeling, and
the city was the capital during the War of Independence (except for nine
months under British occupation in 1778). It also served as the US
capital until 1800, while Washington, DC was being built. The
Declaration of Independence was written, signed and first publicly read
here in 1776, as was the US Constitution ten years later. Philadelphia
was also a hotbed of new ideas in the arts and sciences, as epitomized
by the scientist, philosopher, statesman, inventor and printer Benjamin
Franklin .
Philadelphia, which translated from Greek means "City of Brotherly Love,"
is in fact one of the most ethnically mixed US cities, with substantial
communities of Italians, Irish, Eastern Europeans and Asians living side
by side. Many of the city's residents are descendants of the migrants
who flocked here after the Civil War when, like Chicago, Philadelphia
was seen as a place of tolerance and liberalism. More recently, it voted
in the nation's first black mayor, and has the country's best museum
dedi-cated to African-American history and culture.
Once known as "Filthydelphia," and the butt of derision from W.C. Fields
in the 1930s (as in his famous epitaph: "On the whole, I'd rather be in
Philadelphia"), the city underwent a remarkable resurgence preparing for
the nation's bicentennial celebrations in 1976. Philadelphia's strength
today is its great energy fueled by history, strong cultural
institutions, and a new influx of income due to its new downtown
convention center grounded in its many staunchly traditional
neighborhoods, especially Italian South Philadelphia . An impressive
amount of new construction and revitalization is currently being
undertaken in the downtown area, further testimony of the city's
economic boom.
The City
Philadelphia stretches for about two miles from the Schuylkill (pronounced
Schoolkill ) River on the west to the Delaware on the east; the urban
area extends for many miles to the north and south, but everything
you're likely to want to see is right in the central swath. The city's
central districts are compact, walkable and readily accessible from each
other; Penn's sensibly planned grid system makes for easy sightseeing.
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Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania , a key point for frontier trade and an important
thoroughfare to the West, was the focus of the fighting between the
English and the French in the seven-year French and Indian War for
colonial and maritime power (1756-63). It grew to industrial prominence
in the nineteenth century, with the exploitation of its coal resources
gathering pace after the Civil War, and the opening of the world's first
oil well at Titusville (now Drake Well Memorial Park) in northwestern
Pennsylvania in 1859.
Today, tourism in western Pennsylvania, like the now-quiet coal and
steel industries, is concentrated around the surprisingly appealing city
of Pittsburgh . To the south of the city, the Laurel Highlands features
Frank Lloyd Wright's not-to-be-missed architectural masterpiece,
Fallingwater , as well as nearby Ohiopyle State Park and the
Youghiogheny River , which offer plenty of outdoor activities. Another
great wilderness area to explore is the lush Allegheny National Forest
in the north, which begins twenty miles from I-80. Erie's Presque Isle
State Park , in the very northwest corner of the state, is also worth a
visit for its sandy beaches and wooded hiking trails.
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