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Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in theUnited States.Regions of Pennsylvania include:
TheLehigh Valley, located in eastern Pennsylvania, is named for theLehigh River, which flows through it. It is the state's third-most populous metropolitan statistical area afterDelaware Valley andGreater Pittsburgh. The Lehigh Valley's most populous city,Allentown, is the third-most populous city in Pennsylvania and was an center for the nation'sindustrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the late 20th century, however, the city and region began experiencingdeindustrialization and an economic downturn in its heavy manufacturing sector. In the early 21st century, its economy diversified considerably, and it is now one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the state. In addition to Allentown, the Lehigh Valley's two next most populous cities areBethlehem andEaston, and the region has extensive suburban communities surrounding these three primary cities. The region was once a hub for American heavymanufacturing. It has one of the state's fastest growing populations. The Lehigh Valley includes two eastern Pennsylvania counties:
TheDelaware Valley, the state's most populous region, is named for theDelaware River, which flows through the region. It includes five Pennsylvania counties:
Pennsylvania's Piedmont region is a heavily agricultural section of thePiedmont Plateau. It consists of the following seven Pennsylvania counties:
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of Pennsylvania, which has a high percentage of Amish, Mennonite, and "Fancy Dutch" residents. ThePennsylvania Dutch language was historically common, and is still spoken today by many Amish people residing in the state.
It consists of the following counties:
This mountainous area ofPennsylvania includes thePocono Mountains, theEndless Mountains, and formeranthracite coal mining cities, boroughs, and villages.
Northeastern Pennsylvania consists of the following 14 counties:
The Poconos, or the Pocono Mountains region, is a mountainous region of about 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2) located inNortheastern Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles north ofAllentown, which is a nationally popular recreational winter destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports and (in off-season months) for hiking, kayaking, tubing, and other recreational activities.
The region consists of the following four Pennsylvania counties:
TheCoal Region is a term used to refer to an area ofNortheastern Pennsylvania in the centralAppalachian Mountains. The region is home to the largest known deposits ofanthracite coal in the world with an estimated a reserve of seven billion tons.
Wyoming Valley is a region ofNortheastern Pennsylvania shaped like a crescent and part of the ridge-and-valley or folded Appalachians, which includes the metropolitan areas ofScranton andWilkes-Barre.
Consisting of the following counties:
TheEndless Mountains are a chain of mountains inNortheastern Pennsylvania that are part of theAppalachian Mountains chain. The mountains are not true mountains, geologically speaking, but are a dissected plateau and part of theAllegheny Plateau, along with the higherCatskill Mountains to the east of the Endless Mountains inNew York state.
Consisting of the following counties:
TheNorthern Tier is a geographic region inNortheastern Pennsylvania.
Consisting of the following counties:
TheSusquehanna River is a river in theNortheastern United States. At approximately 410 mi (715 km) in length, it is the longest river on theEast Coast.
South Central Pennsylvania is often referred to as some combination of the following counties:
The following counties are less frequently included in the description of the region:
Southern Alleghenies is a geographic region of West Central Pennsylvania, consisting of the following counties:
Happy Valley is a large valley located in central Pennsylvania.Pennsylvania State University is located in the valley.
Consisting of the following county:
Cumberland Valley is a geographic region that lies betweenSouth Mountain andBlue Ridge Mountains of Central Pennsylvania andWestern Maryland.
Consisting of the following counties:
The Laurel Highlands, in the southwestern part of the state of Pennsylvania, traverses the Laurel and Chestnut ridges of theAllegheny Mountains.
Consisting of the following counties:
Also known as Southwestern Pennsylvania, the region consists of the following counties:
The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers over 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) of land.
Consisting of the following counties:
