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regions of Pennsylvania

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{{One source|date=March 2023}}

File:Pennsylvania-counties-map.gif]]

Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the United States. Regions of Pennsylvania include:

Lehigh Valley

{{main|Lehigh Valley}}

The Lehigh Valley, located in eastern Pennsylvania, is named for the Lehigh River, which flows through it. It is the state's third-most populous metropolitan statistical area after Delaware Valley and Greater Pittsburgh. The Lehigh Valley's most populous city, Allentown, is the third-most populous city in Pennsylvania and was an center for the nation's industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the late 20th century, however, the city and region began experiencing deindustrialization 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 are Bethlehem and Easton, and the region has extensive suburban communities surrounding these three primary cities. The region was once a hub for American heavy manufacturing. It has one of the state's fastest growing populations. The Lehigh Valley includes two eastern Pennsylvania counties:

Southeastern Pennsylvania

=Delaware Valley=

{{main|Delaware Valley}}

Image:Map of PA Delaware Valley.gif region of Pennsylvania]]

The Delaware Valley, the state's most populous region, is named for the Delaware River, which flows through the region. It includes five Pennsylvania counties:

=Pennsylvania Piedmont=

Image:Map of PA Highlands.gif]]

Pennsylvania's Piedmont region is a heavily agricultural section of the Piedmont Plateau. It consists of the following seven Pennsylvania counties:

=Pennsylvania Dutch Country=

{{main|Pennsylvania Dutch Country}}

Image:GreaterPennsylvaniaDutchCountry.png Region]]

Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of Pennsylvania, which has a high percentage of Amish, Mennonite, and "Fancy Dutch" residents. The Pennsylvania Dutch language was historically common, and is still spoken today by many Amish people residing in the state.

It consists of the following counties:

Northeastern Pennsylvania

=Northeastern Pennsylvania=

{{main|Northeastern Pennsylvania}}

Image:Northeastern_Pa.png]]

This mountainous area of Pennsylvania includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and former anthracite coal mining cities, boroughs, and villages.

Northeastern Pennsylvania consists of the following 14 counties:

=Poconos=

{{main|Pocono Mountains}}

File:Map of PA Poconos.gif]]

The Poconos, or the Pocono Mountains region, is a mountainous region of about 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2) located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles north of Allentown, 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:

May be considered part of the Poconos

=Coal Region=

{{main|Coal Region}}

Image:Map of PA Coal Region.gif of Pennsylvania]]

The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains. The region is home to the largest known deposits of anthracite coal in the world with an estimated a reserve of seven billion tons.

=Wyoming Valley=

{{main|Wyoming Valley}}

Image:Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Area.png Region of Pennsylvania]]

Wyoming Valley is a region of Northeastern Pennsylvania shaped like a crescent and part of the ridge-and-valley or folded Appalachians, which includes the metropolitan areas of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

Consisting of the following counties:

=Endless Mountains=

{{main|Endless Mountains}}

Image:Map of PA Endless Mountains.gif Region of Pennsylvania]]

The Endless Mountains are a chain of mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania that are part of the Appalachian Mountains chain. The mountains are not true mountains, geologically speaking, but are a dissected plateau and part of the Allegheny Plateau, along with the higher Catskill Mountains to the east of the Endless Mountains in New York state.

Consisting of the following counties:

=Northern Tier=

{{main|Northern Tier (Pennsylvania)}}

Image:Map of PA Northern Tier.gif Region of Pennsylvania]]

The Northern Tier is a geographic region in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Consisting of the following counties:

Central Pennsylvania

=Susquehanna River Valley=

{{main|Susquehanna Valley}}

Image:Map of PA Susquehanna Valley.gif Region]]

The Susquehanna River is a river in the Northeastern United States. At approximately 410 mi (715 km) in length, it is the longest river on the East Coast.

=South Central Pennsylvania=

Image:SouthCentralPA.PNG

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 (West Central) =

Image:Map of PA Southern Alleghenies.svg

Southern Alleghenies is a geographic region of West Central Pennsylvania, consisting of the following counties:

=Happy Valley=

{{main|Happy Valley (Pennsylvania)}}

Image:Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Centre County.svg Region of Pennsylvania]] 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=

{{main|Cumberland Valley}}

Image:Map of PA Cumberland Valley.gif Region of Pennsylvania]]

Cumberland Valley is a geographic region that lies between South Mountain and Blue Ridge Mountains of Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland.

Consisting of the following counties:

Western Pennsylvania

{{main|Western Pennsylvania}}

=Laurel Highlands=

{{main|Laurel Highlands}}

Image:Map of PA Laurel Highlands.gif Region of Pennsylvania]]

The Laurel Highlands, in the southwestern part of the state of Pennsylvania, traverses the Laurel and Chestnut ridges of the Allegheny Mountains.

Consisting of the following counties:

=Greater Pittsburgh=

{{main|Greater Pittsburgh}}

Image:Map of PA Pittsburgh Metro Area.gif metropolitan area]]

Also known as Southwestern Pennsylvania, the region consists of the following counties:

=Allegheny National Forest=

{{main|Allegheny National Forest}}

Image:Map of PA Allegheny National Forest.gif Region of Pennsylvania]]

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:

=Northwestern Pennsylvania=

Image:Map of PA Northwest Region.gif]]

References

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