Regions of Pennsylvania

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: • Lehigh County • Northampton County • Population (2020): 687,508 ==Southeastern Pennsylvania==

Delaware Valley 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: • Bucks • Chester • Delaware • Montgomery • Philadelphia • Population (2020): 6.245 million The Delaware Valley is centered around Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania and sixth-largest city in the nation. Pennsylvania Piedmont Pennsylvania's Piedmont region is a heavily agricultural section of the Piedmont Plateau. It consists of the following seven Pennsylvania counties: • Adams • Cumberland • Dauphin • Franklin • Lancaster • Lebanon • York Pennsylvania Dutch Country 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: • York • Perry • Berks • Cumberland • Adams • Lebanon • Franklin • Lancaster ==Northeastern Pennsylvania==

Northeastern Pennsylvania 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: • Bradford County • Carbon County • Columbia County • Lackawanna County • Luzerne County • Monroe County • Montour County • Northumberland County • Pike County • Schuylkill County • Sullivan County • Susquehanna County • Wayne County • Wyoming County Poconos 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: • Carbon • Monroe • Pike • Wayne Coal Region 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. • Schuylkill • Carbon • Northumberland • Columbia • Luzerne • Lackawanna Wyoming Valley 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: • Luzerne • Lackawanna • Wyoming Endless Mountains 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: • Sullivan • Wyoming • Bradford • Susquehanna Northern Tier Region of Pennsylvania The Northern Tier is a geographic region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Consisting of the following counties: • Sullivan • Wyoming • Bradford • Susquehanna • Tioga • Potter • McKean ==Central Pennsylvania==

Susquehanna River Valley 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 South Central Pennsylvania is often referred to as some combination of the following counties: • Adams • Cumberland • Dauphin • Franklin • Huntingdon • Juniata • Lancaster • Lebanon • Mifflin • Perry • Snyder • York The following counties are less frequently included in the description of the region: • Schuylkill • Berks • Northumberland • Fulton Southern Alleghenies (West Central) Southern Alleghenies is a geographic region of West Central Pennsylvania, consisting of the following counties: • Bedford • Blair • Cambria • Fulton • Huntingdon • Somerset Happy Valley 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: • Centre Cumberland Valley 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: • Cumberland • Franklin ==Western Pennsylvania==

Laurel Highlands 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: • Fayette • Somerset • Cambria • Westmoreland Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area Also known as Southwestern Pennsylvania, the region consists of the following counties: • Allegheny • Armstrong • Beaver • Butler • Washington • Westmoreland • Fayette Allegheny National Forest 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: • Forest • Elk • Warren • McKean Northwestern Pennsylvania • Erie • Crawford • Mercer • Venango • Warren • Lawrence • Butler • Clarion • Forest ==References==