Erie, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erie
City
Downtown Erie Perry Square USS Niagara Bicentennial Tower Erie Art Museum Presque Isle Bay
Flag Coat of Arms
Nicknames:  The Bay City, The Flagship City, The Gem City, The Lake City
Erie Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Erie Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Erie
First settled	1753 (1753)
Founded	April 18, 1795 (1795-04-18)
Incorporated	April 14, 1851 (1851-04-14)
Named for	Erie people
Area
• City	19.37 sq mi (50.16 km2)
• Land	19.13 sq mi (49.55 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2)  about 1.04%
Elevation	728 ft (222 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	94,831
• Density	4,956.67/sq mi (1,913.81/km2)
• Metro	270,876 (Erie Metro)
Demonym(s)	Erieite(s)
GDP
• Metro	$13.171 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	16501−16512, 16514−16515, 16522, 16530−16534, 16538, 16541, 16544, 16546, 16550, 16553−16554, 16563, 16565
Area codes	814 and 582
FIPS code	42-24000

Erie (pronounced EER-ee) is a city in Pennsylvania, USA. It sits right on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city is the main town of Erie County.

Erie is the fifth-largest city in Pennsylvania. About 94,831 people lived here in 2020. The larger Erie area, including nearby towns, had about 270,876 people. Erie is not too far from other big cities. It's about 80 miles from Buffalo, 90 miles from Cleveland, and 120 miles from Pittsburgh.

The city got its name from the Erie people. They were a Native American group who lived in this area long ago. Erie has a few cool nicknames. It's called "Gem City" because of its beautiful natural harbor on the lake. It's also known as "Flagship City." This name comes from the USS Niagara, a famous ship that was homeported here.

Factories and making things are still important to Erie's economy. But other areas are growing too. These include insurance, healthcare, colleges, technology, and tourism. Like other cities on the Great Lakes, Erie can reach the ocean. Ships can travel through Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Erie has four seasons. Summers are warm, and winters are cold and snowy. This is because of its location on the lake.

History of Erie

The Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 was a big moment for Erie.

People have lived along the shores of Lake Erie for thousands of years. They used the rich natural resources found here. In fact, tools and items from as far back as 8,000 BCE have been found nearby.

Europeans first came to this area in 1753. The French built Fort Presque Isle close to where Erie is today. They built it to protect their lands from the British. The fort was named after the peninsula that sticks out into Lake Erie. Presque-isle is a French word meaning "almost an island" or "peninsula." The French left the fort in 1760 during the French and Indian War. The British took over the fort that same year.

Erie is located in an area once called the Erie Triangle. This land was claimed by several states after the American Revolutionary War. These states included New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

Erie in the 1700s

The Iroquois Native American group also claimed the land where Erie is now. In 1789, they agreed to give up their claim. Pennsylvania paid them $2,000, and the U.S. government paid $1,200. The Seneca Nation also settled their land claims in 1791 for $800. The land officially became part of Pennsylvania in 1792.

Pennsylvania decided to survey the land near Presque Isle in 1795. Andrew Ellicott helped plan the city of Erie that year. The first European-American settlers arrived in Erie around this time. Lieutenant Colonel Seth Reed and his family were among the first.

Erie in the 1800s

During the War of 1812, President James Madison ordered a naval fleet to be built. This was to help the U.S. gain control of the Great Lakes from the British. Ships were built in Erie by Daniel Dobbins and Noah Brown. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry then led the fleet to victory. This happened in the famous Battle of Lake Erie.

Erie became a busy center for shipbuilding, fishing, and railroads in the mid-1800s. At one point, three different track gauges (widths of railroad tracks) met in Erie. This meant cargo had to be moved from one train to another. It created many jobs in the city. When a national standard track width was suggested, these jobs were at risk. In an event called the Erie Gauge War, citizens protested. They even set fire to bridges and ripped up tracks to try and stop the change.

Erie in the 1900s and 2000s

Downtown Erie in the early 1920s.

On August 3, 1915, the Mill Creek flooded downtown Erie. Heavy rains caused a tunnel to block with debris. A large amount of water built up behind it. When the tunnel collapsed, a huge flood destroyed 225 homes and killed 36 people. After the flood, the Mill Creek was moved into a much larger underground tunnel. This tunnel runs for over 2 miles under the city.

Erie kept growing in the first half of the 1900s. This was thanks to its strong factories. Many European immigrants came to Erie for these industrial jobs. However, in the late 1900s, many factories closed. This caused Erie's economy to struggle. The city lost many jobs and people. Erie is part of what is called the "Rust Belt." This term describes areas where many old factories closed down.

After World War II, more people started using cars. Many moved from Erie to nearby suburbs like Millcreek Township. This caused downtown businesses to decline. Some people even started calling Erie "The Mistake on the Lake" or "Dreary Erie." But downtown Erie has been improving recently. New places like the Flagship City Food Hall have opened.

Erie has won the All-America City Award several times. It won in 1972 and was a finalist in other years. In 2012, Erie hosted the Perry 200 event. This celebrated 200 years of peace between Britain, America, and Canada after the War of 1812.

A wide view of downtown Erie in 1912.

Geography and Climate

Mill Creek flows through Erie, including the Erie Zoo.

Erie is in Northwestern Pennsylvania. It sits on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city is about 100 miles northeast of Cleveland, Ohio. It's also 90 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, and 128 miles north of Pittsburgh.

The city of Erie is about 728 feet above sea level. Lake Erie itself is about 571 feet above sea level. Erie covers about 19.3 square miles of land. A small part, about 0.2 square miles, is water.

Presque Isle State Park is a cool feature of Erie. Locals call it "the Peninsula" or "the beach." It's a sandy strip of land that reaches into Lake Erie. This creates a great natural harbor for the city. The park has 7 miles of public beaches, wetlands, and fishing spots.

Downtown Erie is set up in a grid pattern around Perry Square. The Bayfront Parkway separates the downtown area from the waterfront. The tallest building in Erie is the Renaissance Centre. The tallest structure is St. Peter Cathedral.

Erie used to have many neighborhoods based on different ethnic groups. One example is Little Italy on the west side. South of 38th Street, the roads become more curvy. This is where newer suburban areas like Millcreek Township and Summit Township are found.

The waterfront in Erie has been redeveloped for fun and tourism. This includes the Bayfront Parkway, Niagara Pier, and Dobbins Landing. The Bicentennial Tower is at the end of Dobbins Landing. The Erie Maritime Museum and the main Erie County library are also by the water. The USS Niagara is docked here too.

Erie's Weather

Erie has a humid climate with four distinct seasons. It's in a "snow belt" that stretches from Cleveland to Syracuse. This means winters are cold with lots of lake-effect snow. But there are also mild periods when snow melts. Erie gets all kinds of weather, including snow, ice, rain, thunderstorms, and fog.

The lake helps keep summer temperatures from getting too hot. On average, Erie has only about 4 days a year where the temperature reaches 90°F (32°C) or higher. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 100°F (38°C) in 1988. On average, Erie has about 3 days a year where the temperature drops to 0°F (-18°C) or colder. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -18°F (-28°C) in 1994 and 2015.

Erie is known for its heavy snowfall. It averages about 100.8 inches (256 cm) of snow each winter. On December 24 and 25, 2017, Erie got 53 inches (135 cm) of snow. This broke the record for the largest two-day snowfall in Pennsylvania. The 2017–2018 winter was Erie's snowiest ever, with 198.5 inches (504 cm) of snow.

People of Erie

Erie's population has been getting smaller since the 1960s. This is mainly because factories and related businesses left the area. The city has lost about 40,000 people since then.

In 2010, there were 101,786 people living in Erie. The average age of people in Erie was 34. Most people living in Erie are of European descent.

Since the 1980s, the International Institute of Erie (IIE) has helped refugees. They have helped people from many countries settle in Erie. This has made Erie's community more diverse. It has also led to more cultural events and festivals.

Religion in Erie

The Catholic faith is very important in Erie, seen at places like Mercyhurst University.

In the early 1900s, Erie had a large community of Russian immigrants. Many of them worked in shipbuilding. Some of these Russians were Old Believers, a special group within the Eastern Orthodox Church. Today, the gold-domed Church of the Nativity is an Old Ritualist church. It is near where the Russian community used to be.

Erie also has a Jewish community that is over 150 years old. There are two main synagogues: Temple Anshe Hesed and Congregation Brith Sholom.

Erie is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie. This covers 13 counties and is the largest in Pennsylvania by area. Its main church is Saint Peter Cathedral. This church has a tall central tower that is 265 feet high.

Erie's Economy

The Erie Forge and Steel factory.

Erie is Pennsylvania's main way to access Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. After the American Revolution, it became a key port city. Then, it became a railroad hub as America expanded westward. During the Industrial Revolution, Erie was important for making iron and steel. Companies like Griswold Manufacturing, known for cast-iron cookware, did very well here.

After many large factories closed in the late 1900s, Erie's economy changed. Now, it has a mix of smaller and medium-sized businesses. These include steel and plastic plants. Service industries like healthcare, insurance, and tourism are also very important.

Erie Insurance Group and Marquette Savings Bank have their main offices in Erie. Other big employers include the county, state, and federal governments. The Erie City School District is also a major employer.

More than 10% of the plastics made in the U.S. are manufactured or finished in Erie. Erie is also becoming a center for biofuels and environmental research. It produces over 45 million gallons of biofuel each year. Tourism is growing too. Over 4 million people visit Presque Isle State Park and other attractions. Many shoppers from Ohio, New York, and Canada come to the Millcreek Mall. This is because Pennsylvania does not have sales tax on clothing.

UPMC Hamot and Saint Vincent Health System are major healthcare employers in Erie. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs also runs the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Shriners International has operated a Shriners Hospital for Children in Erie since 1927. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is a growing medical school and healthcare provider in the city.

Arts and Culture

Bicentennial Tower and the Niagara ship.

Museums to Explore

The Erie Art Museum is the city's main art gallery. It's located in the historic Old Customshouse. The museum shows folk art and modern art. It also hosts popular blues and jazz concerts. The museum works on public art projects to make the city better. For example, in 2000, they had a "GoFish" project. Artists decorated 95 fiberglass fish that were placed around the city.

The Erie Maritime Museum teaches about Erie's role in the War of 1812. It is home to the USS Brig Niagara. This is a modern copy of the 1813 USS Niagara. That ship was Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's main ship during the Battle of Lake Erie.

Fun Entertainment

The beautiful Warner Theatre.

Erie has many groups that perform arts. The Erie Philharmonic is a professional orchestra that has been around since 1913. They also have a chorus and a junior group. The Lake Erie Ballet is a professional dance company. They perform well-known shows throughout the year.

The historic Warner Theatre in downtown Erie hosts many performances. It's a key part of Erie's Civic Center. The Erie Playhouse is also downtown. It's one of the oldest community theaters in the U.S. Erie also has other community theaters like Dramashop.

Erie hosts many festivals. Since 2007, the annual Roar on the Shore motorcycle rally has taken place here.

Presque Isle Downs & Casino opened in 2007. It was the first casino in Western Pennsylvania.

Erie has been a filming location for movies. For example, it's the hometown of the fictional band The Wonders in the movie That Thing You Do!. Famous people from Erie include Train lead singer Patrick Monahan and Marc Brown. He is the author and illustrator of the Arthur books and TV show.

Libraries for Learning

There are five library branches in Erie County. The Main Library opened in 1996. It is the third-largest library in Pennsylvania. It is connected to the Erie Maritime Museum. It also has great views of Presque Isle Bay. The Main Library has an art collection and offers internet access.

Historic Buildings to See

Along West 6th Street, you can find "Millionaires Row." This area has many beautiful 19th-century Victorian mansions. The John Hill House is one of these notable homes. The First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant is also a well-known landmark here. The Watson-Curtze Mansion is home to the Erie County Historical Society. It shows exhibits about Erie's history.

The Erie Land Light is a lighthouse built in 1818 and rebuilt in 1867.

The Bicentennial Tower was built in 1995-96. It celebrates the city's 200th birthday. It is 187 feet tall and offers amazing views of Lake Erie and downtown.

Sports and Recreation

UPMC Park, home of the Erie SeaWolves, with downtown Erie in the background.

Erie is home to several sports teams. The Erie SeaWolves play AA baseball. They are part of the Detroit Tigers organization. The Erie Otters play hockey in the Ontario Hockey League. Hockey games are played at Erie Insurance Arena. Baseball games are held at UPMC Park.

Colleges in Erie also have active sports programs. These include Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, Edinboro University, and Penn State Behrend. Local high schools compete in PIAA District 10 events.

Parks and Fun Places

The Perry Monument in Presque Isle State Park.

Downtown Erie is next to Presque Isle State Park, a special natural landmark. The Seaway Trail runs through downtown Erie along the lake. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center is at the entrance to Presque Isle. It has 7,000 square feet of exhibits.

The Erie region grows grapes and makes a lot of wine. It's the third-largest wine-producing area in the U.S. Other fun places to visit include the Bayfront Convention Center and the Bicentennial Tower. The Millcreek Mall is one of the largest shopping malls in the U.S. It's located in nearby Millcreek Township.

Splash Lagoon is an indoor waterpark in Summit Township. It's the largest indoor waterpark on the East Coast. Waldameer Park is an amusement park at the base of Presque Isle. It's one of the oldest amusement parks in Pennsylvania.

Education in Erie

The main campus of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Erie Public Schools has about 12,527 students. It has 23 public schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools. There is also one charter school. Besides public schools, Erie has over 40 private schools.

Erie has two public high schools: Erie High School and Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy. There are also three Catholic high schools: Cathedral Preparatory School, Mercyhurst Preparatory School, and Villa Maria Academy.

Erie is home to several colleges and universities. These include Gannon University downtown and Mercyhurst University. Other colleges nearby are Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

The Barber National Institute helps children and adults with mental disabilities. Its main campus is in Erie. The Achievement Center also helps children with physical and mental disabilities.

Media and News

The office of the Erie Times-News newspaper.

Erie has a daily newspaper called the Erie Times-News. There is also an alternative weekly newspaper called Erie Reader.

Erie is served by several TV stations. These include WICU-TV (NBC), WJET-TV (ABC), WFXP (FOX), and WSEE-TV (CBS). WQLN is a PBS station.

Erie has many AM and FM radio stations. You can also hear broadcasts from nearby cities.

In 2019, Erie was featured on the TV show Undercover Billionaire. In the show, a wealthy businessman named Glenn Stearns came to Erie. He tried to build a business worth over $1 million in 90 days. He created a successful barbecue business called UnderDog BBQ.

Transportation

The last McDonnell Douglas DC-9 for US Air arrived at Erie International Airport in 2007.

Union Station serves Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited train.

A road map of Erie and its major routes.

The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority bus.

Erie is well connected to major highways. I-90 runs through Erie. This is a big highway that goes across the country. I-79 starts in Erie and goes south to Pittsburgh. I-86 starts near Erie and goes east into New York. The Bayfront Connector connects I-90 to downtown Erie. Main roads in the city include 12th Street, 26th Street, 38th Street, and Peach Street. State Street divides the city into east and west.

The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority runs the city's bus system, called the "e". Buses run daily in the city. Greyhound Lines and Lakefront Lines offer bus service to other cities. They operate from the Intermodal Transportation Center.

Two major freight train lines run through Erie: CSX and Norfolk Southern. Passenger train service is provided by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited. This train stops at Union Station. It travels to New York City or Boston in one direction, and to Chicago in the other.

Erie International Airport and Tom Ridge Field is about 5 miles west of the city. It has flights to cities like Charlotte and Detroit. The airport is expanding its runway to allow for larger planes.

The Port of Erie is on Presque Isle Bay. It's a natural harbor for cargo shipping on the Great Lakes. The Erie−Western Pennsylvania Port Authority offers water taxi service in the summer.

Sister Cities

Erie has four official sister cities:

• Dungarvan, Ireland (since 2007)
• Lublin, Poland (since 1998)
• Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico (since 1973)
• Zibo, Shandong, China (since 1985)

Notable People from Erie

• List of people from Erie, Pennsylvania

See also

In Spanish: Erie (Pensilvania) para niños