List of municipalities in Pennsylvania facts for kids
Pennsylvania is a state in the Northeastern United States. It's a big place! In 2020, over 13 million people lived there, making it the fifth most populated state in the U.S. It's also quite large, covering more than 44,700 square miles (about 115,900 square kilometers) of land.
Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties. Within these counties, there are 2,560 different local areas called municipalities. These municipalities are like local governments that help organize towns and cities.
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four main types of these official local governments:
- Cities (like big urban areas)
- Boroughs (smaller towns, often with their own local government)
- Townships (usually larger areas, often more rural, with their own local government)
There's also one special case, the town of Bloomsburg, which is unique.
Besides these official municipalities, Pennsylvania also has many smaller communities that aren't officially incorporated. For example, Levittown is a large area that spreads across several different municipalities. Many of these smaller places used to be important stops for trains or had their own post offices.
Cities in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has many cities, big and small. The largest city is Philadelphia, which is also the sixth-largest city in the entire United States! It's a very important historical city.
Here are some of the biggest cities in Pennsylvania by population:
- Philadelphia: This is the largest city in Pennsylvania, with over 1.5 million people. It's famous for its history and culture.
- Pittsburgh: The second-largest city, with over 300,000 people. It's known for its bridges and rivers.
- Allentown: The third-largest city, with over 122,000 people.
- Reading: The fourth-largest city, with over 95,000 people.
- Erie: The fifth-largest city, with over 94,000 people, located on Lake Erie.
- Scranton: The seventh-largest city, with over 79,000 people.
- Bethlehem: The eighth-largest city, with over 77,000 people.
- Lancaster: The tenth-largest city, with almost 60,000 people.
- Harrisburg: This is the capital city of Pennsylvania, with almost 50,000 people.
These cities, along with many boroughs and townships, make up the diverse communities across Pennsylvania.
See also
- List of cities in Pennsylvania
- List of counties in Pennsylvania
- List of Pennsylvania Municipalities and Counties with Home Rule Charters, Optional Charters, or Optional Plans
- List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania
- List of townships in Pennsylvania
