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Regions of Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Regions of Pennsylvania in the United States include:

Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley is named for the Lehigh River, which flows through it. The region includes Allentown, the third-most populous city in Pennsylvania, the neighboring eastern Pennsylvania cities of Bethlehem and Easton, and its more rural suburbs. The region was once a hub for American heavy manufacturing. Its economy is now more diverse, and it has one of the state's fastest growing populations. It consists of two eastern Pennsylvania counties:

Southeastern Pennsylvania

Delaware Valley

Map of PA Delaware Valley
Counties in the Delaware Valley region of Pennsylvania

The Delaware Valley is named for the Delaware River, which flows through the region. It includes the following five Pennsylvania counties:

Pennsylvania Piedmont

Map of PA Highlands
Counties in Pennsylvania's Piedmont Plateau

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

Pennsylvania Dutch Country

GreaterPennsylvaniaDutchCountry
Counties constituting the 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:

Northeastern Pennsylvania

Northeastern Pennsylvania

Northeastern Pa
Counties constituting 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:

The Poconos

Map of PA Poconos
Counties constituting The 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:

May be considered part of the Poconos

Coal Region

Map of PA Coal Region
Counties constituting the 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.

Wyoming Valley

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Area
Counties constituting the 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:

Endless Mountains

Map of PA Endless Mountains
Counties constituting the 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:

Northern Tier

Map of PA Northern Tier
Counties constituting the Northern Tier Region of Pennsylvania

The Northern Tier is a geographic region in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Consisting of the following counties:

Central Pennsylvania

Susquehanna River Valley

Map of PA Susquehanna Valley
Counties constituting the Susquehanna 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

SouthCentralPA
Counties constituting the South Central Pennsylvania Region

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)

Map of PA Southern Alleghenies
Counties constituting the Southern Alleghenies region of Pennsylvania

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

Happy Valley

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Centre County
Counties constituting the 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:

Cumberland Valley

Map of PA Cumberland Valley
Counties constituting the 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:

Western Pennsylvania

Laurel Highlands

Map of PA Laurel Highlands
Counties constituting the 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:

Greater Pittsburgh

Map of PA Pittsburgh Metro Area
Counties constituting the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area

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

Allegheny National Forest

Map of PA Allegheny National Forest
Counties constituting the 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:

Northwestern Pennsylvania

Map of PA Northwest Region
Counties constituting Northwestern Pennsylvania
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