MATURITY
(1945-1997)
Population
Pennsylvania's population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau as 12,071,842
in mid-1995. Pennsylvania had long been the second most populous state, behind
New York, but in 1950, it fell to third due to the growth of California. In
1980, Texas also exceeded our population, as did Florida in 1987.
The population growth pattern since 1980 has been one of increases in the eastern border counties other than Philadelphia and Delaware, in the southern tier counties as far west as Somerset, along the Susquehanna Valley, and in the other southeastern counties up to the line bordering the traditional anthracite-producing counties.
Industry
and Commerce
Diversity came to Pennsylvania as the coal, steel, and railroad
industries declined. Ironically, Pennsylvania's early preeminence in industrial
development posed a major liability in plants and equipment. Its enormous
capital investment, past and present, is in plants and equipment now less
efficient than that of newer industrial areas
The production and distribution of chemicals, food, and electrical machinery and equipment are important elements of Pennsylvania's industrial life. The state is also a leader in the cement industry, providing more than 10 percent of the nation's supply. Pennsylvania also produces quantities of clay products-brick, tile and fire clay, as well as glass, limestone and slate. However, by 1980, the apparels industry showed marked decline. Electronic data processing has increased tremendously, and computerization has improved many basic manufacturing and service processes.
Energy
Resources
The market for Pennsylvania's coal began to decline at the end of World War II.
Oil and natural gas were so convenient that they replaced anthracite coal as a
heating fuel. The 1959 Knox Mine flood disaster in Luzerne County foretold the
end of deep mining in the region. In the 1960s, the market revived because large
amounts of coal were used to produce electric power. Mining methods became much
more efficient during this period, but in 1969, the Coal Mine Health and Safety
Act was passed, followed in 1971 by the Federal Clean Air Act. Safety measures
required so much additional labor that productivity per worker fell
dramatically. Pennsylvania's coal was at a disadvantage by cleanliness standards
because of its high sulfur content. Two world oil crises of the 1970s revived
the market for coal again, by 1980, cheap oil was once again available.
In 1994, Pennsylvania's nine nuclear plants produced over one-third of our electricity, placing us second to Illinois in total nuclear-produced electricity.
Agriculture
While the number of farms and the acreage farmed have generally declined over
the past few decades, farm production has increased dramatically due to
technical improvements. Pennsylvania's 50,000 farms are the backbone of the
state's economy. Pennsylvania is an important food distribution center,
supplying farm and food products to markets from New England to the Mississippi
River. Over four million acres of land are harvested crop land, and another four
million acres are in farm woodlands and pastures. This is nearly one-third of
the state's total land area. Agricultural diversity in the Commonwealth is
demonstrated by the fact that Pennsylvania traditionally ranks among the top ten
states in such varied products as milk, poultry, eggs, ice cream, pears, apples,
grapes, cherries, sweet corn, potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, maple
syrup, cabbage, snap beans, Christmas trees and floriculture crops, pretzels,
potato chips, sausage, wheat flour, and bakery products. It also ranks high in
milk cows, total cattle, hogs and sheep.
Transportation
Highways
The Pennsylvania Turnpike, which set the pattern for modern
super-highways throughout the nation, was expanded from the western boundary to
the Delaware River, as well as northward. A far-reaching federal highway act was
passed in 1956, authorizing the federal government to pay 90 percent of the
costs of new roads connecting the nation's principal urban centers. Pennsylvania
took advantage of these funds to build an interstate system that today stretches
along 1,588 miles.
Waterways
Waterways have always been of major importance to Pennsylvania.
The state has three major ports: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie. The Port of
Philadelphia complex encompasses Philadelphia proper and four other cities along
the Delaware River. Located at the confluence of the Ohio, Monongahela, and
Allegheny Rivers, Pittsburgh has long been a center for barge transportation,
especially of coal and limestone. Erie has been a major center for Great Lakes
transportation, especially of steel and zinc, and is connected to the St.
Lawrence Seaway.
Aviation
Constant expansion of passenger service has been the story of
aviation in Pennsylvania since World War II. Today there are sixteen major
airports.
Two aircraft manufacturers prospered during this period. Piper Aircraft Corporation of Lock Haven outdistanced its competitors and produced America's most popular light airplane until the 1970s. Vertol Division of Boeing Corporation, successor to Piasecki Helicopter Corporation, located in Delaware County, was a major manufacturer of helicopters.
Railroads
Because of its extensive service during World War II, the
railroad industry in 1946 was financially more sound than it had been since
1920, but by the end of the 1950s, it was losing ground rapidly to the enlarging
trucking industry. Diesel engines and a few electrified systems replaced the
coal-burning locomotives, which had been the railroads' pulling units for a
century. In 1970, the federal government created Amtrak, a service system
subsidizing passenger service on the major rail lines of the northeastern
states. Rail mileage was reduced by eliminating obsolete and unnecessary lines,
typically those to now non-productive coal mines. Although passenger service to
smaller municipalities has been eliminated, faster travel is possible on the
remaining routes.
Culture
Religion
Pennsylvanians are typically religious. Although standards for enumerating
followers differ greatly among the various religious bodies, confusing the
statistics, it is estimated that 64.4 percent of the population adheres to some
recognized religious faith. This places Pennsylvania among the top ten states in
percentage of worshippers.
The Roman Catholic Church is by far the largest religious body. It has 3.88 million adherents, which is about 32 percent of the population. The Lutherans and United Methodists are the two largest Protestant denominations, each having more than three-quarters of a million adherents. There are slightly less than a half million Presbyterian adherents
The German sects -- the Mennonites and the Amish -- brought distinction to the Commonwealth through the name of "Pennsylvania Dutch," but there are today more Plain People in Ohio and Indiana than there are in Pennsylvania. They are struggling to preserve their culture and religion in the face of technological change, popular fads and attitudes of the general American public.
Education
School consolidation became a major goal after World War II. By
1968, the number of school districts had been compressed from over 2,000 to 742;
today there are only 500. Centralization and improved spending had the desired
effects. In the 1970s, programs for exceptional and for disadvantaged students
were becoming available, and the vocational-technical secondary school option
assisted many youths in finding career areas. In 1974, Pennsylvania's Human
Relations Commission ordered that racial imbalance in public schools be
eliminated by the end of the year.
Political Developments
The
Cold War, Korean Conflict, Vietnam Involvement
After the end of World War II, the United Nations was
established as a parliament of governments in which disputes between nations
could be settled peacefully. Nevertheless, the United States and Communist
countries started an arms race that led to a "cold war," resulting in several
undeclared limited wars. From 1950 to 1953, individual Pennsylvanians were among
the many Americans who fought with the South Koreans against the North Koreans
and their Red Chinese allies. Pennsylvania's 28th Infantry Division was one of
four National Guard divisions called to active duty during the crisis, being
deployed to Germany to help deflect any aggression from Russia or its allies.
The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., includes 1,449 Pennsylvanians among the 58,715 who died as a result of combat.
Government
Modernization
After the Second World War, there was a renewed emphasis on
reorganizing state government. A series of important constitutional amendments
culminated in the calling of a Constitutional Convention in 1967-1968, which
revised the 1874 Constitution. A significant provision prohibits the denial to
any person of his or her civil rights. The General Assembly now meets annually
and is a continuing body. The governor and other elective state officers are
eligible to succeed themselves for one additional term. A unified judicial
system has been established under the Supreme Court, a Commonwealth Court has
been created and the inferior courts have been modernized. Broad extensions of
county and local home rule are possible. In 1971, the voters amended the state
constitution to guarantee that equal rights could not be denied because of sex.
By an act of Dec. 6, 1972, the State Constitution so amended was declared to be
henceforth known and cited as the Constitution of 1968.