Founding of the Pennsylvania Colony
When was the colony of Pennsylvania founded? The Pennsylvania Colony was founded in 1682 by William Penn and other colonists.

The Naming of the Pennsylvania Colony
King Charles II of England specified in the charter given to William Penn that the name should be Pennsylvania. This is a combination of the Latin word ' Sylvania ' meaning woodland together with Penn

Fast Facts about the Pennsylvania Colony
Year Founded: 1682 by William Penn and others, at Philadelphia

Major Towns / Cities: Philadelphia, Lancaster, York

Geography: Mountains, coastal plain and plateau areas to Lake Erie lowlands. The general geography of the Middle Colonies had a mix of the New England and Southern features but had fertile soil and land that was suited to farming

Climate: The Middle Colonies had a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters that were suited to farming and agriculture

Religion: Not dominated by a specific religion which gave way to religious freedom for Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and others. Refer to Religion in the Colonies

Natural Resources: Good farmland, timber, furs and coal. Iron ore was a particularly important natural resource

Economics and Trade: Exported agricultural products and natural resources but were also able to manufacture iron ore products such as plows, tools, kettles, locks, nails and large blocks of iron which they exported to England

Government: By 1775 Pennsylvania was governed as a Proprietary Colony.

Original Name: The original name of the colony was the Province of Pennsylvania, later Pennsylvania

Reason for Founding: Religious freedom for Quakers; trade and profits. Pennsylvania was often referred to as a breadbasket colony because it grew so many crops, especially wheat. The wheat was ground into flour in flour mills then shipped to England.

A typical farm was 50 to 150 acres consisting of a house, barn, yard and fields

In 1682 William Penn (1644 - 1718) lands at New Castle, Delaware