The land of Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn, son of Admiral William Penn, who had been given the charter by King Charles II in 1681 to pay a £16,000 debt. The land was named by the king in honor of the elder Penn – it meant "Penn’s Woodlands."
William Penn asked for the grant to build a haven to accommodate and protect his fellow religious adherents after his conversion to the Society of Friends, a persecuted religion. The Quakers’ refusal of creeds and hierarchy, opposition to war, tendency to be more progressive and liberal, and their favor for capitalism are rooted deeply in the history of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s history is tied to the formation of the nation: In 1774, Philadelphia held the First Continental Congress, where representatives from 12 colonies convened. The Second Continental Congress also convened in the city, where the states signed the Declaration of Independence at the Pennsylvania State House, later known as Independence Hall. As one of the 13 original founding states, Pennsylvania was the second to ratify the 1787 U.S. Constitution, drafted and signed in Independence Hall.
Cost of Living
| 2021 Third Quarter 2021 Cost of Living (US Average 100) |
| Rank |
Index |
Grocery |
Housing |
Utilities |
Transportation |
Health |
Misc. |
| 29 |
100.5 |
105 |
95 |
105.7 |
104 |
98 |
101.1 |