Philadelphia is known for its Revolutionary War-era historical sites like Valley Forge, its large cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, its farming regions, some occupied by the Amish, and a (once)-strong industrial history.

With equally large swaths of cities and towns as fields and mountains, Pennsylvania is a rich and varied state, as well as a worthy travel destination. Pennsylvania is bordered by the states of New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a geographically diverse state with a Great Lake on one shore and a major seaport on the other. The climate of Pennsylvania is pleasant, with cold, often snowy winters, mild to hot, humid summers, and gorgeous green springtimes, and most notably, spectacular displays of colorful autumn foliage.

A study released in the summer of 2003 by Penn State University shows that Pennsylvania's horse industry is massive and thriving, contributing big bucks to the state economy. And it's preserving more than a million acres of state farmland.

$8.2 billion or 18 percent of agribusiness sales, the state's largest industry, can be attributed to horses. The $8.2 billion refers to investments including land, buildings, machinery, etc., and does not include the value of the horses themselves, an additional $1.3 billion.

The state is home to more than 220,000 horses.

The study shows the total value of Pennsylvania's horses more than doubled since 1990, from $620 million to $1.3 billion. The industry's total investment in land, horses, buildings, trucks, trailers, tack and other assets, is a whopping $9.5 billion.

Not included in the study was money spent by residents of other states and countries who come to Pennsylvania to ride or compete. The Pennsylvania National Horse Show estimates that out of state competitors spend $40 million each year on hotels, meals, shopping, and more during that show alone.

Among the study's most interesting findings is that the amount of land devoted to horses totals 1,140,000 acres, valued at $4.8 billion.

Pennsylvania in Numbers:

Horse Population : Approximately 170,000 Total Economic Impact: over $ -- billion Population : 12,429,616 Land area : 44,817 sq. miles Capital : Harrisburg Counties: 67 Highest Point : Mt. Davis: 3,213 feet Lowest Point : Delaware River: 0 feet 10 largest Cities :   Philadelphia: 1,463,281 Pittsburgh: 316,718 Allentown: 106,992 Erie: 102,612 Reading: 80,855 Scranton: 73,120 Bethlehem: 72,895 Lancaster: 54,757 Harrisburg: 47,472 Altoona: 47,176