Over the next few Monitor issues we'll give you a small taste of the countless attractions that promise to make Philadelphia the site of the greatest Convention of the National Federation of the Blind ever to be held. Let's start with a few facts about the Keystone State, and the city that will be your host in 2001. Pennsylvania is the second state, preceded only by Delaware in adopting the newly-written Constitution. It is roughly rectangular in shape, extending approximately 170 miles from north to south and 308 miles from east to west. Its typography is varied, including mountains, valleys, and rivers.
Forests cover about fifty-six percent of Pennsylvania's total land area.
Of its many cities, Philadelphia is the largest and is, in fact, the fifth biggest city in the U.S. Pittsburgh, our second largest city, was the home of KDKA, licensed in 1920, the first commercial radio broadcasting station in the world. Pennsylvania is the home of 277 institutions of higher learning and a multitude of historical sites that will keep even the most avid student enraptured. Experience America's rich past at Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin Court, Carpenter's Hall, and many more. And be a part of Philadelphia's glorious present and future as you sample our numerous entertainment, shopping, and restaurant options. The Pennsylvania affiliate is preparing a week of warm hospitality and a few surprises that will have you clamoring to return to the City of Brotherly Love very soon.