Our Cultural Identity Today
To understand the diverse cultural identity of
Pennsylvania, we need to understand what culture is.
Culture
is defined as the common beliefs of a large
community of people that are shared and learned
fromgeneration to generation. Some of themajor
features of culture include
ethnicity
, language,
clothing, food, customs, and religion.
Through the years, immigration has brought
together many cultures in Pennsylvania. Each has
brought its unique customs and traditions—language,
music, art, dance, and food. All of these distinctive
traits have been woven into a cultural quilt. Every
year, hundreds of festivals celebrate the ethnic and
religious origins of our citizens, and there aremany
museums that preserve our residents’ cultures.
Pennsylvania’s population has steadily grown
through the years, until recently. According to a 2009
population estimate, 12,448,279 people live in our
state, making it the 6thmost populous in our nation.
Our
population density
is 274 people per square
mile, whichmakes us the 10thmost densely
populated state in our country.
A look at Pennsylvania’s population shows a
state of contrasts. While themajority of our
population lives in urban areas (77%), we are also a
very rural state. According to the U.S.
Census
Bureau, 48 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are
considered rural, meaning they are less populated
areas of countryside away from the cities.
Pennsylvania’s cultural makeup is also a study in
contrasts. There aremany ways to look at our
cultural identity. A racial or ethnic group is one way
we can classify ourselves. Racial or ethnic groupings
move beyond the political borders and look at larger
characteristics, such as common customs, language,
and physical appearance. A look at Pennsylvania’s
population through the U.S. Census Bureau reveals a
wide diversity of racial, ethnic, and religious groups
living within our borders.
Religion is a very important part of our culture.
Only Texas and California havemore places of
worship than Pennsylvania. Overall, Catholics are the
largest religious group in our state, and United
Methodists are the largest Protestant group. But
according to the recent census, close to half of our
population does not report belonging to any specific
religious group.
Our state’s racial makeup is quite varied. Our
Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American racial
groupsmake up a significant part of our population.
White is the largest racial part of our population at
more than 80%, but many people chosemore than
one race as part of their cultural makeup in our state
census. Thismeans that some of our population
consider themselves a part of multiple racial
categories, such as both Asian andWhite.
Pennsylvania is home tomany ethnic festivals, parades, and other celebrations every
year. The Japanese Cherry BlossomFestival in Philadelphia is pictured below. Events
such as these help celebrate the rich cultural and religious heritage of Pennsylvania.
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Understanding Pennsylvania
