Erie is a city located in the northwestern region of
Pennsylvania in the United States. The name of the city comes
from Lake Erie, on the southern shore of which the city is
located. With a population of 94,831 as of 2020, the city ranks
fourth in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and
Allentown. The Erie metropolitan area is made up of
approximately 280,000 residents and an additional 195,000
outlying suburban residents. The city is the county seat of Erie
County.
Erie is located near Cleveland (Ohio), Buffalo
(New York), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). The city's economy is
based on the engineering and chemical industries, although
healthcare, higher education and tourism are becoming an
increasingly important economic factor. Many people flock to
Presque Isle, a casino and racetrack named after the state park,
for a coastal getaway.
Erie is known as the Flagship City
due to being the home port of the flagship USS Niagara (1813)
Oliver Hazard Perry. The city is also known as the Pearl City
because of the multiple reflections of the lake. Erie won the
All-American City Award in 1972.
Prehistory and Indigenous Peoples
The history of Erie,
Pennsylvania, begins with indigenous occupation along the Lake Erie
shoreline and bluffs, dating back thousands of years. Archaeological
evidence from sites like the Sommerheim Park Archaeological District in
nearby Millcreek Township reveals artifacts from the Archaic period
(around 8,000 BCE) through the early and middle Woodland periods (up to
about 500 CE), indicating early human utilization of the area's rich
natural resources, including fishing and hunting. The region was later
inhabited by the Erie people (also known as the Eriez or Nation du Chat,
meaning "Cat Nation"), a Native American tribe that settled on the
fertile lake shores in the mid-1600s. However, the Erie tribe was
largely conquered and destroyed by the Iroquois Confederacy around that
time, leading to the Iroquois and specifically the Seneca Nation
claiming the lands. By the 18th century, the Iroquois held ownership,
but on January 9, 1789, they signed a deed relinquishing their claims to
the land for $2,000 from Pennsylvania and $1,200 from the federal
government. The Seneca Nation followed suit in February 1791, settling
for an additional $800.
Colonial Era and European Arrival
European involvement in the area started with French exploration and
fortification efforts. In 1753, the French constructed Fort Presque Isle
near present-day Erie to defend their North American territories (New
France) against British expansion. The name "Presque Isle" derives from
the French term for "almost an island," referring to the peninsula now
known as Presque Isle State Park, which juts into Lake Erie. This fort
was part of a chain of defenses during the French and Indian War
(1754–1763), a North American theater of the global Seven Years' War.
The French abandoned the fort in 1760, marking it as their last western
outpost before Niagara, and the British occupied it that same year until
the war's end in 1763.
The Erie Triangle and American Revolution
Aftermath
Following the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the
Erie area became part of the disputed "Erie Triangle," a 202,187-acre
tract along Lake Erie claimed by multiple states: New York,
Pennsylvania, Connecticut (via its Western Reserve), and Massachusetts.
This territorial conflict was resolved on March 3, 1792, when the
federal government acquired the claims from Connecticut, Massachusetts,
and New York, selling the land to Pennsylvania for 75 cents per acre,
totaling $151,640.25 in continental certificates. This acquisition
formalized Pennsylvania's control over the region, setting the stage for
organized settlement.
Surveying, Early Settlement, and
Incorporation
Pennsylvania's General Assembly authorized surveying of
the land near Presque Isle on April 18, 1795, with Andrew Ellicott—known
for surveying Washington, D.C., and resolving the Pennsylvania-New York
boundary—arriving in June to lay out the town plan. Settlement began
that year, with Colonel Seth Reed and his family from Geneva, New York
(originally Yankees from Uxbridge, Massachusetts), becoming the first
European-American settlers. Reed built a log cabin at the mouth of Mill
Creek, marking Erie's first permanent structure. His sons, Rufus S. and
George W. Reed, joined later. Initially known as Presque Isle, the area
was a village on the lake's shores with gentle slopes and ridges. Erie
was incorporated as a borough on March 29, 1805, with a council and
burgess system, and became a city on April 14, 1851, adopting a mayoral
government. It was transformed into a port in 1801, boosting early
trade.
War of 1812 and Naval Significance
Erie played a
pivotal role in the War of 1812 (1812–1815), when President James
Madison ordered a naval fleet built there to regain control of the Great
Lakes from British forces. Local shipbuilders Daniel Dobbins and Noah
Brown constructed four schooner-rigged gunboats and two brigs. Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry, arriving from Rhode Island, commanded the squadron
and led it to victory in the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813—a
decisive engagement that secured U.S. dominance over the lakes and
marked a turning point in the war. This event elevated Erie's status as
a maritime center.
19th Century Development and the Erie Gauge
War
In the mid-19th century, Erie emerged as a hub for shipbuilding,
fishing, and railroads during westward expansion. However, incompatible
track gauges—6 feet from Buffalo to the New York border and 4 feet 10
inches elsewhere—forced passengers and cargo to transfer in Erie,
creating jobs but causing delays. Efforts to standardize to the national
4-foot-10-inch gauge sparked the Erie Gauge War in the 1850s, where
locals, fearing economic loss, rioted, burned bridges, and tore up
tracks under the mayor's leadership. The Industrial Revolution further
fueled growth, with iron and steel manufacturing booming; companies like
Griswold Manufacturing became leaders in cast-iron cookware.
Early 20th Century: Boom, Disasters, and Prohibition
The early 20th
century saw Erie thrive as a manufacturing center, attracting European
immigrants for industrial jobs and reaching population peaks. A major
disaster struck on August 3, 1915, when Mill Creek flooded downtown
after a culvert collapse, destroying 225 homes and killing 36 people;
Mayor Miles Brown Kitts responded by rerouting the creek into a
2-mile-long culvert. During Prohibition (1920–1933), Erie remained a
"wet" city despite national bans, serving as a key rum-running hub due
to its border location near Canada. Speakeasies like the Pickwick Club
and Killarney Yacht Club flourished, alongside racketeering and
violence. Local politicians like Milton W. Shreve supported Prohibition
but faced backlash; Mayor Kitts resisted state interventions, allowing
the city to "roar" through the 1920s.
Great Depression, Post-WWII
Decline, and Rust Belt Era
The Great Depression (1929–1939) curbed
Erie's excesses and spurred repeal movements, with local Democrats like
James P. Rossiter backing anti-Prohibition candidates. Post-World War II
(1945 onward), suburbanization driven by automobiles and highways led to
population flight to areas like Millcreek Township (growing to 55,000
residents), causing downtown retail decline. By the 1970s,
deindustrialization hit hard, with losses in manufacturing, steel, coal,
and fishing, earning Erie the "Rust Belt" label and nicknames like "The
Mistake on the Lake" or "Dreary Erie." Population dropped from peaks
around 130,000 in the mid-20th century to 94,831 by 2020, with the metro
area at 270,876.
Revival and Modern Era (Late 20th Century to
2025)
Economic restructuring shifted focus to insurance, healthcare,
education, technology, services, and tourism by the late 20th century.
Erie won the All-America City Award in 1972 (and was a finalist in other
years) and hosted the Perry 200 commemoration in 2012 for the War of
1812 bicentennial. Downtown revival accelerated in the early 2020s, with
openings like the Flagship City Food Hall and Public Market in 2021. By
2007, plans for mid-rise housing and retail were underway, and GAF's
relocation freed prime land for development. As of 2025, Erie's metro
GDP stands at $13.171 billion, reflecting ongoing recovery through
diversified industries and cultural heritage tourism, including
historical sites tied to its naval past and indigenous roots.
Erie, Pennsylvania, is located in the northwestern part of the state, along the southern shore of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. It serves as the county seat of Erie County and is positioned at coordinates approximately 42°7′46″N 80°5′6″W. The city is strategically situated about 80 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, 90 miles northeast of Cleveland, Ohio, and 120 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This placement makes it a key point in the Great Lakes region, with proximity to the Canadian province of Ontario across the lake. Erie forms the core of its metropolitan area, which encompasses surrounding regions and had a population of around 270,876 as of 2020.
The topography of Erie is shaped by its glacial history, with bedrock primarily consisting of Devonian shale and siltstone, covered by layers of glacial tills and stratified drift, including outwash plains. The city's average elevation is 728 feet (222 meters) above sea level, while Lake Erie itself sits at about 571 feet (174 meters). Erie occupies a total area of 19.37 square miles (50.16 km²), of which 19.13 square miles (49.55 km²) is land and a small portion—0.24 square miles (0.61 km²), or 1.04%—is water. The urban layout features a grid pattern in the downtown area centered around Perry Square, with the Bayfront Parkway acting as a divider between the city core and the waterfront. South of 38th Street, the terrain transitions into more curvilinear roads amid post-1970 suburban developments. A prominent landform is Presque Isle State Park, a recurving sandspit peninsula that juts northward into Lake Erie, creating a natural harbor and offering 7 miles (11 km) of beaches, wetlands, and recreational sites.
Lake Erie dominates Erie's northern boundary as the southernmost and shallowest of the Great Lakes, providing the city with extensive waterfront access. The city fronts Presque Isle Bay, a sheltered inlet formed by the peninsula, which has historically served as an excellent natural harbor for shipping and maritime activities. Key waterways include Mill Creek, which flows through the city and empties into Presque Isle Bay; this stream has a history of flooding, notably in 1915 when it caused significant damage and loss of life. Drainage patterns in the area generally flow northward into Lake Erie, eventually connecting to Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Atlantic Ocean. South of the city, a drainage divide separates these northern flows from streams that feed into the Allegheny or Ohio River systems. The Port of Erie supports cargo operations, with docks and marinas enhancing the region's connectivity to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway.
Erie's climate is characterized as humid continental, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters influenced heavily by its lakeside position. It borders between a hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) and humid subtropical (Cfa) classification, depending on temperature thresholds. As part of the Great Lakes snow belt stretching from Cleveland to Syracuse, the city receives substantial lake-effect snowfall, averaging 104.3 inches (265 cm) annually based on 1991–2020 data, though some sources note around 78.7 inches (200 cm). Record snowfall includes 198.5 inches (5.04 m) in the 2017–2018 season and extreme events like 53 inches (135 cm) over two days in December 2017. Temperatures have ranged from a low of −18 °F (−28 °C) to a high of 100 °F (38 °C), with about 4 days per year reaching 90 °F (32 °C) or above and 3 days dropping to 0 °F (−18 °C) or below. The area experiences a mix of weather phenomena, including snow, ice, rain, thunderstorms, and fog, with an average relative humidity of 72.4%. Plant hardiness zones vary from 7a along the lakeshore to 6b inland.
The region around Erie has long supported diverse natural resources, evidenced by archaeological sites like the Sommerheim Park Archaeological District, which dates back to 8,000 BCE. Lake Erie provides abundant freshwater, and the area's fertile soils support agriculture, including grape cultivation that makes it the third-largest wine-producing region in the U.S. Modern resource utilization includes biofuels production (over 45 million U.S. gallons or 170 million liters annually) and plastics manufacturing (processing over 10% of the nation's supply). Environmentally, Presque Isle State Park stands out as a National Natural Landmark, featuring beaches, wetlands, and fishing opportunities, along with the Tom Ridge Environmental Center's 7,000 square feet (650 m²) of exhibits. The waterfront has undergone redevelopment for recreation, including parks, amphitheaters, convention centers, and marinas. Efforts to manage environmental challenges, such as directing Mill Creek into a culvert after historical floods, reflect ongoing adaptation. As part of the Rust Belt, Erie has shifted from industrial decline toward tourism and green initiatives.
Geologically, Erie's landscape is a product of ancient glacial activity, with the sandspit of Presque Isle formed by receding glaciers—its name deriving from the French for "almost an island." The Erie Triangle, a 202,187-acre tract along Lake Erie, was a historically disputed area claimed by several states after the American Revolution but ultimately incorporated into Pennsylvania in 1792. Glacial influences define the drainage divides and soil compositions, contributing to the area's unique blend of aquatic and terrestrial features.
According to the 2010 census, there were 101,786 people living in the
city, there were 40,913 households and 22,915 families. Due to economic
decline, the population of the city has decreased over the past 50 years
by approximately 40,000 people.
Whites make up about 65% of the
population of Erie, African Americans - 22%, Hispanics - 8%. Individuals
born outside the US make up 6% of the population. As a result of the
activities of the human rights organization Erie International
Institute, a significant number of refugees from Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia,
Kosovo, Liberia, Sudan and Eritrea settled in the city, which led to a
sharp increase in crime and an increase in the outflow of the middle
class to the suburbs.
At the beginning of the 20th century, many
Russian Old Believers lived in Erie, but by now only one Orthodox church
of the same faith in honor of the Nativity of Christ has remained from
the once large and prosperous community.
The median annual per
capita income is $14,972.
Having begun to develop as a shipbuilding center and an important
lake port that provided Pennsylvania with access to the Great Lakes
system, Erie later became a major railroad junction and a center of
metallurgy and heavy engineering. The decline of traditional industries
that began after World War II dealt a severe blow to the city's economy,
from which Erie has not recovered to this day.
A significant part
of the factories were stopped in the 1970s-1980s. Nevertheless, Erie is
still a major engineering center (in particular, more than half of the
diesel locomotives produced in the United States are assembled in Erie
at the General Electric plant).
Since the late 1980s, the city
began to develop the chemical industry, the production of plastics,
polyethylene and biofuels. The role of tourism and medicine is growing.
Erie is home to many music and dance groups that are known far beyond
the city and even the state.
Also in the city there are many
historical monuments related to the history of the colonists'
development of the Great Lakes region and the struggle of England, the
USA and France for this region.