List of cities in Pennsylvania

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This is a list of cities in Pennsylvania, of which there are 57. Cities may theoretically be first-class, second-class, second-class A, or third-class (of which there are 54), according to population and adoption of certain ordinances. However, all first-class (of which there is 1), second-class (of which there is 1), and second-class A (of which there is 1) cities, as well as 24 third-class cities, have adopted Home Rule Charters, which change a city's relationship with the state so much that they are generally no longer considered to be a city under state law. However, they are still considered cities for classification purposes. Unlike other similar lists for Pennsylvania's towns and boroughs and townships, this list does include cities with Home Rule Charters, as, unlike in the previous cases, excluding them would severely limit the comprehensibility of this list. As in those previous cases, however, it should be strongly emphasized that these are not really cities under state law, and they are therefore also listed in "List of Pennsylvania Municipalities and Counties with Home Rule Charters, Optional Charters, or Optional Plans," and are indicated below.

In addition to Home Rule Charters, third-class cities were able to adopt Optional Charters from 1957 to 1972, and all cities (since 1972) have been able to adopt Optional Plans. Optional Charters and Plans function approximately the same way, the major difference being that new applications for the former are no longer accepted and that the latter has been generalized to apply to any municipality in the state. The third-class cities which adopted Optional Charters before 1972 and have not since adopted Home Rule Charters, of which there are 11, still retain them. In addition, 3 third-class cities have Optional Plans. Optional Charters and Plans function mostly to allow the city (or any other municipality, in the case of Optional Plans) to design its own form of local government, but do not significantly change the relationship between the city (or other municipality) and the state, and therefore these cities are still considered cities under state law. Finally, the City of Parker employs a unique (for Pennsylvania cities) form of local government, that of the weak mayor council form, which is established under a special law uniquely for that city; it is still considered a city under state law. Because of Home Rule Charters, Optional Charters, Optional Plans, and Parker's unique situation, only 14 of Pennsylvania's cities still use one of the two standard forms of Pennsylvania city government, the council-manager or mayor-council forms.

Pennsylvania's location within the United States.
Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania and the fifth most populous city in the United States.
Pittsburgh, the second-largest city in the state.
Allentown, the state's third largest city.
Erie, the state's fourth-most populous city.
Reading, the fifth-most populous.
Lancaster, the eighth-largest.
File:Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Capital Building.jpg
Harrisburg, ninth-largest city and capital of the state.
Name County Class[1] Population (2010 Census) Incorporation
date (as city)
Home Rule/Charter/Plan(?)
Aliquippa Beaver Third 9,438 1987 No
Allentown Lehigh Third 118,032 1867 Home Rule
Altoona Blair Third 46,320 1868 Plan
Arnold Westmoreland Third 5,157 1939 No
Beaver Falls Beaver Third 8,987 1928 No
Bethlehem Lehigh
Northampton
Third 74,982 1917 Charter
Bradford McKean Third 8,770 1879 No
Butler Butler Third 13,757 1918 No
Carbondale Lackawanna Third 8,891 1851 Home Rule
Chester Delaware Third 33,972 1866 Home Rule
Clairton Allegheny Third 6,796 1922 Home Rule
Coatesville Chester Third 13,100 1915 Home Rule
Connellsville Fayette Third 7,637 1911 No
Corry Erie Third 6,605 1866 No
DuBois Clearfield Third 7,794 1914 Plan
Duquesne Allegheny Third 5,565 1918 No
Easton Northampton Third 26,800 1887 Home Rule
Erie Erie Third 101,786 1851 Charter
Farrell Mercer Third 5,111 1932 Home Rule
Franklin Venango Third 6,545 1868 Home Rule
Greensburg Westmoreland Third 14,892 1928 Home Rule
Harrisburg Dauphin Third 49,528 1860 Charter
Hazleton Luzerne Third 25,340 1891 Plan
Hermitage Mercer Third 16,220 1976 Home Rule
Jeannette Westmoreland Third 9,654 1938 No
Johnstown Cambria Third 20,978 1889 Home Rule
Lancaster Lancaster Third 59,322 1818 Charter
Latrobe Westmoreland Third 8,944 1999 Home Rule
Lebanon Lebanon Third 25,477 1885 Home Rule
Lock Haven Clinton Third 9,772 1870 Charter
Lower Burrell Westmoreland Third 11,761 1959 No
McKeesport Allegheny Third 19,731 1891 Home Rule
Meadville Crawford Third 13,388 1866 Charter
Monessen Westmoreland Third 7,720 1921 No
Monongahela Washington Third 4,300 1873 No
Nanticoke Luzerne Third 10,465 1926 Home Rule
New Castle Lawrence Third 23,273 1869 Charter
New Kensington Westmoreland Third 13,116 1934 No
Oil City Venango Third 10,557 1871 Charter
Parker Armstrong Third 840 1873 No
Philadelphia Philadelphia First 1,526,006 1701 Home Rule
Pittsburgh Allegheny Second 305,704 1816 Home Rule
Pittston Luzerne Third 7,739 1894 Home Rule
Pottsville Schuylkill Third 14,324 1911 No
Reading Berks Third 88,082 1847 Home Rule
St. Marys Elk Third 13,070 1992 Home Rule
Scranton Lackawanna Second A 76,089 1866 Home Rule
Shamokin Northumberland Third 7,374 1949 No
Sharon Mercer Third 14,038 1917 Home Rule
Sunbury Northumberland Third 9,905 1920 No
Titusville Crawford Third 5,602 1866 Charter
Uniontown Fayette Third 10,372 1864 No
Warren Warren Third 9,710 1832 Home Rule
Washington Washington Third 13,663 1924 No
Wilkes-Barre Luzerne Third 41,498 1871 Home Rule
Williamsport Lycoming Third 29,381 1866 Charter
York York Third 43,718 1887 Charter
  1. As noted above, these designations do not have any legal meaning for those cities with Home Rule Charters, but they are useful for categorization purposes.

See also