Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: The Bay City, The Flagship City, The Gem City, The Lake City | |
Interactive map of Erie | |
| Coordinates: 42°7′46″N 80°5′6″W / 42.12944°N 80.08500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Erie |
| First settled | 1753 |
| Founded | April 18, 1795 |
| Incorporated | April 14, 1851 |
| Named after | Erie people |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Joe Schember (D) |
| Area | |
| 19.37 sq mi (50.16 km2) | |
| • Land | 19.13 sq mi (49.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2) about 1.04% |
| Elevation | 728 ft (222 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 94,831 | |
| • Density | 4,956.67/sq mi (1,913.81/km2) |
| • Metro | 270,876 (Erie Metro) |
| Demonym | Erieite(s) |
| GDP | |
| • Metro | $13.171 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 16501−16512, 16514−16515, 16522, 16530−16534, 16538, 16541, 16544, 16546, 16550, 16553−16554, 16563, 16565 |
| Area codes | 814 and 582 |
| FIPS code | 42-24000 |
| Website | cityof |
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Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 at the 2020 census. The two-county Erie metropolitan area had a population of 270,876 in 2020. Erie is about 80 miles (130 km) from Buffalo, 90 miles (140 km) from Cleveland, and 120 miles (190 km) from Pittsburgh.
The city was named for the Native American Erie people who lived in the area until the mid-17th century. Its nicknames include "Gem City", a reference to its fine natural harbor, the "Gem of the Great Lakes"; and more recently, "Flagship City", from a local marketing effort to play up the homeport of Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship Niagara.
Manufacturing continues to play a large part in Erie's economy, with rising contributions from insurance, healthcare, higher education, technology, service industries, and tourism. Like the other Great Lakes port cities, Erie is accessible to the oceans via the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River network in Canada. The local climate is humid, four-seasonal, and snowy, with warm summers and harsh winters, owing to its southern lakeshore location.