Welcome to the Keystone State! At first glance, Pennsylvania’s symbols may not seem terribly exciting, except for its firefly and hellbender. Put them all together, however, and they spell Pennsylvania. (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Keystone State, Quaker State | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Flag | 1907 | > | |
| Motto | Virtue, Liberty, and Independence | 1875 | > |
| Latin Motto | Ubi libertas vivit, hic patria mihi | 2015 | > |
| Song | Pennsylvania | 1990 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) | 1933 | > |
| Tree | eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) | 1931 | > |
| Beautification and Conservation Plant | Penngift crownvetch (Securigera varia) | 1982 | > |
| Bird | ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) | 1931 | > |
| Animal | white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) | 1959 | > |
| Dog | Great Dane (Canis lupus familiaris) | 1965 | > |
| Amphibian | hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) | 2019 | > |
| Fish | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1970 | > |
| Insect | firefly (Photuris pennsylvanica) | 1974 | > |
| Fossil † | trilobite (Phacops rana) | 1988 | > |
| Soil | Hazelton (unofficial)  |
> | |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Beverage | milk  |
1982 | > |
| Steam Locomotive | K4s Steam Locomotive | 1987 | > |
| Electric Locomotive | GG1 4859 Electric Locomotive | 1987 | > |
| Aircraft | Piper J-3 Cub | 2014 | > |
| Arboretum | Morris Arboretum and Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania | 1988 | > |
| Pops Orchestra | Philly Pops | 1999 | > |
| Theatre | Walnut Street Theatre at 9th and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia | 1999 | > |
| Firearm | Pennsylvania long rifle | 2014 | > |
| Flagship of Pennsylvania | United States Brig Niagara | 1988 | > |
The white-tailed deer and brook trout are the most popular of state mammals and fishes. However, the whitetail may be more closely associated with Pennsylvania than another state.
More unusual is the state tree and bird, the eastern hemlock and ruffed grouse. However, the symbol most likely to stop people in their tracks is the hellbender, an aquatic creature that was designated the state amphibian.
However, Pennsylvania’s most exciting symbol may be a Keystone Flag that is poised to become the new state flag. It gets my vote.
If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
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