Western Pennsylvania , a key point for frontier trade and an important thoroughfare to the West, was the focus of the fighting between the English and the French in the seven-year French and Indian War for colonial and maritime power (1756-63). It grew to industrial prominence in the nineteenth century, with the exploitation of its coal resources gathering pace after the Civil War, and the opening of the world's first oil well at Titusville (now Drake Well Memorial Park) in northwestern Pennsylvania in 1859.

Today, tourism in western Pennsylvania, like the now-quiet coal and steel industries, is concentrated around the surprisingly appealing city of Pittsburgh . To the south of the city, the Laurel Highlands features Frank Lloyd Wright's not-to-be-missed architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater , as well as nearby Ohiopyle State Park and the Youghiogheny River , which offer plenty of outdoor activities. Another great wilderness area to explore is the lush Allegheny National Forest in the north, which begins twenty miles from I-80. Erie's Presque Isle State Park , in the very northwest corner of the state, is also worth a visit for its sandy beaches and wooded hiking trails.

Western Pennsylvania

• Western Pennsylvania

Explore Western Pennsylvania

• Fallingwater
• Northwest Pennsylvania
• Ohiopyle
• Pittsburgh

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