Pennsylvania's Erie Region is aptly named; Erie is its largest city and Lake Erie is the huge inland sea on its doorstep. The area claims a population just short of 1 million people with steady increases since the last census.
The Erie Region of Pennsylvania consists of four counties: Crawford County, Erie County, Mercer County and Venango County. It is characterized by its connection to the Great Lakes, and stands in contrast to downstate Pennsylvania. The region specialized in ship-building, shipping, and industry more closely related to the Great Lakes cities of Buffalo and Rochester, rather than the oil refineries in cities like Philadelphia and the steel industry of Pittsburgh. The region has close ties to Great Lakes sports teams, including the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Red Wings. Northwestern Pennsylvania is much like Western New York, in that it is entirely different from the eastern, more coastal half of the state. It is also much colder and snowier with lake-effect snow falling frequently during the winter.
Great Lakes dialect has a strong presence in northwestern Pennsylvania. One would be hard-pressed to distinguish between those who live in western upstate New York (Rochester, Buffalo) and those who live in Erie. Many O's become A's ("mam" instead of "mom," for example).
The Erie Region is served by Erie International Airport (ERI), as well as the smaller Venango Airport (FKL) in Franklin. The larger airports, Pittsburgh International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport are also viable options, if you don't mind driving for a few hours after your arrival. Some taxis can be found in Erie, but car is the preferred and recommended method of travel for the region.
Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority offers public transport services in the region.