Erie, Pa., shire town of Erie co. On the shore of Lake Erie, 272 miles N. W. from Harrisburg, 90 miles, on the lake, S. W. from Buffalo, N. Y., and 94 N. E. from Cleveland, O. Erie is built upon a bluff pleasantly overlooking Presque Isle Bay, the peninsula of which forms it, and the broad expanse of the lake beyond. The site is level, and the town is regularly laid out with broad and handsome streets. The public buildings are generally fine specimens of architecture, and many of the private residences are elegant, making this one of the pleasantest places in Pennsylvania.