Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania "Wilkes-Barre"
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania City and County seat Wilkes-Barre with Susquehanna From top to bottom, left to right: Downtown Wilkes-Barre, looking west from Giants Despair, Wilkes-Barre Public Square, Luzerne County Courthouse, Panorama of Wilkes Barre, and the Susquehanna River Official seal of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Nickname(s): The Diamond City, Coal City, Dub City, The W-B Wilkes-Barre is positioned in Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre - Wilkes-Barre Location in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Body Wilkes-Barre City Council City and County seat 7.2 sq mi (18.6 km2) City and County seat 40,780 (US:920) Wilkes-Barre (/ w lks b r/ or /-b ri/) is a town/city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the governmental center of county of Luzerne County.
It is one of the principal metros/cities in the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley, it is second in size to the close-by city of Scranton.
The Scranton Wilkes-Barre Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Travel Destination had a populace of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census, making it the fourth-largest metro/statistical region in the state of Pennsylvania.
Wilkes-Barre and the encircling Wyoming Valley are framed by the Pocono Mountains to the east, the Endless Mountains to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south.
The Susquehanna River flows through the center of the valley and defines the northwestern border of the city.
Wilkes-Barre was established in 1769 and formally incorporated in 1806.
The town/city interval quickly in the 19th century after the discernment of close-by coal reserves and the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who provided a workforce force for the small-town mines.
The coal quarrying fueled industrialization in the city, which reached the height of its prosperity in the first half of the 20th century.
Today the town/city has a populace of 41,498, making it the biggest city in Luzerne County and the 13th-largest town/city in Pennsylvania.
2 City government Wilkes-Barre as depicted on an 1872 panoramic map They established a frontier settlement titled Wilkes-Barre after John Wilkes and Isaac Barre, two British members of Parliament who supported colonial America.
Armed men loyal to Pennsylvania twice attempted to evict the inhabitants of Wilkes-Barre in what came to be known as the Pennamite Yankee War.
In 1797, a several decades after the city's founding, Louis Philippe, later the King of France from 1830 to 1840, stayed in Wilkes-Barre while traveling to the French Asylum settlement. Wilkes-Barre's populace exploded due to the discernment of anthracite coal in the 19th century; the economic boom resulted in the town/city being nicknamed "The Diamond City." During Wilkes-Barre's reign as an industrialized and economic force in America, a number of primary companies and franchises became based in the city, such as Woolworth's, Sterling Hotels, Planter's Peanuts, Miner's Bank, Bell Telephone, HBO, Luzerne National Bank, and Stegmaier.
Children working under the watch of a man in Wilkes-Barre's coal trade (1906) It is said that Babe Ruth hit one of the longest home runs in history in Wilkes-Barre early in the 20th century.
"On October 12, 1926, Babe Ruth visited Wilkes-Barre's Artillery Park to play in an exhibition game between Hughestown and Larksville.
Wilkes-Barre is the place of birth of the Planters Peanuts Company, which was established in 1906 by Italian immigrants Amedeo Obici and partner Mario Peruzzi.
Founded in the town/city in 1906, the business maintained its command posts in Wilkes-Barre until 1961. Most coal operations left Wilkes-Barre by the end of World War II.
In November 1972, 365 subscribers of Service Electric Cable were the first to receive HBO's premium cable tv service, making Wilkes-Barre the place of birth of undivided cable TV programming. Flood Walls on Market Street in Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre amid the September 2011 flood Manufacturing and retail remained Wilkes-Barre's strongest industries, but the city's economy took a primary blow from Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.
The storm pushed the Susquehanna River to a height of nearly 41 feet (12 m), four feet above the city's levees, flooding downtown with nine feet of water.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Wilkes-Barre attempted to prevent the damage from storms as intense as Agnes by building a levee fitness that rises 41 feet (12 m); completedin January 2003, the network of levees was instead of at a cost of $250 million. It has successfully resisted less threatening floods in 1996, 2004 and 2006.
In 2006, the town/city made the front page of nationwide newspapers when 200,000 inhabitants were told to evacuate in the wake of flooding that was forecast to reach levels near that of 1972, though the flooding fell short of predictions. In late August 2011, Hurricane Irene off the New Jersey coast caused the Susquehanna River to rise to flood stage but was no cause for alarm for the city.
In Wilkes-Barre it crested on September 9 at an all-time record of 42.66 feet (13.00 m), nearly two feet higher than water levels reached in 1972's Hurricane Agnes.
The levees protected Wilkes-Barre, but close-by boroughs that did not have levees, such as West Pittston, Plymouth, and parts of Plains Township, were affected by extreme flooding and the subsequent water damage.
Luzerne County Courthouse, the seat of power for the Luzerne County government Downtown Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre Public Square campaign for Wilkes-Barre, which was intended to boost the city's spirits.
The City of Wilkes-Barre jubilated its 200th anniversary in 2006.
Most of the city's populace was ordered to evacuate on June 28, 2006.
Since culmination of the River Common, additional improvements to town/city infrastructure have been progressing.
Conahan Intermodal Transportation Facility has added parking and relocated Luzerne County buses from their former Public Square staging sites.
The widening and realignment of Coal Street, a primary road connecting Wilkes-Barre City with Wilkes-Barre Township, was instead of in 2012.
The new Coal Street provides four lanes over the initial two lanes, making travel between the highly commercial Wilkes-Barre Township and the town/city much easier.
The 2012 realignment also provides travelers with a spectacular view of the town/city center when traveling west into Wilkes-Barre City.
Wilkes-Barre City Hall See also: List of mayors of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Before becoming mayor, George served as the Wilkes-Barre Chief of Police.
The office of Audit and Control is the third branch of Wilkes-Barre City government.
Submit reports to the City Council and the Mayor of any records deemed in violation of law or contrary to accepted accounting procedures.
Prepare and submit to Council and the Mayor inside sixty (60) days of the end of every fiscal year a complete financial statement of the affairs of the City with such comments as the Controller deems appropriate.
The City of Wilkes-Barre is served by two City Attorneys (Timothy Henry and Maureen Collins).
They advise both the Mayor and City Council.
See also: Luzerne County Council and Luzerne County Manager The Luzerne County government operates out of Wilkes-Barre.
The town/city is the administrative center of Luzerne County.
Many government offices are situated inside the county courthouse (located at 200 North River Street in Downtown Wilkes-Barre).
The Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas also operates out of the county courthouse.
Eddie Day Pashinski (D) represents Wilkes-Barre in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
John Yudichak (D) represents the town/city in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
Matthew Cartwright (D) represents Wilkes-Barre on the federal level (in the U.S.
Pennsylvania Route 309 near Wilkes-Barre Smaller, private planes may also use the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort.
Interstate 81 passes north south near Wilkes-Barre, and the town/city is also positioned near the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and is about 10 miles (16 km) north of Interstate 80.
Pennsylvania Route 309 also passes near Wilkes-Barre.
In addition to servicing the city, it provides transit for the northern half of the county.
The town/city was at one time served by the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (later Erie Lackawanna Railway), Delaware and Hudson Railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad, and the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad (known as the Laurel Line).
The Wilkes-Barre Traction Company formed a streetcar line from Georgetown to Nanticoke and over the river into Plymouth (it ceased operations in the mid-1940s).
Today, the Canadian Pacific Railway (successor to the Delaware and Hudson) and the Luzerne and Susquehanna Railroad (designated-operator of a county-owned shortline) furnish freight service inside the city.
The Susquehanna River and Wilkes-Barre City Downtown Wilkes-Barre According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 7.2 square miles (19 km2), of which 6.8 square miles (18 km2) is territory and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 4.60%, is water.
While the Susquehanna River has a wide floodplain that has necessitated the assembly of floodwalls to protect a large percentage of the city, the areas away from the river increase in altitude approaching Wilkes-Barre Mountain.
Wilkes-Barre homes over one dozen neighborhoods, which are: Central City: The region now referred to as "Downtown." It is between South and North Streets, and bordered by River Street and Wilkes-Barre Boulevard to the West and East in the order given.
It is the initial foundation of Wilkes-Barre, the 16 blocks claimed by the Connecticut pioneer who established the city.
Throughout the city's history, the region has remained a core for all of Luzerne County.
During the city's boom, this small region was home to the command posts of more than 100 nationwide corporations.
An estimated 40,000 citizens live and/or work in Downtown Wilkes-Barre every day.
It includes two town/city parks, a golf course, and a number of factories.
South Wilkes-Barre: This is the region directly southwest of Downtown.
East End, along with Heights and Mayflower, are fairly new areas compared to the rest of the city, having only been advanced in the 20th Century.
Old pictures of the Stegmaier Building (which is the earliest high-rise in Wilkes-Barre and the last one on Downtown's easterly border) show that everything east of Downtown was forests and coal mines.
Rolling Mill Hill: This is the region located in the southwestern region of the city.
Goose Island: This is the region located in the southwestern region of the town/city between Rolling Mill Hill and South Wilkes-Barre.
Wilkes-Barre Township (southeast) Wilkes-Barre has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa/Dfb) with four distinct seasons.
Winters are cold with a January average of 25.8 F ( 3.4 C). The encircling mountain peaks have an influence on the climate on both rain and temperatures, dominant to wide variations inside a short distance. On average, temperatures below 0 F ( 17.8 C) are infrequent, occurring 3 days per year and there are 36 days where the maximum temperature remains below 32 F (0.0 C). The average annual snow flurry is 46.2 inches (117 cm) amid the winter in which harsh snowstorms are rare. However, when snowstorms do occur, they can disrupt normal routines for a several days. Summers are warm with a July average of 71.4 F (21.9 C). In an average summer, temperatures exceeding 90 F (32.2 C) occur on 9 days and can occasionally exceed 100 F (37.8 C). Spring and fall are unpredictable with temperatures ranging from cold to warm although they are usually mild.
On average, Wilkes-Barre receives 38.2 inches (970 mm) of rain each year, which is mostly evenly distributed throughout the year though the summer months receive more precipitation. Extreme temperatures range from 21 F ( 29.4 C) on January 21, 1994, to 103 F (39.4 C) on July 9, 1936. Wilkes-Barre averages 2303 hours of sunlight per year, ranging from a low of 96 hours in December (or 33% of possible sunshine) to 286 hours in July (or 62% of possible sunshine). The city's populace has been in constant diminish since the 1930s and is today less than half the size it was in 1940 and around two-thirds the size it was in 1970.
In the city, the populace was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older.
Wilkes-Barre has the 4th-largest downtown workforce in the state of Pennsylvania. Family Median Income in Wilkes-Barre is $44,430, compared to the nationwide average of $64,585.
In 2009, 31.9% of inhabitants lived below the poverty line, nearly double the Pennsylvania average of 16.4%. Large employers in the town/city include GUARD Insurance Group and Lord & Taylor.
Wilkes-Barre City is part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.
The region in and around Wilkes-Barre consists of a several colleges/universities: Penn State Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre has a Downtown Riverfront Park fitness that contains 91 acres of open space in Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, and Edwardsville. Kirby Park is a enhance park positioned along the bank of the Susquehanna River.
Given to the City of Wilkes-Barre by the Kirby Family, the park welcomes hundreds of thousands each year.
The park is the setting for the City of Wilkes-Barre's annual Cherry Blossom Festival, held amid the last weekend of April and the city's Old Fashioned 4 July Celebration.
Nesbitt Park is a small enhance park positioned athwart Market Street from Kirby Park on the west side of the Susquehanna River.
Its features include a 750-person amphitheater, paved walk-ways, plant nurseries, ornamental trees, grand common and seating area, fishing pier, and two grand gateways connecting the town/city to the river.
The Times Leader and The Citizens' Voice are the two biggest daily newspapers in Wilkes-Barre.
The Wyoming Valley's NBC affiliate, WBRE-TV 28, is the only tv station licensed to Wilkes-Barre, but WNEP-TV 16 (ABC), WYOU 22 (CBS), WVIA-TV 44 (PBS), and WSWB 38 (CW), all in Scranton, WOLF-TV 56 (Fox) in Hazleton, and WQMY 53 (My - Network - TV) in Williamsport also serve the city.
Wilkes-Barre's radio market is ranked No.
Wilkes-Barre's economic plight is featured in the movie Capitalism: A Love Story, directed by Michael Moore. The Wilkes-Barre variation (or Traxler variation, as it is more generally known) of the Two Knights' Defense is titled for the Wilkes-Barre chess club. "City Council".
"City of Wilkes Barre, PA Zip Codes".
""A History of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania" Page 14, 1909".
" Levees hold Susquehanna; Delaware River rages; Wilkes-Barre evacuees head back home; death toll rises", CNN, June 29, 2006.
"The news was better in northeastern Pennsylvania, where a mandatory evacuation affecting up to 200,000 citizens in Wilkes-Barre and a close-by valley region was lifted.Officials said the city's $175 million levee fitness held back the rising Susquehanna River despite floods caused by overflowing tributaries and creeks, and precipitation that averaged a half-inch an hour in some areas." a b c "Station Name: PA WILKES-BARRE INTL AP".
"Wilkes-Barre River Common".
Luzerne County Historical Society.
"Welcome to the Luzerne County Historical Society website | NEPA Luzerne County Pennsylvania history".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
City of Wilkes-Barre official website Wilkes-Barre Bicentennial at the Wayback Machine (archived June 12, 2006) More interesting facts about Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre at DMOZ Wilkes-Barre Articles relating to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Categories:
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - 1769 establishments in Pennsylvania - Cities in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania - Cities in Pennsylvania - County seats in Pennsylvania - Municipalities of the Anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania - Populated places established in 1769 - Populated places on the Susquehanna River
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