Northeast Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
    | |
 Northeastern Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates:41°26′48″N75°24′56″W / 41.4468°N 75.4156°W /41.4468; -75.4156 | |
| Country | United States |
| Commonwealth | Pennsylvania |
| Largest city | Scranton |
| Other cities (by population) | |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,426 sq mi (21,820 km2) |
| Population (2010 estimate) | |
• Total | 1,349,698 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (ET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA orNepa) is aregion of theU.S. state ofPennsylvania that includes thePocono Mountains, theEndless Mountains, and theindustrial cities ofScranton (the area's largest city),Wilkes-Barre,Pittston,Hazleton,Nanticoke, andCarbondale. A portion of this region is located in theNew York City metropolitan area. Recently, Pennsylvania tourism boards have described Northeastern Pennsylvania asUpstate Pennsylvania.[1]
Unlike most other parts of theRust Belt, some of the communities are experiencing a modestpopulation increase, and others, includingMonroe andPike counties, rank among the state's fastest growing counties.[2]
Northeastern Pennsylvania borders thePennsylvania Wilds to the west, theNew York StateSouthern Tier andHudson Valley regions to the north and northeast,Sussex andWarren counties inNew Jersey to the east, and theLehigh Valley to the south.
References to Northeastern Pennsylvania frequently include some combination ofBradford County,Carbon County,Columbia County,Lackawanna County,Luzerne County,Monroe County,Montour County,Northumberland County,Pike County,Schuylkill County,Sullivan County,Susquehanna County,Wayne County, andWyoming County.
| County | 2020 Population | 2010 Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford County | 59,967 | 62,622 | 1,161 sq mi (3,007 km2) |
| Carbon County | 64,749 | 65,249 | 387 sq mi (1,002 km2) |
| Columbia County | 64,727 | 67,295 | 490 sq mi (1,269 km2) |
| Lackawanna County | 215,896 | 214,437 | 465 sq mi (1,204 km2) |
| Luzerne County | 325,594 | 320,918 | 906 sq mi (2,350 km2) |
| Monroe County | 168,327 | 169,842 | 617 sq mi (1,598 km2) |
| Montour County | 18,136 | 18,267 | 132 sq mi (342 km2) |
| Northumberland County | 91,647 | 94,528 | 478 sq mi (1,238 km2) |
| Pike County | 58,535 | 57,369 | 567 sq mi (1,469 km2) |
| Schuylkill County | 143,049 | 148,289 | 783 sq mi (2,028 km2) |
| Sullivan County | 5,840 | 6,428 | 452 sq mi (1,171 km2) |
| Susquehanna County | 38,434 | 43,356 | 832 sq mi (2,155 km2) |
| Wayne County | 51,155 | 52,822 | 751 sq mi (1,945 km2) |
| Wyoming County | 26,069 | 28,276 | 405 sq mi (1,049 km2) |
| Total | 1,332,125 | 1,349,698 | 8,426 sq mi (21,823 km2) |
Green: the largest county by area; Yellow: the most populous county
Northeastern Pennsylvania is home toPNC Field inMoosic, which hosts theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the AAA affiliate to Major League Baseball'sNew York Yankees.Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre hosts theAmerican Hockey League'sWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins; it previously hosted theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers ofarena football.
Pocono Raceway inLong Pond holds one cup series NASCAR race annually.
Mohegan Pennsylvania inPlains was Pennsylvania's firstcasino to offer slots.Mount Airy Casino Resort inMount Pocono also offers gambling.
Skiers can find several slopes in the area, includingShawnee on Delaware inEast Stroudsburg,Blue Mountain Resort (east ofPalmerton),Montage Mountain Ski Resort inScranton, which also operates as awater park during the summer season,Elk Mountain inUnion Dale, andCamelback Mountain Resort inTannersville. Like Montage, it operates as a water park in the off season.
There are several attractions that explore the region's industrial history.Eckley Miners' Village near Hazleton, and theLackawanna Coal Mine Tour in Scranton highlight the area's coal mining history, whileSteamtown National Historic Site and theElectric City Trolley Museum, both in Scranton, focus on transportation history.
TheHoudini Museum in Scranton[3] follows Houdini's exploits in the area, as well as the rest of the world. The ScrantonGhost Walk attraction tells of Scranton's paranormal history.[4] 1433 N. Main Avenue, home of the longest runningseance event in the United States, "Haunted! Mysteries of the Beyond", was picked by the Pennsylvania Department of tourism as one of the most haunted places in the state.[5]
Many well-known universities are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania.Penn State operates campuses in theWilkes-Barre area,near Scranton and inHazleton. Colleges in the Scranton area includeMarywood University inDunmore,Lackawanna College in downtown Scranton, and theUniversity of Scranton, in downtown Scranton.Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is the region's only medical school and specifically recruits students from NEPA and surrounding counties.
Wilkes-Barre area colleges includeWilkes University in downtown Wilkes-Barre,King's College also in downtown Wilkes-Barre,Luzerne County Community College inNanticoke, andMisericordia University inDallas.
Keystone College inLa Plume,St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary inSouth Canaan Township,Clarks Summit University (formerly Baptist Bible College & Seminary) inClarks Summit,Bloomsburg University inBloomsburg, andEast Stroudsburg University inEast Stroudsburg are among the other colleges in the area.
Three college preparatory schools are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, includingWyoming Seminary inKingston,Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton, andMMI Preparatory School inFreeland.
Seven Catholic high schools are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They includeHoly Cross High School inDunmore, which primarily servesLackawanna County,Luzerne County,Wayne County,Pike County,Susquehanna County,Wyoming County, andMonroe County. The second school isHoly Redeemer High School inWilkes-Barre, which serves primarilyLuzerne County andWyoming County. The third school isNotre Dame High School, which is located inStroudsburg. It primarily servesMonroe County. The fourth school isNativity BVM High School, which is located inPottsville, which servesSchuylkill County. The fifth school isMarian Catholic High School inTamaqua, which serves Schuylkill County, as well asLuzerne County andCarbon County. The sixth school is Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School, which is located near the city ofShamokin. The seventh school is St. Gregory the Great Academy, which is a boarding school for boys grades 9–12, specializing in classical education, and located in Elmhurst Township.
