Wyoming Valley
Wyoming Valley | |
|---|---|
| Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA | |
 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| Largest city | Scranton |
| Other cities | -Wilkes-Barre -Hazleton -Carbondale -Pittston City(Greater Pittston) -Nanticoke |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,776 sq mi (4,600 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 2,460[1]ft (750 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 400 ft (100 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 567,559 |
| • Rank | 100th in the U.S. |
| Time zone | UTC−5(EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4(EDT) |
TheWyoming Valleyis a historic industrialized region ofNortheastern Pennsylvania.The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel theAmerican Industrial Revolutionwith its manyanthracitecoal-mines.As ametropolitan area,it is known as theScranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area,after its principal cities,ScrantonandWilkes-Barre.With a population of 567,559 as of the2020 United States census,it is thefifth-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania,after theDelaware Valley,Greater Pittsburgh,theLehigh Valley,and theHarrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical areas.
Within the geology of Pennsylvania the Wyoming Valley makes up its own uniquephysiographic province,[citation needed]theAnthracite Valley.Greater Pittstonoccupies the center of the valley. Scranton is the most populated city in the metropolitan area with a population of 77,114. The city of Scranton grew in population after the 2015 mid-term census while Wilkes-Barre declined in population. Wilkes-Barre remains the second most-populated city in the metropolitan area, whileHazletonis the third most-populated city in the metropolitan area.
The valley is a crescent-shaped depression, a part of theridge-and-valleyor foldedAppalachians.TheSusquehanna Riveroccupies the southern part of the valley, which is notable for its deposits ofanthracite.These have been extensively mined. Deep mining of anthracite has declined throughout the greaterCoal Region,however, due to the greater economics of strip mining. Parts of the local mines had already shut down because some coal beds were on fire and had to be sealed, but the exodus of mining companies came quickly following the legal and political repercussions of the 1959Knox Mine disasterwhen the roof of the Knox Coal Company's mine under the Susquehanna River collapsed.
ThePocono Mountains,a ridgeline away, are often visible from higher elevations to the east and to the southeast of the Wyoming Valley.[notes 1]
History
[edit]Early history
[edit]
The nameWyomingderives from the LenapeMunseenamexwéːwamənk,meaning "at the big river flat."[3]
According toThe Jesuit Relationsin 1635, the Wyoming Valley was inhabited by theScahentoarrhononpeople, an Iroquoian-speaking group; it was then known as the Scahentowanen Valley. By 1744, it was inhabited byLenape,Mohican,Shawneeand others who had been pushed out of eastern areas by theIroquois Confederacy.From the 1740s to the 1760s, the valley was the site ofMoravianmission work among the Native Americans living there. They envisioned a settlement forChristian Indians.But the violence of theFrench and Indian War,known outside the U.S. as part of theSeven Years' War,drove these settlers away withDavid Zeisberger,theMoravian"Apostle to the Indians."
This led to conflicting claims to the territory by the colonies of Pennsylvania and Connecticut.King Charles II of Englandgranted the land to theColony of Connecticutin 1662, and then toWilliam Pennin 1681, who established theProvince of Pennsylvania,leading to military skirmishes known as thePennamite–Yankee War.AfterYankeesettlers from Connecticut foundedWilkes-Barrein 1769, armed bands of Pennsylvanians,, known as Pennamites, tried unsuccessfully to expel them between 1769 and 70, and then again in 1775.
Revolutionary War
[edit]During theAmerican Revolutionary War,theBattle of Wyomingtook place in the valley on July 3, 1778, in which more than 300 Revolutionaries died at the hands ofLoyalistsand theirIroquoisallies. The incident was depicted by the Scottish poetThomas Campbellin his 1809 poemGertrude of Wyoming.At the time, rebel colonists widely believed thatJoseph Brant,a Mohawk chief, had led the Iroquois forces; in the poem, Brant is described as the "Monster Brant" because of the atrocities committed. Later colonists determined that Brant had not been present at this conflict. The popularity of the poem may have led to the state ofWyominglater being named after the valley.
Founding of Luzerne County
[edit]The Yankee-Pennamite Wars were eventually settled in the 1780s. The disputed land was granted to Pennsylvania. The Wyoming Valley became part ofNorthumberland County.However, settlers in what was then theColony of Connecticutwanted to create anew stateinNortheastern Pennsylvania.Massachusetts businessmanTimothy Pickeringwas sent to the region to politically examine the situation.
This led thePennsylvania General Assemblyto pass a resolution creatingLuzerne County.This ended the idea of creating a new state. On September 25, 1786, Luzerne County was formed from part of Northumberland County. It was named afterChevalier de la Luzerne,aFrench soldieranddiplomatduring the 18th century. When it was founded, Luzerne County occupied a large portion of Northeastern Pennsylvania. From 1810 to 1878, it was divided into several smaller counties. The counties ofBradford,Lackawanna,Susquehanna,andWyomingwere all formed from parts of Luzerne County.[4]
Metropolitan statistical area
[edit]The Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Wyoming Valley, coversLackawanna,Luzerne,andWyomingcounties.[5]It had a combined population of 558,166 in 2015. The counties adjacent to Wyoming Valley includeMonroe County(Southeast),Susquehanna County(Northeast),Wayne County(East),Columbia County(West),Bradford County(Northwest),Carbon County(South),Sullivan County(West) andSchuylkill County(Southwest).
As of the2000 census,the area also had the highest percentage ofnon-Hispanic whitesof any U.S. metropolitan area with a population over 500,000, with 96.2% of the population stating theirraceas white alone and not claimingHispanicethnicity, however the Hispanic demographic has been significantly rising since then.[6]
When metropolitan areas were first defined in 1950, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre were in separate metropolitan areas. Lackawanna County was defined as the Scranton Standard Metropolitan Area, while Luzerne County was defined as the Wilkes-Barre–Hazletonmetropolitan area. The two metropolitan areas were merged after the 1970 census as the Northeast Pennsylvania Standard metropolitan statistical area, withMonroe Countyadded as a component. It was renamed the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan statistical area after the 1980 census, andColumbiaand Wyoming counties were added. Hazleton was added as a primary city in the 1990 census, while Monroe County lost its metropolitan status.
After the 2000 census, Columbia County lost metropolitan status, while Hazleton was removed as a primary city.Scrantonis the largest city inLackawanna Countyas well as the entire metropolitan area by a large margin, nearly doubling the population of the second largest city in the metropolitan area,Wilkes Barre.
| County | 2022 Estimate | 2020 Census | Change | Area | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County | 326,369 | 325,594 | +0.24% | 890.33 sq mi (2,305.9 km2) | 367/sq mi (142/km2) |
| Lackawanna County | 215,615 | 215,896 | −0.13% | 459.08 sq mi (1,189.0 km2) | 470/sq mi (181/km2) |
| Wyoming County | 26,014 | 26,069 | −0.21% | 397.32 sq mi (1,029.1 km2) | 65/sq mi (25/km2) |
| Total MSA Population | 567,998 | 567,559 | +0.08% | 1,746.73 sq mi (4,524.0 km2) | 325/sq mi (126/km2) |
Physical valley
[edit]
The physical Wyoming Valley, also referred to as theAnthracite Valley Section,is different from the Wyoming Valleymetropolitan statistical area.The physical Wyoming Valley is a canoe-shapedvalley,about 25 miles (40 km) long, which extends from the counties ofSusquehannaandWayne(in the north) toColumbia County(in the south). It includes the cities ofCarbondale,Scranton,Pittston,Wilkes-Barre,andNanticoke.Even thoughWyoming Countyis part of the Wyoming Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area, it is not part of the physical valley.
Culture
[edit]Scrantonis the cultural center of the Wyoming Valley, being the largest city by population in the metropolitan area.
Sports
[edit]The Wyoming Valley also has professional sports teams; they include theScranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders(Minor League BaseballClass AAA), theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins(American Hockey League), and theScranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers(Premier Basketball League). TheWilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneerswere a minor leaguearena footballteam in Wilkes-Barre (from 2001 to 2009).
Local attractions
[edit]Local attractions include theMohegan Sun Arena at Casey PlazainWilkes-Barre,thePocono RacewayinLong Pond,PNC FieldinMoosic,Mohegan PennsylvaniainPlains,theToyota PavilioninScranton,theWyoming Valley MallinWilkes-Barre,theShoppes at MontageinMoosic,theSteamtown MallinScranton,theViewmont MallinScranton/Dickson City,Pennsylvania, and theMontage Mountain Waterpark/Ski ResortinScranton.Other historic attractions includeEckley Miners' Villageand theSteamtown National Historic Site.
Literature
[edit]This area is celebrated inLydia Sigourney's poemVale of Wyomingpublished in her Scenes in my Native Land, 1845, with accompanying descriptive text.[7]
Transportation
[edit]The airports for this area areWilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airportand theWilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^The Poconos being bounded by theLehigh RiverValley on their west side, whose east bank watershed begins on thedivideof thePenobscot Knobridgeline east of the Valley.
Citations
[edit]- ^"Pennsylvania County High Points".Peakbagger.RetrievedJanuary 1,2007.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-01-13.Retrieved2017-12-07.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^Bright, William (2004).Native American Place Names of the United States.Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 576
- ^"History - Kingston Borough".kingstonpa.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-09-13.Retrieved2017-09-06.
- ^"METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS".Archived fromthe originalon May 26, 2007.RetrievedMay 26,2007.,Office of Management and Budget,2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-07-30.
- ^"Percent Non-Hispanic White, 2000: Metros Ranked by Percent of Population Selecting Race of Non-Hispanic/Latino, White Alone".CensusScope.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-07-16.Retrieved2009-01-28.
- ^Sigourney, Lydia (1845)."Scenes in My Native Land".Thurston, Torry & Co.
References
[edit]The following printed resources are in the collection of the Connecticut State Library (CSL):
- Boyd, J. P.The Susquehanna Company, 1753-1803.[CSL call number: F157.W9 B69 1931]
- Henry, William (ed.).Documents Relating to the Connecticut Settlement in the Wyoming Valley.Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1990 [CSL call number: F157.W9 D63 1990 v1, 2].
- Joyce, Mary Hinchcliffe.Pioneer Days in the Wyoming Valley.Philadelphia: 1928 [CSL call number: F157.W9 J89].
- Smith, William.An Examination of the Connecticut Claim to Lands in Pennsylvania: With an Appendix, Containing Extracts and Copies Taken from Original Papers.Philadelphia: Joseph Crukshank, 1774 [CSL call number: Wells Collection F157.W9 S55].
- Stark, S. Judson.The Wyoming Valley:Probate Records... Wilkes-Barre, PA:Wyoming Historical and Geological Society,1923 [CSL call number: F157.W9 S72].
- Warfle, Richard Thomas.Connecticut's Western Colony; the Susquehannah Affair.(Connecticut Bicentennial Series, #32). Hartford, CT: American Revolutionary Bicentennial Commission of Connecticut, 1979 [CSL call number: Conn Doc Am35 cb num 32].
- Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.Wilkes-Barre (the "Diamond City" ), Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.Wilkes-Barre, PA: The Committee on Souvenir and Program, 1906 [CSL call number: F159.W6 W65 1906].
External links
[edit]
- Connecticut's "Susquehanna Settlers"
- History of the Wilkes-Barre area
- Sullivanclinton - the full historical context
- Sullivanclinton - Wyoming Valley today
