Wyoming Valley
Wyoming Valley, PA MSA | |
---|---|
100th in the U.S. |
The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of
Within the geology of Pennsylvania the Wyoming Valley makes up its own unique physiographic province,[citation needed] the Anthracite Valley. Greater Pittston occupies 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, while Hazleton is the third most-populated city in the metropolitan area.
The valley is a crescent-shaped depression, a part of the
The Pocono Mountains, a ridgeline away, are often visible from higher elevations to the east and to the southeast of the Wyoming Valley.[notes 1]
History
Early history
The name Wyoming derives from the Lenape Munsee name xwéːwamənk, meaning "at the big river flat."[3]
According to
This led to conflicting claims to the territory by the colonies of Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Revolutionary War
During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Wyoming took place in the valley on July 3, 1778, in which more than 300 Revolutionaries died at the hands of Loyalists and their Iroquois allies. The incident was depicted by the Scottish poet Thomas Campbell in his 1809 poem Gertrude of Wyoming. At the time, rebel colonists widely believed that Joseph 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 of Wyoming later being named after the valley.
Founding of Luzerne County
The Yankee-Pennamite Wars were eventually settled in the 1780s. The disputed land was granted to Pennsylvania. The Wyoming Valley became part of
This led the
Metropolitan statistical area
The Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Wyoming Valley, covers
As of the
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–Hazleton metropolitan area. The two metropolitan areas were merged after the 1970 census as the Northeast Pennsylvania Standard metropolitan statistical area, with Monroe County added as a component. It was renamed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan statistical area after the 1980 census, and Columbia and 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.
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
The physical Wyoming Valley, also referred to as the Anthracite Valley Section, is different from the Wyoming Valley metropolitan statistical area. The physical Wyoming Valley is a canoe-shaped valley, about 25 miles (40 km) long, which extends from the counties of Susquehanna and Wayne (in the north) to Columbia County (in the south). It includes the cities of Carbondale, Scranton, Pittston, Wilkes-Barre, and Nanticoke. Even though Wyoming County is part of the Wyoming Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area, it is not part of the physical valley.
Culture
Sports
The Wyoming Valley also has professional sports teams; they include the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Minor League Baseball Class AAA), the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (American Hockey League), and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Steamers (Premier Basketball League). The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team in Wilkes-Barre (from 2001 to 2009).
Local attractions
Local attractions include the
Transportation
The airports for this area are Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport.
See also
- Northeast Pennsylvania English
- Pennamite-Yankee War
- Battle of Wyoming
Notes
- ^ The Poconos being bounded by the Lehigh River Valley on their west side, whose east bank watershed begins on the divide of the Penobscot Knob ridgeline east of the Valley.
Citations
- ^ "Pennsylvania County High Points". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
{{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. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
- ^ "METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS". Archived from the original on May 26, 2007. Retrieved May 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. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
References
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].