Wilkes-Barre

History

For thousands of years, nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers used the Wilkes-Barre area for hunting, fishing, foraging, and toolmaking. Numerous artifacts from the Archaic period (about 8000–1200 BC), including stone spear points, net weights, and scrapers have been found in the area. Pottery and arrowheads from the Early and Middle Woodland periods (c. 1200 BC–950 AD) have also been found. In the Late Woodland period (c. 950–1550 AD), horticulture was adopted and more permanent settlements were established in the Wyoming Valley. During the eighteenth century, refugee communities of Lenape, Shawnee, Conoy, Nanticoke, and Mahican settled in the Wyoming Valley. Moravian missionaries began visiting the region and working among these communities in the 1740s. In 1753, the Susquehanna Company was founded in Connecticut for settling the Wyoming Valley in present-day Pennsylvania. Connecticut succeeded in purchasing the land from the Native Americans; however, Pennsylvania already claimed the very same territory through a purchase they made in 1736. In 1762, roughly two hundred Connecticut settlers (Yankees) established a settlement near Mill Creek. They planted wheat and constructed log cabins. The Yankees returned to New England for the winter. The Connecticut settlers returned in the spring of 1763 with their families and additional supplies. A party of Iroquois also visited the area with the dual purpose of turning the Lenape tribe against the colonists and killing Teedyuscung, a local Lenape chief. On April 19, 1763, the residence of the chief, along with several others, was set ablaze. Chief Teedyuscung perished in the inferno. The Iroquois let the Lenape believe that this atrocity was committed by the settlers. As a result, the Lenape attacked the colonists on October…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.60%, is water. The city is bordered by the Susquehanna River to the west. Most of Downtown is located on a wide floodplain. Floodwalls were constructed to protect a large percentage of the city. The elevation of the downtown area is about above sea level. As you travel inland, away from the river, the elevation rises. Wilkes-Barre Mountain is a physical barrier southeast of the city. The contiguous network of 5 cities and more than 40 boroughs all built in a straight line in Northeastern Pennsylvania's urban area act culturally and logistically as one continuous city, so while the city of Wilkes-Barre itself is a smaller town, the larger unofficial city of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre contains nearly half a million residents in roughly 200 square miles. Wilkes-Barre is located approximately northwest of Allentown, and northwest of Philadelphia. Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding Wyoming Valley are framed by the Pocono Mountains to the east, the Endless Mountains to the north and 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. * Central City * North End * Parsons * Miners' Mills * East End * Heights * Mayflower * South Wilkes-Barre * Goose Island * Rolling Mill Hill * Iron Triangle Under the Köppen climate classification, Wilkes-Barre falls within either a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) if the isotherm is used or a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) if the isotherm is used. Summers are hot and winters are moderately cold with wide variations in temperature. Winters are cold with a January average of . On average, temperatures below are infrequent, occurring…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  10,626
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,305
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,106
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  9,786
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,353
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  8,967
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  8,792
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,408

Largest nearby schools

• Wilkes-Barre Area HS
  High · Plains · 2,293 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Crestwood Secondary Campus
  High · Mountain Top · 1,419 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Wyoming Valley West SHS
  High · Plymouth · 1,357 students · 16:1 ratio
• State El Ctr
  Elementary · Larksville · 1,353 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Wyoming Valley West MS
  Middle · Kingston · 1,191 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• G A R MS
  Middle · Wilkes-Barre · 1,026 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Pittston Area SHS
  High · Pittston · 1,022 students · 19.3:1 ratio
• Pittston Area MS
  Middle · Pittston · 964 students · 17.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-06-10
  10 km NW of Forksville, Pennsylvania
• M 3.1 — 2003-08-26
  4 km NNW of Milford, New Jersey