1.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania /ˌpɛnsᵻlˈveɪnjə/, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle, Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 5th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The states five most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, the state capital, and its ninth-largest city, is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States, it came into being in 1681 as a result of a land grant to William Penn. Part of Pennsylvania, together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden and it was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12,1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the states largest city of Philadelphia, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near Philadelphia was General Washingtons headquarters during the winter of 1777–78. Pennsylvania is 170 miles north to south and 283 miles east to west, of a total 46,055 square miles,44,817 square miles are land,490 square miles are inland waters, and 749 square miles are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States, Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Cities include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, the northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining communities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston City, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest, the state has 5 regions, namely the Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the Erie Plain. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the corner, has a humid continental climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that covers much of Delaware. Moving toward the interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increase. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches of snowfall annually, the state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, the Tuscarora Nation took up temporary residence in the central portion of Pennsylvania ca. Both the Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their lands in America
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Wyoming Valley
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The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania once famous for fueling the industrial revolution in the United States with its many anthracite coal mines. As a metropolitan area, it is known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, the 97th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, greater Pittston makes up the center of the valley. Scranton is the most populated city in the area with a population of 77,114. The city of Scranton has grown in population after the 2015 mid term census while Wilkes-Barre has declined in population, Wilkes-Barre is still the second most populated city in the metropolitan area and Hazleton is third. The airport for this area are Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport, the valley is a crescent-shaped depression, a part of the ridge-and-valley or folded Appalachians. The Susquehanna River occupies the part of the valley, which is notable for its deposits of anthracite. Deep mining of anthracite has declined throughout the greater Coal Region, however, the Pocono Mountains, a ridgeline away, are often visible from higher elevations to the east and to the southeast of the Wyoming Valley. The Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area covers Lackawanna, Luzerne and it had a combined population of 558,166 in 2015. The counties adjacent to the Wyoming Valley include Monroe County, Susquehanna County, Wayne County, Columbia County, Bradford County, Carbon County, Sullivan County, 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 Standard 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, 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. Scranton is the largest city in Lackawanna County as well as the metropolitan area by a large margin. Yellow, the largest county by area and population The name Wyoming derives from the Lenape Munsee name xwé, wamənk, meaning at the smaller river hills. According to the Jesuit Relation of 1635, the Wyoming Valley was inhabited by the Scahentoarrhonon people, by 1744 it was inhabited by Lenape, Mahican, Shawnee and others who had been pushed out of eastern areas by the Iroquois Confederacy. From the 1740s to the 1760s, the valley was the site of Moravian mission work among the Native Americans living there and they envisioned a settlement for Christian Indians. But the violence of the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years War, drove these settlers away with David Zeisberger, the Moravian Apostle to the Indians. After Yankee settlers from Connecticut founded the town of Wilkes-Barre in 1769, armed bands of Pennsylvanians tried without success to them in 1769-70
4.
Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district
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Pennsylvanias 11th congressional district is in the east-central part of the state. The district was redrawn by the state legislature in the course of the 2012 redistricting after the 2010 census. Republican Lou Barletta has represented the district since 2011, the first Republican to do so in almost 30 years, from 2003 to 2013 the district included Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and most of the Poconos. With a strong base in areas of industry and ethnic groups, former longtime Democratic incumbent Paul Kanjorski faced his closest contest ever in 2008, narrowly defeating Lou Barletta, the Republican mayor of Hazleton,138,849 to 129,358. In 2010, Kanjorski fell victim to a GOP and anti-incumbent wave and was unseated by Barletta in a 45%–55% vote, District created in 1795 from Pennsylvanias At-large congressional district List of United States congressional districts Pennsylvanias congressional districts Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, the Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania Presidential Election Results by Congressional District
5.
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
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Luzerne County is a county located in the U. S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 906 square miles. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania’s second-largest county by total area, as of the 2010 census, the population was 320,918, making it the most populous county in the northeastern part of the state. Other populous communities include Hazleton, Kingston, Nanticoke, and Pittston, Luzerne County is included in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a total population of 558,166. On September 25,1786, Luzerne County was formed part of Northumberland County. It was named after Chevalier de la Luzerne, French ambassador to the United States, the county gained prominence in the 19th and 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal mining region, drawing a large portion of its labor force from European immigrants. At its peak, the population was 445,109. By the early 21st century, many factories and coal mines were closed, like most counties in the Rust Belt, Luzerne witnessed population loss and urban decay. The Luzerne County Historical Society maintains the storehouse for the memory of Luzerne County. It records and interprets the history, traditions, events, people,1769, The Pennamite-Yankee War began when settlers from Connecticut and Pennsylvania fought over land claims along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in the present Wyoming Valley. July 1,1778, During the Revolutionary War, Fort Jenkins was surrendered to the British and it was later burned to the ground. In 1928, a bridge connecting West Pittston and Pittston City was constructed and named in its honor, july 3,1778, A force of British soldiers, led by John Butler, with the assistance of about 700 Indians, attacked and killed nearly 300 Wyoming Valley settlers. Today in the Borough of Wyoming, a monument marks the gravesite of the victims from the Battle of Wyoming, july 4,1778, Fort Pittston surrendered to the British and some of it was partially destroyed. It was later restored and used until the end of the Revolutionary War, September 11,1780, Reports of Tory activity in the region caused Captain Daniel Klader and a platoon of 40 to 50 men from Northampton County, Pennsylvania, to investigate. Captain Kladers men made it as far north as present-day Conyngham,18 of Kladers men were killed in what is known as the Sugarloaf Massacre. September 25,1786, Luzerne County was formed part of Northumberland County. It was named after Chevalier de la Luzerne, French ambassador to the United States, September 6,1869, A mine fire killed 110 people in Avondale, an unincorporated community in Plymouth Township. June 28,1896, The Newton Coal Companys Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston City caved-in, September 10,1897, Sheriff James Martin formed a posse and fired on a group of unarmed miners in what is known today as the Lattimer massacre
6.
Scranton, Pennsylvania
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Scranton is the sixth-largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie and Reading. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County in Northeastern Pennsylvanias Wyoming Valley, with a population of 77,118, it is the largest city in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of about 570,000. Scranton was incorporated on February 14,1856, as a borough in Luzerne County and it became a major industrial city, a center of mining and railroads, and attracted thousands of new immigrants. It was the site of the Scranton General Strike in 1877, people in northern Luzerne County began to seek a new county in 1839 but the Wilkes-Barre area resisted losing its assets. Lackawanna County did not gain independent status until 1878, under legislation allowing the issue to be voted by residents of the proposed territory, voters favored the new county by a proportion of 6 to 1, with Scranton residents providing the major support. The city was designated as the county seat when Lackawanna County was established in 1878, the city took its first step toward earning its reputation as the Electric City when electric lights were introduced in 1880 at Dickson Locomotive Works. Six years later, the nations first streetcars powered exclusively by electricity began operating in the city, rev. David Spencer, a local Baptist minister, later proclaimed Scranton as the Electric City. Present-day Scranton and its area had been long inhabited by the native Lenape tribe. In 1778, Isaac Tripp, the areas first known European-American settler, built his home here, it stands in North Scranton. More settlers from Connecticut came to the area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries after the American Revolutionary War and they gradually established mills and other small businesses in a village that became known as Slocum Hollow. People in the village during this time carried the traits and the accent of their New England settlers, though anthracite coal was being mined in Carbondale to the north and Wilkes-Barre to the south, the industries that precipitated the citys early rapid growth were iron and steel. It initially started producing nails, but that venture failed due to low-quality iron. The Erie Railroads construction in New York State was delayed by its having to iron rails as imports from England. The Scrantons firm decided to focus to producing T-rails for the Erie. In 1851, the Scrantons built the Lackawanna and Western Railroad northward, with recent Irish immigrants supplying most of the labor, to meet the Erie Railroad in Great Bend, thus they could transport manufactured rails from the Lackawanna Valley to New York and the Midwest. They also invested in mining operations in the city to fuel their steel operations. In 1856, they expanded the railroad eastward as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and this railroad, with its hub in Scranton, would be Scrantons largest employer for almost one hundred years. The Pennsylvania Coal Company built a gravity railroad in the 1850s through the city for the purpose of transporting coal, the gravity railroad was replaced by a steam railroad built in 1886 by the Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad
7.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
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Wilkes-Barre is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. It is one of the 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 city of Scranton. Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding Wyoming Valley are framed by the Pocono Mountains to the east, the Endless Mountains to the west, the Susquehanna River flows through the center of the valley and defines the northwestern border of the city. Wilkes-Barre was founded in 1769 and formally incorporated in 1806, the city grew rapidly in the 19th century after the discovery of nearby coal reserves and the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who provided a labor force for the local mines. The coal mining fueled industrialization in the city, which reached the height of its prosperity in the first half of the 20th century and its population peaked at more than 86,000. However, Following World War II, the economy declined due to the collapse of industry. The Knox Mine disaster accelerated this trend after large portions of the coal mines were flooded. Today the city has a population of 41,498, making it the the largest city in Luzerne County, in the early 18th century, the Wyoming Valley had been long inhabited by the Shawanese and Delaware Indian tribes. By 1769, a group led by John Durkee were the first recorded Europeans to reach the area and they established a frontier settlement named Wilkes-Barre after John Wilkes and Isaac Barré, two British members of Parliament who supported colonial America. The initial settlers were aligned with colonial Connecticut, which had a claim on the land that rivaled Pennsylvanias, armed men loyal to Pennsylvania twice attempted to evict the residents of Wilkes-Barre in what came to be known as the Pennamite–Yankee War. After the American Revolution, the conflict was resolved between the states, and Connecticut gave up its claim, the settlers retained title to their lands but transferred their allegiance to Pennsylvania. In 1797, several decades after the founding, Louis Philippe, later the King of France from 1830 to 1840. Wilkes-Barres population exploded due to the discovery of coal in the 19th century. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants flocked to the city, seeking jobs in the mines and collieries that sprang up. New industries were established and the Vulcan Iron Works was a manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1849 to 1954. Railroads were being constructed across the state and country, in addition, the demolished Old Fell House on Northampton Street is believed to be the first place in the entire world where anthracite was burned for heat. It is said that Babe Ruth hit one of the longest home runs in history in Wilkes-Barre early in the 20th century, suiting up for Hughestown, the Yankee slugger challenged Larksvilles hurler Ernie Corkran to throw him his best stuff—a fastball right down the heart of the plate
8.
Susquehanna River
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The Susquehanna River is a major river located in the northeastern United States. At 464 miles long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, with its watershed, it is the 16th-largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic today. The Susquehanna rises and flows through New York, Pennsylvania, and it forms from two main branches, the North Branch, which rises in upstate New York and is regarded by federal mapmakers as the main branch, and the West Branch Susquehanna. Both of these waterways were improved by navigations throughout the 1820s and 1830s as the Pennsylvania Canal, together with facilities of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, loaded barges were transferred from the canal and hoisted across the mountain ridge into the Pittsburgh area. The 82-mile Union Canal was completed in 1828 to connect Schuylkill River in Reading to the Susquehanna above Harrisburg, an 82-mile leg connecting the Susquehanna with the Delaware River was instead developed as the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, built by the Pennsylvania Canal Commission. The shorter West Branch, which rises in western Pennsylvania, joins the stem of the Susquehanna near Northumberland in central Pennsylvania. The river drains 27,500 square miles, including half of the land area of Pennsylvania. The river empties into the end of the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay is the ria of the Susquehanna, while less prevalent since their contraction in the 1950–1960s, the rivers shores still support a wide ranging rail transportation infrastructure. Also called the Main Branch Susquehanna, the branch of the river rises at the outlet of Otsego Lake in Cooperstown. From there, the branch of the river runs west-southwest through rural farmland and dairy country, receiving the Unadilla River at Sidney. It dips south into Pennsylvania briefly to turn north at Susquehanna Depot hooking back into New York. A couple miles south, just across the New York state line and it makes a right-angle curve between Sayre and Towanda to cut through the Endless Mountains in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania. The origin of the official West Branch is near Northern Cambria County, Pennsylvania near the junction of Mitchel Road and it travels northeasterly through Curwensville, into and through Clearfield, Pennsylvania, where its joined by the Clearfield Creek right bank tributary. The West Branch turns to the southeast and passes through Lock Haven, the North Branch joins the West Branch from the northwest at Northumberland, just above Sunbury. It receives the Juniata River from the northwest at Duncannon, then passes through its last water gap, downtown Harrisburg developed on the east side of the river, which is nearly a mile wide here. It crosses into northern Maryland approximately 30 miles northeast of Baltimore and is joined by Octoraro Creek, the river enters the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace. Concord Point Light was built here in 1827 to accommodate the increasing navigational traffic, Susquehanna comes from the Lenapi term Sisawehakhanna, which means Oyster River
9.
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
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Sullivan County is a county located in the U. S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,428, the county was created on March 15,1847, from part of Lycoming County and named for Charles C. Sullivan, leader of the Pennsylvania Senate at that time, the land which became Sullivan County was originally purchased from the Iroquois by the Province of Pennsylvania in 1768, as part of the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix. It was then part of Northumberland County, then part of Lycoming County when it was formed in 1795. Sullivan County itself was formed from the part of Lycoming County on March 15,1847. It was the thirteenth and last county formed at least partly from Lycoming County, according to the official state publication Pennsylvania Local Government, Sullivan County was named for Pennsylvania state senator Charles C. Sullivan, who took a part in procuring passage of the bill establishing the county. However, according to Frederic A. Godcharles, the county is named for General John Sullivan, who led the Sullivan Expedition against the Iroquois in 1779. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 452 square miles. Elevation ranges from 2593 ft at North Mountain in Davidson Township to 779 ft on Loyalsock Creek at the Lycoming County line, the county is served by Pennsylvania Route 87, Pennsylvania Route 487, and U. S. Route 220. The major rivers in the county are Loyalsock Creek, Little Loyalsock Creek, Muncy Creek, the majority of the land in Sullivan County is forest, but there is some farmland, especially in the northern part of the county. There are numerous valleys in the southern and western parts of Sullivan County. The southern border of the county is approximately at the Allegheny Front, the mountains within the county are part of the Endless Mountains. The stratigraphic record of rocks within the county spans from the Devonian Lock Haven Formation to the coal-bearing Pennsylvanian Allegheny Formation. Generally, the Catskill Formation underlies most of the lowlands, and sandstones of the Huntley Mountain, Burgoon, Mauch Chunk, no igneous or metamorphic rocks exist within the county, other than possible glacial erratics. Structurally, the bedrock of Sullivan County is gently folded, with the axes of two major anticlines and two major synclines each trending roughly east-west, There are three mapped faults in the Allegheny Formation between the towns of Murray and Ringdale. Nearly all of Sullivan County was glaciated several times in the past, during the Pleistocene epoch, most of the county is covered by glacial till of Late Wisconsinan age. Late Illinoian Stage deposits may underlie the Late Wisconsinan deposits, the major rivers in Sullivan County are Loyalsock Creek and Muncy Creek
10.
U.S. Route 6 in Pennsylvania
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It is the longest highway segment in the Commonwealth. Most of it is a rural highway, with some freeway bypasses around larger towns. Except east of Scranton, where it is paralleled by Interstate 84, what is now Interstate 80—the Keystone Shortway—was once planned along the US6 corridor as a western extension of I-84. The corridor was originally the Roosevelt Highway from Erie, Pennsylvania to Port Jervis, New York, the PA7 designation soon disappeared, but as US6 was extended and relocated, the Roosevelt Highway followed it. The Pennsylvania section of US6 was renamed the Grand Army of the Republic Highway in 1946, US6 meets with U. S. Route 19 near Meadville, where it turns north with US19 to a point east of Edinboro. There it turns east and passes through the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, at Towanda it turns more southeasterly to reach Scranton, then turning back northeast out of Scranton to Carbondale and generally east and southeast to New York. As approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials on November 11,1926, the west end of US6 was at Kane, where U. S. Route 120 continued west to Erie. US6 also used present Pennsylvania Route 706, U. S. Route 11 and Pennsylvania Route 106 between Wyalusing and Carbondale, while U. S. Route 106 took the southerly route via Scranton. By the end of 1927, US6 had replaced US120 in running west from Kane to Erie, and had swapped places with US106 via Scranton, by 1930 its west end was at 26th Street and State Street in Erie. S. Route 15 Business west of Mansfield Pennsylvania Route 92 and Pennsylvania Route 307, Tunkhannock to Clarks Summit In 1931, US6 was extended west to Greeley, since then, only minor realignments and bypasses have been made to the route of US6. Roads portal Pennsylvania portal PA Route 6 Tourist Association
Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Wyoming. II. A N. E. county of Pennsylvania". The American Cyclopædia.
Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "
