Wilkes-Barre is a city in and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the second-largest city, after Scranton, in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 567,559 as of the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania after the Delaware Valley, Greater Pittsburgh, the Lehigh Valley, and Greater Harrisburg.
Luzerne County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 906 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 890 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 325,594, making it the most populous county in the northeastern part of the state. The county seat and most populous city is Wilkes-Barre. 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 555,426 as of 2017. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state.
Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Wyoming Valley metropolitan area, which has a population of 562,037 as of 2020. It is the sixth-most populous city in Pennsylvania.
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,628, making it the third largest city in Luzerne County. It occupies 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) of land. Nanticoke is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city lies in the Wyoming Valley on the east side of the Susquehanna River and on the south side of the Lackawanna River. It is approximately midway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Pittston is 68.7 miles (110.6 km) north of Allentown and 129.2 miles (207.9 km) northwest of New York City.
Wilkes-Barre Township is a township with home rule status in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Wilkes-Barre. The population of the township was 3,219 at the 2020 census.
King's College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and located within the Diocese of Scranton.
Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students. Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and became an independent institution in 1947, naming itself Wilkes College, after English radical politician John Wilkes after whom Wilkes-Barre is named. The school was granted university status in January 1990. It is classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities" (D/PU) and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza is an 8,050-seat multi-purpose arena located in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania just northeast of Wilkes-Barre.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is mostly in Pittston Township, Pennsylvania, about 7 miles (11 km) from Scranton and 8 mi (13 km) from Wilkes-Barre. It spans the border between Luzerne County and Lackawanna County, and is owned and operated by the two counties. It is the fifth-largest airport in Pennsylvania by passenger count and calls itself "your gateway to Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Pocono Mountains".
Pennsylvania Route 309 is a state highway that runs for 134 miles (216 km) through eastern Pennsylvania. The route runs from an interchange between PA 611 and Cheltenham Avenue on the border of Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township north to an intersection with PA 29 in Bowman Creek, a village in Monroe Township in Wyoming County. The highway connects Philadelphia and its northern suburbs to Allentown and the Lehigh Valley, and Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre in Wyoming Valley.
Pennsylvania Route 115 (PA 115) is a 35.7-mile-long (57.5 km) north–south state highway in eastern Pennsylvania. It stretches from U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Brodheadsville, Monroe County, northwest to Interstate 81 (I-81) and PA 309 near Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County. PA 115 passes through rural areas along its route, intersecting PA 903 in Tunkhannock Township, I-80 and PA 940 in Tobyhanna Township, and I-476 in Bear Creek Township. The road serves as a connector between the Pocono Mountains and the Wyoming Valley.
Thomas M. Tigue was a United States Marine Corps Officer and combat veteran, an American politician, a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Daniel John Flood was an American attorney and politician, a flamboyant and long-serving Democratic United States Representative from Pennsylvania. First elected to the US House in 1944, he served continuously from 1955 to 1980. Flood was credited with leading the effort to help the Wilkes-Barre area recover after the 1972 effects of the Agnes Flood.
Dennis Kevin Bonvie is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, most notable for being the most penalized player in professional hockey history with 4,804 career professional career penalty minutes. He is currently a pro scout for the NHL’s Boston Bruins.
James M. Coughlin High School was an urban school located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It served grades 9–12 in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.
Francis Patrick "Frank" Crossin, Sr. was a professional baseball player whose career spanned seven seasons, three of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) St. Louis Browns (1912–14). Over his Major League career, Crossin, a catcher, compiled a .147 batting average with eight runs scored, 17 hits, one double, one triple, and seven runs batted in (RBIs) in 55 games played. He made his professional debut with the minor league Binghamton Bingoes in 1912. His MLB debut came on September 24, 1912. Crossin played parts of the next two seasons in the majors. In 1915, a year after his MLB career ended, he returned to the minors. Over his career in the minors, Crossin compiled a .261 batting average with 303 hits in 381 games played. He batted, and threw right-handed. During his career, he stood at 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm), and weighed 160 pounds (73 kg).
The Luzerne County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse located in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The building houses the government of Luzerne County.
Owen McGlynn was an architect who practiced in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth. He designed in a variety of styles, including the classical and Gothic revival. His built works included numerous banks, schools and churches.
