Nescopeck, Pennsylvania

For the township named Nescopeck, see Nescopeck Township, Pennsylvania. For the stream named Nescopeck, see Nescopeck Creek.

Nescopeck, Pennsylvania
Borough
The Cooper House in Nescopeck (along PA 93)
Location of Nescopeck in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Nescopeck Show map of Pennsylvania Nescopeck Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°03′09″N76°12′57″W / 41.05250°N 76.21583°W / 41.05250; -76.21583
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Luzerne
Settled	1786
Incorporated	1896
Government
• Type	Borough Council
Area [1]
• Total	1.17 sq mi (3.03 km2)
• Land	0.99 sq mi (2.56 km2)
• Water	0.18 sq mi (0.47 km2)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	1,480
• Density	1,497.98/sq mi (578.30/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code	18635
Area code	570
FIPS code	42-52984

Nescopeck is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,480 as of the 2020 census. ^[3]

History

Nescopeck was first settled in 1786; it was later incorporated as a borough in 1896. By 1900, over one thousand people resided in the borough. That number would peak at 1,934 in 1960.

The borough derives its name from Nescopeck Creek, a Native American name purported to mean "black, deep, and still water". ^[4]

In 2011 between the dates of September 6th and September 9th, Nescopeck became one of many victims to Tropical Storm Lee. Lower-lying parts of the town that neighbored the Susquehanna River became flooded. One of the buildings that suffered damage was the Cooper House. After sitting for almost eight years, the historical building of 1817 was finally demolished on April 26, 2019. ^[5]

On August 5, 2022, a fire at a house killed ten people at a home in Nescopeck, including three children. All of the victims were related to a volunteer firefighter who responded to the blaze. ^[6] Eight days later on August 13, a man drove into a crowd at a fundraiser for the victims in nearby Berwick, killing one person and wounding 17 others. The man then drove to a home in Nescopeck, where he beat his mother to death. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2023. ^{[7] [8]}

• 
  Faith United Lutheran Church
• 
  Entering Nescopeck on PA 93

Geography

Nescopeck is located at 41°3′9″N76°12′57″W / 41.05250°N 76.21583°W / 41.05250; -76.21583 (41.052379, -76.215871). ^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.7 km²), all land. Nescopeck is located along the Susquehanna River (just outside of Berwick). It is a small farming community. PA 93 runs east to west through the borough. The highway crosses over the Susquehanna and links neighboring Berwick to Nescopeck. PA 339 enters Nescopeck from the west; it connects with PA 93 in the middle of the town.

A topographic map of the area in and around Nescopeck.

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfb" (Warm Summer Continental Climate). ^[10] It has four distinct seasons. Winters are cold. The surrounding mountains have an influence on the climate (including both precipitation and temperatures), leading to wide variations within a short distance. ^[11] On average, temperatures below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) are infrequent, occurring several days per year, and there are several dozen days where the maximum temperature remains below 32 °F (0.0 °C). ^[11] Severe snowstorms are rare. ^[11] However, when snowstorms do occur, they can disrupt normal routines for several days. ^[11]

Summers are warm. In an average summer, temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32.2 °C) occur several days and can occasionally exceed 100 °F (37.8 °C). Spring and fall are unpredictable with temperatures ranging from cold to warm (although they are usually mild). On average, Nescopeck receives precipitation which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year (though the summer months receive more precipitation).

Climate data for Nescopeck, Pennsylvania
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	2 (36)	4 (39)	9 (48)	17 (62)	23 (73)	28 (82)	30 (86)	29 (84)	24 (76)	19 (66)	11 (51)	4 (39)	17 (62)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−7 (19)	−7 (20)	−2 (28)	3 (37)	9 (48)	14 (57)	16 (61)	16 (60)	12 (53)	5 (41)	1 (33)	−5 (23)	4 (40)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	58 (2.3)	58 (2.3)	69 (2.7)	86 (3.4)	100 (4)	91 (3.6)	100 (4.1)	100 (4)	91 (3.6)	71 (2.8)	81 (3.2)	74 (2.9)	990 (39)
Source: Weatherbase [12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	360		—
1890	698		93.9%
1900	1,100		57.6%
1910	1,578		43.5%
1920	1,638		3.8%
1930	1,614		−1.5%
1940	1,805		11.8%
1950	1,907		5.7%
1960	1,934		1.4%
1970	1,897		−1.9%
1980	1,768		−6.8%
1990	1,651		−6.6%
2000	1,528		−7.5%
2010	1,583		3.6%
2020	1,480		−6.5%
2021 (est.)	1,476	[3]	−0.3%
Sources: [13] [14] [15] [2]

As of the census ^[14] of 2000, there were 1,528 people, 672 households, and 417 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,534.8 inhabitants per square mile (592.6/km²). There were 729 housing units at an average density of 732.3 per square mile (282.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.23% White, 0.52% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.

There were 672 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $31,379, and the median income for a family was $39,440. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $20,586 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,553. About 5.3% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
2. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Oct 12, 2022.
3. Bureau, US Census. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
4. Espenshade, Abraham Howry (1925). Pennsylvania Place Names. Evangelical Press. p. 286. ISBN   978-0-8063-0416-8.
5. Albert, Jessica (April 26, 2019). ""Cooper House in Nescopeck Torn Down"". WNEP . Archived from the original on June 30, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
6. Rubinkam, Michael; Scolforo, Mark (August 5, 2022). "Blaze kills firefighter's 10 relatives, 3 of them children". Associated Press. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
7. Carroll, Kevin (August 14, 2022). "Suspect in Berwick, Nescopeck killings says he was 'frustrated'". Times Leader. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
8. Mantione, Madonna. "Sura Reyes sentenced for killing mother, driving through fundraiser crowd". PA Homepage. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
10. Climate Summary for Berwick, Pennsylvania
11. "Local Climatological Data–Annual Summary with Comparative Data: Wilkes–Barre/Scranton" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved September 30, 2015.
12. "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on August 9, 2013.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
15. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.