Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

that includes the

Pocono Mountains The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos , are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, ...

, the

Endless Mountains The Endless Mountains are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties. The highest peak in the region is the North Kn ...

, and the

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

cities of

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. 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 s ...

, Pittston,

Hazleton Hazleton may refer to: Places * Hazleton, British Columbia, Canada * Hazleton, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire, England ** Hazleton long barrows, Neolithic burial mounds at Hazleton, Gloucestershire, England ** Hazleton Abbey, a medi ...

Nanticoke Nanticoke may refer to: * Nanticoke people in Delaware, United States * Nanticoke language, an Algonquian language * Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey Place names Canada * Nanticoke, Ontario ** Nanticoke Generating S ...

, and Carbondale. A portion of this region constitutes a part of the New York City metropolitan area. Unlike most parts of the

Rust Belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions an ...

, some of these communities are experiencing a modest

population increase Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

, and others, including Monroe and

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

counties, rank among the fastest growing areas of Pennsylvania. Northeastern Pennsylvania borders the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

to its south,

Warren County, New Jersey Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 109,632, representing an increase of 940 (0.9%) from the 108,692 residents counted at the 2010 census. The county bord ...

to its east, and Broome County, New York to its north.

Area

Northeastern Pennsylvania comprises Bradford County, Carbon County, Columbia County,

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

, Montour County, Northumberland County, Pike County, Schuylkill County, Sullivan County, Susquehanna County, Wayne County, and Wyoming County. The region overlaps with the

, the

Wyoming Valley The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal-mines. As a metropolitan ...

, the

Coal Region The Coal Region is a region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is known for being home to the largest known deposits of anthracite coal in the world with an estimated reserve of seven billion short tons. The region is typically defined as compri ...

Pennsylvania Dutch Country The Pennsylvania Dutch Country ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Deitscherei'' Dutchery', also called Pennsylvania Dutchland ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Pennsylvania Deitschland'', german: Pennsylvania Deutschland), or simply the Dutch Country or Dutchland ( ...

, and, by some definitions, the

. : the largest county by area; : the most populous county

Attractions and entertainment

Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to

PNC Field PNC Field is a 10,000-seat minor league baseball stadium that is located in Moosic, Pennsylvania in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area that was built in 1989 and rebuilt in 2013. The stadium is home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRi ...

Moosic Moosic ( ) is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, south of downtown Scranton and northeast of downtown Wilkes-Barre, on the Lackawanna River. Moosic is in a former coal-mining region. A few older industries existed at one time, includ ...

, which hosts the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

, the AAA affiliate to Major League Baseball's

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (originally Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center, formerly First Union Arena and Wachovia Arena) is an 8,050-seat multi-purpose arena located in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania just no ...

in Wilkes-Barre hosts the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barr ...

; it previously hosted the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team that played in the AF2. The team was part of the East Division in the American conference. The Pioneers were an expansion team for the league's 2002 season, and were th ...

arena football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

. Pocono Raceway in Long Pond holds two NASCAR races annually. Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in

Plains In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. In ...

was Pennsylvania's first

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

Mount Airy Casino Resort The Mount Airy Casino Resort is a casino and hotel located in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains. The casino resort has 284 hotel rooms and a casino. Mount Airy includes more than 1,800 slot machines and more than 70 table games ...

Mount Pocono Mount Pocono is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It is located nearly centered in the southernmost county of five in the northeastern corner that are part of the Pocono Mountains. The ...

also offers gambling. Skiers can find several slopes in the area, including

Bear Creek Mountain Resort Bear Creek is a ski resort near the borough of Macungie, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. The resort opened in 1967 and was known as the Doe Mountain until 1999. It is a year-round resort on more than that features a va ...

in Macungie,

Blue Mountain Resort Blue Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Palmerton, Pennsylvania on Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain serves the Allentown, Philadelphia, New York City, and Wilmington urban areas and Carbon County, Schuylkill County, and the Hazleton are ...

(east of

Palmerton Palmerton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 5,414 at the 2010 census. Palmerton is located northwest of Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia. ...

Montage Mountain Ski Resort Montage Mountain is a ski area in Pennsylvania, located from downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is located about northwest of Philadelphia and New York City. There are 26 trails, two terrain parks, and one of Pennsylvania's longest snow tubin ...

, which also operates as a

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

during the summer season, Elk Mountain in Union Dale, and

Camelback Mountain Resort Camelback Mountain Resort is a ski and snowboard resort located in the Tannersville, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. Opened in December 1963, Camelback is the largest ski resort in the Poconos. In the 1950s, when developers were worki ...

in Tannersville. Like Montage, it operates as a water park in the off season. There are several attractions that explore the region's industrial history.

Eckley Miners' Village Eckley Miners' Village in eastern Pennsylvania is an anthracite coal mining patch town located in Foster Township, Pennsylvania. Since 1970, Eckley has been owned and operated as a museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Hi ...

near Hazleton, and the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour in Scranton highlight the area's coal mining history, while Steamtown National Historic Site and the Electric City Trolley Museum, both in Scranton, focus on transportation history. The

Houdini Museum The Houdini Museum is located at Scranton, Pennsylvania. Harry Houdini appeared in Scranton and did several special challenges there. His brother, Hardeen, also appeared in Scranton and in its sister city, Wilkes-Barre. The longest engagement ...

in Scranton follows Houdini's exploits in the area, as well as the rest of the world. The Scranton Ghost Walk attraction tells of Scranton's paranormal history. 1433 N. Main Avenue, home of the longest running seance event in the United States, "Haunted! Mysteries of the Beyond", was picked by the Pennsylvania Department of tourism as one of the most haunted places in the state. NEPA is also home to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and Northeastern Pennsylvania Chamber Music Society, the only arts and education organizations in the area to successfully develop a multi-county base of support.

Educational institutions

Many well-known universities are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Penn State operates campuses in the Wilkes-Barre area, near Scranton and in

. Colleges in the Scranton area include

Marywood University Marywood University is a private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, grad ...

Dunmore Dunmore from the ga, Dún Mór, link=no or gd, Dùn Mòr, link=no, meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguat ...

Lackawanna College Lackawanna College (Lackawanna or LC) is a private college in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It also has satellite centers in Hazleton, Hawley, Sunbury, Towanda, and Tunkhannock, and an Environmental Education Center in Covington Township. Acad ...

in downtown Scranton, and the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...

, in downtown Scranton. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is the region's only medical school and specifically recruits students from NEPA and surrounding counties. Wilkes-Barre area colleges include

Wilkes University Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and bec ...

in downtown Wilkes-Barre, King's College also in downtown Wilkes-Barre,

Luzerne County Community College Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) is a public community college in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. LCCC offers over 100 academic, technical, and career programs. The institution uses an open admissions policy for most programs, and has over 35,000 ...

, and

Misericordia University Misericordia University is a private Roman Catholic university in Dallas, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1924 as College Misericordia; in 2007 it became a university and changed its name. The university offers ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Keystone College Keystone College is a private college in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Although the college's official mailing address is La Plume, Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County, much of the campus is in Factoryville in Wyoming County. It was founded in 1868. ...

La Plume ''La Plume'' was a French bi-monthly literary and artistic review. The magazine was set up in 1889 by Léon Deschamps, who edited it for ten years and was succeeded as editor by Karl Boès from 1899 to 1914. Its offices were at number 31 rue Bo ...

, St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan Township,

Clarks Summit University Clarks Summit University is a private Baptist Bible college in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. It offers on-campus and online degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These include a high-school dual enrollment option, as well as associa ...

(formerly Baptist Bible College & Seminary) in Clarks Summit,

Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...

in Bloomsburg, and

East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) is a public university in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of ten state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). History What today is East S ...

in East Stroudsburg are among the other colleges in the area. Three college preparatory schools are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, including

Wyoming Seminary , motto_translation = Truth, beauty, and goodness , address = 201 North Sprague Avenue , location = , region = , city = Kingston , county = Luzerne , st ...

in Kingston,

Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a co-educational Jesuit high school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. History Scranton Prep opened its doors in 1944. At the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and of Catholic families ...

in Scranton, and

MMI Preparatory School MMI Preparatory School (simply referred to as MMI) is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational 6-12 college preparatory day school in Freeland, Pennsylvania, United States. MMI is short for Mining and Mechanical Institute and was founded in ...

Freeland Freeland may refer to: Places Canada *Freeland, Prince Edward Island United Kingdom *Freeland, Oxfordshire United States *Freeland, Maryland *Freeland, Michigan *Freeland, Ohio *Freeland, Pennsylvania *Freeland, Washington Other uses *Freel ...

. Five Catholic high schools are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They include Holy Cross High School in

, which primarily serves

, Wayne County, Pike County, Susquehanna County, Wyoming County, and

. The second school is

Holy Redeemer High School Holy Redeemer High School is a high school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. It is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. It is currently the only Catholic high school in Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in th ...

, which serves primarily

and Wyoming County. The third school is Notre Dame High School, which is located in

Stroudsburg Stroudsburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It lies within the Pocono Mountains, Poconos region, approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence ...

. It primarily serves

. The fourth school is Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School, which is located near the city of Shamokin. The fifth school is St. Gregory the Great Academy, which is a boarding school for boys grades 9–12, specializing in classical education, and located in Elmhurst Township.

Airports

The only major airport to serve the region is the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is mostly in Pittston Township, Pennsylvania, and spans the border between Luzerne County and Lackawanna County. It is owned and operated by the two counties; it is about 7 miles from Scranton and 8 ...

in Pittston Township. Several smaller airports operate in the area, including

Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport is a county-owned, public airport three miles north of Wilkes-Barre, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and 10 miles south of Scranton, in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The National Plan of Integrated Airpo ...

Forty Fort Forty Fort was a stronghold built by settlers from Westmoreland County, Connecticut, on the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, both Connecticut and Pennsylvania claimed this territory, as ...

, Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport in Tobyhanna, Hazleton Municipal Airport in

, Tidmore Airport in Pottsville, Stroudsburg-Pocono Airport in East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg Municipal Airport in Bloomsburg, Cherry Ridge Airport-N30 in Honesdale, Spring Hill Airport-70N in Sterling, Mountain Bay Airpark Inc in Greentown, Flying Dollar Airport in Canadensis, Merritt Field in Muncy Valley, Boehms Field in Greeley, Beltzville Airport in Lehighton, and Skyhaven Airport in Tunkhannock.

References

External links

Pennsylvania's Northern Coal Field
Aerial view of Pocono Raceway.JPG , An aerial view of Pocono Raceway Blue Mountain Ski Area Feb 2014.JPG , Aerial View of Blue Mountain Ski Area ECKLEY HISTORIC DISTRICT.jpg , Eckley Miners' Village Steamtown Roundhouse.jpg , Steamtown National Historic Site {{Pennsylvania Regions of Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains