Northeastern Pennsylvania (N.E.P.A. or sometimes called Nepa) is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre,

Pittston Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal ...

, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Carbondale. A portion of this region is located in the

New York City metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

. Recently, Pennsylvania tourism boards have described Northeastern Pennsylvania as Upstate Pennsylvania. Unlike most parts of the Rust Belt, some of these communities are experiencing a modest population increase, and others, including Monroe and Pike counties, rank among the state's fastest growing counties. Northeastern Pennsylvania borders the Lehigh Valley to its south, Warren County, New Jersey to its east, and

Broome County, New York Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Br ...

to its north.

Area

References to Northeastern Pennsylvania frequently include some combination of Bradford County, Carbon County, Columbia County, Lackawanna County, Luzerne County,

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 Montour County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,136. Its county seat is Danville. The county is named for Andrew Montour, a prominent Mét ...

, Northumberland County, Pike County,

Schuylkill County Schuylkill County (, ; Pennsylvania Dutch: Schulkill Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...

, Sullivan County,

Susquehanna County Susquehanna County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,434 Its county seat is Montrose. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from part ...

, Wayne County, and Wyoming County. : the largest county by area; : the most populous county

Attractions and entertainment

Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to PNC Field in Moosic, which hosts the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the AAA affiliate to Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre hosts the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins; it previously hosted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of arena football.

Pocono Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA M ...

in Long Pond holds one cup series NASCAR race annually.

Mohegan Pennsylvania Mohegan Pennsylvania (formerly Mohegan Sun Pocono, Pocono Downs and Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs) is a racino located in Plains Township on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The casino features over 2,300 slots, live tables for blackj ...

in Plains was Pennsylvania's first casino to offer slots. Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono also offers gambling. Skiers can find several slopes in the area, including

Shawnee on Delaware Shawnee on Delaware is an unincorporated community on the Delaware River, part of Smithfield Township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated just south of the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, southwest of the Shawnee M ...

East Stroudsburg East Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state. Originally known as "Dansbury", East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and ...

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 Hazleto ...

(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 in Scranton, which also operates as a water park during the summer season,

Elk Mountain Elk Mountain may refer to: Settlements * Elk Mountain, Utah, a settlement in the U.S. state of Utah * Elk Mountain, Wyoming, a settlement in the U.S. state of Wyoming Summits *Elk Mountain (British Columbia), a mountain in British Columbia, Canad ...

in Union Dale, and Camelback Mountain Resort 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 near Hazleton, and the

Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour The Lackawanna Coal Mine is a museum and retired coal mine located in McDade Park in Scranton, Pennsylvania. History The Lackawanna Coal Mine was opened by Continental Coal Company in 1903. Lackawanna County, including Scranton, is part of th ...

in Scranton highlight the area's coal mining history, while

Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is buil ...

and the

Electric City Trolley Museum The Electric City Trolley Museum is a transport museum located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, next to the Steamtown National Historic Site. The museum displays and operates restored trolleys and interurbans on former lines of the Lackawanna ...

, both in Scranton, focus on transportation history. The Houdini Museum in Scranton follows Houdini's exploits in the area, as well as the rest of the world. The Scranton

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

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.

Education

Many well-known universities are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

operates campuses in the Wilkes-Barre area, near Scranton and in Hazleton. Colleges in the Scranton area include Marywood University in Dunmore, Lackawanna College in downtown Scranton, and the University of Scranton, in downtown Scranton.

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) is a private medical school associated with the Geisinger Health System and located in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania. GCSOM offers a community-based model of medical education wit ...

is the region's only medical school and specifically recruits students from NEPA and surrounding counties. Wilkes-Barre area colleges include Wilkes University in downtown Wilkes-Barre,

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

also in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, and Misericordia University in Dallas. Keystone College in La Plume,

St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (russian: Свято-Тихоновская духовная семинария) is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in South Canaan Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It is one of three semina ...

in South Canaan Township, Clarks Summit University (formerly Baptist Bible College & Seminary) in

Clarks Summit Clarks Summit is a borough in Lackawanna County, northwest of Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 5,108 at the 2020 census. It is also the northern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, I-476. History T ...

, Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, and East Stroudsburg University in

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

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton, and MMI Preparatory School in Freeland. Seven Catholic high schools are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They include Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, which primarily serves Lackawanna County, Luzerne County, Wayne County, Pike County,

, Wyoming County, and

. The second school is Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre, which serves primarily Luzerne County and Wyoming County. The third school is Notre Dame High School, which is located in Stroudsburg. It primarily serves

. The fourth school is

Nativity BVM High School Nativity B. V. M. High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown. Background Nativity B.V.M. (Blessed Virgin Mary) High School is a Catholic four-year co-e ...

, which is located in

Pottsville Pottsville usually refers to the city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Pottsville may also refer to: Other communities *Pottsville, New South Wales, Australia *Pottsville, Arkansas, United States *Pottsville, Kentucky, United ...

, which serves

. The fifth school is Marian Catholic High School in Tamaqua, which serves Schuylkill County, as well as Luzerne County and Carbon County. The sixth school is Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School, which is located near the city of Shamokin. The seventh 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.

Gallery

Aerial view of Pocono Raceway.JPG, Aerial view of

in Long Pond Blue Mountain Ski Area Feb 2014.JPG, Aerial View of

ECKLEY HISTORIC DISTRICT.jpg, Eckley Miners' Village in Foster Township Steamtown Roundhouse.jpg,

in Scranton

References

External links

Discover Northeast Pennsylvania

"Pennsylvania's Northern Anthracite Coal Field"
at Northern Field {{authority control Pocono Mountains Regions of Pennsylvania