Laurel Run is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

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 ...

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, ...

, United States. The population was 560 at the 2020 census.

History

Laurel Run in the late 1800s or early 1900s

Laurel Run was incorporated as a borough in 1881. The borough is home to one of the oldest continuing motorsport events in Pennsylvania. Since 1906, the annual

Giants Despair Hillclimb The Giants Despair Hillclimb is a hillclimb which was established in 1906 in Laurel Run, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, just southeast of its border to Wilkes-Barre Township. The contest was first run in conjunction with Wilkes-Ba ...

has challenged motorists to race uphill on a one-mile stretch of East Northampton Street. In 1915, a

mine fire A coal-seam fire is a burning of an outcrop or underground coal seam. Most coal-seam fires exhibit smouldering combustion, particularly underground coal-seam fires, because of limited atmospheric oxygen availability. Coal-seam fire instances ...

started in the borough's Red Ash mine. The mine was excavated and, although the fire was declared extinguished in 1973, the fire is still burning. Approximately 166 homes, two grocery stores, a church, a school, and a lumberyard were razed and relocated through a program administered by the

Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...

Geography

Laurel Run is located at (41.217222, -75.841456). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the borough has a total area of , all land. The borough is sparsely populated. Most of Laurel Run consists of mountainous forests. Laurel Run, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of Mill Creek, flows through much of the borough.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 723 people, 277 households, and 188 families living in the borough. The population density was 140.9 people per square mile (54.4/km²). There were 292 housing units at an average density of 56.9 per square mile (22.0/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the borough was 99.45% White, 0.28% African American, 0.14% Native American, and 0.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population. There were 277 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 27.4% of households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.01. The age distribution was 19.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 112.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.6 males. The median household income was $35,781 and the median family income was $40,455. Males had a median income of $28,611 versus $24,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,066. About 8.8% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places established in 1881 Boroughs in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 1881 establishments in Pennsylvania