West Wyoming is a borough in

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 borough is located within the Greater Pittston metro area. The population was 2,631 at the 2020 census.

History

Establishment

In 1768, the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut devised a plan to divide 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 ...

into five townships. Each township was to be divided amongst forty settlers. West Wyoming was originally part of Kingston Township. The community's first forty settlers arrived in February 1769. Benjamin Carpenter and his brother Gilbert developed several mills along the banks of Abrahams Creek around 1800. The first mills included a

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

and a

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ( dimens ...

Borough

The community eventually broke away from Kingston Township in 1885. The town was originally known as Carpentersville, Shoemaker's Mills, and New Troy. It was officially incorporated as the Borough of West Wyoming in 1898.

Geography

West Wyoming is part of Greater Pittston; it is located at (41.313780, -75.851640). 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 northern and northeastern sections of the borough are mostly made up of thick forests and mountains. Frances Slocum State Park is located nearby. West Eighth Street and Abrahams Creek run through a mountain pass — which links Greater Pittston to the Back Mountain. West Eighth Street intersects with Shoemaker Avenue near the eastern portion of the borough. Most homes and businesses are located in the southern and eastern sections of West Wyoming. The following communities neighbor West Wyoming: Exeter Township (north), Exeter Borough (northeast, east), Wyoming Borough (southeast), Swoyersville Borough (southwest), and Kingston Township (west, northwest).

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 2,833 people, 1,183 households, and 822 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 780.2 people per square mile (301.3/km²). There were 1,240 housing units at an average density of 341.5 per square mile (131.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.33%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.18%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.07%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.04% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.35% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.25% of the population. There were 1,183 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $37,275, and the median income for a family was $44,214. Males had a median income of $38,398 versus $25,664 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $17,603. About 0.2% of families and 3.8% 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 1.7% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places established in 1898 Boroughs in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 1898 establishments in Pennsylvania