Mount Pocono is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 Monroe County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The borough serves as a local highway nexus, and sees much tourist traffic making use of resources in the region. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 3,083 residents.

Geography

Mount Pocono is located at (41.123012, −75.359574), and is nearly centered in Monroe County—the most southerly and centered county of the five counties containing portions of 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 nort ...

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA or 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 (the area's largest city), Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Ha ...

. The region's valleys includes

left bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...

tributaries of the

Lehigh River The Lehigh River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward ...

in the southern half, and as the mountain ranges narrow closer to New York, they are instead drained by left bank tributaries of the Susquehanna River. To the east, all Poconos ridge lines drain into the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

right bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...

tributaries of the Delaware. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the borough has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,170 people, 1,225 households, and 793 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,417 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 58.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 18.6%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 17.7% of the population. There were 1,225 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. Of all households 20.9% were made up of individuals, and 29.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.22. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years.

Public education

Pocono Mountain School District Pocono Mountain School District, often abbreviated PMSD for short, is a large, rural public school district located in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district had a ...

(PMSD) is the public school system for students living in Mount Pocono.. PMSD is divided into two parts, the East and the West districts. Mount Pocono is the East district, comprising Pocono Mountain East High School for grades 9 - 12, Pocono Mountain East Junior High School serving students in the seventh and eighth grades, Swiftwater Intermediate School for grades 4, 5, and 6, and students from kindergarten through third grade attend the Swiftwater Elementary Center. The PMSD also offers the PMSD Cyber Program, a comprehensive cyber school alternative for grades k-12. The program is free to all students in the district.

History

Early 19th-century settlers used the area for lumbering. The "New Mount Pocono" post office was established in 1848. The town's name was changed in 1864 to "Forks", because of its five-way intersection where

Pennsylvania Route 611 Pennsylvania Route 611 (PA 611) is a state highway in eastern Pennsylvania running from Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania, Interstate 95 (I-95) in the southern part of Philadelphia north to Interstate 380 (Pennsylvania), I-380 in Coolbaugh Townshi ...

and

Pennsylvania Route 940 Pennsylvania Route 940 (PA 940) is a Pennsylvania highway located in the Pocono Mountains. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 309, PA 309 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Hazleton east to Pennsylvania Route 191, PA 191 in Paradise Valley, Pennsylvania, ...

cross and

Pennsylvania Route 196 Pennsylvania Route 196 (PA 196) is a state highway in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, United States, with a length of . It runs from Pennsylvania Route 611, PA 611 and Pennsylvania Route 940, PA 940 in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, Mount Poc ...

begins. The name was changed again in 1886 to "Mount Pocono". The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad provided transportation from New York City and Philadelphia. Mount Pocono quickly developed as a summer resort, advertising clean mountain air, spring water, luxury hotels and excellent fishing. Initially, the town was part of Coolbaugh Township. In 1927, Mount Pocono borough was incorporated on its own. The boom times lasted into the mid-20th century. Most of the resort hotels burned or closed, and passenger service to the town ended in 1965.

Mount Airy Lodge The Mount Airy Lodge, built in the 1890s, was a five-star hotel and resort located in Paradise Township near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. It was closed in October 2001 and demolished in subsequent years. The site now houses Mount Airy Casino Res ...

in nearby Paradise Township grew into an 895-room mega-resort. In the mid- and late-20th century it was a popular honeymoon destination, famous for its heart-shaped bathtubs. It closed in 2001, and was demolished. Casino gambling in Pennsylvania became legal in 2004.

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 game ...

was built on the Mount Airy Lodge's lakeside site, and opened in 2007.

Resort hotels

* Pine Hill Lodge (1875), still in business, 11 guest rooms * Pocono Mountain House (1878, burned 1973), 250 guest rooms * Princess Poconita Resort (1880), now Whispering Hills Motel * Pocohasset House (demolished 1938), 100 guest rooms * Ontwood Resort (c. 1890s, burned 1979), 150 guest rooms * Mount Pleasant House (burned 1968), 150 guest rooms * Mount Airy Lodge (1898, closed 2001, demolished). At its peak in the 1960s, the hotel had 895 guest rooms. * Montanesca Hotel (1901, burned 1911), 125 guest rooms * The Meadowside (burned 1926) * Hawthorne Inn (1909, demolished) * Strickland's Mountain Inn (c. 1900, demolished 2007). Began as The Elvin, sold to Strickland in 1945. * Devonshire Pines (1912, demolished), 200 guest rooms * The Belmont (burned 1963) Currently, Mount Pocono serves as the commercial center for the northern part of Monroe County. Stores from national and regional chains and others are in the borough. Many businesses are members of the Mount Pocono Association (formerly the Mount Pocono Business Association).

Transportation

Roads and highways

As of 2017, there were of public roads in Mount Pocono, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough.

and

are the numbered highways serving Mount Pocono. PA 940 follows a southwest-northeast alignment through the center of the borough. PA 611 follows a northwest-southeast alignment through the middle of the borough. Finally, PA 196 begins at the intersection of PA 611 and PA 940 and heads north through the northern portion of the borough.

Railroad

The main line of the

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...

passed through the southern end of the borough, providing access from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

via the terminal at

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

. A passenger station was built at the crossing of Pennsylvania Route 611 in 1886. Most of the station was demolished in 1937 when the highway was widened. Regular passenger service to the borough ended in 1965. The D., L. & W. tracks now carry freight trains of the

Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area. DL began service in August 1993 and is the designated operator for of trackage in Lackawanna, Wayne, Northampton, a ...

and an occasional excursion train from

Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a List of railway museums, railroad museum and Heritage railway, heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and ...

Bus

The Monroe County Transit Authority (MCTA) serves Monroe County with five bus routes. The Authority's Blue Route serves Mount Pocono's Main Street (Pocono Blvd.) with northbound service to Tobyhanna and southbound service to Tannersville and the Bartonsville. Connections to other MCTA routes are provided at the Giants Supermarket.

Martz Trailways Martz Group is a bus company headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, operating intercity commuter buses, charter buses, and tours. Martz is a part of the Trailways Transportation System, a network of approximately 70 independent bus companie ...

and

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

provide intercity bus service to Mount Pocono at the Martz Express bus station, with Martz Trailways connecting Mount Pocono with the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

and Greyhound Lines connecting Mount Pocono with

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

Air

Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport Pocono Mountains Regional Airport is a public airport two miles northwest of Mount Pocono, in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It is owned by the Pocono Mountains Regional Airport Authority. The National Plan of Integrated Air ...

is located two miles north of the borough.

Media

'' The Pocono Record'' is a daily newspaper in the Poconos. Its coverage area centers on Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg and will occasionally cover Mount Pocono news. It currently has fewer than 60 subscribers in Mount Pocono. It is part of the Gannett/USA Today network. ''The Pocono Plateau'' is a publication of the Journal Newspapers located in

White Haven, Pennsylvania White Haven is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Lehigh River. The population was 1,163 at the 2020 census. History Establishment White Haven was created in 1824 by indu ...

. It has covered Tobyhanna Township, Coolbaugh Township, and Mount Pocono Borough for over twenty years. The community newspaper is published monthly or bi-monthly at various times of the year and is distributed free at grocery stores and restaurants in the area. ''The Boro'' community newspaper was originally established in 2018 as an online news and information site for Mount Pocono Borough residents. In February 2020, it began printing a monthly newspaper. In July 2020, it expanded coverage to include adjacent Coolbaugh and Tobyhanna Townships. The Boro* is delivered by mail to every home and business in Mount Pocono and distributed at nearly 100 controlled distribution sites throughout the area. Starting in September 2020, it began publishing every other week as ''The Boro & Towne News'' and expanded mailing to include residents of Tobyhanna and Coolbaugh. File:Lackawanna Railway Station, Mt. Pocono, PA c.1905.jpg, Mount Pocono Station (1886, demolished 1937), c. 1905 File:Montanesca Hotel, Mt. Pocono, PA c.1905.jpg, Montanesca Hotel (1901, burned 1911) File:Mount-Pocono-Station.JPG, Pocono Summit Station, in 1988 File:Mount-Pocono-Station-w-train.JPG, Mount Pocono Station, in 1991 File:Pocono Mountain House, Mt. Pocono, Pa. LCCN90712946.jpg, Pocono Mountain House in 1905

Climate

According to the

Trewartha climate classification The Trewartha climate classification (TCC), or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC), is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köp ...

system, Mount Pocono has a temperate

Continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(''Dc'') with warm summers (''b''), cold winters (''o'') and year-around precipitation (''Dcbo''). ''Dcbo'' climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ , all months with an average mean temperature < and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid in Mount Pocono, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur, with

heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...

values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature has been on July 22, 2011, and the highest daily average mean

dew point The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to produce a relative humidity of 100%. This temperature depends on the pressure and water content of the air. When the air at a temperature above the ...

has been , on August 1, 2006. July is the peak month for

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

activity, which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. The average wettest month is October, with added rainfall from tropical storm remnants during the

Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year, from June 1 through November 30, when Tropical cyclone, tropical or subtropical cyclones are most likely to form in the North Atlantic Ocean. These dates, adopted by convention ...

. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day has been 6.81 inches (173 mm), on September 30, 2010. During the winter months, the

plant hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 5b, with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature has been , on January 21, 1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur, with

wind chill Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...

values < . The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year.

Ice storm An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm, is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The National Weather Service, U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulatio ...

s and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during

nor’easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low-pr ...

s from December through March.

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 26 July 1907 – 17 June 1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system that has become widely used in the United Sta ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Mount Pocono would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern

Hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

(''106'') with a dominant vegetation form of

Northern hardwood forest The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south-central Canada, Ontario, and Quebec, extending south into the United States in northern New England, New York, and Penns ...

(''26''). The peak spring bloom typically occurs in early-May and peak fall color usually occurs in early-October. The

is 5b, with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of .

References

External links

* {{authority control 1927 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Monroe County, Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains Populated places established in 1927