Wyoming, Pennsylvania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wyoming is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, five miles (8 km) north of Wilkes Barre, on the Susquehanna River. Formerly, coal mining was the chief industry. In 1900, 1,909 people resided in Wyoming. There were 3,010 residents in 1910. The population was 3,221 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 External links

[edit] History

The Wyoming Monument marks the gravesite of victims of the July 3, 1778 Battle of Wyoming or Wyoming Massacre. The Battle was named for the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, of which the current borough of Wyoming is a part.

A force of British and Tories led by John Butler, with the assistance of about 700 Indians, attacked the outnumbered Wyoming Valley settlers on July 3, 1778 north of Wyoming in what is now Exeter Borough. The exact fatality count is not known, but it is estimated between 200 and 300 settlers were killed in the Battle.

An annual observance, sponsored by the Wyoming Commemorative Association, takes place at the obelisk grounds to honor the fallen heroes of this Revolutionary War battle. The Monument has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Wyoming Valley was made famous by the 1809 poem Gertrude of Wyoming by Thomas Campbell. The state of Wyoming was named after the valley following to the popularity of the poem.

[edit] Geography

Wyoming is located at 41°18′34″N, 75°50′13″W (41.309346, -75.836849)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.0 km² (1.6 mi²). 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (8.97%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,221 people, 1,487 households, and 852 families residing in the borough. The population density was 875.8/km² (2,271.6/mi²). There were 1,580 housing units at an average density of 429.6/km² (1,114.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.50% White, 0.06% African American, 0.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.

There were 1,487 households out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the borough the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $33,576, and the median income for a family was $44,087. Males had a median income of $33,015 versus $24,718 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,428. About 5.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.309346° -75.836849°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA