Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale.
Unlike some other parts of the Rust Belt, some of these communities are experiencing a modest population increase mainly due to the influx of people from the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas. In fact, some parts of the region, specifically Monroe and Pike counties, rank among the fastest growing areas of the state.[1] Pocono Record
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The counties that comprise northeastern Pennsylvania are Tioga County, Bradford County, Carbon County, Columbia County, Luzerne County, Lackawanna County, Monroe County, Montour County, Northumberland County, Pike County, Schuylkill County, Sullivan County, Susquehanna County, Wayne County and Wyoming County.
The region overlaps with the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, the Wyoming Valley, and the Coal Region.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to several attractions. PNC Field in Moosic hosts the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, the AAA affiliate to Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre hosts the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of Af2 arena football. Pocono Raceway in Long Pond holds two NASCAR races annually. Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Plains was Pennsylvania's first casino. Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono also offers gambling. Skiers can find several slopes in the area, including Blue Mountain Ski Resort, east of Palmerton, Snö Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton and Camelback Ski Area in Tannersville. Camelbeach Waterpark, an outdoor water park, is located in Tannersville. There are also several attractions that explore the region's industrial history. Eckley Miners' Village near Hazleton and the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour in Scranton highlight coal mining history, while Steamtown National Historic Site and the Electric City Trolley Museum, both in Scranton, focus on transportation history.
Northeastern Pennsylvania is also home to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and is the only arts and education organization in Northeastern Pennsylvania to successfully develop a multi-county base of support. Each year the Philharmonic introduces classical music to thousands of children and other new audiences through innovative programming like their Young People’s Concerts, which offers a coordinated multi-disciplinary educational program. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic also offer open rehearsals with an educational component, a piano competition and special events for families.
The Philharmonic presents two performances of each of their concerts- one in Scranton and one in Wilkes-Barre. Their concert series include classical and pop-themed performance programs, Independence Day concerts are offered free of charge to the community, and holiday performances incorporating local choral and dance groups.
Many well-known universities are located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Penn State operates campuses in the Wilkes-Barre area, near Scranton and in Hazleton. Colleges in the Scranton area include Marywood University in Dunmore and Scranton, Lackawanna College in Scranton and The University of Scranton, a Jesuit university, in downtown Scranton. The Commonwealth Medical College recently opened in Scranton as well.
Wilkes-Barre area colleges include Wilkes University in downtown Wilkes-Barre, King's College 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 in South Canaan Township, Pennsylvania, Baptist Bible College & Seminary in Clarks Summit and East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg are among the other colleges in the area.
Two college preparatory schools are located in northeastern Pennsylvania as well. These include the campus of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston and Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton.
The only major airport to serve the region is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca. Several smaller airports operate in the area, including Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport in Forty Fort (only for "smaller, private planes"), Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport in Tobyhanna, Hazleton Municipal Airport in Hazleton, and Skyhaven Airport in Tunkhannock.