Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Wilkes-Barre Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,235 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Wilkes-Barre Township is located at (41.227931, -75.868282)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²), all of it land. It is crossed NE-to-SW by Interstate 81/Route 309 and Business Route 309 (Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard.) 81 has two interchanges in the township: one at the SW end with 309 and one in the central portion near the arena. Other important roads are Kidder Street, Mundy Street, Highland Park Boulevard/Coal Street, Northampton Street, and Blackman Street. Its only village is Georgetown on Northampton Street.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 3,235 people, 1,455 households, and 846 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,093.2 people per square mile (422.0/km²). There were 1,572 housing units at an average density of 531.2 per square mile (205.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 92.92% White, 2.35% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.62% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,455 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the township the population was spread out with 17.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $30,603, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $30,806 versus $27,426 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,055. About 7.2% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

City vs Township

In the last five to ten years, the township of Wilkes Barre has become much more successful than the city of Wilkes-Barre. The township has become a well-known place in Northeastern Pennsylvania, adding the Wachovia Arena in addition to several major shopping hubs, including the "Arena Hub Plaza" & "Wilkes-Barre Township Commons" & "Highland Park Blvd. Plaza" & the Wyoming Valley Mall, with major retail outlets and chain restaurants. A majority of these shopping powerhouses were developed in the early 2000s, although the Wyoming Valley Mall was constructed in the 1970s following the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes. Officials of the city of Wilkes Barre have cried foul over the years, claiming that the township has stolen thousands of jobs from the city. In December 2005, the township complained that the city stole about 400 jobs from them in creating a new state office in the downtown area of the city. This bickering has led some to believe (or at least hope for) a possible annex of the township to the city, which would at least benefit the latter. However, a majority of locations in the township are addressed as Wilkes-Barre, not Wilkes-Barre Township. Recently, it was announced that the Wyoming Valley Mall will face major renovation and remodeling 1.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.