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Wyoming County, Pennsylvania

Wyoming County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named for the Wyoming Valley. "Wyoming" is derived from an Indian word meaning "extensive meadows."

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Created on April 4, 1842, from part of Luzerne County and named for the Wyoming Valley. "Wyoming" is derived from an Indian word meaning "extensive meadows." Tunkhannock, the county seat was incorporated as a borough on August 8, 1841, and was named for Tunkhannock Creek. The creek's name means "small stream."

Wyoming shares with its mother county, Luzerne, the Wyoming Valley tradition of the Connecticut claims, which began in 1754, and the Yankee-Pennamite wars. The Trenton Decree (1782), its acceptance by Connecticut (1786), and the land claimants' compensation statute (1807) ended the dispute. Although not part of the geologically defined Wyoming Valley, which is in Luzerne County, Wyoming it is one of four counties regarded as making up the historic Wyoming Valley. Connecticut Yankees made up a large percentage of the early settlers. The area experienced the settler exodus known as the Great Runaway following the Wyoming Massacre (a Tory and Indian victory) in 1778. Lacking significant coal beds, the county had primarily a lumber economy until 1900, which gave rise to a leather tanning industry using hemlock bark. Leather manufacture continued after the stands of hemlock were gone. The North Branch Canal passed through the area, and Tunkhannock was on the Lehigh Valley and Nicholson on the D. L. & W. Railroads. Grain and dairy farming gradually increased, and about 1900 dairying replaced lumber as the major product. Also, quarrying, especially of Pennsylvania bluestone, has been profitable. Tanneries used cattle hides and hemlock. The Cyrus Avery Foundry made farm equipment. The absorbent papers unit of Procter and Gamble, established at Mehoopany in 1966, is the county's biggest employer. Presently, lumber and wood products, women's apparels, and shoes are other products of this country. Farms cover 29 percent of the land, and dairy products dominate agricultural production.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 405 square miles (1,048 km²), of which, 397 square miles (1,029 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (20 km²) of it (1.88%) is water.
 

Neighboring Counties:

• Susquehanna County (north)
• Lackawanna County (east)
• Luzerne County (south)
• Sullivan County (west)
• Bradford County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here
 

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