| Greater Pittston | |
|---|---|
| — Area around Pittston City — | |
  Greater Pittston
|
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| Coordinates: 41°19′26″N 75°47′20″W / 41.32389°N 75.78889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Luzerne |
| Settled | around 1770 |
| Government | |
| - Type | determined by the individual city, borough, or township |
| - Pittston Mayor | Donna McFadden-Connors (acting mayor) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 65.5 sq mi (169.6 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | around 50,000 |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Zip code | |
| Area code(s) | 570 |
Greater Pittston is a 65.5-square-mile (170 km2) region in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in reference to the area in and around Pittston. The total population of the Greater Pittston area is around 50,000 people. This region includes Avoca, Dupont, Duryea, Exeter Boro, Exeter Township, Hughestown, Jenkins Township, Laflin, Pittston Township, West Pittston, West Wyoming, Wyoming and Yatesville.
Contents |
History
- 3 July 1778 — A force of British and Tories led by John Butler, with the assistance of about 700 Indians, attacked and killed nearly 300 Wyoming Valley settlers. Today in Wyoming, PA a monument marks the gravesite of the victims from the Battle of Wyoming.
- 28 June 1896 — An explosion in the Newton Coal Company's Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston City resulted in a massive cave-in that killed 58 miners.[1][2]
- 1934 — The right arm of Hughestown, Pennsylvania resident, Harry Tompkins, was crushed by an Erie Railroad train. This resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins, which laid the foundation for a large part of modern American civil procedure.
- 22 January 1959 — The Knox Mine Disaster in Port Griffith, Jenkins Township claimed the lives of 12 people and essentially shut down the mining industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
- June 1972 — Hurricane Agnes was responsible for massive flooding in and around the Greater Pittston area.
- 1974 – 1989 — Alleged ghost hauntings took place in the home of Jack and Janet Smurl in West Pittston. This resulted in the 1991 film The Haunted.
- 1992 — The opening scenes from the movie School Ties was filmed in West Pittston; it shows David Green, the hero of the movie (played by Brendan Fraser), hanging out with friends in the streets of the tiny town.
Geography
Greater Pittston is a 65.5-square-mile (170 km2) region in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania encompassing the Susquehanna River. Pittston Township has the largest landmass in all of Greater Pittston with a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km2). Yatesville covers the least amount of land in all of Greater Pittston with a total area of only 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2).
Population
According to the 2000 census, around 50,000 people live in and around Pittston City. Pittston has the highest population in all of Greater Pittston with nearly 8,000 citizens. Yatesville has the smallest population with only 649 citizens.
Government
The acting mayor of Greater Pittston's representative city (Pittston, Pennsylvania) is Donna McFadden-Connors. Every other borough and township in the Greater Pittston area has their own form of governance which includes mayors and supervisors.
Transportation
Interstate 81 passes through Pittston Township and the surrounding Greater Pittston area. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is actually in Avoca, a town in the Pittston metropolitan area. There is also public transportation to and from Greater Pittston. Railways into Greater Pittston provides for other services.
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
