Wilkes-Barre

Wilkes-Barre (, , or ) is the central city of the Wyoming Valley and county seat of Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1769 and formally incorporated in 1806, the city has an estimated population of 43,123, according to the 2000 census. The city and valley are framed by the Pocono Mountains to the east, the Endless Mountains to the west and the Lehigh Valley to the south. The Susquehanna River flows through the center of the valley and defines the northeastern border of the city. The Wyoming Valley was first inhabited by the Shawanese and Delaware Indian tribes in the early 1700s. By 1769, a group, led by John Durkee, became the first Europeans to reach the area. The settlement was named Wilkes-Barre, after John Wilkes and Isaac Barré, two British members of Parliament who supported colonial America. The initial settlers were aligned with Connecticut, which had a claim on the land that rivaled Pennsylvania's. Armed men loyal to Pennsylvania twice attempted to... full article at wikipedia