Wilkes-Barre Essential Info
Overview
Wilkes-Barre (the last part is variously pronounced "Berry", "Bury", or "Berrah" by locals, and "Barry" or "Barr" by others) is a city in northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles southwest of Scranton. The city is named for John Wilkes and Isaac Barre, both of whom were opponents of Royal rule of the colonies in British Parliment. Although the city is named after them, neither one had ever stepped foot on the continent.
Description is available from Wikitravel under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license. A list of contributors is available at the original article.
Basics
Best Time To Go
Mar-Oct
Current Time
Current Weather
52 °F
Cloudy
Fun Facts
- Wilkes-Barre was founded in 1769 and formally incorporated in 1806.
- Wilkes-Barre's population exploded due to the discovery of anthracite coal in the 19th century, which gave the city the nickname of "The Diamond City".
- Wilkes-Barre is the birthplace of the Planters Peanuts Company, which was founded in 1906 by Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici and partner Mario Peruzzi.
- In November 1972, 365 subscribers of Service Electric Cable were the first to receive HBO's service, making Wilkes-Barre the birthplace of modern cable TV programming.
- Wilkes-Barre's economic plight is featured in the movie Capitalism: A Love Story, directed by Michael Moore.
Popular Foods
- Steak Burrito
- Lobster Tail