Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Nanticoke is where Samuel H. Kress opened his first store, which grew into the national S. H. Kress & Co. chain.
Nanticoke was the birthplace of recently re-ellected (Nov. 2006) U.S. Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, a Democrat who currently represents significant portions of northeastern Pennsylvania, including Nanticoke.
Kosciuszko Street in Nanticoke is famous for being the only road in the United States to have located on it institutions covering all educational levels. The Nanticoke Elementary/Middle/High Schools and the Luzerne County Community College are all located on Kosciuszko Street.
More recently, Nanticoke City officials voted unanimously to apply to the state for Act 47, or economically distressed city status. Nanticoke currently faces a projected $700,000 deficit in 2006, its revenues are flat and falling far behind expenses, and by September 2006, the city will be unable to even pay for essentials like salaries and benefits. Help may from several sources may be on the horizon; however it may be some time before there will be enough revenue to correct the problem. Currently, Nanticoke is an excellent city to live in. There is very little crime, excellent housing prices, and excellent access to services, but this is not enough to attract higher property values which would in turn increase property tax revenue for the city.
[edit] Attractions
- Martys Blue Room, Marty's Blue Room Seafood and catering , Located at 100 Old Newport St in Nanticoke
- Concrete City, The Concrete City was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Coal Company in 1911. Now abandoned since the mid 1920's, it still stands as a tourist attraction. It is also popular for parties as well as paintball games among locals. Located near the Hanover section of Nanticoke.
- Stookies BBQ, Located on Route 11 just over the river in West Nanticoke, this is a popular BBQ restaurant that has been in opperation since 1926. Trademark items are smoked hot dogs and pulled pork BBQ with relish.
- Pizza and Perogies, A long established restaurant known for their excellent perogies and not so excellent pizzi. Located on East Main Street in Nanticoke across from Antonios Pizza.
- Wyoming Valley HFH Restore, A store run by the non profit group Habitat for Humanity. New and used Doors, Lighting, Windows, Cabinets, Ceramic Tile, Lumber, etc are all available to anyone at pennies on the dollar. Located on West Main St. near the old Delbalso Ford building.
[edit] Geography
Nanticoke is located at (41.199514, -75.999119)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 km² (3.6 mi²). 9.1 km² (3.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.05%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,955 people, 4,850 households, and 2,905 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,205.1/km² (3,124.0/mi²). There were 5,487 housing units at an average density of 603.6/km² (1,564.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.84% White, 0.27% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45% of the population.
There were 4,850 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,169, and the median income for a family was $35,444. Males had a median income of $30,125 versus $20,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,348. About 11.5% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Ancestries: Polish (49.7%), German (13.0%), Irish (10.8%), Italian (8.4%), Welsh (6.4%), Slovak (5.3%).
[edit] Notable natives and residents
- Pete Gray was a professional baseball player best known for playing in the major leagues despite having lost his right arm in a childhood accident. There is a historical marker in the Hanover section of Nanticoke at Front and Center St. denoting the place of his birth.
- Steve Bilko was 20 years old when he broke into professional baseball on September 22, 1949, with the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Nick Adams, actor, (Mister Roberts, Rebel Without A Cause), best known to audiences as Johnny Yuma of the TV series The Rebel.
[edit] External links
City Of Nanticoke Website, contains history, more external links, and current news.
Some local businesses
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
