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Plymouth, Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 41°14′31″N 75°56′53″W / 41.24194°N 75.94806°W / 41.24194; -75.94806
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Plymouth, Pennsylvania
Borough
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Interactive map of Plymouth, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 41°14′31″N 75°56′53″W / 41.24194°N 75.94806°W / 41.24194; -75.94806
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyLuzerne
Settled1769
Incorporated1866
Government
 • TypeBorough Council
 • MayorFrank Coughlin
Area
[1]
 • Total
1.17 sq mi (3.03 km2)
 • Land1.07 sq mi (2.78 km2)
 • Water0.097 sq mi (0.25 km2)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total
5,763
 • Density5,370.4/sq mi (2,073.51/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Zip code
18651
Area code570
FIPS code42-61648
Websitewww.plymouthborough.org

Plymouth is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, located 4 miles (6 km) west of Wilkes-Barre, along the Susquehanna River. The population was 5,763 as of the 2020 census.[3]

History

Main articles: History of Plymouth, Pennsylvania and Coal mining in Plymouth, Pennsylvania

Plymouth was first settled in 1769 by New Englanders under the Susquehanna Company of Connecticut. In its earliest days, Plymouth was a quiet, agricultural community resembling a traditional New England village. However, its territory was a central battleground for the Pennamite-Yankee Wars, a series of armed land clashes between Connecticut and Pennsylvania settlers. The dispute was finally resolved in favor of Pennsylvania through the Compromise Act of 1799, which permanently secured landowners' properties under Pennsylvania's jurisdiction.[4]

The town's trajectory shifted dramatically with the discovery of anthracite coal, a clean-burning fuel laying in massive reserves beneath the surface. In 1807, brothers Abijah and John Smith made the town's first commercial shipment of coal down the Susquehanna River on wooden arks.[5] By the 1850s, agriculture gave way to a massive industrial mining boom. The arrival of the railroad in 1857 accelerated this transformation, turning Plymouth into a thriving industrial hub that attracted diverse immigrant populations. This ultimately led to it separating from Plymouth Township and becoming a borough in 1866.[6] The first borough election was held in May 1866, and Elijah C. Wadhams was elected as the borough's first burgess.[7]

At its peak in 1910, Plymouth boasted a population of nearly 17,000 residents.[8] In addition to extensive mining operations, local factories manufactured items like miners' drilling tools, silk hosiery, and lumber products. Like most of the region, the borough faced safety crises, notably the tragic 1869 Avondale Mine Disaster in nearby Plymouth Township, which claimed 110 lives and catalyzed the state's first mine inspection laws.[9] Following the mid-20th-century decline of the anthracite industry, Plymouth adapted from a roaring coal town into a quiet, residentially focused historic borough.

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Plymouth, Pennsylvania

At the beginning of the 19th century, Plymouth's primary industry was agriculture, and many of its residents were the descendants of the Connecticut Yankees who first settled the town. Its early architecture resembled that of a small New England village.

Large quantities of anthracite coal lay below the surface at various depths, and by the 1850s, coal mining had become the town's primary occupation, attracting a more diverse population. After the arrival of the railroad in 1857, the town's architecture became more typical of a growing industrial center.

Geography

Plymouth is situated along the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), of which 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km2), or 7.31%, is water.[10] U.S. Route 11 runs directly through the borough.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18702,684—
18806,065126.0%
18909,34454.1%
190013,64946.1%
191016,99624.5%
192016,500−2.9%
193016,5430.3%
194015,507−6.3%
195013,021−16.0%
196010,401−20.1%
19709,536−8.3%
19807,605−20.2%
19907,134−6.2%
20006,507−8.8%
20105,951−8.5%
20205,763−3.2%
Sources:[11][12][13][14][15][2]

2020 demographics

At the 2020 census, Plymouth had a population of 5,763.[3]

2010 demographics

At the 2010 census, Plymouth had a population of 5,951. The reported racial and ethnic origin of the population was 90.6% White, 4.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% from other races, 2.0% reporting two or more races, and 3.3% Hispanic or Latino.[16]

2000 demographics

As of the census[14] of 2000, Plymouth had a population of 6,507. The reported racial and ethnic origin of the population was 98.4% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. The median income for a household in the borough was $27,379.

Education

It is in the Wyoming Valley West School District.[17]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Census - Geography Profile: Plymouth borough, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  4. ↑ Fisher, Sydney George (1896). The Making of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott Company.
  5. ↑ Connecticut Mirror, September 5, 1829.
  6. ↑ "Plymouth Borough". plymouthboroughpa.gov.
  7. ↑ Samuel Livingston French, Reminiscences of Plymouth, Luzerne County, Penna. (New York: Lotus Press, 1915).
  8. ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, p. 864.
  9. ↑ Ballard C. Campbell, ed. American Disasters: 201 Calamities That Shook the Nation (2008) pp 122-23
  10. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Plymouth borough, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Plymouth borough, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Census.gov". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  17. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Luzerne County, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 13, 2024. - Text list
  18. ↑ "David P. Reese Jr., 56, Well-Known Attorney, Ex-Member of House". The Patriot. July 21, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved March 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
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