Back Mountain, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Back Mountain is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Luzerne County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is near the cities of Scranton
and Wilkes-Barre. The population was 26,690 at the 2000 census. The name, "Back Mountain" refers to the CDP's location directly behind the Endless Mountains
and it is also a general term for the area covered by the towns of Lehman
, Harveys Lake
, Dallas
, a part of Wyoming
, West Wyoming
, Trucksville
and Shavertown
(Trucksville and Shavertown both belong to Kingston Township
). Each township or borough in the CDP is independently governed.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 109.2 square miles (282.8 km²), of which, 107 square miles (277.1 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it (2.05%) is water.
It is located directly behind the Endless Mountains
of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
.
of 2000, there were 26,690 people, 9,267 households, and 6,894 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 249.5 people per square mile (96.3/km²). There were 9,997 housing units at an average density of 93.5/sq mi (36.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.45% White, 4.30% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races
, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.
There were 9,267 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples
living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,298, and the median income for a family was $57,342. Males had a median income of $39,566 versus $27,202 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $23,105. About 4.8% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is near the cities of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
and Wilkes-Barre. The population was 26,690 at the 2000 census. The name, "Back Mountain" refers to the CDP's location directly behind the Endless Mountains
Endless Mountains
The Endless Mountains are a chain of mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Northern Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.-History and geography:...
and it is also a general term for the area covered by the towns of Lehman
Lehman Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Lehman Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is locally pronounced "LEE-man." The campus of Penn State Wilkes-Barre is located at the Hayfield Farms on Old Route 115 in Lehman Township...
, Harveys Lake
Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania
Harveys Lake is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The lake within the town is the largest natural lake by volume contained entirely in Pennsylvania. The lake was named after Benjamin Harvey, who founded the borough in 1781 and was a member of the Sons of Liberty, an...
, Dallas
Dallas, Pennsylvania
Dallas is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2000 census. It was created by a charter granted April 21, 1879 from land entirely within Dallas Township. The township had been formed in 1817 and was named for Alexander J. Dallas, who was the 6th...
, a part of Wyoming
Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Wyoming is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States five miles north of Wilkes Barre, on the Susquehanna River. Formerly, coal mining was the chief industry. In 1900, 1,909 people resided in Wyoming. There were 3,010 residents in 1910...
, West Wyoming
West Wyoming, Pennsylvania
West Wyoming is a borough within Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,833 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Wyoming is located at ....
, Trucksville
Trucksville, Pennsylvania
Trucksville is an unincorporated community in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the "neighbor town" of Shavertown, located literally adjacent to Trucksville. The village is the site of the Lands at Hillside Farms, a popular small dairy store planned to expand...
and Shavertown
Shavertown, Pennsylvania
Shavertown is an unincorporated community in Kingston and Jackson Townships, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies approximately west of the city of Wilkes-Barre and southwest of Scranton.-Vice-presidential visit:...
(Trucksville and Shavertown both belong to Kingston Township
Kingston Township, Pennsylvania
Kingston Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,145 at the 2000 census. The villages of Trucksville and Shavertown and a portion of the borough of Wyoming are located here as is Frances Slocum State Park...
). Each township or borough in the CDP is independently governed.
Geography
Back Mountain is located at 41°19′13"N 75°58′22"W (41.320230, -75.972645).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 109.2 square miles (282.8 km²), of which, 107 square miles (277.1 km²) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it (2.05%) is water.
It is located directly behind the Endless Mountains
Endless Mountains
The Endless Mountains are a chain of mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Northern Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.-History and geography:...
of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Tunkhannock is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, 31 miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre. In the past, lumbering was carried on extensively. The chief industry was tanning and there were spool and tub factories, furnaces and machine shops, stave and planing mills, and witch hazel distilleries....
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 26,690 people, 9,267 households, and 6,894 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 249.5 people per square mile (96.3/km²). There were 9,997 housing units at an average density of 93.5/sq mi (36.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.45% White, 4.30% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.
There were 9,267 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,298, and the median income for a family was $57,342. Males had a median income of $39,566 versus $27,202 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $23,105. About 4.8% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Guthrie Cunyngham, Former owner of Hillside Farms, who resided in the Back Mountain until his untimely death in 2009.
- Mitchell JenkinsMitchell JenkinsMitchell Jenkins was a U.S. Republican Congressional Representative from Pennsylvania.Mitchell Jenkins was born in Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He attended the Kingston, Pennsylvania public elementary schools and the Wyoming Seminary Upper School during his high school years...
, Former U.S. Republican Congressman of Pennsylvania who lived in Shavertown toward the end of life. - Jay McCarrollJay McCarrollJay McCarroll is a fashion designer who gained fame after winning the debut season of the competitive reality show Project Runway in 2005.-Career:...
, winning designer of Season 1 of Project RunwayProject RunwayProject Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
, grew up in Lehman and attended Lake Lehman High School. - Greg SkrepenakGreg SkrepenakGregory Andrew Skrepenak is a convicted felon, a former Luzerne County, Pennsylvania commissioner and a former professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders and the Carolina Panthers. He was convicted after admitting he...
, former NFL player and Luzerne County Commissioner
Colleges & Universities
- Misericordia University in Dallas
- Penn State Wilkes-BarrePenn State Wilkes-BarrePenn State Wilkes-Barre is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It is located in Back Mountain, Pennsylvania.The Wilkes-Barre Campus can trace its history to 1915 when two top engineers, who were affiliated with Penn State and worked in the coal industry, released a study on...
in Lehman