The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos , are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east,

Lake Wallenpaupack Lake Wallenpaupack is a reservoir in Northeastern Pennsylvania. After Raystown Lake, it is the second-largest lake contained entirely in Pennsylvania. It comprises of shoreline, with a length of and a maximum depth of , and has a surface area in ...

to the north, Wyoming Valley and the

Coal Region The Coal Region is a region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is known for being home to the largest known deposits of anthracite coal in the world with an estimated reserve of seven billion short tons. The region is typically defined as compris ...

to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south. The name Pocono is derived from the Munsee word Pokawachne, which means "Creek Between Two Hills". Much of the Poconos region lies within the Greater New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area. The wooded hills and valleys have long been a popular recreation area, accessible within a two-hour drive to millions of metropolitan area residents, with many Pocono communities having resort hotels with fishing, hunting, skiing, and other sports facilities. The Poconos are an upland of the larger Allegheny Plateau, forming a escarpment.

Population

The Pocono Mountains are a popular recreational destination for local and regional visitors. While the area has long been a popular tourist destination, many communities have seen a rise in population, especially communities within Monroe County and Pike County. The region has a population of about 340,300, which is growing at a rapid pace. The Poconos now serves as a commuter community forflemington santa train

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. The commute to workplaces often takes as much as two hours each way due to traffic. The region lacks a major population center, although there are municipalities such as Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, and Mount Pocono. The three towns and the surrounding townships are all located in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, where the population is 165,058, about half of which is in the Poconos.

Municipalities and communities

Big Pocono State Park view south from Camelback Mountain

The Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania are divided into six regions: the Mountain Region, the Lake Region, the Delaware River Region, the Upper Delaware River Region, Wyoming Valley, and the Lehigh River Gorge Region.

Mountain Region

Located in Monroe, Luzerne, southern Lackawanna, and northern

Carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon ma ...

Counties: * Albrightsville * Barrett Township * Bartonsville * Bear Creek * Blakeslee * Canadensis * Chestnuthill Township * Coolbaugh Township * Drifton * Delaware Water Gap * East Side * East Stroudsburg * Foster Township * Freeland * Gouldsboro *

Henryville Henryville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Monroe Township, Clark County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,905 at the 2010 census. Henryville is home to Indiana's oldest state forest, Clark State Forest, and birthpl ...

* Jackson Township *

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

* Jonas, Pennsylvania * Kidder Township * Kunkletown *

Lake Harmony Lake Harmony is a glacial lake in Kidder Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The lake is drained by the Tobyhanna Creek, which flows northwest into the Lehigh River. It shares its name with an adjacent village, which has a ...

* Lausanne Township * Long Pond * Marshalls Creek * Middle Smithfield * Mount Pocono * Mountainhome * Packer Township * Paradise Township * Penn Forest Township * Penn Lake Park * Pocono Lake * Pocono Pines * Pocono Summit * Pocono Township * Price Township * Reeders * Smithfield Township * Saylorsburg * Scotrun * Stroudsburg * Stroud Township * Thornhurst * Weatherly * White Haven * Swiftwater * Tannersville * Tobyhanna

Lake Region

Located in Pike and Wayne Counties: * Gouldsboro * Hawley *

Honesdale Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census. Honesdale is located northeast of Scranton in a rural area that provides many recrea ...

Lakeville Lakeville may refer to: Canada *Wilmot Parish, New Brunswick#Lakeville, Lakeville, a local service district north of Woodstock, New Brunswick **Lakeville, Carleton County, New Brunswick, a community within the local service district *Lakeville, Wes ...

* Lake Ariel * Newfoundland * Tafton * Tanners Falls

Delaware River Region

Located in Monroe and Pike Counties: * Eshback * Milford * Bushkill

Upper Delaware River Region

Located in Pike and Wayne Counties: * Greeley * Lackawaxen * Shohola

Wyoming Valley

Located in Luzerne County: * Mountaintop * Dennison Township * Ashley * Kingston * Forty Fort * Nanticoke * Wilkes-Barre Township * Laurel Run * Sugar Notch * Dorrance *

Greater Pittston Greater Pittston is a 65.35 sq mi (169.25 km²) region in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in reference to the area in and around Pittston. As of 2010, the total population of Greater Pittston is 48,020. This region includes Avoca, Dupont, Dury ...

* Wilkes-Barre * Nanticoke * Hanover * Fairview Township

Outlying areas

The boundary of the region can be at times unclear, and these Lehigh Valley, Carbon County, Schuylkill County, and Greater Hazleton ( Luzerne County) communities fall on the periphery of the Poconos: * Coaldale (Schuylkill County) * Pen Argyl (Northampton County) * Bangor (Northampton County) * Walnutport (Northampton County) * Macungie (Lehigh County) * Slatington (Lehigh County) * Drums (Luzerne County) * Hazleton (Luzerne County) * West Hazleton (Luzerne County) * Aquashicola (Carbon County) *

Andreas Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The ...

(Carbon and Schuylkill Counties) * Beaver Meadows (Carbon County) * Ashfield (Carbon County) * Bowmanstown (Carbon County) * Forest Inn (Carbon County) * Lansford (Carbon County) * Lehighton (Carbon County) * Nesquehoning (Carbon County) *

Palmerton Palmerton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 5,414 at the 2010 census. Palmerton is located northwest of Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia ...

(Carbon County) * Parryville (Carbon County) * Portland (Northampton County) *

Summit Hill Summit Hill is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 3,034 at the 2010 census. Summit Hill has a storied history as the western terminus of the United States' second operational ...

(Carbon County) * Tamaqua (Schuylkill County) * Weissport (Carbon County)

Transportation

Roads

2022-08-06 15 11 24 will rename and categorize soon 102

The Poconos Region is served by many state highways. The most used of these highways include Pennsylvania Route 115,

Pennsylvania Route 715 Pennsylvania Route 715 (PA 715) is a north–south state route located entirely in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in the Chestnuthill Township hamlet of Brodheadsvill ...

, Pennsylvania Route 903 (designated in some areas as the "Highway to Adventure" because of the numerous venues and resorts along the highway),

Pennsylvania Route 33 Pennsylvania Route 33 (PA 33) is a limited-access state highway in eastern Pennsylvania. The highway runs from its interchange with Interstate 78 (I-78) south of Easton in the Lehigh Valley to I-80 and PA 611 west of Stroudsburg. Until 2002 ...

Pennsylvania Route 940 Pennsylvania Route 940 (PA 940) is a Pennsylvania highway located in the Pocono Mountains. It runs from PA 309 in Hazleton east to PA 191 in Paradise Valley. Large segments of PA 940 are located in densely forested areas. The route heads nort ...

, and Pennsylvania Route 611. Pennsylvania Route 309, a major north–south route connecting Northeastern Pennsylvania with the Delaware Valley region, passes through the western end of the region. There are two U.S. Highways in the Pocono Mountains region. The more used is U.S. Route 209, which goes from Ulster, New York, to Millersburg, Pennsylvania (near Harrisburg). The route's midpoint is in the region north of Stroudsburg. The other main U.S. Highway in the region is U.S. Route 6, which is a transcontinental highway that starts near Bishop, California, and runs for over to its eastern terminus in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is designated a scenic route in Pennsylvania. U.S. Route 11, U.S. Route 22, and U.S. Route 46 are also not far from the region and serve it indirectly. The main east–west interstate highway in the region is Interstate 80, off which branches Interstate 380, which connects the Poconos to Scranton. The other interstate highways in the region in Interstate 476, the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension, which has interchanges near Lehighton (Mahoning Valley), Albrightsville (Route 903), and White Haven (Pocono), and Interstate 81, which serves as an alternate route for the much busier Interstate 87 and Interstate 95, particularly for travelers from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Syracuse,

Binghamton Binghamton () is a City (New York), city in the United States, U.S. state of New York (state), New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County, New York, Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier reg ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, and Washington, D.C. Other interstates that serve the region are Interstate 84, which begins in Scranton and goes east to

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, and

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...

, by way of Route 33 or Route 309.

Restoration of passenger rail service

NJ Transit is rebuilding trackage on the Lackawanna Cut-Off route from Scranton through the Poconos to

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

. There is no estimated target year when the

Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project The Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak effort to restore passenger service to the Lackawanna Cut-Off in northwest New Jersey. Begun in 2011 and underway as of 2022, the project's Phase 1 is meant to exten ...

will be completed to the Poconos. The service would consist of nine trains per day in each direction. The NJ Transit board approved in April 2022 a $32.5 million contract for improving a tunnel and restoring track to part of the line between

Blairstown, New Jersey Blairstown is a township in Warren County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Blairstown's population was 5,704. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 5,967Port Morris Junction, New Jersey, a segment in which trackage had been removed in the 1980s. Until 1970, the Erie Lackawanna Railway operated long-distance trains through the Poconos to Buffalo and Chicago to the west, and Hoboken to the east, the last train being the '' Lake Cities''.

Air travel

There are two airports that are located just outside the region: the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Geography

The Pocono Mountains is a defined area encompassing portions of

, Monroe, Pike, and southern Wayne Counties in Pennsylvania. In total, the Poconos encompasses over . Some definitions also extend the Poconos to Lackawanna, Luzerne, eastern Schuylkill, and Susquehanna Counties. The Poconos are geologically part of the Allegheny Plateau, like the nearby Catskills. The Poconos' highest summit, Kistler Ledge in Monroe County, reaches over , while its lowest elevation is in Pike County. The Delaware River flows through the Pocono Mountains and gives the region its name, from a Native American term roughly translating to "stream between two mountains". The Lehigh and Lackawaxen Rivers also flow through the region, totaling about 170 miles (270 km) of waterways.

Climate

Glaciated Low Plateau Region

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Glaciated Low Plateau region of the northern and eastern Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate (''Dc'') with warm summers (''b''), cold winters (''o'') and year-around precipitation (''Dcbo''). ''Dcbo'' climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ , all months with an average mean temperature < and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid on the Low Plateau, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with

heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the shade. The result is al ...

values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 08/06/2001, and the highest daily average mean

dew point The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor, assuming constant air pressure and water content. When cooled below the dew point, moisture capacity is reduced and airborne water vapor will ...

was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 09/17/2004. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values less than . The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year.

Ice storm An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on ...

s and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during

nor’easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...

s from December through March.

Glaciated Pocono Plateau Region

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Glaciated Pocono Plateau region of the central and western Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate (''Dc'') with warm summers (''b''), cold winters (''o'') and year-around precipitation (''Dcbo''). ''Dcbo'' climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ , all months with an average mean temperature < and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid on the Pocono Plateau, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with

values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 07/22/2011, and the highest daily average mean

was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 09/30/2010. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < . The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year.

s and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during

s from December through March.

Ridge and Valley Region

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the

Ridge and Valley The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...

section of the southern Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate (''Dc'') with hot summers (''a''), cold winters (''o'') and year-around precipitation (''Dcao''). ''Dcao'' climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ , at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid in the Ridge and Valley, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with

values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 07/22/2011, and the highest daily average mean

was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. The average wettest month is September which correlates with tropical storm remnants during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 10/08/2005. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 6a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < . The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year.

s and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur once every couple of years, particularly during

s from December through March.

Ecology

Glaciated Low Plateau Region

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 1907–1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the United States. Some of this database has bec ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, the Glaciated Low Plateau region of the northern and eastern Poconos would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Hardwood (''106'') with a dominant vegetation form of Northern hardwood forest (''26'') north and west of Lake Wallenpaupack, and a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (''104'') with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (''25'') south and east of Wallenpaupack. The peak spring bloom typically occurs in early-May and peak fall color usually occurs in early-October. The plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of .

Glaciated Pocono Plateau Region

According to the

U.S.

types, the Glaciated Pocono Plateau region of the central and western Poconos would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Hardwood (''106'') with a dominant vegetation form of Northern hardwood forest (''26''). The peak spring bloom typically occurs in early-May and peak fall color usually occurs in early-October. The plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of .

Ridge and Valley Region

According to the

U.S.

types, the

region of the southern Poconos would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (''104'') with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (''25''). The peak spring bloom typically occurs in late-April and peak fall color usually occurs in mid-October. The plant hardiness zone is 6a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of .

Sullivan March

During the Revolutionary War in 1779, General John Sullivan marched his troops through the Pocono Mountains (Monroe and Luzerne counties) on their expedition to fight the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

tribe in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

. Sergeant Moses Fellows of the Third New Hampshire Regiment described the area as "...very poor & Barren and I think as never will Be Settled.”

Recreation

The Poconos are a well-known outdoor recreation destination for visitors around the northeast, especially from

and

. The region encompasses the Delaware State Forest, including six designated natural areas, seven state parks, and seventeen state game lands. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is on the eastern edge of the Poconos and includes 70,000 acres of wilderness.

Resorts

Inn At Pocono Manor Pool %26 Front of Main Building

Two of the earliest Pocono resorts were founded by rival factions of the

Quaker community, Inn at Buck Hill Falls (1901) and Pocono Manor (1902). These resorts did not allow liquor or dancing, and evening dress was discouraged. The Quakers "brought a quiet, unostentatious style to the region," but their hotels later developed from religious retreats into "luxurious mountain resorts." Buck Hill's stone facade became a model for close to 300 stately stone-and-shingle homes in the region. Pocono Manor offered sweeping vistas of the eastern and western Pocono region and had been referred to as the "Grand Lady of the Mountains." Buck Hill closed in 1990 and the Inn at Pocono Manor was mostly destroyed by fire in 2019. Skytop Lodge, built in 1928, is described as a "

Dutch Colonial Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house. Modern versions built in the early 20th century are more accurately referred to as "Dutch Colonial R ...

-style

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...

." Designed in reaction to the Quaker resorts, it had a dance floor and served liquor in a basement bar. Skytop offers thirty miles of hiking trails, and the main building "is surrounded by 5,000 acres of wood, glacial bogs, hemlock gorges, beaver marshes, and cascading waterfalls." Novelist Faith Baldwin wrote about her 1932 visit to Skytop, "Here are friendly mountains, round-breasted, smiling in the clear, rosy light of dawn." The Buckwood Inn opened in 1911 and included the first golf course to be designed by renowned golf architect

A. W. Tillinghast Albert Warren "Tilly" Tillinghast (May 7, 1876 – May 19, 1942) was an American golf course architect. Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on more than 265 different courses. He was inducted into ...

. Bandleader Fred Waring purchased the resort in 1943, renamed it the Shawnee Inn, and broadcast his radio shows from there.Squeri (2002), p. 182 The Shawnee Inn is a Spanish colonial revival building with white-Moorish architecture and Spanish tiled roofs, and it was identified in the 1990s as the only resort on the banks of the Delaware River.

Tamiment Tamiment, first known as Camp Tamiment, was an American resort located in the Pocono Mountains of Pike County, Pennsylvania, which existed from 1921 through 2005. Originally established by the Rand School of Social Science in New York City as ...

was a popular resort among Jewish singles from the working and emerging middle class and has been described as "a progressive version of the Catskills..." The 2,200 acre facility opened in 1921 to generate income for the Rand School of Social Science, a Socialist school in New York.In JSTOR
/ref> Tamiment Playhouse entertained resort guests with an original revue every Saturday night during the 10-week summer season, and many prominent Broadway and TV figures gained experience there.Sweet, pp. 74–79. The playhouse was referred to as the "Poconos boot camp for Broadway writers and performers." The revues were discontinued in 1960 and the resort closed down in 2005.Sweet, p. 79. Unity House, a 655-acre Pocono retreat, offered affordable vacations for factory workers. The resort was owned for seventy years by the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, and it served as a staging ground for union activities. Ron Devlin of The Morning Call referred to Unity House as a "blue-collar 'Hilton.'"

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

visited Unity House many times and wrote, "...you could not put children in a more favorable environment..." The resort closed down in 1990, falling victim to changing times and declining union membership. In 1945 retired New York executive Rudolf Van Hoevenberg established the first honeymoon resort in the Pocono Mountains, Farm on the Hill. Sally Moore of ''Snow Country'' wrote, "Far from today's sybaritic accommodations, back then the rustic cabins required new brides to make the beds and tidy up while grooms helped with the dishes and did the heavy work." By 1960, the Pocono Mountains rivaled

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...

as a honeymoon destination, attracting 100,000 couples a year.

Morris Wilkins Morris Benjamin Wilkins (March 21, 1925 – May 25, 2015) was the inventor of the heart-shaped bathtub and the champagne glass bathtub. He is credited for helping establish the Pocono Mountains in northeast Pennsylvania as the "honeymoon capital o ...

, co-owner of Cove Haven, invented the heart-shaped bathtub in 1963 as a way to lure honeymoon customers.Squeri (2002), p. 217 The tub would appear in other couples resorts and became a symbol of the Pocono resort business. Author Lawrence Squeri wrote in 2002, "If Americans today are asked to name the image that best represents the Poconos, chances are that many will cite couples resorts and heart-shaped bathtubs..."

Mount Airy Lodge The Mount Airy Lodge, built in the 1890s, was a five-star hotel and resort located in Paradise Township near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. It was closed in October 2001 and demolished in subsequent years. The site now houses Mount Airy Casino Reso ...

expanded from an eight-room inn into the largest Pocono resort. It heavily advertised in the New York media market with the catchy jingle, "Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge." Headliners, such as

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

, Milton Berle, and Connie Francis, performed in the Crystal Room, Mount Airy's 2,000-seat theater. Comedian Mickey Freeman said, "The food was lousy, but it was a legalized orgy." The 1,200-acre resort's heyday was in the 1960s and 1970s before closing in 2001. In the 1950s the Kiesendahl family purchased a 12-bedroom boarding house along Lake Teedyuskung. It became the Woodloch Resort and, as of 2014, it encompassed 1,000 acres and accommodated 900 guests in a variety of lodgings. Travel + Leisure identified the Lodge at Woodloch (founded 2006) as the number 3 destination spa in the world. As of July 2015, there were four Pocono resorts with indoor water parks: Great Wolf Lodge, H20ooohh! at Split Rock Resort, Aquatopia at

Camelback Mountain Resort Camelback Mountain Resort is a ski and snowboard resort located in the Tannersville, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. Opened in December 1963, Camelback is the largest ski resort in the Poconos. In the 1950s, when developers were workin ...

, and

Kalahari Resort Kalahari Resorts and Conventions is a water park resort chain with locations in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Sandusky, Ohio; Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania; and in Round Rock, Texas. Named for the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, the resorts are he ...

. In 2014 Jayne Clark of

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

wrote, "The former Honeymoon Capital of the World, the Poconos – rebranded in 2007 as the Pocono Mountains – continues to fine-tune its image as a family-friendly outdoor adventureland, health spa getaway and emerging waterpark capital."

Gambling

In November 2006 the Pocono Downs harness-racing complex opened the first slot-machine parlor in the state of Pennsylvania. It was owned by the Mohegan Indian Tribe of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

and included two gambling floors with nearly 1,100 machines. The

Mount Airy Casino Resort The Mount Airy Casino Resort is a casino and hotel located in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono Mountains. The casino resort has 284 hotel rooms and a casino. Mount Airy includes more than 1,800 slot machines and more than 70 table games ...

opened in October 2007 (on the site of the former Mount Airy Lodge) with about 2,500 slot machines. The owner,

Louis DeNaples Louis DeNaples is an American businessman, banker, and casino owner from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was the owner of Keystone Landfill Inc., DeNaples Auto Parts Inc. and chairman of the board of the First National Community Bancorp. In January 200 ...

, was later charged with perjury due to suspected ties with organized crime figures. He turned the resort over to his daughter and avoided prosecution.

Camping

The Poconos are home to several Scout camps.

Camp Minsi Minsi Trails Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves Scouts of eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley and Pocono regions as well as parts of western New Jersey. The council serves five counties in Pennsylvania: Lehigh, Northa ...

, owned by the Boy Scouts' Minsi Trails Council, is centrally located in the Poconos on a property of in Pocono Summit. Camp Mosey Wood, owned by the Girl Scouts' Eastern Pennsylvania council, is located on a property of in White Haven, Pennsylvania. Other Scout camps located in the Poconos include Goose Pond Scout Reservation ( Lake Ariel), Resica Falls Scout Reservation ( Marshalls Creek), and Trexler Scout Reservation (

Jonas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...

). The Poconos are also home to several Jewish summer camps, including

Camp Massad Camp Massad may refer to: * Camp Massad (Manitoba), a Jewish summer camp at Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba * Camp Massad (Montreal), a Jewish summer camp in Ste. Agathe, Quebec, based in Montreal * Camp Massad (Poconos) Camp Massad ( he, מַחֲנֶה ...

Camp Ramah Camp Ramah ( he, מחנה רמה, Machaneh Ramah) is a network of Jewish summer camps affiliated with the Conservative Movement. The camps operate in the United States, Canada, and Israel. All Ramah camps serve kosher food and are ''Shabbat''-obs ...

, and

Pinemere Camp Pinemere Camp is a Jewish overnight summer camp for children in grades 2–10. Its 300 campers are primarily drawn from the United States. Pinemere is located in a mountain setting, with cabins and a lake. It is on Bartonsville Woods Road, St ...

. Other non-denominational season summer camps include Camp Lohikan, Camp Watonka, and Pocono Springs Camp.

Racing

Pocono Raceway, a major automobile race track, is home to a NASCAR Cup Series race, the Pocono 400, in July. The track formerly hosted a second NASCAR Cup Series race, the Pocono 325, and an IndyCar race, the Pocono 500. It also serves as a racing school, motorcycle track, and hosts club events. The two NASCAR weekends at Pocono are vital to the region for the tourism money it brings to the local economy. Pocono Raceway is the closest major professional race track to Philadelphia and the major metropolitan areas of New York and New Jersey.

Skiing

Skiing was a $230 million a year industry in the Poconos and in 1987 accounted for one-quarter of the region's tourist business. Pennsylvania native John Guresh, an employee at Big Boulder Ski Resort, is credited for bringing the ski industry to the Poconos. In the winter of 1956–57 he invented a machine "resembling a lawn sprinkler atop a sled" to generate artificial snow. Joyce Gemperlein of ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...

'' wrote, "Until Guresh perfected snowmaking at Big Boulder, skiing in the Poconos was a relatively minor sport." Ski resorts in the region could not rely on natural snow and, according to Big Boulder manager Ken Knize, there were times when conditions were right for skiing only two weeks a year. Cal Conniff, president of the National Ski Areas Association, regarded Guresh as "one of the pioneers" of the U.S. ski industry. * Alpine Mountain - now closed. *

Blue Mountain Resort Blue Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Palmerton, Pennsylvania on Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain serves the Allentown, Philadelphia, New York City, and Wilmington urban areas and Carbon County, Schuylkill County, and the Hazleton are ...

— one of the most popular ski resorts in Pennsylvania with 39 trails, 13 lifts and of elevation gain. *

— The second-highest number of ski runs in the Poconos and one of the more popular ski areas and peaks over . * Jack Frost Mountain and Big Boulder — Both resorts are owned by the same parent company. Jack Frost caters to more traditional family skiing, while Big Boulder is largely focused on terrain park skiing and snowboarding. *

Montage Mountain Ski Resort Montage Mountain is a ski area in Pennsylvania, located from downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is located about northwest of Philadelphia and New York City. There are 26 trails, two terrain parks, and one of Pennsylvania's longest snow tubin ...

— formerly known as "Snö Mountain". *

Shawnee Mountain Ski Area Shawnee Mountain is a family oriented ski resort in eastern Pennsylvania located right outside East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, I-80, exit 309, next to the Delaware River in the easternmost part of The Poconos. Shawnee Mountain has a summit ele ...

— closest to New York City, just across the Delaware River from New Jersey, suited for families and beginners. * Ski Big Bear

Notable natives and residents

* Fethullah Gülen, Turkish cleric in self-imposed exile *

Robert E. Kintner Robert E. Kintner (September 12, 1909 – December 20, 1980) was an American juggler and tennis champion who served as president of both the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Early life A nati ...

, ex-President of both ABC and NBC *

S. S. Kresge Sebastian Spering Kresge (July 31, 1867 – October 18, 1966) was an American businessman. He created and owned two chains of department stores, the S. S. Kresge Company, one of the 20th century's largest discount retail organizations, and the ...

, founder of Kmart, formerly, SS Kresge's * Byron Lichtenberg, American engineer and fighter pilot who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a Payload Specialist. * Kelly Monaco, actress and winner of the first season of '' Dancing with the Stars'' * Rob Felicetti, bassist in alternative rock/pop punk band

Bowling For Soup Bowling for Soup (abbreviated as BFS) is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Burney (guitar, backing vocals), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion, backing voc ...

. *

James Mungro James Olevia Mungro II (born February 13, 1978) is a former American football running back. He retired from the National Football League (NFL) due to a severe ACL injury he received in a pre-season game in 2006. His entire NFL career was wit ...

, former NFL running back and Super Bowl Champion with the Indianapolis Colts * Paul Sorvino, actor and opera singer. *

, inventor of the heart-shaped bathtub and champagne glass bathtub

Media

Print

The Pocono Record The ''Pocono Record'' is a daily newspaper published in print and online in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. History The ''Pocono Record'' was founded as the ''Stroudsburg Daily Times'' on April 2, 1894. In 1946, the newspaper was purc ...

'' is the newspaper for the Poconos. Its coverage area centers on Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg and covers parts of Monroe, Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne and Carbon counties as well as areas of western

. '' The Times News'', of Lehighton, covers Carbon, Schuylkill, and Monroe counties, and also portions of northern Lehigh and Northampton counties. ''West End Happenings'' covers events in the West End of Monroe County. '' The Morning Call'', of Allentown, is distributed to a sizeable portion of the region, especially southern Carbon, southern Monroe, and southeastern Schuylkill counties, though its coverage is mostly centered on the neighboring Lehigh Valley. A similar situation occurs with the Times-Tribune of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area and northern Monroe, northern Carbon, and Luzerne counties. ''The Standard-Speaker'', of Hazleton, covers parts of Luzerne, Carbon, Monroe, and Schuylkill counties. ''Blue Mountain Moments'' is a monthly publication covering the Route 903 corridor from Blakeslee to Jim Thorpe.

Radio

* WABT "Pocono 96.7" is licensed to Lehman Township in Pike County. * WESS at (90.3 FM) broadcasts from the Borough of East Stroudsburg as a service of

East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) is a public university in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of ten state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). History What today is East ...

. Students and faculty of the university provide programing often, and the station rebroadcasts BBC World Service when live DJs are not available. * WKRZ (98.5 FM/107.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary hits radio format. The station's call letters are WKRF-FM and is licensed to Tobyhanna and simulcasts WKRZ-FM (98.5 FM from Wilkes Barre) on 107.9 FM. * WSBG (93.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary format. Licensed to Stroudsburg, the station serves the Pocono area with the slogan "The Poconos' Best Variety."

References

External links