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The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania comprised by Lackawanna, Luzerne, Carbon, Columbia and Schuylkill counties. The region is home to the largest known deposits of anthracite coal found in the Americas, with an estimated reserve of seven billion short tons (PA DEP Website). It is these deposits that provide the region with its nickname.

Geography

The Coal Region lies North of the Lehigh Valley and Berks County Regions, west of the Pocono Mountains, and east of the Susquehanna Valley, though the Susquehanna River passes through the Wyoming Valley located within the coal region. The Wyoming Valley is the most densley populated area of the region, containing the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Hazleton and Pottsville are two of the larger cities in the southern portion of the region. The headwaters of the Lehigh and Schuylkill Rivers both lie within the region.

Brief History and Miscellany

Settlement in the region predates the American Revolution, however the discovery of the anthracite coal for which it is named did not occur until the early nineteenth century. Population rapidly grew in the period following the Civil War, with the expansion of the mining and railroad industries. German, Irish, Italian, and Slavic immigrants formed a large portion of this increase. The influence of these immigrant populations is still strongly felt in the region, with various towns possessing pronounced ethnic characters.

The anthracite mining industry loomed over much of the region until its decline in the 1950's. Strip mines and evidence of mine fires are still visible throughout much of the area. Several of the more violent incidences in the history of the US labor movement occurred within the coal region as this was the location Lattimer Massacre (see United Mine Workers) and the home of the Molly Maguires. The Knox Mine Disaster in 1959 essentially served as the death knell for deep mining within the region; almost all current anthractite mining is done via strip mining. Tours of a deep mine can be taken in Ashland where there is also a museum dedicated to the mining industry.

Also evident are "patch towns", small villages affiliated with a particular mine. These small towns, with populations typically less than 500, were solely owned by the mine; the resident miners were tenants, the general store was owned by the mining concern, and police were mine employees whose most prominent charge was to protect the coal from theft by the residents. Though no longer company owned, many of these hamlets persist today; the Eckley Miner's Village is a historical park attempting to preserve a "patch town " in close to its original state.

External Links

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 == Brief History and Miscellany ==
-Settlement in the region predates the American Revolution, however the discovery of the the anthracite coal for which it is named did not occur until the early nineteenth century.  Population rapidly grew in the period following the Civil War, with the expansion of the mining and railroad industries.  German, Irish, Italian, and Slavic immigrants formed a large portion of this increase.  The influence of these immigrant populations is still strongly felt in the region, with various towns possessing pronounced ethnic characters.
+Settlement in the region predates the American Revolution, however the discovery of the anthracite coal for which it is named did not occur until the early nineteenth century.  Population rapidly grew in the period following the Civil War, with the expansion of the mining and railroad industries.  German, Irish, Italian, and Slavic immigrants formed a large portion of this increase.  The influence of these immigrant populations is still strongly felt in the region, with various towns possessing pronounced ethnic characters.
 The anthracite mining industry loomed over much of the region until its decline in the 1950's.  Strip mines and evidence of mine fires are still visible throughout much of the area.   Several of the more violent incidences in the history of the US labor movement occurred within the '''coal region''' as this was the location Lattimer Massacre (see [[United Mine Workers]]) and the home of the [[Molly Maguires]].  The [[Knox Mine Disaster]] in 1959 essentially served as the death knell for deep mining within the region; almost all current anthractite mining is done via strip mining.  Tours of a deep mine can be taken in Ashland where there is also a museum dedicated to the mining industry.
 Also evident are "patch towns", small villages affiliated with a particular mine.  These small towns, with populations typically less than 500, were solely owned by the mine; the resident miners were tenants, the general store was owned by the mining concern, and police were mine employees whose most prominent charge was to protect the coal from theft by the residents.  Though no longer company owned, many of these hamlets persist today; the Eckley Miner's Village is a historical park attempting to preserve a "patch town " in close to its original state.
 ==External Links==