Back Mountain

The Back Mountain is a region and former census-designated place (CDP) in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is near the cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. The population was 33,551 as of 2016. The region has a total area of 117.59 square miles (304.6 km²). The area was not delineated as a CDP for the 2010 census. The name "Back Mountain" refers to the area's location behind the mountain ridge forming the northwest side of the Wyoming Valley. The area includes the townships of Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston, Lake, and Lehman. The region also includes the boroughs of Dallas and Harveys Lake. Each township or borough is independently governed.

History

Postcard of Harveys Lake and the Back Mountain (early 20th century)

Postcard of Harveys Lake (early 20th century)

The townships of Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston, Lake, and Lehman were formed in the early days of the Back Mountain. The area now known as Dallas was first settled in 1797. It was later incorporated as a borough on April 21, 1879. It was created from a section of Dallas Township. The township had been formed in 1817 and was named for Alexander J. Dallas, who was the 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury and the father of George M. Dallas (the vice president of James Polk). The Borough of Dallas has been described by some as the “Pride” of the Back Mountain.

The second borough in the Back Mountain region is Harveys Lake. The lake was named after Benjamin Harvey, who inadvertently discovered the lake in 1781. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty, an eminent colonial-era group that eventually defeated the notion of Great Britain's Stamp Act. The first resident in the vicinity of the lake was Matthew Scouten, who arrived in the early 1790s, but the first settlers were the Worthingtons, who arrived in 1806.

Historically the area offered many forms of recreation and entertainment, which brought tourists from all over the Northeast. Harveys Lake became a major resort destination in the early 20th century. Hotels, boathouses, a casino, and even an amusement park were all constructed around Harveys Lake. Grand Hotel Oneonta was especially prominent in the early 1900s, and former United States President Theodore Roosevelt visited the hotel in August 1912. Harveys Lake was not officially incorporated as a borough until 1968.

Frances Slocum State Park is the only state park in the Back Mountain. In 1968, the lake, which is the centerpiece of the park, was built to control flooding in the North Branch Susquehanna River. In 1972, the park became a temporary home to 280 families who were displaced by the Agnes floods. The park was closed to the public; it was not reopened until 1974 when all the families were relocated.

Population and geography

File:Backmountainmap.jpg

A map of Luzerne County. The Back Mountain is outlined in red.

As of 2016, 33,551 people lived in the Back Mountain. It consists of six townships and two boroughs. The Back Mountain is located at 41°19′13″N 75°58′22″W (41.320230, -75.972645). The region has a total area of 117.59 square miles (304.6 km²). It's home to Frances Slocum State Park, Lake Louise, and Harveys Lake.

Name of community	Population as of 2016	Total area
Dallas Borough	2,768	2.42 sq mi (6.25 km²)
Dallas Township	9,216	18.7 sq mi (48.5 km²)
Franklin Township	1,745	13.1 sq mi (33.8 km²)
Harveys Lake Borough	2,773	6.17 sq mi (15.99 km²)
Jackson Township	4,633	13.4 sq mi (34.6 km²)
Kingston Township	6,935	13.9 sq mi (36.0 km²)
Lake Township	2,025	26.7 sq mi (69.1 km²)
Lehman Township	3,456	23.2 sq mi (60.1 km²)
Total	33,551	117.59 sq mi (304.34 km²)

Demographics when it was a CDP

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,690 people, 9,267 households, and 6,894 families residing in the census-designated place (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.

Education

Misericordia University campus during spring

Public school districts

• Dallas School District
• Lake-Lehman School District

Colleges and universities

• Misericordia University in Dallas
• Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman

Libraries

• Back Mountain Memorial Library

Transportation

Pennsylvania Route 29 in Lake Township, Luzerne County

Highways

• PA 29
• PA 118
• PA 309
• PA 415

Nearby airports

• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport
• Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport

Notable people

• Mitchell Jenkins, a former Republican U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania; he lived in Shavertown toward the end of his life
• Jay McCarroll, the winning designer of Season 1 of Project Runway; he grew up in Lehman and attended Lake Lehman High School
• Greg Skrepenak, former NFL player, Luzerne County Commissioner, and convicted felon. He was convicted after admitting he received kickbacks for public contracts. On August 6, 2010, Skrepenak was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison.

Gallery

Swampland in Frances Slocum State Park

Harveys Lake

Lake Louise

Huntsville Creek

Undeveloped land in Lake Township

A bicyclist in Dallas Township