On the banks of the Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre’s downtown is surrounded by residential sectors in the Wyoming Valley. The northeastern Pennsylvania city is home to over 44,000 and offers its residents a balance of city and outdoor lifestyles, having undergone a revival in recent years. “Over the last few years, we’ve had a huge surge of people from other states moving here, so the property values have really gone up,” says Antonio DeRosa, an associate broker with Lewith & Freeman Real Estate. “It’s a booming area again and it’s on the upswing. It’s a great place to move because of that.” As part of the Wyoming Valley, the city is often mentioned in the same breath as Scranton, which sits 20 miles north; the area’s two minor-league sports teams bear both cities’ names.
Wilkes-Barre has undergone gradual revitalization over the past half century, after flooding from Hurricane Agnes devastated the city in 1972. “After the flood, the city kind of died down a little bit,” DeRosa says. “The last few years, it’s really started to resurge again. There’s been a lot of new industry jobs moving to the area and a lot of redevelopment for residential housing, which was really needed.” Public Square can be considered one of the hearts of the city, serving as a central spot for community gatherings like Wilkes-Barre’s Christmas parade and a wintertime ice rink. The history of the area is rooted in the coal industry. “Wilkes-Barre the New York City of our area back in the day,” DeRosa says. “Because of that, we have a lot of really cool, old historic buildings. North Main Street has really elaborate old mansions and a lot of cool, old architecture.” Some of the historic buildings are now part of the Wilkes University or King’s College campuses.
Get your degree at Wilkes University in Georgetown, PA.
Have a picnic overlooking the Susquehanna River and Market Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre.
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Older homes on walkable streets
A large number of homes in Wilkes-Barre date to the first quarter of the 20th century, and some have traditional or Dutch Colonial designs along the walkable streets. “It’s architecture that you really can’t see today with tons of details, stonework and really elaborate finishings,” DeRosa says. “There are people that seek out the historic homes, and every now and then one of those will go for $500,000 or $600,000. They still sell, because you really can’t buy that type of architecture and structure anymore.” The median sale price of Wilkes-Barre properties is about $176,500, and investors have also become a part of the housing landscape in the city as well. Single-family homes typically range between $100,000 and $200,000, while multi-family homes often cost around $250,000.
Colonial style homes are one of the abundant homes types in Wilkes-Barre.
Wilkes-Barre is home to beautiful historical homes of the mid 19th century, including the Second Empire style.
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Local restaurants on Main Street
Locals also have a varied mix of restaurants and outlets to choose from, representing a wide array of cultures. “It has a strong ethnic background, which you can see in the different restaurants,” DeRosa says. “It’s a great place to go and experience different cuisines, lifestyles and stuff like that. It’s a plethora of different options, restaurants, shops and stuff like that. It’s almost like a melting pot for the area.”
Restaurants are scattered throughout the city, with a number of establishments on or near Main Street in the southern part of Wilkes-Barre. “Main Street is where all the privately-owned restaurants are,” DeRosa says. “You get some diversity in the types of food in that area. There’s a Mediterranean restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a hibachi place and all different options.” Main Street feeds into Public Square, which is surrounded by more restaurants. Over 2 miles east, residents can find major chains stores and restaurants, including Walmart and Wegmans, at Wilkes-Barre Township Commons.
Istanbul Grill welcomes customers to dine outside along South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Wegmans is a premium grocery option for delicious organic meals in Wilkes-Barre.
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Recreation on dry land along the Susquehanna
Coal Street Park is the largest recreational space within the city, which has nearly two dozen parks overall. Coal Street Park features baseball fields and a playground alongside the Toyota SportsPlex. The SportsPlex houses an ice rink that accommodates skating, hockey and curling. Golfers can take swings at Hollenback Golf Club. Across the river, Kirby Park is lined with trails that encircle a pond. Several state game lands and conservation areas sit south of Wilkes-Barre, including State Game Lands 119, which spans nearly 8,000 acres.
Wilkes-Barre River Commons lies along the Susquehanna and has an amphitheater that hosts plays, music and more. “There was a revitalization project along the river in the downtown Wilkes-Barre area,” DeRosa says. “There’s a really beautiful river walk area where people can ride their bikes, walk along the river or just sit and eat lunch.” River Commons’ amenities include paved pathways, fishing piers and access to the river.
River Common Park features an amphitheater called the Millennium Circle in Wilkes-Barre.
Hikers and hunters wear orange for safety at State Game Lands 207.
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Recreational skating, minor-league sports and more
During colder months, Public Square houses an ice-skating rink. Visitors can rent pairs of skates for free or bring their own skating blades. “The square has a really great Christmas parade right around Thanksgiving that ends there in a tree lighting,” DeRosa says. Public Square also hosts a weekly farmer’s market every Thursday from June to November. Other annual traditions include the Fine Arts Fiesta and Dragonboat Race Weekend.
“They have Rockin’ the River during the summer with live music,” DeRosa says. “It’s totally free. That’s by that river walk area that was just redone a couple of years ago. Really, all summer long, there’s different things.” Sports fans can head to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza to see the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate, play hockey. The area is also the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, which serve as the Triple-A affiliate of MLB’s New York Yankees.
Wilkes University Athletics features an elite Ice Hockey team in the city.
You can watch a hockey game at Mohegan Sun Arena just ten minutes away from Mountain Top in nearby Wilkes Barre.
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Access to Interstate 81 close by
From central Wilkes-Barre, locals are often 5 miles or less from jumping on Interstate 81. “Getting around is really easy,” DeRosa says. “We’re really lucky here to be close to connections to 80, 81 and 476. All these road systems are just 5 to 10 minutes away.” Its counterpart city, Scranton, is about 20 miles northeast. “You can hop on 81 and it’s right there,” DeRosa says. “It’s really convenient as far as getting around.” Martz buses fulfill public transportation needs in Wilkes-Barre, while air travelers can head to Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport about 11 miles north. Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital sits on the north side of the city, while Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre Urgent Care is located less than 3 miles south.
A new high school for city students
The Wilkes-Barre Area School District serves the city, scoring a C with Niche. It consists of six elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Wilkes-Barre Area High School also incorporates a STEM Academy into its curriculum. “Wilkes-Barre just built an extremely high-tech, new high school, so that was really exciting for them,” DeRosa says. “They consolidated two other old buildings into that one.” Wilkes-Barre Academy is a private school within the city; it does not yet have a grade from Niche, but spans kindergarten through eighth grade. Wilkes University and King’s College are both in the area, each serving several thousand students and operating as private universities.
Georgetown, PA is home of King's College.
Wilkes-Barre Academy is a private PreK-8th grade education center in Wilkes-Barre.
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Crime rates above the statewide mark in Wilkes-Barre
In 2023, the FBI crime database reports that the Wilkes-Barre Police Department recorded an average of 98.3 violent crimes per month. The mean was an increase from the previous year’s mark of 78 per month. For property crimes, the city recorded an average of 56.8 per month in 2023, down from 60.6 the year prior. Wilkes-Barre’s violent crime rates are above the state of Pennsylvania’s.
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