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Kingston, Pennsylvania
Borough
Aerial view of Kingston
Aerial view of Kingston
Motto(s): 
"A Great Place to Call Home"
Location of Kingston in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Location of Kingston in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Kingston, Pennsylvania is located in Pennsylvania
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Kingston, Pennsylvania is located in the United States
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Luzerne
Settled 1771
Incorporated 1857
Government
 • Type Home rule (strong executive/appointed manager)
Area
 • Total 2.21 sq mi (5.71 km2)
 • Land 2.15 sq mi (5.56 km2)
 • Water 0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation
545 ft (166 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 13,182
 • Estimate 
(2019)
12,812
 • Density 5,970.18/sq mi (2,304.70/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code
18704
Area code(s) 570
FIPS code 42-39784

Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes-Barre City. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was later incorporated as a borough in 1857. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,182, making it the most populous borough in the county.

History

Kingston Armory LuzCo PA 3
Kingston Armory

Kingston was named after Kingston, Rhode Island, and incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976.

Kingston has a rich history as a pivotal pioneer in American education. In 1775, a new school was erected on the site of one established in 1773, which is said to have been the first public school in Pennsylvania. The borough is also home to the Upper School campus of Wyoming Seminary, a prestigious college preparatory school founded in Kingston in 1844. The school was founded with a total of just 31 students—17 boys and 14 girls—enrolling in the first year. Today, Wyoming Seminary's historic campus hosts roughly 450 students and its Lower School grounds in Forty Fort host students from pre-K through eighth grade.

In June 1972, Kingston was devastated by the flooding of Hurricane Agnes. The hurricane, at the time the most significant natural disaster in American history, wreaked havoc on Kingston and neighboring Wilkes-Barre, causing a state of emergency. The natural disaster earned national attention and a visit from President Richard Nixon who recruited Wyoming Seminary graduate Frank Carlucci, Nixon's head of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, as a point man to oversee flood recovery efforts.

Geography

Wilkes Barre Flood
Kingston in the background (behind Wilkes-Barre City)

Kingston is located at 41°16′N 75°53′W / 41.267°N 75.883°W / 41.267; -75.883 (41.2665, -75.8895).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), of which 2.1 square miles (5.5 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km2), or 3.61%, is water. It is separated from Wilkes-Barre by the Susquehanna River and the boundary of the latter's Kirby Park. Its numbered routes are U.S. Route 11 and Pennsylvania Route 309, which follows the Cross Valley Expressway from the Back Mountain area to Interstate 81 and Route 115 east of the city. Market Street and Pierce Street connect Kingston with center city via bridges.

The Borough of Kingston is served by the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

Demographics

Wyoming Seminary Church LuzCo PA
Former Presbyterian church in Kingston (now a Montessori school)
Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 638
1870 1,143 79.2%
1880 1,418 24.1%
1890 2,381 67.9%
1900 3,846 61.5%
1910 6,449 67.7%
1920 8,952 38.8%
1930 21,600 141.3%
1940 20,679 −4.3%
1950 21,096 2.0%
1960 20,261 −4.0%
1970 18,325 −9.6%
1980 15,681 −14.4%
1990 14,507 −7.5%
2000 13,855 −4.5%
2010 13,182 −4.9%
2020 13,349 1.3%

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,855 people, 6,065 households, and 3,372 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,461.6 people per square mile (2,499.7/km2). There were 6,555 housing units at an average density of 3,057.1 per square mile (1,182.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.84% White, 0.77% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.

There were 6,065 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 19.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $33,611, and the median income for a family was $45,578. Males had a median income of $34,069 versus $24,482 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,568. About 8.2% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

59.27% of the people in Kingston, Pennsylvania, are religious – meaning they affiliate with a religion. 43.77% are Catholic; 0.28% are LDS; 2.33% are another Christian faith; 0.78% are Jewish; 0.00% are an eastern faith; and 0.51% practice Islam.

Notable people

  • Edie Adams (1927–2008), singer, actress, comedian (It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Apartment), wife of Ernie Kovacs
  • Mike Aquilina (born 1963), a popular author
  • Michael Barone (born 1946), host of the organ music program Pipedreams on American Public Media
  • George Bednar (1942–2007), American college football player for the University of Notre Dame and a business executive
  • Kevin Blaum (born 1952), a Pennsylvania State Representative
  • Charles Bressler, opera singer
  • Francis Dolan Collins (1841–1891), a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
  • Bob Coolbaugh (1939–1985), an American football wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders
  • Clarence Dennis Coughlin (1883–1946), a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
  • Craig Czury (born 1951), an American poet
  • George Denison (1790–1831), a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
  • Steamer Flanagan (1881–1947), Major League Baseball player
  • Dan Harris (born 1979), Hollywood director (Imaginary Heroes) and screenwriter (X2 and Superman Returns)
  • Jimy Hettes (born 1987), an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Henry M. Hoyt (1830–1892), Governor of Pennsylvania
  • Stephanie Jallen (born 1996), Paralympic skier
  • Aaron Kaufer (born 1988), a Pennsylvania State Representative
  • Bill Kern (1906–1985), an American football player and coach
  • Phyllis Mundy (born 1948), a Pennsylvania State Representative
  • Paul F. Nichols (born 1952), delegate to the Virginia General Assembly
  • Dennis Packard (born 1982), professional ice hockey player
  • Tina Pickett (born 1943), a Pennsylvania State Representative
  • Joe Pisarcik (born 1952), American football quarterback
  • Suzie Plakson (born 1958), actress
  • Dave Popson (born 1964), National Basketball Association player
  • Lauren Powley (born 1984), an American field hockey player
  • John Quackenbush (born 1962), computational biologist and genetic researcher
  • Edwin Raub (1921–1998), a television personality and horror host
  • Ed Rutkowski (born 1941), an American football player
  • Lazarus Denison Shoemaker (1819–1893), a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
  • Len Supulski (1920–1943), an American football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
  • Dan Terry (1924–2011), trumpet player and big band leader
  • Charles Murray Turpin (1878–1946), a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
  • Frank Zane (born 1942), bodybuilder and three-time Mr. Olympia

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kingston (Pensilvania) para niños

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