Editing Exeter, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{distinguish|Pennsylvania, Exeter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Exeter, Pennsylvania
|other_name = 
|native_name = 
|nickname = 
|settlement_type = [[List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|Borough]]
|motto = 
<!-- images and maps ----------->
|image_skyline = House Exeter Boro PA.jpg 
|imagesize = 
|image_caption = House on Slocum Avenue
|image_flag = 
|flag_size = 
|image_seal = 
|seal_size = 
|image_shield = 
|shield_size = 
|image_blank_emblem = 
|blank_emblem_size = 
|pushpin_map = Pennsylvania#USA
|pushpin_label = Exeter
|pushpin_label_position = left<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption = 
|pushpin_mapsize = 
<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Pennsylvania]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Luzerne]]
|subdivision_type3 = [[Region]]
|subdivision_name3 = [[Greater Pittston]]
|government_footnotes = 
|government_type = Borough Council
|leader_title = Mayor
|leader_name = Denise Adams
|leader_title1 = 
|leader_name1 = 
|leader_title2 = 
|leader_name2 = 
|leader_title3 = 
|leader_name3 = 
|leader_title4 = 
|leader_name4 = 
|established_title = Settled
|established_date = 
|established_title1 = Incorporated
|established_date1 = 1884
|area_magnitude = 
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='42'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2 = 12.75
|area_land_km2 = 11.96
|area_water_km2 = 0.80
|area_total_sq_mi = 4.92
|area_land_sq_mi = 4.62
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.31
|area_water_percent = 
|population_as_of = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
|population_note = 
|population_total = 5514
|population_density_km2 = 461.19
|population_density_sq_mi = 1194.54
|timezone = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset = -5
|timezone_DST = EDT
|utc_offset_DST = -4
|coordinates   = {{coord|41|19|32|N|75|49|10|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes = 
|elevation_m = 
|elevation_ft = 
|postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code = 18643
|area_code = [[Area code 570|570]]
|website = <!--{{URL|exeterborough.com}} account suspended 12/9/2020 -->
|footnotes = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 42-24392
|image_map = File:Luzerne County Pennsylvania Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Exeter Highlighted.svg
|map_caption = Location of Exeter in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
}}
'''Exeter''' is a [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in the [[Greater Pittston]]-[[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]] area of [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania]], United States, about {{convert|10|mi|km}} west of [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]] and a few miles north of Wilkes-Barre. It is located on the western bank of the [[Susquehanna River]] and has a total area of {{convert|12.9|km2|disp=flip}}. As of [[2020 United States Census|the 2020 United States Census]], Exeter had a population of 5,513.<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=August 4, 2022}}</ref>

==History==

The name Exeter derives from the ancient city of [[Exeter]] in [[Devon]], England. Numerous other places in Canada and the United States have also been given the same name.

In 1769, settlers from Connecticut began making their homes in the [[Wyoming Valley]] of [[Northeastern Pennsylvania]] but came into conflict with settlers from Pennsylvania during the [[Pennamite–Yankee War]]s.

In early July 1778, during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], a large-scale raid by [[Butler's Rangers]] and their [[Iroquois]] allies entered the valley. Fort Wintermoot (in present-day Exeter) and Fort Jenkins (in present-day West Pittston) quickly surrendered and were later burned to the ground. On July 3, 1778, about three hundred Patriot militia and [[Continental Army|Continentals]] died at the [[Battle of Wyoming]], also known as the Wyoming Massacre, which took place in present-day Exeter and [[Wyoming, Pennsylvania|Wyoming]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Glenn F. |title=Year of the Hangman: George Washington's Campaign against the Iroquois |date=2005 |publisher=Westholm Publishing |location=Yardley, Pennsylvania |isbn=978-1-59416-013-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/yearofhangmangeo0000will}}</ref>

Exeter was founded a fertile agricultural area—once the heartland of the [[Susquehannock]] people. Much lumbering and coal-mining was carried out in the area in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 1830s, the region entered a boom period and began shipping coal by the [[Pennsylvania Canal]], and by the 1840s down the [[Lehigh Canal]] to [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]], [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]], [[New York City]], and other East Coast cities and ports. This was done by the connecting engineering works of the [[Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company]]. These works included the upper Lehigh Canal, the [[Ashley Planes]], the early [[Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad]] (L&S), and other railroads in the area.

After severe flooding ripped up the upper Lehigh Canal in the 1860s, the L&S was extended to the Delaware along the lower canal, keeping the markets of the big cities connected to the still growing Wyoming Valley collieries and breakers. A second rail line was pushed up the [[Lehigh Gorge]] (the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]]), enabling the resurgence of coal exportation to the East Coast cities; it also connected the region to the Erie Railroad and Buffalo, New York.

Exeter was incorporated as a borough in 1884. By 1900, the population consisted of 1,948 citizens. The town lost usable lands in the 1959 [[Knox Mine Disaster]], when the river broke through and flooded the local mines. This essentially shut down the coal mining industry in and around Exeter. Subsequently, despite the local loss of industry, the fact that the population was 5,652 at the 2010 census<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Exeter borough, Pennsylvania |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 12, 2012 }}</ref> indicates that the former farmlands have been attractive to building developers.

==Geography==

Exeter is located along the western bank of the [[Susquehanna River]]. [[U.S. Route 11 in Pennsylvania|U.S. Route 11]] runs through the southern section of the town, connecting the boroughs of [[West Pittston, Pennsylvania|West Pittston]] and [[Wyoming, Pennsylvania|Wyoming]]. The majority of its streets are arrayed around this highway. [[Pennsylvania Route 92|PA 92]] runs through the eastern portion of the borough, connecting West Pittston and [[Exeter Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Exeter Township]]. Fox Hill Country Club is located in central Exeter. The borough surrounds West Pittston from the north, south, and west. Scovell Island and Wintermoot Island are located within Exeter's borders (on the Susquehanna River). Most of the northern borough consists of hills and forests.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of {{convert|12.9|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|12.1|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.8|km2|disp=flip}}, or 6.52%, is water.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Exeter borough, Pennsylvania |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 12, 2012 }}</ref> Its ZIP code is 18643. Exeter Borough lies within the [[Wyoming Area School District]]. [[Wyoming Area Catholic School]] is a [[parochial school]] within the borough.

==Government==
[[File:Exeter, PA borough hall, July 2023.jpg|thumb|Exeter Borough Hall]]
Cassandra Coleman was appointed to the office of mayor in 2008. She was a 21-year-old political science student at [[King's College (Pennsylvania)|King's College]] in [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]. She was recommended for the position by her grandfather, Mayor Joseph F. Coyne III, before his death. On Monday, January 19, 2015, Cassandra Coleman resigned as mayor to take the position of Northeast Regional Director for Governor [[Tom Wolf]]. Herman Castallani took over as mayor after Coleman's resignation. Denise Adams won the mayoral election in November 2017; she was  sworn in as mayor on January 2, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.psdispatch.com/news/59644/denise-adams-ready-to-serve-as-exeter-borough-mayor |title = Denise Adams ready to serve as Exeter Borough mayor|date = 2018-01-12}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 790
|1900= 1948
|1910= 3537
|1920= 4176
|1930= 5724
|1940= 5802
|1950= 5130
|1960= 4747
|1970= 4670
|1980= 5493
|1990= 5691
|2000= 5955
|2010= 5652
|2020= 5513
|estyear=2021
|estimate=5510
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="USDecennialCensus">{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 5,955 people, 2,482 households, and 1,640 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|1,278.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,641 housing units at an average density of {{convert|567.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.69% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.49% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.13% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.13% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.03% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.52% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.57% of the population.

There were 2,482 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $31,681, and the median income for a family was $40,050. Males had a median income of $31,569 versus $21,693 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $16,022. About 7.6% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
It is in the [[Wyoming Area School District]]<!--UNI 26730-->.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42079_luzerne/DC20SD_C42079.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Luzerne County, PA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-12-13}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42079_luzerne/DC20SD_C42079_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Joe Amato (dragster driver)|Joe Amato]], five-time NHRA Top Fuel champion
*[[Anthony Petrosky]], poet
*[[Ann A. Bernatitus]], United States Navy nurse during World War II. First American recipient of the Legion of Merit.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
<!--*{{Official|exeterborough.com}} account suspended 12/9/2020 -->

{{Luzerne County, Pennsylvania}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Pennsylvania populated places on the Susquehanna River]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1884]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1884 establishments in Pennsylvania]]