Explore Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and Wyoming Valley

Exploring Wilkes Barre takes us on a tour of my home city. The Wyoming Valley is at the heart of Pennsylvania where many cities lead back to Wilkes Barre. This was ground zero for anthracite coal, which was transported to almost every city in PA to build the foundations of the industrial age. In this tour we explore the best of Wilkes Barre on this foggy winter day and reflect on the many festivals of the diamond city, starting with the Public Square, then the River Commons, Kirby Park, the Stegmaier and Lions Head Brewery, and close our adventure in Seven Tubs Nature Area. I'll see you on tour!
[EDIT] IN THE CHAPTER "RIVER COMMONS", I SPEAK ABOUT HURRICANE LEE TAKING PLACE IN 2012. HURRICANE LEE OCCURRED IN FALL OF 2011.
For more information about Wilkes Barre, PA and the areas I visited, please see the links below:
[Wilkes Barre]
History of Wilkes Barre || www.u-s-history.com/pages/h21...
#joseontour #traveldocumentary #wilkesbarre
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[CHAPTERS]
00:00 - Public Square
02:00 - Public Square Monuments
03:10 - River Commons
05:03 - Kirby Park
08:37 - Stegmaier Brewing Co.
09:40 - The Lion Brewery Co.
10:20 - Seven Tubs Nature Area
12:53 - Mohegun Sun Arena
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[LET'S CONNECT]
- www.joseontour.com/
- Facebook: / joseontour
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- Twitter: / joseisontour
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If you like what you have seen here and are interested in future travels please subscribe, give a thumbs up, and share with friends and family.
- Music by Epidemic Sounds.
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#explorer #travel #luzernecounty #diamondcity #anthracitecoal #nepa #northeastpa #pennsylvania #wyomingvalley #coalmining
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***Disclosures: The views and opinions discussed in this video are of my own. This video has no sponsorship or affiliation with any of the aforementioned links, people, places, or things. All footage, edits, and dialogue created by myself. Thank you

[@Nt2Fst1996]

I've only been living here in Pennsylvania for about 3 years now. This video actually gave me lot of information of this place. Awesome , I already hit subscribe 👍🏻👍🏻 Thank You🥰

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank You Mariah. Pennsylvania has a lot of great outdoor parks to visit and tons of festivals. If your in the area I highly recommend Ricketts Glenn and Hickory Run for some of the best state parks.

[@Nt2Fst1996]

Sounds GREAT, I've been looking for places to take my children so we can all go out on family outings & enjoy ourselves. Thanks SO MUCH for the feedback.👍🏻❤

[@roseannepryor4068]

Crying watching this video! Grew up there in the 60’s & 70’s! I had the best childhood memories there! Been living in Florida for the past 23 years, but, Wilkes-Barre is always my home!

[@chloenkitty]

Out of town scums, chronic welfare recipients and druggies have ruined it

[@leighjoelfierman3705]

Appreciate the optimism the narrator puts forth. All hope starts with optimism. With that said let me say that this city is in shambles and riddled with crime and blight. I've watched the decline and it's beyond sad. Thank you however for an optimistic picture of what is no more.

[@kaytshaw]

Do I know you? LOL. This is seriously done with rose colored glasses, right??

[@leighjoelfierman3705]

@@kaytshaw , agreed

[@Mister_Listener]

Wilkes-Barre has always been a dump, and the people living there have always known it. Thats what they are always so angry about.

[@margaretbeard6564]

Thank you for bringing alive the city my father was born and grew up in, my grandfather a coal miner there..

[@JoseOnTour]

Wilkes Barre and the coal region have so much great history. I've spent more then half my life in this area and I don't think we do enough to showcase all the great stories that have come from NEPA

[@ava-xe1ge]

@@JoseOnTour much history, and increasing blight sadly. I have lived here all my life, over 50 years, work in wilkes-barre then get out before dark unless you have friends with you, even then be careful in certain areas, stay away from downtown. Center city wilkes-barre at night is not safe, as well as other parts of Wilkes-Barre, it's a shame. It's now spreading like a cancer to outside of the area. Wilkes-Barre, with it's colleges, the beautiful river looks better in the day light then the night, anyone from this area would tell you that. Would you honestly take a walk down main street Wilkes-Barre, alone at night or any of the surrounding roads?

[@jeffryjose4374]

Thanks you for your video, i loved it. Wilkes-Barre it’s my city and in the summer is an amazing and beautiful place.

[@harleenquinzel8018]

Thank you for the video! Going there tomorrow. Diamond city , here we come

[@blakkat4126]

I was born and raised there until we moved in the mid-70s. It was a great place to grow up. Each city school has tons of students but now they were forced to consolidate into one due to lack of students. That tells you something. I still have ties there and I’m afraid the city has gone down hill. As much as I miss home, I’m saddened by that it’s become and it’ll never be the same.

[@fengxiong520]

I love the charm of east coast towns. So much historical significance.

[@ItsForTheDogs]

I grew up in W-B in the 80's & 90's. I went back about 5 years ago for my aunt's funeral and it has changed. It has really built up. There are plazas where there used to be empty fields. There are a ton of stores and coffee shops. Malls and theaters have changed, but that's everywhere. What I love about W-B the most are the mountains. You are never lost because all you have to do is look up and see the beautiful mountain side, which seems awfully close. Thank you for the tour!

[@Mister_Listener]

Wait, what?

[@ItsForTheDogs]

@@Mister_Listener What?

[@Mister_Listener]

@@ItsForTheDogs haha. I loved your comment. But, looking up at the mountains is not going to prevent me from driving on the street in Dunmore, taking a wrong turn, and then ending up lost and confused in Shickshinny!

[@ItsForTheDogs]

@@Mister_Listener ha ha I guess not!

[@Mister_Listener]

@@ItsForTheDogs i havent lived in WB for 30+years, so i would get lost very easily. I was watching youtube vids on NEPA for an hour or two this morning, thanks for the laughs! lol!

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Thanks Jose ! From UK 🇬🇧 ! I love these tours of lesser known places.

[@JoseOnTour]

🙏 thank you

[@kaytshaw]

Please don’t waste any money traveling here… seriously - born there in early seventies and family rooted in that rat hole. It is truly awful now.

[@JahmeliaVernon]

When you see someone makes your town look like the best place ever even though you know it sucks 😂😂😂😂

[@jjclaxton1652]

Can you tell me how Wilkes-Barre is?

[@dvxur]

@@jjclaxton1652 Depends which part you wanna know about... downtown is the best part in my opinion, the mall is dead basically. And all you get is 1 movie theatre for entertainment downtown.

[@jjclaxton1652]

@@dvxur okay, I already move in last week. I just wanted to know whats good in the hood and how people act

[@JoseOnTour]

If you are in to adventures, we’re surrounded by a lot of great outdoors in short distances. Hickory Run, Ricketts Glenn, Seven Tubs. Or you can venture out to Dallas to enjoy the animals at Hillside Farms. As someone else mentioned, the mall is sadly facing the same fate as most malls throughout the country/world as online takes over. It’s still the best mall within the metro area, but you’re better suited taking rt. 115 to 80 then to Tannersville outlets. Hope this helps.

[@dvxur]

@@jjclaxton1652 Yeah most of the really fun stuff comes from outside of the city

[@Mustafa-qi7cp]

I’m from Saudi Arabia, and I studied and lived in Wilkes-Barre for 4 years. This video gave me lot of info that I didn’t know about. I just want to point out that Kirby Park might not be considered to be in WB but in Kingston instead.

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you for the feedback. A lot of the comments consider Kirby part of Wilkes Barre and the sign welcoming to Wilkes Barre is actually right in front of the park. Its an odd division line but Wilkes Barre ends at the Kirby park Parking lot and Kingston starts at the Armory.

[@robertbangkok]

@@JoseOnTour Correct!

[@jbullets5198]

Great video. Diamond city represent 💎

[@KarlstadDrums]

Nice video! It's cool that the band Breaking Benamin formed here, came here to learn more about the town!

[@JoseOnTour]

I remember Breaking Bad from it’s the early days. I use to work at a skate shop and this area use to be huge with Indy Bands and rappers. I would meet them all or get invited to their shows in the skate shop. Good times!

[@scottthefoodie3045]

I grew up in the Wyoming Valley in the 70s and 80s. Great place to grow up. I’ve heard that the city and area has declined. I agree with the other comments. The narrator was very good and showed the positive side of WB. Great Video.

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you. I’ve been living in the area for over 20 years. NEPA as a whole has seen a big decline since I first moved to Pennsylvania. Businesses leaving have turned towns, malls, etc. into ghost towns

[@rubihenry8285]

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state lived in Philly for 4 years and i love it ......

[@DiscoverRay]

🔥🔥🔥 another gem

[@theelitestrategist]

Wilkes Barre is just full of hidden gems! 💎💎💎

[@JoseOnTour]

Absolutely

[@shaheid1980]

@Justan Notherguy 🤣🤣🤣

[@ireneadams7724]

Great view of the area. Good job. Retired elsewhere but my heart will always have a part in Luzerne County.

[@kaytshaw]

Dude, I was born and raised there and fled as soon as I could. This dude is really reaching to make this look anywhere you ever want to go.

[@MartinaJoeTravel]

Awesome production! Editing, filming, script, everything was great. Stoked to see more!

[@jamesisapedo6889]

Hahaha

[@buntingy]

Great video, I ♥️Wilkes Barre

[@JoseOnTour]

thank you

[@BlueDahlia006]

Again, I love this video. Makes me remember WB. I now live in AZ since 1997. Things have changed so much in the Valley. Thanks for the updates.

[@goldseaoutdoors4708]

Great video partner. Loved it

[@azahel1975]

What's up Jose! I really enjoyed your videos. Very informative videos that highlight the importance of a region of our country and an area that is near and dear to my heart.

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you Azahel. Trying to bring back some of our forgotten history.

[@HorseTVGlobal]

It was infinitely better prior to 1972 and the Agnes flood. It was a Beaver Cleaver neighborhood, after the flood, the carpetbaggers moved in and everything came back junky. Grew up there but find it morbidly depressing to visit now. You see some place that was a great experience or memory, and now it's a pawn shop with bars on the windows and doors and homeless people in front of it. The Memories are much better than the reality of it now. You filmed this 50 years too late.

[@thefrase7884]

I’m a native and I agree….but that can be said about just about every sized metro area

[@HorseTVGlobal]

@@thefrase7884 True, but in my humble opinion, the flood accelerated the process exponentially, and it will never return to the great place it was prior to the flood.

[@robertbangkok]

Strongly disagree - your timeline is not correct. The city was on an upswing prior to the flood, and the flood accelerated the renewal. It was a great place AFTER the flood, better than before, through the early 80s, and that is when the slow decline began and accelerated in the 2000s. It is bad now, but there are people and organizations trying to revitalize it. They will only succeed if they get the crime and drugs under control. Otherwise ...

[@JasonRamosNJ]

Very nice video! I am going today for an event at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

[@Saints4life]

I was born in WB until I was 5, then moved across the river to Kingston. Stayed in the Wyoming Valley most of my life. Time has not been good to that area and some surrounding areas. So sad for what that area could’ve been.

[@joshuarosenblatt]

Well done!

[@MMR45660]

Grew up there. Didn't see much of what you showed us in spite of that. Thanks for sharing.

[@Lennartz1]

Thank you for the video.

[@JUNGLE.JIM.]

I love hiking the hills surrounding this area that's where the beauty is. Fuck the concrete look what is surrounding this place

[@JoseOnTour]

Have you had a chance to bike the D&L trail? I highly recommend it

[@jbullets5198]

Franz Kline, a talented and favorite painter of mine was from here 💎

[@rivergirl3444]

Thank you, I'm in Ohio. My son lives in Wilkes Barre, great place.

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you

[@MochaQueen5]

To enjoy living in the NEPA you need to make at least 35k and above. It has its good parts and its bad parts like any other place. There is a lot to do out here just a lot people are aware. Me, I like the beach. I'm heading to live and explore VA. I don't like staying in one place too long. America has great towns to live, work and explore in.

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you. Virginia is beautiful. NEPA has a lot of great things to do in the mountains and its nice that its so close to the eastern beaches. VA is great that you got Virginia Beach and access to nearby DC, Delaware, Maryland. Plus, no cold.

[@mikes62soupcan]

I love the comments about how bad WB is. Lived here most of my life . True it seemed better when I was younger but was it really? Its not as horrible as some make it out to be.

[@andrewevans5133]

Idk why but the music in this video went off 😂 love u showcasing the keystone state!! Come to main line as well!

[@JoseOnTour]

there are so many great stories I want to visit and talk about in Pennsylvania.

[@keithreh9338]

technically, Kirby Park is NOT the center of Wilkes-Barre & it's not even on the Wilkes-Barre side of the Susquehanna River...Kirby Park is on the Kingston, PA side of the river; the 'center' of Wilkes-Barre is Public Square which anchors the 4 main streets heading in 4 separate directions!

[@MatthewBalloon]

Pretty awesome video man I’ve been working in Wilkes-Barre for the past 4 years but I live in Scranton haha this makes it look a lot nicer then I or anyone I know would assume. I’ve always wanted to take my electric bike on a trail up there but never knew where to go

[@JoseOnTour]

Thanks for the feedback. I just did part of the trail a couple of weeks ago and it’s an Amazing experience. There is a map starting in Kirby park that will guide you through the city. Best of luck.

[@MatthewBalloon]

@@JoseOnTour sweet thanks for the info I think I’ll bring my GoPro to capture the experience:)

[@kvnahrn2775]

Thats what Im saying! This guy is pretty god damned talented. Im assuming he is doing it all himself or maybe one camera guy? Either way great videos.

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you. Its all me with the rare occasion of my wife filming me for a rare camera shot. I would love to increase the frequency of my vids but since its all me it takes a bit longer swapping out gear, writing, and editing.

[@BrianOboylemusic]

Love that your doing this…. You gained a dan

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you

[@BklynOutdoors]

👍👍👍

[@kathyhill6409]

We used to swim in the tubs. Never enough water now. Such fun as kids.

[@JoseOnTour]

I live close to the Susquehanna and walk the river commons all the time and can't believe how low its been. All these land reclaimed from the regression of the river

[@kathyhill6409]

@@JoseOnTour Quite a few from the center. They usually submerge again with fall rains. Hopefully no floods this year.

[@kathyhill6409]

@@JoseOnTour the Tubs are in Plains though. We are a separate township from Wilkes-Barre. Much to their dismay, I believe.

[@BlueDahlia006]

I agree with the info about Kirby Park. It’s on the west side of the river and not in the center of WB. It’s in Kingston. I played there as a kid, thanks to my dad.

[@JoseOnTour]

It’s such a bizarre division. I’ve been going to Kirby for 20+ and at one point even lived nearby where I would walk around the park everyday. The division from WB/Kingston is the road between the park and the armory that leads to the parking lot. I still get a lot of heat for this one from the obvious once we cross market street bridge, but its the blueprint of the city. Thats why the “welcome to wb” sign is on this side.

[@mikes62soupcan]

Kirby Park is owned and operated by WB.

[@joeplavin]

Subscribed!

[@brendanpirando2379]

Thank you for posting this!

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you Brendan, appreciate the feedback

[@myopinioncountsmost2419]

Is there a more depressed or depressing place on this planet? Maybe tied with Hazleton or Binghamton for most depressing; Scranton strong 2nd place.

[@dirtnbloodnotherkids]

Why don't you like it?

[@jamesisapedo6889]

It sucks. Everybody moves in from out of state and brings their drugs

[@jamesisapedo6889]

@@dirtnbloodnotherkids their drugs and their bad attitudes

[@Mister_Listener]

People actually think W-B was good *before* the drugs and crime, and that is a total joke. The place is a dump and always will be. Well, ok. Maybe it was a great place to live in the 1800’s coal boom?

[@krutikpatel8336]

Hello .i applied for my master in wilkes university. Wilkes barre city is good for live ? And option for part time job ? Please reply.

[@jacie7514]

crazy to think he was literally a minute away from my house

[@michaelyuscavage5179]

Grew up nearby and went to school there. Worked there. Thanks for putting a nice spin on things. Nicely done, but it is not that nice...

[@piggyroo100]

Didn’t know there WAS a best part of Wilkes barre

[@870expressmag]

Great work!

[@BinaryzeroNYC]

I do love NEPA

[@Discovery_and_Change]

I'm recertifying for the ACP program and they say to mail the application to Wilkes-Barre!

[@WENKTUBEWRC]

👣👣👣👣🇺🇲👣👣👣👣 Thank José On Tuor! 👣👣👣🏳️🕯️🌎🌍🌏🕯️🏳️👣👣👣🧠🫀🧭👍🏾👍🏼👍🏿👍👍🏻🌾🎻

[@lostgenerations6382]

So you will be running for city council

[@Wagneac2]

I lived here. Horable area

[@icaroson]

What is the song around 5:30? It's great.

[@JoseOnTour]

It's called "More Coffee" by Ealot

[@Elite_Employee]

I was passing through Wilkes barre from Connecticut on the way back Home to Virginia and for some reason this city was sending me good vibes . Considering putting this on top 3 cities to relocate whenever the time Comes

[@VBC_Records]

absolutely do not, place is a failing dump with no opportunity, unless you wanna sling dope

[@robertcupps1489]

Wb in a positive light. That'll take some getting used to😂😂😂. All jokes aside, it is a great place to live, definitely lived in worse places

[@alexandraparanac4105]

This was so well done!

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you, appreciate the feedback

[@slicksterbiden8762]

Corruption, drugs, high crime Wiles Barre at its best.

[@InfectedChris]

Tropical Storm Lee was 2011. That was some scary times for sure.

[@JoseOnTour]

Yeah I put an edit in my comments. I remember working in Hanover when the rain poured and everyone rushing home. I live in a flood zone and my home was under water during Agnes. Nothing happen on our side during Lee but a lot of friends were impacted.

[@InfectedChris]

@@JoseOnTour So was mine! I grew up in S W-B just off Old River Road so it was flooded. In 2011, I also had to empty out my cousin's house because of all times, he was on vacation in Vegas when Lee was coming through. What a stressful few days those were!

[@doreendelucco1792]

That was like something out of the bible I was there I thought it was over fr!

[@thefrase7884]

Literally 4 inches from total destruction

[@InfectedChris]

@@thefrase7884 My brother stayed at home to keep things safe while I took my mom up the hill and we stayed at my ex's place for the night. Never really slept much but at least my mom was at a higher elevation. I've still got photos from then. I managed to get up to the old juvie to get some shots of the river as well.

[@josephmackela8466]

Did their use to be a nuclear plant across the river here in the 1980s? Across the Susquehanna?

[@robertbangkok]

NO. The only nuke plant in the region is about 38 miles south in Berwick.

[@rickstritzinger]

Too bad anybody with any kind of money are running out of the city. They have become tax happy.

[@tonybrookswb]

Fantastic video.

[@pauldumanov9567]

Hi , Thanks for the video . i use too live in Wilkes Barre 1994 to 2013 i lived on North Main st. near Kings College . i also been too Public Square park many times and Kirby center . Wilkes Barre is a Beautifull City . once again thanks for the video.

[@XenobiaWinterWolfMoon]

My apologies for my city😂😂😂😂

[@JoseOnTour]

I’ve been a resident of the area for over a decade. It has its ups and downs

[@tommysager138]

The Wilkes-Barre/Kingston area is a great area, & I chose to live here.

[@geneterascavage4092]

Great video of my home town!

[@eleveneleven2316]

I just subscribed. Great video but I have one question. I see the spelling of Wilkes-Barre with and without the hyphen. I write WB both ways but I’m curious, hyphen or no?

[@JoseOnTour]

Thank you for the support. Realistically, the city name has the hyphen of Wilkes-Barre. I think its out of confusion just like the pronunciation of the city name. Locals who grew up in the area know the proper spelling but People who moved in within the last couple of years write the first thing they see. Same thing on computers, Google doesn’t give me the hyphen and Apple does. I did two things as an easter egg in the video, if you notice my thumbnail I purposely wrote it with both hyphen and no hyphen, and in the video I say “bear” and “berry”. Here is a great article on the history of the hyphen from citizens voice: www.citizensvoice.com/lifestyles/how-wilkes-barre-got-its-hyphen/article_0197060e-f5eb-57c7-84ab-73465f060da6.html

[@joshuarosenblatt]

With hyphen. Pronunciation can be either Wilkes ‘Bear’ or Wilkes-‘Berry’.

[@doreendelucco1792]

@@joshuarosenblatt your exactly right

[@thefrase7884]

@@joshuarosenblatt ….ummm….no…. pronunciation isn’t “bear.” The correct pronunciation isn’t either “bear” or “berry”. It’s exactly how it’s spelled…”Barre”….now I get it. When people have been mispronouncing it for so long it becomes the norm.

[@thefrase7884]

@@doreendelucco1792 …….he’s exactly wrong

[@EpicNinja187]

Been here 12 years and was partially raised here in wilkes barre in the 90s it was a pretty good place but something happened in 2003 - up NYC NJ PHILLY saw cheap rent hour commute lol then word got around and next thing you know crime rate went crazy dont believe me proof is on the internet.

[@dswilliams2686]

Exactly. He's doing his best to talk it up but Wilkes Barre isn't Wilkes Barre anymore. He's describing a shell of what was once Wilkes Barre. Now it's just a ghetto outskirt of North Philly. Before the NYC/NJ/Philly crowd came in for cheap housing it was beautiful, clean and safe. Not anymore.

[@chiefordnance]

Graduated Coughlin H.S. '92 and left JUNE 1992, right before all the drugs and gangs came in from from Philly and NYC, only visit for funerals this place is now HORRIBLE from the 1980s and 1990s a crying shame.

[@chloenkitty]

The lady walking alone with a mask on 😂

[@dvxur]

Me wondering how they made it look so nice but then I go outside and forget its wilkes barre

[@JoseOnTour]

It’s unfortunate that the history books don’t talk as much about Wilkes-Barre. As I continue making the videos in Pennsylvania it seems like every other city leads back to this metro area of the coal mines. I’ve been living In Wilkes Barre for about a decade and really enjoy the city. The summer is the best with the farmers market on Thursdays and all the great festivals in the square and the park. Plus pizza, this town has some of the best and that’s coming from a very picky New Yorker.

[@dvxur]

@@JoseOnTour Yeah, its not so much the downtown area thats bad... thats actually my favorite part about wilkes barre. And yeah prontos on the square is really good.

[@JoseOnTour]

@Will Smith At this point in time I'm more of a Pennsylvanian then I am a New Yorker (20 year PA resident, 14 NY Resident). I think the experience varies per individual. If we compare it to surrounding areas, it's a pretty decent place. I really enjoy my time in the area and NEPA (Big Lover of all the fairs/festivals). Plus we can't forget the important role the diamond city played with Anthracite Coal.

[@robertbangkok]

@@JoseOnTour BTW - in my 70 years, I never heard anybody refer to WB as the "Diamond City" - that was a marketing idea that wore out before it got started. Then one yahoo from Scranton on a local TV station started calling it the "Diamond City" again and the media continues to try to make it a thing. The coal industry declined in the 1950s-1960s and then pretty much died. It's a stupid reference to a once dead industry. They could also have called it the "Needle and Thread" city, since after the mines died, the labor force was shifted over to dressmaking and it became one of the largest sources of upscale dresses in the country, but then the great Asia move happened and the clothing industry moved to China and other Asian countries where people are paid between 5 cents and a quarter for each dress, that ends up in NYC selling for $1,000.

[@Juniorverse]

Now the truth…. Wilkes-Barre was a coal mining town with an aging population. The coal mines closed and the population started dying off. Empty homes sold for cheap by broke relatives looking for quick cash. Cheap housing attracted not-so-nice buyers from neighboring big cities looking to escape sky high rents. Big city problems came with the big city buyers. Drugs, crime, murders are plentiful. Now most homes in Wilkes-Barre are rental units who’s landlords live in NY, NJ etc and don’t keep the houses up to code…nor care at all except when rent is due. Drive down any street in Wilkes-Barre (in daytime only lol) and you’ll understand.

[@MinorThreatKittens]

Remember when Wilkes-Barre was the murder capital that crazy summer?

[@dswilliams2686]

Truth indeed. I don't even recognize the place anymore. They've taxed businesses so heavily and made parking so expensive that customers went elsewhere and businesses closed. Colleges scooped up those once taxpaying properties but are tax exempt. So now you have two things, tax exempt colleges and neglected properties owned by slumlords who rent them to unemployed people who also pay no tax so they raise the taxes on those left until they leave too so it just keeps getting worse.

[@chloenkitty]

I grew up in WB, everyone knew each other, as a kid you could walk everywhere unafraid. There were 4 main high schools and we all knew each other or your brother or sister, everyone’s parents knew each other and then the scums from out of town brought their drugs in and ruined the town and it’s now a shithole. Very sad.

[@bstim5]

You might be better served by stating you're touring the Wilkes Barre area instead of lumping all of the area's attractions or recreation places into one city. Kirby park is actually in Kingston township, not Wilkes Barre.

[@Maurice00PA]

Sorry, but that is not correct. It is part of Wilkes Barre city. The 109th armory and Nesbitt Park are also in Wilkes Barre City. When Mr. Kirby donated it to Wilkes Barre in 1921, the majority of the park was in Dorranceton Borough (which merged with Kingston that same year) and part in Edwardsville. It all became part of Wilkes Barre City. It is part of Ward 13 according to the Luzerne County 2020 General Election map and represented, I believe by Councilman Tony Brooks.

[@Anna-tr8pc]

Kingston Township is the the Back Mountain Area. Kingston borough is next to Wilkes-Barre. Kirby Park is part of the city of Wilkes-Barre.

[@joshuarosenblatt]

Technically Kirby Park is in Wilkes-Barre even tho it’s on the west side of the Susky

[@thefrase7884]

Wow….the original comment is just lack of knowledge

[@wuwei43]

Wilkes Barre public works maintain Kirby Park. It is owned by Wilkes Barre. Do better

[@pabellos]

actually not as US... clean, friendly, and looks safe.

[@inceldestroyer1069]

I mean they definitely have cleaned it up in recent years.

[@dvxur]

Looks like it but thats just in the city and even then its still quite dirty

[@inceldestroyer1069]

@@dvxur I mean in terms of crime/safety too, you can walk all around downtown at night and its quite peaceful. Though it has gotten nicer downtown, or it was until Covid left a bunch of storefronts empty :(

[@dvxur]

@@inceldestroyer1069 Yeah downtown lol, wouldnt trust anywhere else especsially south wilkes barre

[@mezzripper5708]

@@inceldestroyer1069 you can walk around town all night and it's safe??? Hahaha go walk down Sambourne Street or Sullivan Street at night and see how peaceful and safe it is ... Place is a freaking cesspool.

[@raheemabdul1066]

cant bare the pace of the video

[@robertbangkok]

Very well done. But you mispronounced "Susquehanna" - It's not sus-keh-hanna - the "qu" combination results in a "w" - so it's Sus-kweh-hanna

[@michaelm7422]

Well, this is going to be a short video 😂

[@josephpolaski5835]

This what online shopping did. Its to easy to tap on a phone and get what you want. Im moving out of the area. Its not for me anymore its sad. 😢

[@buymyrv6517]

There is no John Wilkes Booth

[@mezzripper5708]

Lived here my whole life and the picture you are trying to paint is very nice, but it's the furthest thing from the truth. This used to be a decent area to live...until New York, New Jersey and Philly transplants decided to completely ruin our area with drugs and gangs. They have destroyed everything we stood for in this area! It's sickening what this area has become.

[@jamesisapedo6889]

You are 100% correct

[@jamesisapedo6889]

Keep opening up more methadone clinics inviting more of them in

[@dswilliams2686]

Exactly. He's doing his best to talk it up but Wilkes Barre isn't Wilkes Barre anymore. He's describing a shell of what was once Wilkes Barre. Now it's just a ghetto outskirt of North Philly. Before the NYC/NJ/Philly crowd came in for cheap housing it was beautiful, clean and safe. Not anymore.

[@michaelm7422]

Make sure to show them the hidden gems like Academy and Carlisle Streets 😂 oh! And the O. K. Corral

[@Wagneac2]

My life there was horrible

[@minhaz306]

The place seems dead zone !

[@nazkadellamorte]

Sorry dude but you should visit the river mid august on a hot day for the stench. You should also show people how ghetto the neighborhoods are becoming. The problem with wilkes barre is it’s location. It’s close to nyc and Philadelphia, so you have a lot of inner city trash swarming to here. Pair that with the insane political corruption and bloated taxes, and you get a real shit hole.

[@jamesisapedo6889]

Yeppers

[@Wagneac2]

Mafia Italian mob. And other gangs are everywhere

[@buymyrv6517]

Coal mining equals tunnels

[@PATRIOTSFANINPA1]

The armpit of Pennsylvania - nothing more needs to be said about a canker sore of a city - Don't let this video fool you - I couldn't get out of that rat hole quick enough - people live there because they can't afford to leave, not because they love it there - just my humble opinion.

[@myopinioncountsmost2419]

The best thing to do in Wilkes barre is leave.

[@luisalbino8674]

Why you say that bro ?

[@lincolnflick7535]

Oh be quiet, it is just fine in my opinion and yes I do live in PA

[@user-qx1dd6oy8e]

Its really not a good place to live.

[@inceldestroyer1069]

Its not too bad. Not amazing but people around here are really dramatic about how bad it is.

[@InfectedChris]

@@inceldestroyer1069 I don't plan to ever move back, lol. While I do like the area, it's gone way downhill.

[@dswilliams2686]

It used to be until the riff raff from NYC/NJ/Philly poured in over the last decade or so.

[@fredzag2452]

Only people that do well are those that work for the government or own their business. But one good thing you can get by ok on low wages. I live in Wilkes- Barrie. Didn't like the video, music too noisey. Taxes are high, but that goes without saying.

[@aracelissantana3856]

Hi! Wilkes barre is good?

[@fredzag2452]

@@aracelissantana3856 Hi! Aracelis.

[@charliedontsurf70]

Wilkes Barre not Wilkes Barry.

[@JoseOnTour]

I always find it amusing hearing Barry. I was at Disney on Ice at the Mohegun Sun this weekend and the announcer said Barre and Barry.

[@charliedontsurf70]

@@JoseOnTour I guess it swings either way, I've always heard Barre like Bear.

[@PoconoJoe]

correct pronunciation is Barry named after Isaac Barré, wilkes bear or bar, is more of a nickname, jsayin

[@robertbangkok]

WRONG - the original is from the French name Barré. Mssr. Barré was the only member of British Parliament who supported the colonies. So it IS actual "Barray" - His name, when anglicized is pronounced exactly like name Barry.

[@robertbangkok]

@@charliedontsurf70 Grossly and offensively wrong. There is no city on the fact of this planet named Wilks-Behr.

[@Woodstock53]

Crime , political corruption, what's good about this

[@amandageorge367]

Lol you notice they didnt go near the water at kirby park or the river haha.. Show the real wilkes barre.. what a cover up video..

[@JoseOnTour]

Hi Amanda, Thank you for stopping by my video. The flashback segment of “2019’s Hydromania & Chalkfest” gives the audience a quick glimpse of the river during warmer months. I did film shots of the river and pond but the tide was low and the scenes didn’t fit my narrative. This video is a representation of how I have viewed Wilkes-Barre in the 10 years I’ve lived here and all the great events the city holds that my family and I enjoy participating in. It’s also a combination of ideas from the last decade of speaking with friends and co-workers who are natives to the area. The passion and excitement they’ve had of talking about this area and it’s history made me create a visual thank you for all to enjoy. Hopefully when things normalize you can check out the many events the city has on a day to day. These are not sponsored links but great starting points in looking for things to do: wilkesbarre.macaronikid.com/events www.theweekender.com/# www.discovernepa.com

[@sarahmarie6892]

Being from Wilkes-barre, I have to say this is the most closed minded place in all of nepa. This is a dead city, with some of the highest crime rates.

[@jamesisapedo6889]

What a crappy town