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1976 Map of Wilkes-Barre West

Name: 1976 Topographic Map of Wilkes-Barre West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Susquehanna River carves a dominant path through this 1976 orthophotoquad, anchoring a dense corridor of Pennsylvania coal-country settlements. The imagery captures the urban footprints of Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke at a time when the region's industrial legacy and mid-century layout were clearly visible from above. Smaller boroughs like Plymouth, Larksville, and Sugar Notch are tightly clustered along the river valley, showing the concentrated development typical of the Wyoming Valley.

Rising sharply from the valley floor, the massive ridge of Penobscot Mountain creates a stark contrast between the industrialized riverfront and the wooded, high-elevation terrain to the south. In the lower reaches of the map, the settlement of Nuangola sits near small upland lakes, offering a different character of settlement away from the primary urban centers. This aerial perspective is particularly valuable for researchers tracing the physical evolution of these boroughs during the late 1970s.