Talk:Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania/Archive 1

Archive 1

Term Limits

I removed the term limit info for the government section, because I don't know if the mayor and city council have term limits. Also, NOBODY pronounces Wilkes-Barre as "wilkes-bare," unless they're not from PA. I know this because I lived there for four years, and I ALWAYS heard it as "wilkes-berry." 24.229.25.11 01:18, 12 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Even better is when telemarketers say Wilkes HYPHEN BAR. Thats bullshit I lived in W-B my whole life and people pronounce it Wilkes-BEAR or Wilkes-Berry, but true natives go with the first term.

The above edit is not 100% accurate. There are people living in Wilkes-Barre that pronounce it as Wilkes Bar.

Pronunciation

Do locals say -Berry or -Barry or -Bury? Folks here have written "-Berry", but when I've heard locals speak that version to my ear it sounds more like -Barry or -Bury than -Berry. I've also heard Wilkes-Bear (or -Behr). I don't think I've ever heard Wilkes-Bur-rah or Wilkes-Bear-rah. Interesting that this WP article cites Meriam-Webster online dictionary for pronunciation, and M-W offers three different versions, but Wikipedia only offers one, which is neither of the ones that I recall having heard. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.60.122.6 (talk) 16:37, 15 July 2012 (UTC)

The reason for the confusion here is that Wilkes-Barre is part of the Inland Northern American English dialect region, so to speakers in the area, "berry" and "barry" are pronounced the same. Alistoriv (talk) 17:40, 30 May 2017 (UTC)

Actor Gene Kelly says "Wilkes Bear-rah" at 1:22 in this video on the Danny Kaye show, implying that he is from the general vicinity.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za5RdvLsDY4. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.120.58.7 (talk) 02:43, 18 January 2014 (UTC)

i've lived in wilkes-barre my whole life, and the general pronunciation consensus seems to be very evenly divided between "wilkes-bear" and "wilkes-berry". i've said "wilkes-bear" my whole life, though i know people who swear by "berry". i think because that even the natives themselves cannot decide how their town name is pronounced, it's important for the general public to be exposed to both pronunciations.

Re: pronunciation. This is tricky, as I've never met anyone actually from Wilkes-Barre. I've heard every type of explanation, including theories as far-fetched as everyone calls it wilks-berry, EXCEPT people who live in Wilkes-Barre. Soo... Technically though, it should be pronounced more like wilks-berry, since it's named after Wilkes and Barré (note emphasis).--patton1138 19:10, 17 Sep 2004 (UTC)

When I took a flight to that area, the pilot said "Wilkes Bear". I asked someone who lived there, and she said "Wilkes Berry", but added since Barré is a French name, it should be "Wilkes Bah-RAY".

I've lived in Wilkes-Barre for 30+ years, and "wilkes-bear-ah" is another very common pronunciation. I just added it to the article's list of pronunciations.

I was born, raised, & lived in Wilkes-Barre from 1960 to the mid 80's, and the city's pronunciation can be heard in three ways, in order of most used: The one heard most, gives "Barre" two syllables: "Wilkes-Bear-ee." The second is a slight variation on the first: "Wilkes-Bear-uh." The third, which doesn't sound quite right to me, but was in some use, is to give "Barre" one syllable: "Wilkes-Bear." The actual correct pronunciation is, however Isaac Barre pronounced his name. This should also match how the locals in Barre, Vt pronounce their town. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.87.99.62 (talk) 19:43, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

I'm near Barre, VT, and they pronounce it 'Barry' here, like Barry White or Barry Goldwater. I don't think I've ever heard 'Berry', though the people from Massachusetts ask how to get to 'Bar'. BillMcGonigle (talk) 17:04, 9 November 2011 (UTC)

To those of us from places where the Mary–marry–merry merger has taken over, your sentence is confusing. Barry and berry are homophones. ;) --cluth (talk) 00:48, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Can we please just list the pronunciation as it should be? It SHOULD be Wilkes-BERRY, just like Barre, VT, just like Issac Barre, for whom it was named. There's enough confusion on this topic, and just because some people can't pronounce it correctly does NOT mean that incorrect pronunciations should be cited. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.9.76.75 (talk) 21:56, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Who are you to tell the people of Wilkes-Barre how their town's name "should" be pronounced? Even people from the area seem to use both pronunciations. Wikipedia isn't about what "should be", but documenting what is. Thus, both pronunciations belong in the article because both are in common usage. IMHO. --Sam (talk) 15:26, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

according to "Mark Gilden Napoles" the proper pronounciation is Wilks Berri —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.177.194.126 (talk) 22:38, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

I lived in Wilkes-Barre for 20+ years and while I personally say "Wilkes-Berry" the city's website says both "berry" and "bear" are accepted but technically wrong. It's actually "Wilks'-ba-ra". I'd like to see a section created for this using the information from the city's website since it helps explain the differences in pronunciation. Also cool that Wilkes-Barre is one of the few cities in the USA with a hyphen. http://www.wilkes-barre.pa.us/wbpro.php User:thedustman86

Where's the Wilks-berr-uh pronunciation? I'm not from the immediate area but that's always how people I know pronounced it in PA, and others on this talk page seem to confirm that it's common. -KaJunl (talk) 16:35, 7 October 2017 (UTC)

Hailing from Bloomsburg PA, most people here pronounce it "woolks-BEAR-uh" or sometimes "woolks-BERRY". No one here says "wilkes" as in "willkss". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.106.63.124 (talk) 22:41, 8 October 2020 (UTC)

Lots of changes

I've cleaned up this article. Among the changes includes the removal of the Hayna Valley English subsection. As a coal cracker, I'm familiar with it (and speak it), but it's mostly anecdotal, so I removed it. The history section was rewritten for clarity and space, and a few errors were corrected, including the judicial subsection. It's the U.S. Bankruptcy Court that's in Wilkes-Barre. I've also included the city seal. Questions or comments? Reply here. Name Not Needed 16:25, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

Why are the four high schools grouped together? Three are school district schools, one is private. I think they should be grouped seperately. Why doesn't the article mention the Wilkes-Barre Area CTC, which, while in Plains Twp., educates kids in WB. Additionally, should the elementary and middle schools be mentioned? Most are part of the school district, but at least one is diocesan.(Jeff Utz, 20 Feb 2019) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jeffutz (talk • contribs) 23:57, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Think Before you Delete

The Hayna Valley English section is important -- it is a recognized dialect on Wiki in the language category. I am putting it back. Please do not remove any section of a Wiki site until a solid discussion dialogue about the topic in question has been generated.

In response to the unsigned post from the anonymous user, with the IP address of 209.183.186.252, your article does not have any sources. With the brouhaha over the John Seigenthaler controversy, many people are now getting suspicious of articles without verifiable sources.

You should really provide sources to the Hayna Valley English article. If you cannot do so, then it should not be referenced on this article. Name Not Needed 01:48, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

Here are some additional changes made:

1. The language section has been removed. Because the article does not have any cited, verifiable sources, it does not belong here [1].

2. The Facebook campaign entry is also gone. There's no mention of it anywhere except on this Wikipedia article.

3. Some minor cleanups here and there.

-- Name Not Needed 18:47, 11 December 2005 (UTC)

Here is one link that recognizes Hayna Valley English as a dialect: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/usage/dialects.html

The CoalSpeak dictionary can be found at http://www.coalregion.com/ and includes many of the Hayna Valley English terms.

There is also a book (though I cannot remember the name now) available at the Wilkes-Barre Barnes and Noble called "You Know You're From the Valley If..." That would make a good source, if any one can do some research and find the name of the author.

The link from www.ruf.rice.edu is just copied from List of dialects of the English language#North America, so that's not independent verification. --Angr (t·c) 15:49, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

I've rewritten Hayna Valley English so that it has cited sources and an encyclopedic tone, so I'm restoring the link to it now. --Angr (t·c) 07:03, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

I've come on here at least 10 times to ad the nicknames Coal City, The W-B, The Dirty W-B, & The 570, but people continue to change it. I highly doubt the people changing it have ever lived here. This is not the type of thing that can be cited. You would have to come here & talk to locals like me for this information, the same goes for the persistent "Diamond City" nickname. All of these nicknames are just as commonly used as the former. STOP DELETING IT!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.97.158.129 (talk) 16:56, 17 March 2012 (UTC)

Chess history

What about Wilkes-Barre's contributions to chess theory? Within the U.S. a variation of the Two Knight's Defense carries the name of Wilkes-Barre [[2]] presumably for a good reason--but which?

If the Two_Knights_Defense page links here, I think it only fair that we return the favor. I added it in. TheHungryTiger 13:31, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Very nice. mjk (talk) 23:05, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Motto of Wilkes-Barre

The official motto of Wilkes-Barre is certianly not "Believe...", which is a hokey PR campaign introduced in 2005 to promote a largely unpopular economic development strategy. The "Believe..." campaign is actually not even original to Wilkes-Barre. The City of Baltimore employed the exact same campaign from 2002-04.

Wilkes-Barre surely had a motto before 2005, but I couldn't find any info on the internet. Someone living near downtown Wilkes-Barre should research further at the historical society and update the wiki page.

New-> The official motto of Wilkes-Barre is "Pattern After Us." What you say? Yes, this motto is incorporated in the 1806 Seal of the Borough of Wilkes-Barre. You can see a version of the seal in the frontpiece of any volume of O.J. Harvey's "History of Wilkes-Barre and Wyoming Valley."

UPDATE 10/19/2007: I'd hate to point out the obvious, but the motto mentioned above, "Pattern After Us" was incorporated in the seal of the borough of Wilkes-Barre, not the City. There might have been a change in motto when the City of Wilkes-Barre was chartered about 70 years later. As was suggested above, someone should check at the historical society. --Spacestationnerva 14:46, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Deleted images

Those images are terrrible! The sky from the top of a parkade at night? The Luzerne County Courthouse (List of Registered Historic Places in Pennsylvania) is one the most architectural gems of the area--it has a history of its own--why not a photo of that?

trezjr 22:27, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

I believe that was a good photo because it shows Wilkes-Barre at night.

hector18702 23:04, 1 February 2007(UTC)

CTCO

Why was my CTCO building photo deleted? I think they should show the ac couple of Wilkes-Barre's buildings.

hector18702 23:08, 1 February 2007(UTC)

The CTCO building is a commercial building--with nothing to do with what the article is about--Wilkes-Barre City.

The other was a black sky with undistinguishable tops of commercial buildings as seen from the top level of a parkade.

Why don't you show somethng related to the city--the Luzerne County Corthouse, City Hall, Public Square, Kirby Park, etc.

4.130.222.85 23:14, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

All these buildings have something to do with the city. They show our major buildings

hector18702 22:22, 8 February 2007(UTC)

They are commercial buildings.

This is an article about the City of Wilkes-Barre.

The fact that they are in Wilkes-Barre is irrelevant.

The end.

trezjr 12:24, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

I added an image of the courthouse, a county building, which you requested. I also reposted the image of the movie theatre downtown. If you insist on removing these, I will take a poll of a sample of local residents, asking them what they associate most with downtown Wilkes-Barre today, and then photograph that and put it on this page. Without its businesses and residents, Wilkes-Barre is nothing more than a spot on a map, so I'll thank you to leave these images as they stand. --Paco36 23:12, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

POV problems with Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania#Disastrousflooding section

I have tagged and minorly edited that section for having POV problems. Can someone familiar with this article shape it up to be more neutral and balanced with proper citations? Thank you.¤~Persian Poet Gal ^(talk) 17:48, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Update: The most questionable part of the section has been taken out which is a good thing. Still needs some work.¤~Persian Poet Gal ^(talk) 17:56, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Guess not.¤~Persian Poet Gal ^(talk) 18:33, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

The simplest way to do that would be to eliminate the final paragraph in that section. First of all, the Wyoming Valley Mall is not in the City of Wilkes-Barre, it is in Wilkes-Barre Township, an entirely different municipality. Second, the City does not have a "large" downtown. Third, the disparaging comments about the former mayor are unnecessary and do not represent a NPOV.

thank you146.186.103.52 21:54, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

The section is entitled "disastrous flooding" after all...

I also made some adjustments so the "21st century" section is a little more balanced. 146.186.103.52 22:06, 12 September 2007 (UTC) 146.186.103.52 22:01, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

i look forward to your explanation as to why you reverted to a previous, obviously slanted in one POV version on the 21st century section

sorry i failed to sign off on that last comment146.186.103.52 22:12, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

First time doing this, so excuse my naivety. As 146.186.103.52 points out the section is titled Disastrous Flooding. It was. The river did crest at 41+ feet at Wilkes-Barre on 23JUN1972. A whole article could be written about the flood and the economic effect on the Wyoming Valley. Not entirely sure what Persian Poet Gal is after. My non-neutral, though firsthand, account of events is that the money poured into the valley by the federal government after the flood actually helped. After the Knox mine disaster in 1959 (or 1958), mining in the Valley came to a halt. (There was mining under the river bed and the miners got a bit too close one day. the result was a rupture in the mine ceiling with the Susquehanna River pouring in.) That started a long decline in the Valley's economy. After the flood, we got brand new infrastructure and 30 year 1% loans from the federal government. That will do a lot to improve any economy. Thirty five years on, the economy is struggling again. The demographics are like South Florida - but without the wealth. Wyoshoe 22:01, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

I did some editing this evening and posted information concerning the current flooding caused by the remnants of Lee. I speak in the positive that the levy will hold and Wilkes-Barre (whatever way you want to pronounce because I am one who used both pronunciations). I lived in the flood plain during Agnes, and continue to reside in the county, but on higher ground. In a few days, I hope to be able to go back and document the fact that the levy held firm throughout the ordeal. Bob305 (talk) 04:37, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

Notable Natives

If an addition is deleted, I would like to know the reason for doing so. In my opinion, if a person merits an article in Wikipedia and that article is not a "Stub", the addition should not be deleted. No one should appoint himself gatekeeper of the Notables section, deciding who is worthy of inclusion and who is not based merely on his own opinion of that person's occupation or his own lack of knowledge of the individual in question. Blue Senshi (talk) 20:28, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Provide a SOURCE. REFERENCE your material. You have to prove VERIFIABILITY on any fact called on to do so. You cannot just list things you know to be.

Wikipedia:Verifiability

trezjr (talk) 23:28, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

OK. I'm not clear on exactly what I am supposed to do, however. Most of the names on this list do not have any footnote attached to them. Are you saying that the Wiki article about her has to verify (by footnote) that she was actually born in Wilkes-Barre? I don't think it's her occupation that you are questioning, is it? Since that is clearly verified in the "Colleen Corby" article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Blue Senshi (talk • contribs) 03:05, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

No. What is the source for this entry? Is it just from one source or several? I will try and help you.

trezjr (talk) 12:19, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

I have several magazine articles from the time period that are about her modeling career and all of them state that she was originally from Wilkes-Barre. All of these articles are available online, so anyone can read them. Blue Senshi (talk) 14:55, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Delete Useless photos

Does everyone agree that the photo titled "Downtown panorama from Laurel Run" is useless and should be deleted? What else should be removed?-Crunchy Numbers (talk) 00:05, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

This article has become a forum for anyone with a digital camera. Examples of what should go include the "skyline at night" (please) and the hilarious "aerial view" at night (meaningless dots of white on black). The Hotel Sterling shot is a useless view of a traffic light intersection. Then there's 2 "panoramics". Pick one; you don't need two.

I was tempted to axe them earlier today myself.

Kudos to anyone that does the deed!!!

trezjr (talk) 00:55, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Don't be concerned, Crunchy Numbers is only here because he's follwing me around undoing my edits. He'll get bored soon and go away. Ed Fitzgerald _{t / c} 18:40, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

As to the specific question above, I find that I was incorrect in my last edit summary, that I did indeed remove one image form the article, but it was not the one the Crunchy Numbers specified. The image I removed was an aerial view of the city at night, which was basically a dark background with some lights in it. It did not convey any information, and was extremely difficult to see (at first glance, it could have been a picture of the stars at night.) I think the other images mentioned by Trezjr have value, especially when repositioned and enlarged, as I have done. They can now be seen and convey something to the reader. Ed Fitzgerald _{t / c} 18:46, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

• "Skyline at Night" - I cropped this image in a bit and enhanced it for visibility. Ed Fitzgerald _{t / c} 18:51, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
• infobox image: cropped and enhanced Ed Fitzgerald _{t / c} 19:04, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
• Sterling Hotel: cropped down to the building, eliminating the cross walk, etc., enhanced Ed Fitzgerald _{t / c} 19:04, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Greatest website on Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania ever!

http://18762.us/

Check it out. Its so darn good. (obviously not my site). Has so many facts in there, and we should totally include a lot of the info from there. Also can someone please stop editing my post on a really important person. I tell my 14 year old daughter about John "Buck" Freeman all the time. Hes truly a Wilkes-Barre Hero! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.32.31.254 (talk) 00:35, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

I saw a recently reverted edit about Buck Freeman. To stay in the list, it needs reliable sources to verify that Freeman was a resident, which I tried to find. The articles for most of the other individuals on the list explicitly mention being born or living in Wilkes-Barre. I did a quick Google search and found mention that Freeman was born in Catasauqua and died in Wilkes-Barre (though only one called him a resident). There are also several mentions of him playing for Wilkes-Barre's minor league team and a passing mention in a Babe Ruth article that says he's from W-B. Baseball-reference.com notes that he grew up in Wilkes-Barre, but that appears to be a wiki page, which is a self-published source. The book mentioned as a reference for that page—Deadball Stars of the American League— may have the information needed, but Google doesn't have a preview for it so I can't check. I'm unsure of the threshold for inclusion in the list (be it birth, death, extended residency, etc.), but some book links I provided and a search of news archives may provide the valid references to include the information. It would probably be worth it to also mention Wilkes-Barre more in the Freeman article if there are sources that show his time there was notable.

Also, to address your main comment, be leery of using the website you linked. It is a self-published source and doesn't note the source of its data. It may be a good resource for searching the area, but it is likely not a reliable source itself. —Ost (talk) 14:21, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

So after all those sources does that make him not eligible to be on wikipedia? I know that wilkes-Barre is a known fact (something you usually put with source unknown in parenthesis) but for some reason with all the sources you mention your still deciding to not add him. Why is that? Beyond my interest in the individual I think its fair to include because wikipedia even put that information in there own article on him. So how is the source valid there but not hear. That would be purely an example of hypocrisy. As to the answer of whether that source is reliable, im not 100% sure. I'm certain the author didn't just make stuff up but if you want an official official source that wikipedia requires by there rules that I cant say anything about that, but I still see little reason after finding him on google for playing in wilkes-barre and being there to not include him. I just think its fair for me as a wilkes-barreian (if thats the right way of saying it) to represent our people of this community —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.32.31.254 (talk) 23:19, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

I don't follow this page much and, as I mentioned, don't know what the is consensus regarding inclusion in the list. If you're just trying to note that he played baseball for a Wilkes-Barre team, then you can likely find a reliable source. But to me the sources seem less clear that he was an actual resident of the city, although the Babe Ruth article does lend its support. I'd like to see if any other editors have additional sources or opinions about inclusion in the list, particularly User:Trezjr. I was essentially explaining the revert and presenting the information out there.

No way does 18762.us/ satisfy the External Links policy. It's a commercial site, for crying out loud.--Blargh29 (talk) 16:29, 19 December 2009 (UTC)

Corruption

there should be mention of the citys large corruption problems. especially the many recent arresst of many judges. two where sending kids to juvvy for very minor charges which made national news —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.54.70.21 (talk) 01:03, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

 Done Sswonk (talk) 01:47, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

The article could also mention that with regards to this issue, the city is featured in Michael Moore's documentary "Capitalism" --Richardson mcphillips (talk) 14:03, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Did the levees hold or not in 2006?

At one point we say "a levee system that rises 41 feet; it has successfully battled less threatening floods of 1996, 2004, and 2006..." but later we say "However, due to extremely heavy rains, the Susquehanna River crested high enough that most of the city had to be evacuated on June 28, 2006". So, which was it? Or was there more than one flood in 2006? --CliffC (talk) 02:21, 13 September 2010 (UTC)

One flood in the summer of 2006. However as a precaution, they called for a mandatory evacuation of the entire valley in areas affected by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. If there had been a breach of the levy while the people went about their business, the fast-rising water would have trapped many. The same thing is happening now in 2011: the areas are under mandatory evacuation while the river level is so high. When the water recedes, the people will be allowed back into the area. Bob305 (talk) 04:51, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

Osterhout free library, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

http://books.google.com/books?id=J7xBAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=4fbNvxbkI2sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Osterhout+Free+Library,+Wilkes-Barre,+Pa%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xXn4UOGKHdCw0AHkm4H4Cg&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=TjgXAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Osterhout+Free+Library,+Wilkes-Barre,+Pa%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xXn4UOGKHdCw0AHkm4H4Cg&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Rajmaan (talk) 22:24, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Wilkes-Barre Township

It seems that the foundation of the adjacent Wilkes-Barre Township preceded that of Wilkes-Barre by several years. So why are their names so similar? Is it that the township was (re)named only later? Or is the reason something different? --JorisvS (talk) 15:29, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Does anyone know the answer to this? --JorisvS (talk) 07:51, 13 March 2014 (UTC)

Neighborhoods section: Central City

The original paragraph was: This is where it all started. The area now referred to as "Downtown", between South and North Streets, and bordered by River Street and Wilkes-Barre Boulevard to the West and East respectively is the original foundation of Wilkes-Barre, the 16 blocks claimed by the Connecticut settlers who founded the city. Throughout the city's history, the area has remained a hub for all of Luzerne County. During the city's boom, this small area was home to the headquarters of more than 100 national corporations. Today, it still houses the NEPA Headquarters for Verizon, Citizen's Bank, Blue Cross, PNC Bank, Luzerne National Bank, Guard Insurance, and a number of other companies. Even with all these businesses most of Wilkes Barre's main streets are lined with newer empty store fronts and closed businesses. It is claimed an estimated 40,000 people live and/or work in Downtown Wilkes-Barre every day, but there is no verification of this claim. Most who live in the down town area would scoff at this claim. Most of down town Wilkes Barre shows signs of a city in decline.

I edited this down considerably to a more 'encyclopedic' paragraph. I checked the reference cited, but it is a blog article that concerns the preservation of the old Wilkes-Barre Train Station. Cheers. SaturnCat (talk) 03:40, 12 June 2014 (UTC)

References

History and Population

The page says in the 19th century history section: "Hundreds of thousands of immigrants flocked to the city" after the discovery of anthracite. Yet the population statistics show the city with a population ranging from 1225 in 1810 to 41,108 in 2013, with a peak of 86,626 in 1930. Where did the other hundreds of thousands go? It's possible that every year the population replaced a full complement of emigrants with a new complement of immigrants. Or maybe every decade. Or perhaps the reference is to an entity larger than the city. On the face of it, though, the assertion of "hundreds of thousands of immigrants" to Wilkes-Barre seems fanciful. MaxwellPerkins (talk) 04:12, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

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Notable People

I made a pair of revisions to the "notable people" section, both of which were reverted. I felt that the entry for "Joe Palooka" - a fictional character - should be merged with that for its creator, Ham Fisher. The article on Joe Palooka actually says nothing about the character being from Wilkes-Barre, only that Fisher was. Similarly with Mr. Peanut - it's an advertising mascot, not a person. He was created by someone from Wilkes-Barre, but to say that the character is a notable resident of the city is sketchy. That's like saying that Eleanor Rigby is a notable resident of Liverpool. PurpleChez (talk) 13:11, 27 July 2017 (UTC)

Actually, the entry for Mr. Peanut was deleted altogether, which is probably for the best. But "Joe Palooka" should be merged with its creator, or at least given some explanatory text PurpleChez (talk) 13:22, 27 July 2017 (UTC)

Per guidelines, all we should be including is the Wikilink to the name, the person's primary notability and the person's connection to the city. (Born, raised, former resident, current resident). Any other details should be left to the wikilinked article. This article is about a place, not people. John from Idegon (talk) 17:52, 27 July 2017 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification. But I still question Joe Palooka's inclusion in this list...unless it can be documented that the character, and not just its creator, was "from" Wilkes-Barre. PurpleChez (talk) 17:54, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

Very sorry...I thought I'd deleted good old Joe when I deleted Mr. Nut. Done now. And in my opinion, he would never belong under notable people. A fictional character is not a people. If you can find sources that illustrate his tie to the city, especially if those sources discuss how the author's characterization of him was drawn from the local environment, that would make a fine addition to the "In popular culture" section. John from Idegon (talk) 19:55, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

No need for 'sorry'!!! It's a pleasure working with ya!!!! PurpleChez (talk) 19:05, 2 August 2017 (UTC)

Delete "Ethnic Groups"?

Can the Ethnic Groups section be deleted? It has no sources and it's been repeatedly changed since it was first added by an anonymous user; back then it showed Italians as the largest group, now they've disappeared and African-Americans are the largest group. Obiara (talk) 14:00, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

Now an anonymous user has changed some numbers again but there's still no source. Obiara (talk) 22:26, 14 September 2017 (UTC)

I'm going to delete this section today. It's been repeatedly adjusted by anonymous editors and there's still no source; it's just providing temptation for people to mess with this article. Obiara (talk) 16:59, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

External links modified

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