View source for Back Mountain

{{short description|Region in Pennsylvania}}
{{distinguish|Black Mountain (disambiguation){{!}}Black Mountain|Brokeback Mountain}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Back Mountain
| native_name             = 
| other_name              = 
| settlement_type         = [[Region]]
<!-- images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = {{Photomontage|photo1a = Cornell Road in Lehman Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.JPG|photo1b = Boats on Harveys Lake.JPG|photo2a =Pennsylvania Route 415 in Dallas.jpg|photo2b = Scenery of Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.jpg|photo3a=Church in Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.jpg|photo3b=Scenery_of_Jackson_Township,_Luzerne_County,_Pennsylvania_3.jpg|size=300}}
| image_caption           = From top, left to right: Cornell Road in Lehman Township, boats on Harveys Lake, [[Pennsylvania Route 415]] in Dallas, scenery of the Dallas area, a church in the Dallas area, scenery of the Back Mountain Region
| image_flag              = 
| image_shield            = 
| motto                   = 
| nickname                = 
| etymology               = 
<!-- location -->
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = United States
| subdivision_type1       = State
| subdivision_name1       = Pennsylvania
| subdivision_type2       = County
| subdivision_name2       = [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Luzerne]]
| subdivision_type3       = 
| subdivision_name3       = 
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
| image_map               = 
| map_caption             = 
| pushpin_map             = USA Pennsylvania#USA
| pushpin_relief          = 
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location of Back Mountain in Pennsylvania 
| coordinates             = {{coord|41|19|13|N|75|58|22|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
<!-- established -->
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
<!-- area -->
| area_footnotes          = 
| dunam_link              = 
| area_total_km2          = 
| area_total_sq_mi        = 117.59
| area_land_sq_mi         = 
| area_water_sq_mi        = 
<!-- elevation -->
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| elevation_ft            = 
<!-- population -->
| population_as_of        = 2016
| population_footnotes    = 
| population_total        = 33551
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_density_sq_mi=
| population_demonym      = 
<!-- time zone(s) -->
| timezone1               = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1             = -5
| timezone1_DST           = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = -4
| timezone2               =  
| utc_offset2             = 
| timezone2_DST           = 
| utc_offset2_DST         = 
<!-- postal codes, area code -->
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          =  
| area_code               = 570
| geocode                 = 
| iso_code                = 
<!-- website, footnotes -->
| website                 = 
| footnotes               = 
}}

The '''Back Mountain''' is a [[region]] and former [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Luzerne County]], [[Pennsylvania]],  United States. It is near the cities of [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]] and [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]. The population was 33,551 as of 2016.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} The region has a total area of {{convert|117.59|sqmi|km2}}. The area was not delineated as a CDP for the 2010 census. The name "Back Mountain" refers to the area's location behind the mountain ridge forming the northwest side of the [[Wyoming Valley]]. The area includes the townships of [[Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Dallas]], [[Franklin Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Franklin]], [[Jackson Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Jackson]], [[Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Kingston]], [[Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Lake]], and [[Lehman Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Lehman]]. The region also includes the boroughs of [[Dallas, Pennsylvania|Dallas]] and [[Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania|Harveys Lake]]. Each township and borough is independently governed.

==History==
[[File:Harvey's Lake, Pennsylvania (63532).jpg|thumb|left|[[Postcard]] of Harveys Lake and the Back Mountain (early 20th century)]]
[[File:Warden Place, Harvey's Lake, Pennsylvania (75648).jpg|thumb|left|Postcard of Harveys Lake (early 20th century)]]
The townships of Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston, Lake, and Lehman were formed in the 1800s. The area now known as Dallas was first settled in 1797. It was incorporated as a borough on April 21, 1879, from a section of Dallas Township.<ref name="books.google.com">[[Henry C. Bradsby|Bradsby, Henry C.]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=4BkVAAAAYAAJ History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 1893]</ref>  The township, formed in 1817,<ref name="books.google.com" /> and was named for [[Alexander J. Dallas (statesman)|Alexander J. Dallas]], the 6th [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]] and the father of [[George M. Dallas]] the vice president of [[James Polk]]. The Borough of Dallas is known as the “Pride” of the Back Mountain.

The second borough in the Back Mountain region is Harveys Lake. The lake was named after Benjamin Harvey, who discovered the [[Harveys Lake (Pennsylvania)|lake]] in 1781. He was a member of the [[Sons of Liberty]], an eminent colonial-era group opposed to [[Great Britain]]'s [[Stamp Act]] and a driving force behind the [[American Revolution]]. The first resident in the vicinity of the lake, Matthew Scouten, arrived in the early 1790s, others settlers, the Worthingtons, arrived in 1806.

Historically the area offered many forms of recreation and entertainment attracting tourists from all over the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]]. Harveys Lake became a major resort destination in the early 20th century. [[Hotels]], [[boathouses]], a [[casino]], and an [[amusement park]] were constructed around Harveys Lake. Grand Hotel Oneonta was especially prominent in the early 1900s, and former [[United States President]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]] visited the hotel in August 1912.<ref name = "backmountain">{{Citation|author = Harrison Wick|publisher = Arcadia Publishing|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lQy3U1_PissC&pg=PA118|title = Pennsylvania's Back Mountain|pages = 116&ndash;119|year = 2009|isbn = 9780738562780}}</ref> Harveys Lake was incorporated as a borough in 1968.

[[Frances Slocum State Park]] is the only [[List of Pennsylvania state parks|state park]] in the Back Mountain. In 1968, the lake, which is the centerpiece of the park, was built to control [[flood]]ing in the [[North Branch Susquehanna River]]. In 1972, the park became a temporary home to 280 families who were displaced by the [[Hurricane Agnes|Agnes]] floods. The park was closed temporarily to the public and reopened in 1974 after all the families were relocated.

== Population and geography ==
As of 2016, 33,551 people lived in the Back Mountain. It consists of six townships and two boroughs. The Back Mountain is located at {{coord|41|19|13|N|75|58|22|W|type:city}} (41.320230, -75.972645).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The region has a total area of {{convert|117.59|sqmi|km2}}. It is home to [[Frances Slocum State Park]], [[Lake Louise (Pennsylvania)|Lake Louise]], and [[Harveys Lake (Pennsylvania)|Harveys Lake]].
{| class="wikitable"
!Name of community !!Population as of 2016!!Total area 
|-
|[[Dallas, Pennsylvania|Dallas Borough]]||2,768||2.42 sq mi (6.25&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Dallas Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Dallas Township]]||9,216||18.7 sq mi (48.5&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Franklin Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Franklin Township]]||1,745||13.1 sq mi (33.8&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania|Harveys Lake Borough]]||2,773||6.17 sq mi (15.99&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Jackson Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Jackson Township]]||4,633||13.4 sq mi (34.6&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Kingston Township]]||6,935||13.9 sq mi (36.0&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Lake Township]]||2,025||26.7 sq mi (69.1&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|[[Lehman Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Lehman Township]]||3,456||23.2 sq mi (60.1&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})
|-
|'''Total'''||'''33,551'''||'''117.59 sq mi (304.34&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})'''
|-bgcolor="#ddeeff"-
|}

== Demographics when it was a CDP ==
As of the [[census]]<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> of 2000, there were 26,690 people, 9,267 households, and 6,894 families residing in the [[census-designated place]] (CDP). The [[population density]] was 249.5 people per square mile (96.3/km<sup>2</sup>).  There were 9,997 housing units at an average density of 93.5/sq&nbsp;mi (36.1/km<sup>2</sup>).  The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.45% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.30% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.10% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.52% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.18% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.43% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.05% of the population.

There were 9,267 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.2 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,298, and the median income for a family was $57,342. Males had a median income of $39,566 versus $27,202 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $23,105.  About 4.8% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
[[Image:Hayfield House, Penn State Wilkes-Barre, August 2012.jpg|thumb|right|210px|[[Penn State Wilkes-Barre]] in Lehman Township, Luzerne County]]

===Public school districts===
*[[Dallas School District]] 
*[[Lake-Lehman School District]]

=== Colleges and universities ===
* [[Misericordia University]] in Dallas
* [[Penn State Wilkes-Barre]] in Lehman

===Libraries===
* Back Mountain Memorial Library

==Transportation==
[[File:Pennsylvania Route 29 north in Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.JPG|thumb|right|210px|[[Pennsylvania Route 29]] in Lake Township, Luzerne County]]

===Highways===
*{{jct|state=PA|PA|29}}
*{{jct|state=PA|PA|118}}
*{{jct|state=PA|PA|309}}
*{{jct|state=PA|PA|415}}

===Nearby airports===
*[[Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport]]
*[[Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport]]

==Notable people==
*[[Lisa Baker (Pennsylvania politician)|Lisa Baker]], [[Pennsylvania State Senate|State Senator]] from Pennsylvania
*[[Fletcher C. Booker Jr.]], US Army major general<ref name="Obituary">{{cite web |date=11 October 2012 |title=Obituary, Fletcher C. Booker Jr. |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/jupiter-fl/fletcher-booker-5267141 |website=Dignity Memorial |location=Houston, Texas |publisher=SCI Shared Resources, LLC. |access-date=30 March 2025}}</ref>
*[[Raye Hollitt]], an [[United States|American]] actress, [[female bodybuilding|female bodybuilder]], and one of the original cast members of ''[[American Gladiators (1989 TV series)|American Gladiators]]''
*[[Mitchell Jenkins]], a former Republican U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania; he lived in Shavertown toward the end of his life
*[[Greg Manusky]], NFL [[American football|football]] player and coach.
*[[Francis T. McAndrew]], Psychologist/Professor/Author
*[[Jay McCarroll]], the winning designer of Season 1 of ''[[Project Runway]]''; he grew up in Lehman and attended Lake Lehman High School
*[[Dan Meuser]], U.S. Representative
*[[Paige Selenski]], field hockey player for the [[United States at the Summer Olympics|US Olympic Team]]
*[[Greg Skrepenak]], former NFL player, Luzerne County Commissioner, and convicted felon
*[[Randy Stair]], Eaton Township Weis Market Shooter
*[[Stacey Williams]], Fashion Model
*[[T. Newell Wood]], Pennsylvania State Senator

==Gallery==
<div style="overflow:auto">
{{multiple image
| align     = center
| direction = horizontal
| header=
| image1= SlocumStateParkSwamp.jpg
| alt1=
| caption1= Swampland in Frances Slocum State Park
| width1={{#expr: (125 * 800 / 599) round 0}}
| image2= Harveys Lake from the south.JPG
| alt2=
| caption2= Harveys Lake
| width2={{#expr: (125 * 900 / 599) round 0}}
| image3= Lake_Louise_from_the_east.jpg
| alt3=
| caption3= Lake Louise
| width3={{#expr: (140 * 800 / 599) round 0}}
| image4= Huntsville Creek.jpg
| alt4=
| caption4= [[Huntsville Creek]]
| width4={{#expr: (100 * 500 / 599) round 0}}
| image5= Undeveloped land in Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.JPG
| alt5=
| caption5= Undeveloped land in Lake Township
| width5={{#expr: (140 * 800 / 599) round 0}}
| image6= Ketcham Dallas Twp Luzerne Co PA.jpg
| alt6=
| caption6= A bicyclist in Dallas Township
| width6={{#expr: (166 * 800 / 599) round 0}}
}}
</div>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Luzerne County, Pennsylvania}}
{{Wyoming Valley}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Wyoming Valley]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania]]