East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

East Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains region. It was originally called Dansbury but was renamed when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad opened a station there. Even though it shares a name with the nearby borough of Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg is actually larger, with almost twice the population.

It is the largest municipality in Monroe County and part of the East Stroudsburg, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, East Stroudsburg has a population of 9,847 people.

The town is situated about 42 miles northeast of Allentown, 102 miles north of Philadelphia, and 75 miles west of New York City, making it a convenient spot for visitors exploring the area.

History

East Stroudsburg was first settled in 1737 by Daniel Brodhead, a judge from Marbletown, New York. He owned a large piece of land along Brodhead Creek, which was then called the Analomink River. This area was known as Dansbury Manor.

Later, in 1856, a railroad was built through the area. This helped the town grow and become more important for business and jobs. Today, some old buildings from that time, like the East Stroudsburg Armory and the railroad station, are recognized as important historic places.

Marbletown, New York Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono Hospital Bucks County Monroe County Brodhead Creek Moravian Bethlehem Dutchess County, New York Native Americans Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg Armory National Register of Historic Places

Geography

East Stroudsburg is found at 41°0′5″N 75°10′48″W / 41.00139°N 75.18000°W / 41.00139; -75.18000. The town covers 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), and it is all land. If you travel west on Interstate 80, East Stroudsburg is the second town from the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border, at Exit 308.

Demographics

According to the American Community Survey in 2009, the racial makeup of East Stroudsburg was diverse. In 2010, there were 11,922 people living in the borough, with 3,145 households and 1,855 families. The population density was 3,445.6 people per square mile.

Most households were made up of individuals, but some had children under 18 or older adults living alone. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 26 years, with many people in their late teens and early twenties.

The median income for a household was $36,601, and for a family, it was $44,044. About 9.1% of families and 15.2% of the population lived below the poverty line, including some younger and older residents.

Education

Primary public education

Further information: East Stroudsburg Area School District

East Stroudsburg Area School District

• East Stroudsburg High School North
• East Stroudsburg High School South

Primary private education

• Notre Dame High School

Colleges and universities

• East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Sports

Pocono Snow was a soccer team from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It started in 2008 and played in a league called the National Premier Soccer League. The team played its home games at Eiler-Martin Stadium on the campus of East Stroudsburg University. The team’s colors were orange, blue, and white. East Stroudsburg University also has 22 sports teams that compete in Division II of the NCAA, called the East Stroudsburg University Warriors.

Health system

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono is part of the Lehigh Valley Health Network. This network helps give care to people living in Monroe County and nearby places in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The hospital started in East Stroudsburg in 1915 and was called Pocono Medical Center. In 2017, it became known as Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono.

Transportation

Roads and highways

As of 2017, East Stroudsburg had about 30 miles of public roads. About 7 miles were kept up by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the rest were kept up by the town itself.

The main highways are Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 209. They run together through the southern part of the town. There is also a business route of U.S. Route 209 and a state road called Pennsylvania Route 447 that go through different parts of the town.

Airport

Further information: Stroudsburg-Pocono Airport

There is an airport near East Stroudsburg called Stroudsburg-Pocono Airport, located in Smithfield Township, Monroe County. It has a long paved runway and offers fun activities like skydiving and a golf driving range.

Transit

Further information: Monroe County Transit Authority

Buses in the area are run by the Monroe County Transit Authority, also called the Pocono Pony. Two of its bus routes go through East Stroudsburg. One connects the town center with nearby Stroudsburg and a hospital, while the other serves the northern and eastern parts of the town and links to a shopping mall and another area called Marshall’s Creek.

Railway

East Stroudsburg used to have a train station, but the last passenger train stopped there in 1970. There are plans to bring train service back, but most of the project isn’t funded yet. Some train tracks are still used for freight trains a few times a week.

The tracks going east from East Stroudsburg are still in use for a paper plant and to connect with another railroad. West of East Stroudsburg, there is still one usable track left from the old double-track railroad leading to Scranton. Some special passenger trains also run to East Stroudsburg and the Delaware Water Gap a few times a year.

Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority

Railroads have always been important to East Stroudsburg. A group called the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority looks after the rail lines in the area, including one that goes from Scranton through East Stroudsburg to New Jersey and toward New York City.

Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project

Main article: Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project

There is a project to bring back passenger train service between Scranton and Hoboken, New Jersey, using a special railroad line called the Lackawanna Cut-Off. Work on this started in 2011, and money has been set aside to fix bridges so trains can run again.

Media

Print

The Pocono Record is the newspaper for Monroe County. It focuses on Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg and also covers many smaller communities in the area. The newspaper also reports on parts of Pike, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Carbon counties, as well as some areas of western New Jersey.

Radio

WESS at 90.3 FM broadcasts from East Stroudsburg as a service of East Stroudsburg University. Students and teachers often help create the programs, and the station also shares broadcasts from the BBC World Service when live hosts are not on air.

Other radio stations serving the area include WSBG at 93.5 FM, which plays soft adult music and is owned by iHeart Radio. WRTI is repeated by station WRTY at 91.1 FM from Jackson Township and offers Temple University news, jazz, and NPR programs. WXPJ at 91.9 FM broadcasts from Hackettstown, New Jersey and is run by Centenary College, offering independent programming and music along with NPR. WHCY at 106.3 FM plays popular music and is also owned by iHeart Radio. WKRF at 107.9 FM rebroadcasts a popular music format from WKRZ-FM at 98.5 FM in Freeland/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Notable people

East Stroudsburg has been home to many interesting people. Hugh Brannum was a vocalist with the Fred Waring Band and later became Mr. Green Jeans on the Captain Kangaroo kids show. Charlie Brenneman is a professional mixed martial arts fighter, and Keir Dillon is a professional snowboarder. Bob Dorough was a jazz pianist who created many famous songs for Schoolhouse Rock!.

Other notable individuals include Francis Dunnery, a musician and singer-songwriter, and James Geoffrey Franklin, the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. Lenny Kaye is a guitarist who played with the Patti Smith Group, and Nellie McKay is a singer-songwriter and actor. James Mungro played football for the Indianapolis Colts, and Jimmy Terwilliger won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2005. Phil Woods was a jazz musician and co-founder of the Celebration of the Arts Festival.

Historical sites

East Stroudsburg has some important old places. The East Stroudsburg Railroad Station was built in 1864 and served the area until 1970. Today, it is a community center with history and events. The East Stroudsburg Armory is located in downtown, and the Zion Lutheran Church was built in 1851.

Climate

East Stroudsburg has a Temperate Continental climate. This means it has hot summers, cold winters, and rain throughout the year.

Summer can feel very warm and sometimes humid, with temperatures reaching above 100 °F (38 °C) in very hot weather. Thunderstorms are most common in July, the warmest month. September is usually the wettest month, often influenced by storms from the Atlantic hurricane season.

Winter can get quite cold, with temperatures sometimes falling below −18 °F (−28 °C). January is the snowiest month, and big snowstorms happen occasionally, especially during nor’easters between December and February.

Ecology

East Stroudsburg has a natural environment that includes Appalachian Oak trees and Eastern Hardwood Forest. The area usually blooms in late April and shows beautiful colors in mid-October. It was in a colder plant zone until 2012, but now it is in a slightly warmer zone.