Luzerne, PA

Luzerne is a borough five miles north of Wilkes-Barre in the Wyoming Valley, with Toby Creek and the Susquehanna country shaping the local map. The 2020 census counted 2,703 residents. The settlement began as Hartseph Hollow, became Mill Hollow in 1866 after the mills along Toby Creek, and took the Luzerne name when it became a borough in 1882. Even the name carries regional history, borrowing from the county and the French nobleman Chevalier de la Luzerne.

Early twentieth-century Luzerne had a surprisingly broad industrial mix: coal mines, a foundry, drill factories, flour and feed mills, a canning factory, and a silk mill. Camp Luzerne also served as a Civil War training site near Chestnut and Miller Streets. Today the borough is more residential, with a Main Street of shops, restaurants, and professional offices, while Wyoming Valley West School District serves local students. Luzerne is a small borough with layers from mills, mines, war mobilization, and the everyday work of a valley town.