Honesdale, Pennsylvania
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The Wayne County courthouse |
Honesdale is located in an area known as "the lake region of the Poconos". The surrounding area provides many recreational opportunities including: boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing, biking, and rafting. Honesdale is the county seat of
Wayne County, Pennsylvania and is located 44 miles (71 km) northeast of
Scranton.
Honesdale takes its name from
Philip Hone, former New York City Mayor and President of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company (later known as the
Delaware and Hudson Railway). (The bluff that overlooks the town center is named Irving Cliff for his friend and business associate Washington Irving.) Honesdale was a big part of the coal industry and is home of the first commercial locomotive to be operated in the United States, the
Stourbridge Lion. The Wayne County Historical Society & Museum contains a full-scale replica. The museum also houses many interesting photographs and artifacts. During the beginning of August each year Honesdale hosts the Wayne County Fair. The Fair is always a popular event, spanning a full week and drawing thousands of visitors.
The movie "
Wet Hot American Summer" was filmed in Honesdale during 2001.The film is a comedy starring
Janeane Garofalo,
David Hyde Pierce, and
Molly Shannon. It was directed by
David Wain and written by
Michael Showalter (who also stars in the movie).
The children's magazine
Highlights for Children has their Editorial Headquarters in Honesdale.
Honesdale High School is home to the Hornets.
Honesdale is located at (41.574214, -75.255966).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 10.8
km² (4.2
mi²). 10.7 km² (4.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.20%) is water.Every year during the first week of August, Honesdale hosts the Wayne County fair. It draws visitors from all over and is a very popular attraction drawing thousands of people each year. The fair has rides, food vendors, farm animals and shows like the demolition derby at its grandstand.
Honesdale has changed little in the last 30 years. Some big box realtors have moved into the town near the Route 6 Plaza. The Plaza was built at the site of a small airport that used to handle single engine private planes. On a trip to Honesdale you will find a quiet but thriving Main Street with Mom and Pop stores. The local daily newspaper, the Wayne Independent, established in 1878, emphasizes local stories. The Weekly Almanac, also a medium for local news, was begun in 1990. The community has little if any industry beyond the remnants of a once thriving population of family owned dairy farms. The Wayne County Historical Society Museum is a popular tourist attraction. The local hospital,
Wayne Memorial Hospital just completed a multi-million dollar expansion project. The community has many Victorian age structures and is dominated by tall church steeples and a memorial park near the courthouse. Irving Cliff, 300 feet high, overlooks the town and is above the confluence of the Lackawaxen River and Dyberry Creek. The cliff contains a 50 foot electric framework displaying a Christmas Star, visible for miles.
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Richard B. Smith, who wrote the song
Winter Wonderland in 1934, was born in Honesdale.
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Mary Dimmick Harrison, wife of President
Benjamin Harrison, was born in Honesdale.
In
1900, 2,864 people lived in Honesdale; in
1910, 2,945 people made it their home; and in
1940, 5,687 lived there.As of the
census of 2000, there were 4,874 people, 2,166 households, and 1,251 families residing in the borough. The
population density was 456.8/km² (1,182.9/mi²). There were 2,414 housing units at an average density of 226.2/km² (585.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.64%
White, 0.66%
African American, 0.14%
Native American, 0.78%
Asian, 0.16% from
other races, and 0.62% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.89% of the population.
There were 2,166 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were
married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $28,209, and the median income for a family was $41,336. Males had a median income of $30,153 versus $22,361 for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $17,464. About 9.8% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
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Historic Honesdale*
The Wayne County Historical Society & Museum *
Wayne County Fair *
Wet Hot American Summer *
Highlights for Children 
