Wilkes Barre
Surrounded by the famous Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the Lehigh Valley, the modern and cosmopolitan city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania presents a scenic and very interesting destination. Originally settled in the 1700s by 2 British explorers, John Wilkes and Isaac Barre, and later visited by King Louis Philippe of France, Wilkes-Barre became famous as a center of U.S. coal and anthracite mining, industrial manufacturing, and railroad construction; it was also the birthplace of the Planter's Peanuts Corporation and a mecca for powerful financiers. Today, Wilkes-Barre is in the process of reinventing itself; it represents an interesting site for observing U.S. economic resurgence, and it's also a popular gambling destination with several noted casinos.