The Susquehanna Valley is a region of low-lying land that borders the Susquehanna River in the U.S. states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The valley consists of areas that lie along the main branch of the river, which flows from Upstate New York through Pennsylvania and Maryland into the Chesapeake Bay, as well as areas that lie along the shorter West Branch in Pennsylvania.Nash, Gary B. "The Quest for the Susquehanna Valley: New York, Pennsylvania, and the Seventeenth Century Fur Trade," in New York History, Vol. 48 No. 1, pp. 3–27. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, January 1967.
History and architectural features As of 2014, seventeen of the oldest covered bridges in the United States were located in the Susquehanna Valley."25 things to know about Susquehanna Valley history" (photo slideshow). Lancaster, Pennsylvania: WGAL-TV, April 14, 2014.
Geography Historians and environmentalists at the Chesapeake Conservancy have described the Susquehanna River as the "lifeblood" of the Chesapeake Bay and also as "extension of the Susquehanna Valley that the Atlantic Ocean has steadily flooded over the last 15,000 years.""Envision the Susquehanna," in "Regional Initiatives." Annapolis, Maryland: Cheasapeake Conservancy, retrieved online February 2023.
Within Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna Valley is linked inextricably with the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which extends from Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland through Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York. Pennsylvania's connections to the watershed are "primarily in the counties along the Susquehanna River, the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and their tributaries," according to Shelby Splain. "Located in the middle of the commonwealth, about half of the land in Pennsylvania drains into it."Splain, Shelby Weaver. "Telling a Fuller Story about African American History in Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed," in Pennsylvania Historic Preservation. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, October 14, 2020.
Communities in the valley
Main Branch Cities Oneonta, New York Binghamton, New York Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Scranton, Pennsylvania Sunbury, Pennsylvania Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Lancaster, Pennsylvania Pittston, Pennsylvania York, Pennsylvania Havre de Grace, Maryland
Counties
Otsego County, New York Delaware County, New York Chenango County, New York Broome County, New York Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Tioga County, New York Bradford County, Pennsylvania Wyoming County, Pennsylvania Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Columbia County, Pennsylvania Montour County, Pennsylvania Potter County, Pennsylvania Tioga County, Pennsylvania Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Snyder County, PennsylvaniaEllis, Franklin. History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886. Juniata County, PennsylvaniaEllis, History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Perry County, PennsylvaniaEllis, History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County, Pennsylvania York County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Cecil County, Maryland Harford County, Maryland
West Branch
Cities Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Counties Cambria County, Pennsylvania Clearfield County, Pennsylvania Centre County, Pennsylvania Clinton County, Pennsylvania Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Union County, Pennsylvania Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
See also Life On The Upper Susquehanna 1783–1860
References
External links Barrett, Brenda and Jackie Kramer. "Contact Period Landscapes of the Lower Susquehanna River." Annapolis, Maryland: NPS Chesapeake Bay Office, National Park Service, 2016 (retrieved online February 4, 2023). "Indigenous Peoples of the Susquehanna Valley." The Historical Marker Database, retrieved online February 4, 2023.