Tobyhanna Township is a township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,290 at the 2020 census. Tobyhanna Township has Tobyhanna Elementary Center and Locust Lake Village.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 52.6 square miles (136.2 km2), of which 50.2 square miles (130 km2) is land and 2.4 square miles (6 km2) (4.56%) is water.

The township is included in the Stroudsburg, PA Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the greater New York, Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

Tobyhanna is approximately 25 miles west of Stroudsburg and approximately 101 miles distant from New York City.

Tobyhanna Township borders Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Carbon counties.

Adjacent municipalities Coolbaugh Township (North) Borough of Mount Pocono (Northeast) Pocono Township, Monroe County (East) Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County (South) Kidder Township, Carbon County (Southwest) Buck Township, Luzerne County (Northwest)

Neighborhoods Tobyhanna Township has 22 private communities that contain the majority of homes:

Arrowhead Lake Blakeslee Estates Camelot Forest Campstead Emerald Lakes Estates at Emerald Lakes Fawn Ridge Estates Forest Glen Greenwood Acres Harvest Acres Keswick Pointe Lake Naomi/Timber Trails Locust Lake Village Locust Paradise Old Farm Estates Pinecrest Development Pocohanna Cabin Colony Pocono Lake Preserve Pocono Pines Stillwater Lake Civic Association Stillwater Lake Estates Timber Lake Estates Wagner Forest

Transportation

As of 2018, there were of public roads in Tobyhanna Township, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.

Interstate 80 and Interstate 380 are the main highways serving Tobyhanna Township. I-80 follows the Keystone Shortway along an east-west alignment across the southwestern portion of the township. I-380 follows a north-south alignment across the eastern portion of the township. Other numbered highways serving Tobyhanna Township include Pennsylvania Route 115, Pennsylvania Route 314, Pennsylvania Route 423 and Pennsylvania Route 940. PA 940 follows an east-west alignment through the middle of the township. PA 423 begins at PA 940 and heads north in the northeastern portion of the township. PA 314 begins at PA 940 and heads southeast near the eastern edge of the township. Finally, PA 115 follows a southeast-northwest alignment across the southwestern portion of the township.

History Tobyhanna is derived from an American Indian word meaning "a stream whose banks are fringed with alder", i.e. the Tobyhanna Creek. Legally, Tobyhanna Township was incorporated from Coolbaugh Township in 1830. Surprisingly, the town of Tobyhanna, Tobyhanna Lake, the Tobyhanna Army Depot, and the Tobyhanna State Park are all located well within the boundaries of Coolbaugh Township, which adjoins Tobyhanna Township on the north.

The Pocono Manor Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

The building of Sullivan Trail On May 15–6, 1779, Van Cortland's 2nd New York Regiment, Spencer's 5th New Jersey Regiment, and Cilly's 1st New Hampshire Regiment arrived at Learns Tavern in Tannersville and began construction on the trail on May 17. Originally a mountain path, the road was under construction as a military road to assist with moving troops through the area for Sullivan's Expedition. The builders reached the Hungry Hill area on May 23, Tobyhanna Creek on the 24th, Locust Hill (now Locust Ridge) on May 30, and established Camp Fatigue on June 7. The road to the Wyoming Valley (Scran/Wilkes-Barre area) was completed on June 15.

The Battle of Locust Ridge, 1784 In 1754, settlers from Connecticut (Yankees) claimed land in the Wyoming Valley, now the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. The Charter of 1662 of King Charles II of England reads, "We, of Our abundant Grace, . . . have given, granted, and confirmed. . . unto the said Governor and Company. . . all that Part of Our Dominions in New-England . . . bounded on the East by . . . Narraganset-Bay, . . . on the North by the Line of the Massachusetts-Plantation; and on the South by the Sea; and in Longitude . . . From the said Narraganset-Bay on the East, to the South Sea on the West Part . . .". The South Sea is now called the Pacific Ocean. Thus, settlers in Connecticut felt they had claim to the land. Pennsylvania settlers (Pennamites) laid claim to the same land by right of a royal charter. Thirdly, the Iroquois claimed the land as theirs, as they had been living there before either group of settlers arrived. Unrest was largely minimal until 1769, when Connecticut established its first permanent settlement. The resulting conflicts were eventually dubbed the Pennamite–Yankee War.

The Third Yankee-Pennamite War lasted from 1784 to 1794. In July 1784, Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council raised a militia to combat the Yankee occupations. Locust Hill, now known as Locust Ridge, was the site of an engagement on August 2, 1784, between Pennamite troops under the command of Colonel John Armstrong and Yankee troops under the command of Captain John Swift. Swift's men surrendered on August 8. Only one person died during the Battle of Locust Ridge, a man by the name of Jacob Everett.

Industry in the 19th and 20th centuries From 1896 through the 1940s, one large industry in the township was ice harvesting. Ice was harvest from Lake Naomi, Pocono Lake, Stillwater Lake, Anglewood Lake, and Brady's Lake. The ice was stored in icehouses and transported by the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad to major cities.

Another large industry was logging and lumbering. Charles Hauser built a sawmill in 1848, and Isaac Stauffer followed in 1863. Stauffer eventually purchased Hauser's operation, and through the accumulation of 4,500 acres of land, became known as the "King of the Poconos."

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,554 people, 3,433 households, and 2,450 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 7,347 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 81.8% White, 10% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.8% of the population.

There were 3,433 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the township the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 61.8% from 18 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.3 years.

The median income for a household in the township was $47,760, and the median income for a family was $54,247. Males had a median income of $46,954 versus $25,672 for females. The per capita income for the township was $23,109. About 16.1% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government Tobyhanna Township was incorporated in 1830 as a Pennsylvania Second Class Township and is governed under a council-manager form of government. As of the Reorganizational Meeting on January 2, 2018, elected supervisors are Anne Lamberton as Chairperson, John J. Holahan III as Vice Chairperson, and Heidi M. Pickard, MS, Brendon J. E. Carroll, and David Carbone are members. The daily operations of the township are managed by Interim Township Manager Autumn Canfield, MA. The board meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 8:30AM for a work session, and on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:00PM for a regular business meeting.

Education Public School Districts Tobyhanna Township is part of the Pocono Mountain School District. The Township contains Tobyhanna Elementary Center and Pocono Mountain West High School.

Clymer Library The Clymer Library was established in 1906. The library's current location is the old Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company building, which was remodeled to suit the library. Operating from its current location since 1982, the library currently stocks over 47,000 books and over 2,500 cassettes and DVDs.more history

Emergency services Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company (TTVFC) Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company (TTVFC) was chartered as the Pocono Pines Fire Company in 1930. On February 25, 1954, the Tobyhanna Township Board of Supervisors passed a resolution designating TTVFC as an official fire protection service for the townshipUnited States. Tobyhanna Township Board of Supervisors. Resolution. Print. February 25, 1954. This resolution also allocated any money received through the Fire Insurance Tax Fund to the fire company.

Pocono Mountain Volunteer Fire Company (PMVFC) Pocono Mountain Volunteer Fire Company (PMVFC) was chartered in 1925, and has provided fire protection services for the Borough of Mt. Pocono and Paradise Township since then. As of 2017, Pocono Mountain became a provider for Tobyhanna Township.

Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department (PMRPD) was chartered in 1994, when Mount Pocono Borough and Tobyhanna Township's police departments merged. PMRPD employs 38 officers under the direction of Police Chief is Chris Wagner.

Pocono Mountain Regional Emergency Services Pocono Mountain Regional Emergency Services (PMREMS) services Tobyhanna Township and other surrounding townships. According to their annual report, given to the Board of Supervisors on January 16, 2018, Pocono Mountain Regional received a total of 6,207 calls for the 2017 year, 1,322 of which were located in Tobyhanna Township.see audio for January 16, 2018 meeting

Culture Media The Pocono Mountains has local television stations that service the area: WNEP-TV ABC affiliate WBRE-TV NBC affiliate WYOU-TV CBS affiliate WVIA-TV PBS affiliate WOLF-TV FOX affiliate

Radio stations that service the area include: WABT "Pocono 96.7" is licensed to Lehman Township in Pike County. WESS at (90.3 FM) broadcasts from East Stroudsburg University. University students and faculty provide programming and DJing, and the station rebroadcasts BBC World Service when not in use by the university. WSBG (93.5 FM) is licensed to Stroudsburg. The station's slogan is "The Poconos' Best Variety." WKRZ (107.9 FM) -WKRF simulcasts WKRZ broadcasting Pop music. WVIA (89.9 FM) NPR Member Station broadcast from the Wyoming Valley. Arts and information station.

The township has two local newspapers: The Pocono Record is a newspaper based in Stroudsburg. The Journal of the Pocono Plateau is a newspaper based in White Haven. The paper also prints the Journal-Herald, and the Journal of Penn-Kidder. Tobyhanna Township is the setting of comedian Conner O'Malley's 2024 short film Rap World.

Sports While there are no teams local to the boundaries of the township, The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are based 40 minutes away, who are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Landmarks and attractions Many of Tobyhanna Township's attractions celebrate the history of the area as a coal and lumber area, while other facets of the township promote tourism.

The Marker Advocates of Tobyhanna Township (MATT) was founded on May 19, 2015 by a group of volunteers. The nonprofit organization created a map with 24 sites of historical importance, with each site delineated by a green marker pole.