Wayne County is located in the Northeast corner of Pennsylvania. It was created from Northampton County in 1798 and named after General Anthony Wayne. Its proximity to New York City and neighboring urban areas has been a major factor in the county’s heritage ever since this nation was young.
It was the discovery of anthracite coal in northeastern Pennsylvania, in the early 1800’s, and the need to transport this fuel to New York City which gave birth to the Delaware and Hudson Canal, the American Railroad and the Borough of Honesdale, the County seat of Wayne County. Farming, ice harvesting, lumbering, tanneries, children’s summer camps and boarding homes all contributed to the early Wayne County economy. Today, farming, lumbering and tourism continue to play an important part in employing the citizens of Wayne County. Small industry and construction are major employers in the Wayne County of the 1990’s, along with the second home and the related commercial enterprises.
Wayne County is made up of 28 local municipalities, 22 townships of the second class and 6 Boroughs. The County consists of 763 square miles or 488,265 acres of land. Between 1991 and 2000 residential land use has increased from 226,995 acres to 240,390 acres and agricultural land use has decreased from 161,037 acres to 149,552 acres. The industrial acreage of Wayne County increased from 528 acres to 978 while the commercial acreage increased from 9,762 to 14,254 acres.
Major highways in Wayne County are Interstate 380 & 84, U.S. Route 6 and Pennsylvania Route 191. Interstate 81 and New York Route 17 are located near Wayne County and play an important role in the overall transportation framework of the County. Rail service is provided in Hawley and Honesdale by the Stourbridge Railroad. All airports in Wayne County are privately owned. The largest of these airports being the Cherry Ridge Airport in Cherry Ridge Township and Spring Hill Airpark in Sterling Township.