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109-560: The Catskill Mountains , also known as the Catskills , are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains , located in southeastern New York . As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas close to or within the borders of the Catskill Park , a 700,000-acre (2,800 km) forest preserve protected from many forms of development under New York state law. Geologically,

218-448: A rainforest . Alaback also adds some additional criteria to the definition of a temperate rainforest as having at least 10% of its average annual precipitation during the summer months, cool and frequently overcast summers with average July temperature less than 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and forest fires or wildifres rare and do not play an important role in the forest ecosystem. And it must also be dense and lush with

327-940: A subrange of the Appalachian Mountains . The Pocono Mountains are a popular recreational destination. While the area has long been a popular tourist destination, many communities have seen a rise in population, especially communities within Monroe County and Pike County. The region has a population of about 340,300, which is growing at a rapid pace. The Poconos now serve as a commuter community for New York City and North Jersey . The commute to workplaces often takes as much as two hours each way due to traffic. The region includes three major municipalities: Stroudsburg , East Stroudsburg , and Mount Pocono , all located in Monroe County, Pennsylvania . The Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania are divided into six regions:

436-460: A ), cold winters ( o ) and year-around precipitation ( Dcao ). Dcao climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 72.0 °F (22.2 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid in

545-419: A basement bar. Skytop offers 30 miles (48 km) of hiking trails, and the main building "is surrounded by 5,000 acres (20 km ) of wood, glacial bogs, hemlock gorges, beaver marshes, and cascading waterfalls." Novelist Faith Baldwin wrote about her 1932 visit to Skytop, "Here are friendly mountains, round-breasted, smiling in the clear, rosy light of dawn." The Buckwood Inn opened in 1911 and included

654-402: A dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest ( 25 ) south and east of Wallenpaupack. The peak spring bloom typically occurs in early-May and peak fall color usually occurs in early-October. The plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −13.1 °F (−25.1 °C). According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types,

763-415: A favored destination for vacationers from New York City in the mid-20th century. The region's many large resorts gave many young stand-up comedians an opportunity to hone their craft. Since the late 19th century, the Catskills have been a haven for artists, musicians and writers, especially in and around the towns of Woodstock and Phoenicia . Nicolaes Visscher I 's 1656 map of New Netherland located

872-467: A machine "resembling a lawn sprinkler atop a sled" to generate artificial snow. Joyce Gemperlein of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "Until Guresh perfected snowmaking at Big Boulder, skiing in the Poconos was a relatively minor sport." Ski resorts in the region could not rely on natural snow and, according to Big Boulder manager Ken Knize, there were times when conditions were right for skiing only two weeks

981-512: A major automobile race track, is home to a NASCAR Cup Series race, the Pocono 400 , in July. The track formerly hosted a second NASCAR Cup Series race, the Pocono 325 , and an IndyCar race, the Pocono 500 . It also serves as a racing school, motorcycle track, and hosts club events. The two NASCAR weekends at Pocono are vital to the region for the tourism money it brings to the local economy. Pocono Raceway

1090-830: A property of 1,200 acres (490 ha) in Pocono Summit . Camp Mosey Wood , owned by the Girl Scouts' Eastern Pennsylvania council, is located on a property of 425 acres (170 ha) in White Haven, Pennsylvania . Other Scout camps located in the Poconos include Goose Pond Scout Reservation ( Lake Ariel ), Resica Falls Scout Reservation ( Marshalls Creek ), and Trexler Scout Reservation ( Jonas ). The Poconos are also home to several Jewish summer camps, including Camp Massad , Camp Ramah , and Pinemere Camp . Other non-denominational season summer camps include Camp Lohikan , Camp Watonka , and Pocono Springs Camp. Pocono Raceway ,

1199-485: A rich understory and epiphytes. According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, the Glaciated Low Plateau region of the northern and eastern Poconos would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Hardwood ( 106 ) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern hardwood forest ( 26 ) north and west of Lake Wallenpaupack, and a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak ( 104 ) with

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1308-409: A two-hour drive to millions of metropolitan area residents, with many Pocono communities having resort hotels with fishing, hunting, skiing, and other sports facilities. Although referred to usually as a mountain range, the area is actually a dissected plateau , a sub-section of the larger Allegheny Plateau , forming a 2,400-square-mile (6,200 km ) escarpment . The topological mountains are also

1417-542: A year. Morris Wilkins , co-owner of Cove Haven, invented the heart-shaped bathtub in 1963 as a way to lure honeymoon customers. The tub would appear in other couples resorts and became a symbol of the Pocono resort business. Author Lawrence Squeri wrote in 2002, "If Americans today are asked to name the image that best represents the Poconos, chances are that many will cite couples resorts and heart-shaped bathtubs..." Mount Airy Lodge expanded from an eight-room inn into

1526-643: A year. Cal Conniff, president of the National Ski Areas Association, regarded Guresh as "one of the pioneers" of the U.S. ski industry. The Pocono Record is the newspaper for the Poconos. Its coverage area centers on Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg and covers parts of Monroe, Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne and Carbon counties as well as areas of western New Jersey . The Times News , of Lehighton , covers Carbon, Schuylkill, and Monroe counties, and also portions of northern Lehigh and Northampton counties. West End Happenings covers events in

1635-516: Is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during nor’easters from December through March. According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Ridge and Valley section of the southern Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate ( Dc ) with hot summers (

1744-961: Is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during nor’easters from December through March. According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Glaciated Pocono Plateau region of the central and western Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate ( Dc ) with warm summers ( b ), cold winters ( o ) and year-around precipitation ( Dcbo ). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), all months with an average mean temperature < 72.0 °F (22.2 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid on

1853-564: Is a temperate rainforest [1] [2] and meets all 4 of the criteria in Alaback’s definition of what qualifies or defines a temperate rainforest. [3] 1. Averages at least 55 inches of precipitation per year with at least 10% of its average annual precipitation during the summer months. [4] 2. Cool, frequently overcast summers with average July temperature less than 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit) 3. Infrequent forest fires/wildfires and fires do not play an important role in shaping

1962-653: Is an organization whose members have climbed all the peaks in the Catskills over 3,500 feet (1,100 m). The highest mountain, Slide Mountain in Ulster County, has an elevation of 4,180 feet (1,270 m). Climatically, the Catskills lie within the Allegheny Highlands forests ecoregion . According to the Köppen climate classification system, the Catskill Mountains have two climate zones. The vast majority of

2071-823: Is famous for its fly fishing , although in recent years it has been plagued by invasive plants . Road and mountain biking are fairly popular in the range. Bicycle racing includes the Tour of the Catskills, a three-day road stage race held in Green and Ulster counties each summer, and the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Windham. Other cycling resources include the Catskill Scenic Trail , the Headwaters Trails in Stamford and

2180-424: Is generally the case with sheets of glacial drift . Generally, forms which result from similar histories are characterized by certain similar features, and differences in history result in corresponding differences of form, usually resulting in distinctive features which are obvious to the casual observer, but this is not always the case. A maturely dissected plateau may grade without a break from rugged mountains on

2289-512: Is in the region north of Stroudsburg. The other main U.S. Highway in the region is U.S. Route 6 , which is a transcontinental highway that starts near Bishop, California , and runs for over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to its eastern terminus in Provincetown, Massachusetts . It is designated a scenic route in Pennsylvania. U.S. Route 11 , U.S. Route 22 , and U.S. Route 46 are also not far from

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2398-469: Is intimately associated with certain branches of geology, as sedimentation , while geomorphology connects physiography with geography. The dynamic interlude representing the active phase of physiography weaves the basic threads of geologic history." The U.S. Geological Survey defines physiography as a study of "Features and attributes of earth's land surface", while geomorphology is defined separately as "Branch of geology dealing with surface land features and

2507-539: Is less than 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit). As for the 3rd criteria, forest fires or wildfires also are very rare and many places within the Catskills which have never had any forest fires ever before and many the trees and ecology of the forest is old and untainted by wildfires or forest fires have not played any significant role in the ecology or ecosystem of the forest with the exception of Native Americans who did prescribed burning in some areas in order to create land for farming. [7] And of course it also meets

2616-402: Is meant, the more specialized "geomorphological" definition or the more encompassing "physical geography" definition. For the purposes of physiographic mapping, landforms are classified according to both their geologic structures and histories. Distinctions based on geologic age also correspond to physiographic distinctions where the forms are so recent as to be in their first erosion cycle , as

2725-738: Is noted for making an almost 270-degree turn around Panther Mountain , following a buried 6-mile (10 km) impact crater rim. It is famous for tubing , a sport of rafting down a river in an inner tube. Many tubers begin their trip at Phoenicia, New York , and head down the creek towards the Ashokan Reservoir at Olive, New York . The Ashokan Reservoir is part of the New York City water supply system, with fishing allowed under permit, but swimming and most other recreational uses are forbidden. River canoeing and kayaking are popular. There are 42 rapids ranging from class I to V+ . The Esopus Creek

2834-464: Is sometimes as the science which describes and explains the physical features of the earth's surface". By 1911, the definition of physiography in Encyclopædia Britannica had evolved to be "In popular usage the words 'physical geography' have come to mean geography viewed from a particular standpoint rather than any special department of the subject. The popular meaning is better conveyed by

2943-424: Is the closest major professional race track to Philadelphia and the major metropolitan areas of New York and New Jersey. Skiing was a $ 230 million per year industry in the Poconos and in 1987 accounted for one-quarter of the region's tourist business. Pennsylvania native John Guresh, an employee at Big Boulder Ski Resort, is credited for bringing the ski industry to the Poconos. In the winter of 1956–57 he invented

3052-706: The Landt van Kats Kill at the mouth of Catskill Creek . The region to the south is identified as Hooge Landt van Esopus (High Lands of the Esopus ), a reference to a local band of northern Lenape Native Americans who inhabited the banks of the Hudson and hunted in the highlands along the Esopus Creek . While the meaning of the name ("cat creek [ kill ]" in Dutch ) and the namer (early Dutch explorers) are settled matters, how and why

3161-488: The A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, the Ridge and Valley region of the southern Poconos would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak ( 104 ) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest ( 25 ). The peak spring bloom typically occurs in late-April and peak fall color usually occurs in mid-October. The plant hardiness zone is 6a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −5.4 °F (−20.8 °C). During

3270-604: The Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania also is an island of temperate rainforest with many areas averaging just over 55 inches of precipitation annually. A temperate rainforest is defined as a forest that has an average of at least 55 inches of precipitation annually and an average annual temperature between 4 and 12 degrees Celsius (39 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit). Some sources however claim even at least 50 inches of average annual precipitation qualifies an area to be

3379-600: The Allegheny Plateau , like the nearby Catskills . The Poconos' highest summit, Big Pine Hill, reaches 2,280 feet (690 m), while its lowest elevation is 350 feet (110 m) in Pike County. The Delaware River flows through the Pocono Mountains and gives the region its name, from a Native American term roughly translating to "stream between two mountains". The Lehigh and Lackawaxen Rivers also flow through

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3488-501: The Devonian and early Mississippian period (395 to 325 million years ago). Over that time, thousands of feet of these sediments built up, slowly moving the Devonian seashore further west. A meteor impact occurred in the shallow sea approximately 375 mya , creating a 10 km (6 mi) diameter crater. This crater eventually filled with sediments and became Panther Mountain through

3597-589: The Hudson River . The Catskills occupy much of two counties ( Greene and Ulster ), and extend slightly into Delaware , Sullivan , and southwestern Schoharie counties. At the range's eastern end, the mountains begin dramatically with the Catskill Escarpment rising up suddenly from the Hudson Valley . The western boundary is far less certain, as the mountains gradually decline in height and grade into

3706-558: The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union , and it served as a staging ground for union activities. Ron Devlin of The Morning Call referred to Unity House as a "blue-collar 'Hilton.'" Eleanor Roosevelt visited Unity House many times and wrote, "...you could not put children in a more favorable environment..." The resort closed down in 1990, falling victim to changing times and declining union membership. In 1945 retired New York executive Rudolf Van Hoevenberg established

3815-597: The Lackawanna Cut-Off route from Scranton through the Poconos to Hoboken, New Jersey . There is no estimated target year when the Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project will be completed to the Poconos. The service would consist of nine trains per day in each direction. In April 2022, the NJ Transit board approved a $ 32.5 million contract for improving a tunnel and restoring track to part of

3924-492: The Philadelphia Quaker community, Inn at Buck Hill Falls (1901) and Pocono Manor (1902). These resorts did not allow liquor or dancing, and evening dress was discouraged. The Quakers "brought a quiet, unostentatious style to the region," but their hotels later developed from religious retreats into "luxurious mountain resorts." Buck Hill's stone facade became a model for close to 300 stately stone-and-shingle homes in

4033-677: The Revolutionary War in 1779, General John Sullivan marched his troops through the Pocono Mountains (Monroe and Luzerne counties) on their expedition to fight the Iroquois tribe in New York State . Sergeant Moses Fellows of the Third New Hampshire Regiment described the area as "...very poor & Barren and I think as never will Be Settled." The Poconos are a well-known outdoor recreation destination for residents around

4142-528: The Taconic Mountains are located today (though significantly larger). Finer sediment was deposited further westward, and thus the rocks change from gravel conglomerates to sandstone and shale . Further west, these fresh water deposits intermingle with shallow marine sandstone and shale until the end, in deeper water limestone . The uplift and erosion of the Acadian Mountains was occurring during

4251-413: The 10-week summer season, and many prominent Broadway and TV figures gained experience there. The playhouse was referred to as the "Poconos boot camp for Broadway writers and performers." The revues were discontinued in 1960 and the resort closed down in 2005. Unity House, a 655-acre (265 ha) Pocono retreat, offered affordable vacations for factory workers. The resort was owned for seventy years by

4360-880: The 1960s and 1970s before closing in 2001. In the 1950s, the Kiesendahl family purchased a 12-bedroom boarding house along Lake Teedyuskung . It became the Woodloch Resort and, as of 2014, it encompassed 1,000 acres (400 ha) and accommodated 900 guests in a variety of lodgings. Travel + Leisure identified the Lodge at Woodloch (founded 2006) as the number 3 destination spa in the world. As of July 2015, there were four Pocono resorts with indoor water parks: Great Wolf Lodge , H20ooohh! at Split Rock Resort , Aquatopia at Camelback Mountain Resort , and Kalahari Resort . In 2014 Jayne Clark of USA Today wrote, "The former Honeymoon Capital of

4469-568: The 1970s as fire spotting from airplanes had become more effective and efficient, so the fire towers were decommissioned; the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower was the last to be taken out of service in 1990. Six remaining towers were renovated and opened to the public as observation posts with panoramic views and a tower was opened at the Catskill Visitor Center in 2022. In 2024 a tower was restored to Bramley Mountain , bringing

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4578-400: The 21st century, some confusion remains as to exactly what "physiography" is. One source states "Geomorphology includes quaternary geology, physiography and most of physical geography", treating physiography as a separate field, but subservient to geomorphology. Another source states "Geomorphology (or physiography) refers to the study of the surface features of the earth. It involves looking at

4687-632: The 4th criteria of dormant season caused by lower temperatures in the winter and snow is very common in the winter Although the Catskills are sometimes compared with the Adirondack Mountains farther north, the two mountain ranges are not geologically related, as the Adirondacks are a continuation of the Canadian Shield . Similarly, the Shawangunk Ridge , which forms the southeastern edge of

4796-808: The Catskill Mountain Branch of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad which was absorbed into the New York Central railroad in 1932. Oneonta to Kingston passenger rail service continued until 1954. Part of the line still exists but now serves only freight. The southern part of the Catskills was served by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway . Over the course of 1950, service on the NYO&;W downscaled to summer only. In its last years it ran trains from Roscoe to Weehawken, New Jersey , via Liberty . It connected with

4905-706: The Catskill region are Albany International Airport to the north and Stewart International Airport in Newburgh to the south. Smaller airports in the region include: The Catskills serve as the setting for many works of fiction, such as the short story Rip Van Winkle , and the children's book My Side of the Mountain . The Hudson Valley Film Commission maintains a list of films set in the Hudson Valley/Catskills Region. Of them, more than three dozen films are set in

5014-570: The Catskills are a mature dissected plateau , a flat region subsequently uplifted and eroded into sharp relief by watercourses. The Catskills form the northeastern end of the Allegheny Plateau (also known as the Appalachian Plateau ). The Catskills were named by early Dutch settlers. They are well known in American society as the setting for films and works of art, including many 19th-century Hudson River School paintings, as well as for being

5123-480: The Catskills are notable in American cultural history for their role in the development of modern stand-up comedy . Comedians such as Rodney Dangerfield , Jackie Mason , Alan King , and Don Rickles all got their start performing in Catskill hotel venues colloquially referred to as the Borscht Belt . Physiographic regions of the world The classification mechanism has become a popular geographical tool in

5232-568: The Catskills have a warm summer humid continental climate ( Dfb ) with some isolated locations in valleys with hot summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ). The plant hardiness zone on Slide Mountain at 4,180 feet (1,270 m) is 5a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of −16.6 °F (−27.0 °C). The plant hardiness zone in Margaretville at 1,000 feet (300 m) is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of −10.6 °F (−23.7 °C). The Catskill Mountains also

5341-492: The Catskills still average at least 55 inches annually. [6] For the 2nd criteria, summers in the Catskills are indeed cooler, not as hot and frequently cloudy, overcast, and foggy and even frequently chilly overnight as soon as the sun goes down. The tops of the mountains also meet the criteria of average July temperature less than 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in July. The top of Slide Mountain for example has an average July temperature of 60.3 degrees Fahrenheit which

5450-456: The Catskills, is part of the geologically distinct Ridge-and-Valley province and is a continuation of the same ridge known as Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey and Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania. The Catskill Mountains are more of a dissected plateau than a series of mountain ranges. The sediments that make up the rocks in the Catskills were deposited when the ancient Acadian Mountains in

5559-477: The Catskills. The town of Bethel, New York , located in the Catskills, was home to the famous Woodstock music festival that took place August 15–18, 1969. The event, wherein 32 music acts performed in front of over 500,000 concert-goers, was captured in the documentary movie Woodstock (1970). The site is now home to the world-renowned Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The many hotels and vacation resorts located in

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5668-821: The Catskills: Belleayre Mountain (run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority ); Hunter Mountain (the first ski area to install snowmaking machines in New York); Windham Mountain ; Holiday Mountain Ski and Fun in Monticello ; and Plattekill Mountain in Roxbury . Joppenbergh Mountain , in Rosendale Village hosted its first ski jumping competition in 1937. Ski jumping was continued on

5777-651: The Delaware River. Tamiment was a popular resort among Jewish singles from the working and emerging middle class and has been described as "a progressive version of the Catskills ..." The 2,200 acres (8.9 km ) facility opened in 1921 to generate income for the Rand School of Social Science , a Socialist school in New York. Tamiment Playhouse entertained resort guests with an original revue every Saturday night during

5886-453: The Glaciated Pocono Plateau region of the central and western Poconos would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Hardwood ( 106 ) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern hardwood forest ( 26 ). The peak spring bloom typically occurs in early-May and peak fall color usually occurs in early-October. The plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −10.1 °F (−23.4 °C). According to

5995-453: The Low Plateau, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 93 °F (34 °C). Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 94.1 °F (34.5 °C) on 08/06/2001, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 70.8 °F (21.6 °C) on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of

6104-735: The Mountain Region, the Lake Region, the Delaware River Region, the Upper Delaware River Region, Wyoming Valley, and the Lehigh River Gorge Region. The Poconos are served by many state highways. The most used of these highways include Pennsylvania Route 115 , Pennsylvania Route 715 , Pennsylvania Route 903 (designated in some areas as the "Highway to Adventure" because of the numerous venues and resorts along

6213-476: The New York Central's West Shore Railroad at Cornwall . This service lasted until September 10, 1953. The Delaware and Ulster Railroad is a heritage railroad , based in Arkville, New York , that still runs a scenic part of the track from Highmount to Hubbell Corners, New York, for tourist use. The Catskill Mountain Railroad is also a heritage railroad in the Catskills, operating from Kingston up to Highmount. The Catskills are accessible by automobile from

6322-402: The Pocono Plateau, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 93 °F (34 °C). Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 94.0 °F (34.4 °C) on 07/22/2011, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 70.7 °F (21.5 °C) on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of

6431-406: The Ridge and Valley, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 102 °F (39 °C). Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 100.3 °F (37.9 °C) on 07/22/2011, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 72.7 °F (22.6 °C) on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of

6540-428: The Roundtopia trail network (mapped by the Round Top Mountain Bike Association). Several ski centers provide downhill mountain bicycling in the warmer months. Within the range is the Catskill Park , comprising over 700,000 acres (280,000 ha). Catskill Park is part of New York's Forest Preserve . Not all the land is publicly owned; about 60% remains in private hands, but new sections are added frequently. Most of

6649-416: The United States, indicated by the publication of a USGS shapefile that maps the regions of the original work and the National Park Services's use of the terminology to describe the regions in which its parks are located. Originally used in North America , the model became the basis for similar classifications of other continents. During the early 1900s, the study of regional-scale geomorphology

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6758-552: The West End of Monroe County. The Morning Call , of Allentown , is distributed to a sizeable portion of the region, especially southern Carbon, southern Monroe, and southeastern Schuylkill counties, though its coverage is mostly centered on the neighboring Lehigh Valley. A similar situation occurs with the Times-Tribune of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area and northern Monroe, northern Carbon, and Luzerne counties. The Standard-Speaker , of Hazleton, covers parts of Luzerne, Carbon, Monroe, and Schuylkill counties. Blue Mountain Moments

6867-533: The World, the Poconos – rebranded in 2007 as the Pocono Mountains – continues to fine-tune its image as a family-friendly outdoor adventureland, health spa getaway and emerging waterpark capital." In November 2006 the Pocono Downs (now Mohegan Pennsylvania ) harness-racing complex opened the first slot-machine parlor in the state of Pennsylvania. It was owned by the Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut and included two gambling floors with nearly 1,100 machines. The Mount Airy Casino Resort opened in October 2007 (on

6976-408: The area is named "Catskills" is a mystery. Mountain lions (catamounts) were known to have been in the area when the Dutch arrived in the 17th century and may have been a reason for the name. The confusion over the origins of the name led over the years to variant spellings such as Kaatskill and Kaaterskill , both of which are also still used: the former in the regional magazine Kaatskill Life ,

7085-466: The complications arise from how the term has evolved over time, both as its own 'science' and as a synonym for other branches of science. In 1848, Mary Somerville published her book Physical Geography which gave detailed descriptions of the topography of each continent, along with the distribution of plant, animals and humans. This work gave impetus to further works along the field. In Germany, Oscar Peschel in 1870, proposed that geographers should study

7194-414: The count to eight. The current towers are: The Catskill Mountain House , built in 1824, was a hotel near Palenville , New York , in the Catskill Mountains overlooking the Hudson River Valley . In its prime at the turn of the century, visitors included United States Presidents Ulysses S. Grant , Chester A. Arthur and Theodore Roosevelt . From 1872, the northern part of the Catskills were served by

7303-422: The definition of the term physiography. "In England, physiography is regarded as the introduction to physical science in general. It is made to include the elements of physics , chemistry , astronomy , physical geography, and geology , and sometimes even certain phases of botany and zoology . In America, the term has a somewhat different meaning. It is sometimes used as a synonym for physical geography, and

7412-401: The distribution of land, water, soil and rock material that forms the land surface. Land is closely linked to the geomorphology of a particular landscape", regarding physiography as synonymous with geomorphology. Yet another source states "Physiography may be viewed from two distinct angles, the one dynamic, the other passive". The same source continues by stating "In a large fashion geodynamics

7521-414: The east along Interstate 87 / New York State Thruway , which runs north–south through the Hudson Valley . To the south and southwest, the Catskills are accessible by a variety of highways, including New York State Route 55 , U.S. Route 44 , U.S. Route 209 , and New York State Route 17 . Access to the western Catskills is provided by New York State Route 30 ; and the vaguely defined far-western edge of

7630-418: The east were rising and subsequently eroding. The sediments traveled westward and formed a great delta into the sea that was in the area at that time. The escarpment of the Catskill Mountains is near the former (landward) edge of this delta, as the sediments deposited in the northeastern areas along the escarpment were deposited above sea level by moving rivers, and the Acadian Mountains were located roughly where

7739-511: The ecology or ecosystem of the forest 4. Dormant season caused by lower temperature or even occasional snow. [5] For the first criteria, majority areas within the Catskill Mountains do indeed average at least 55 inches of precipitation annually and summer is the wettest season hence it by far meets the criteria of at least 10% of its average annual precipitation during the summer months. Slide Mountain and nearby Hunter Mountain average about 63 inches of precipitation annually and most areas within

7848-418: The facts of mathematical geography, and the three are so closely inter-related that they cannot be rigidly separated in any discussion". The 1919 edition of The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge further adjusted the definition to be "Physiography (geomorphology), now generally recognized as a science distinct from geology, deals with the origins and development of land forms, traces out

7957-493: The field of "physical geography" itself was renamed as "physiography". Afterwards, physiography became a very popular school subject in Britain, accounting for roughly 10% of all examination papers in both English and Welsh schools, and physiography was now regarded as an integral, if not the most important aspect of geography. In conjunction with these 'advances' in physiography, physically and visually mapping these descriptive areas

8066-452: The first golf course to be designed by renowned golf architect A. W. Tillinghast . Bandleader Fred Waring purchased the resort in 1943, renamed it the Shawnee Inn , and broadcast his radio shows from there. The Shawnee Inn is a Spanish colonial revival building with white-Moorish architecture and Spanish tiled roofs, and it was identified in the 1990s as the only resort on the banks of

8175-451: The first honeymoon resort in the Pocono Mountains, Farm on the Hill. Sally Moore of Snow Country wrote, "Far from today's sybaritic accommodations, back then the rustic cabins required new brides to make the beds and tidy up while grooms helped with the dishes and did the heavy work." By 1960, the Pocono Mountains rivaled Niagara Falls as a honeymoon destination, attracting 100,000 couples

8284-527: The highway), Pennsylvania Route 33 , Pennsylvania Route 940 , and Pennsylvania Route 611 . Pennsylvania Route 309 , a major north–south route connecting Northeastern Pennsylvania with the Delaware Valley region, passes through the western end of the region. There are two U.S. highways in the Pocono Mountains region. The more used is U.S. Route 209 , which goes from Ulster, New York , to Millersburg, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg . The route's midpoint

8393-527: The history of geologic changes" to descriptions that also include vegetation and/or land use. Pocono Mountains The Pocono Mountains , commonly referred to as the Poconos ( / ˈ p oʊ k ə n oʊ z / ), are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania . They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to

8502-457: The largest Pocono resort. It heavily advertised in the New York media market with the catchy jingle, "Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge." Headliners, such as Bob Hope , Milton Berle , and Connie Francis , performed in the Crystal Room, Mount Airy's 2,000-seat theater. Comedian Mickey Freeman said, "The food was lousy, but it was a legalized orgy." The 1,200-acre (490 ha) resort's heyday was in

8611-512: The latter as the name of a mountain peak and a waterfall . The supposed Native American name for the range, Onteora ("land in the sky"), was purportedly created in the mid-19th century to drum up business for a resort. It is still the name of a school district and as the name of a Boy Scout summer camp ( Onteora Scout Reservation ). The Catskill Mountains are approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northwest of New York City and 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Albany , starting west of

8720-528: The line between Blairstown, New Jersey and Port Morris Junction, New Jersey , a segment in which trackage had been removed in the 1980s. Until 1970, the Erie Lackawanna Railway operated long-distance trains through the Poconos to Buffalo and Chicago to the west, and Hoboken to the east; the last Erie Lackawanna train to run this routes was Lake Cities , which operated from 1939 to 1970. There are two airports that are located just outside

8829-549: The morphology of the Earth's surface, having an interest in the study of landforms for the development of human beings. As the chair of geography (and a geologist by training) in Bonn, Germany, Ferdinand von Richthofen made the study of landforms the main research field for himself and his students. Elsewhere, Thomas Henry Huxley 's Physiography was published in 1877 in Britain . Shortly after,

8938-532: The mountain until February 7, 1971, when the last competition was held. The Mountain Trails Cross Country Ski Center in Tannersville has 22 miles (35 km) of trails. The Catskill Mountains fire towers were constructed to facilitate forest fire prevention and control. Twenty-three fire towers were built in the Catskill Mountains between 1908 and 1950. The fire towers fell out of use by

9047-482: The mountains. Grooves and scratches in exposed bedrock provide evidence of the great sheets of ice that once traversed the region. Even today the erosion of the mountains continues, with the region's rivers and streams deepening and widening the mountains' valleys and cloves. In the mid–20th century, summer resorts in the Catskills, nicknamed the Borscht Belt , were a major vacation destination for Jewish New Yorkers. At its peak of popularity, about 500 resorts operated in

9156-458: The much busier Interstate 87 and Interstate 95 , particularly for travelers from Toronto , Syracuse , Binghamton and Montreal to Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Washington, D.C. Other interstates that serve the region are Interstate 84 , which begins in Scranton and goes east to New England , and Interstate 78 , by way of Route 33 or Route 309 . NJ Transit is rebuilding trackage on

9265-624: The north, Wyoming Valley and the Coal Region to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south. The name Pocono is derived from the Munsee word Pokawachne, which means "Creek Between Two Hills". Much of the Poconos region lies within the Greater New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area . The wooded hills and valleys have long been a popular recreation area, accessible within

9374-489: The northeast, especially from New York City and Philadelphia . The region encompasses the Delaware State Forest , including six designated natural areas, seven state parks, and seventeen state game lands. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is on the eastern edge of the Poconos and includes 70,000 acres (280 km ) of wilderness. Two of the earliest Pocono resorts were founded by rival factions of

9483-414: The one hand to mildly rolling farm lands on the other. So also, forms which are not classified together may be superficially similar; for example, a young coastal plain and a peneplain . In a large number of cases, the boundary lines are also geologic lines, due to differences in the nature or structure of the underlying rocks. The history of "physiography" itself is at best a complicated effort. Much of

9592-771: The park and the preserve are within Ulster County, with a significant portion in Greene County, and parts in Sullivan and Delaware counties as well. Many of the trails in public areas are maintained and updated by the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference and the Catskill Mountain 3500 Club . Devil's Path is one of the many trails open for hikers. Spots to camp in the Catskills include Bear Spring Mountain , Little Pond, Mongaup Pond, and North-South Lake . There are five main downhill ski and snowboard areas in

9701-553: The process of uplift and erosion. By the middle of the Mississippian period, the uplift stopped, and the Acadian Mountains had been eroded so much that sediments no longer flowed across the Catskill Delta. Over time, the sediments were buried by more sediments from other areas, until the original Devonian and Mississippian sediments were deeply buried and slowly became solid rock. Then the entire area experienced uplift, which caused

9810-447: The processes of contemporary change in the crust and the circulation of the fluid envelopes. It thus draws upon physics for the explanation of the phenomena with the space-relations of which it is specially concerned. Physical geography naturally falls into three divisions, dealing respectively with the surface of the lithosphere – geomorphology; the hydrosphere – oceanography ; and the atmosphere – climatology . All these rest upon

9919-489: The processes that create and change them". Partly due to this confusion over what "physiography" actually means, some scientists have refrained from using the term physiography (and instead use the similar term geomorphology) because the definitions vary from the American Geological Institute's "the study and classification of the surface features of Earth on the basis of similarities in geologic structure and

10028-589: The region and serve it indirectly. The main east–west interstate highway in the region is Interstate 80 , off which branches Interstate 380 , which connects the Poconos to Scranton . The other interstate highways in the region in Interstate 476 , the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension, which has interchanges near Lehighton (Mahoning Valley), Albrightsville (Route 903), and White Haven (Pocono), and Interstate 81 , which serves as an alternate route for

10137-410: The region is variously considered to be New York State Route 10 or Interstate 88 , though this boundary remains a matter of local preference. New York State Routes 28 and 23A cut east–west through the heart of the Catskills, serving many of the most popular outdoor tourist destinations. New York State Route 23 runs east–west across the Catskills' northern section. The closest major airports to

10246-720: The region, totaling about 170 miles (270 km) of waterways. According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Glaciated Low Plateau region of the northern and eastern Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate ( Dc ) with warm summers ( b ), cold winters ( o ) and year-around precipitation ( Dcbo ). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), all months with an average mean temperature < 72.0 °F (22.2 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid on

10355-574: The region. Pocono Manor offered sweeping vistas of the eastern and western Pocono region and had been referred to as the "Grand Lady of the Mountains". Buck Hill closed in 1990 and the Inn at Pocono Manor was mostly destroyed by fire in 2019. Skytop Lodge, built in 1928, is described as a " Dutch Colonial –style manor house ". Designed in reaction to the Quaker resorts, it had a dance floor and served liquor in

10464-475: The region. Later changes in vacationing patterns have led most of those travelers elsewhere, although there are still some bungalow communities and summer camps in the region catering to Orthodox populations. Esopus Creek is a 65.4-mile (105.3 km) tributary of the Hudson River , starting at Winnisook Lake on Slide Mountain . It flows across Ulster County to the Hudson River at Saugerties . The Esopus

10573-475: The region: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and Lehigh Valley International Airport . The Pocono Mountains is a defined area encompassing portions of Carbon , Monroe , Pike , and southern Wayne Counties in Pennsylvania. In total, the Poconos encompasses over 2,500 square miles (6,500 km ). Some definitions also extend the Poconos to Lackawanna , Luzerne , eastern Schuylkill , and Susquehanna Counties. The Poconos are geologically part of

10682-602: The rest of the Allegheny Plateau , but maps from the 18th and 19th centuries consistently mark the border of the Catskill Mountains as the East Branch of the Delaware River, which is consistent with the actual topographic relief. The Pocono Mountains , to the immediate southwest in Pennsylvania , are also a part of the Allegheny Plateau. The Catskills contain more than 30 peaks above 3,500 feet (1,100 m) and parts of six important rivers. The Catskill Mountain 3500 Club

10791-415: The sedimentary rocks to begin to erode. Today, those upper sedimentary rocks have been completely removed, exposing the Devonian and Mississippian rocks. Today's Catskills are a result of the continued erosion of these rocks, both by streams and, in the recent past, by glaciers. In successive ice ages , both valley and continental glaciers have widened the valleys and the notches of the Catskills and rounded

10900-458: The site of the former Mount Airy Lodge) with about 2,500 slot machines. The owner, Louis DeNaples , was later charged with perjury due to suspected ties with organized crime figures. He turned the resort over to his daughter and avoided prosecution. The Poconos are home to several Scout camps. Camp Minsi , owned by the Boy Scouts' Minsi Trails Council , is centrally located in the Poconos on

11009-434: The topographic expression of structure, and embodies a logical history of oceanic basins, and continental elevations; of mountains , plateaus and plains ; of hills and valleys. Physical geography is used loosely as a synonym, but the term is more properly applied to the borderland between geography and physiography; dealing, as it does, largely with the human element as influenced by its physiographic surroundings". Even in

11118-470: The word physiography, a term which appears to have been introduced by Linnaeus , and was reinvented as a substitute for the cosmography of the Middle Ages by Professor Huxley. Although the term has since been limited by some writers to one particular part of the subject, it seems best to maintain the original and literal meaning. In the stricter sense, physical geography is that part of geography which involves

11227-462: The year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 5.83 inches (148 mm) on 09/17/2004. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −13.1 °F (−25.1 °C). Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was −27.9 °F (−33.3 °C) on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values less than −26 °F (−32 °C). The average snowiest month

11336-457: The year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 6.81 inches (173 mm) on 09/30/2010. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −10.1 °F (−23.4 °C). Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was −21.6 °F (−29.8 °C) on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < −22 °F (−30 °C). The average snowiest month

11445-466: The year. The average wettest month is September which correlates with tropical storm remnants during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season . Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 6.36 inches (162 mm) on 10/08/2005. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 6a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −5.4 °F (−20.8 °C). Since 1981, the coldest air temperature

11554-436: Was termed "physiography". Physiography later was considered to be a portmanteau of " physi cal" and "ge ography ", and therefore synonymous with physical geography , and the concept became embroiled in controversy surrounding the appropriate concerns of that discipline. Some geomorphologists held to a geological basis for physiography and emphasized a concept of physiographic regions while a conflicting trend among geographers

11663-435: Was to equate physiography with "pure morphology," separated from its geological heritage. In the period following World War II, the emergence of process, climatic, and quantitative studies led to a preference by many Earth scientists for the term "geomorphology" in order to suggest an analytical approach to landscapes rather than a descriptive one. In current usage, physiography still lends itself to confusion as to which meaning

11772-641: Was underway as well. The early photographers and balloonists, Nadar and Triboulet, experimented with aerial photography and the view it provided of the landscape. In 1899, Albert Heim published his photographs and observations made during a balloon flight over the Alps; he is probably the first person to use aerial photography in geomorphological or physiographical research. The block diagrams of Fenneman, Raisz, Lobeck and many others were based in part upon both aerial photography and topographic maps, giving an oblique "birds-eye" view. By 1901, there were clear differences in

11881-454: Was −18.0 °F (−27.8 °C) on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < −17 °F (−27 °C). The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow occur once every couple of years, particularly during nor’easters from December through March. The Pocono Mountains and

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