Most notably, two Italian men founded Planters Peanuts in Wilkes-Barre in 1906 and the company had its headquarters on South Main Street for years. It was a magnet for European immigrants, who came to work in the nearby mines or in the ancillary businesses fueled by coal. Wilkes-Barre, roughly 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia and about 20 miles from President Biden’s hometown of Scranton, is known as the Diamond City because of its reliance on coal production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
On many blocks sit empty storefronts and businesses that seem suited to a bygone era.Įven before the pandemic, the city had to work hard to keep its downtown vibrant and create a sense of place to compete with the strip malls and big-box stores lining the highways.
Main Street is not a place dominated by chic restaurants or perfectly manicured sidewalks.
