The Poconos is a region located in the northeastern corner of Pennsylvania. It is comprised mostly of Monroe and Pike counties and rests upland of the larger Allegheny Plateau. Forming a 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2) escarpment overlooking the Delaware Valley with the Delaware Water Gap to the east, the mountains are bordered on the north by Lake Wallenpaupack, on the west by the Wyoming Valley, and to the south by the Lehigh Valley.
The wooded hills and valleys have long been a popular vacation area, with many communities having resort hotels which feature fishing, hunting, skiing, and other recreational sports.
The Poconos is a popular vacation destination for local and regional visitors. While the area has long been a popular tourist destination, many communities have seen a rise in their permanent population, due to the proximity of New York City and northern New Jersey. Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg and Mount Pocono, are the most prominent "cities" in the area which has gone through several major growth spurts throughout its history. The Poconos now serves as a commuter community for most of its residents. The commute often takes as much as 2 hours each way due to distance and traffic and is considered to be the longest commute in the nation.
The main artery which runs through the Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg area is Route 209. It has long been plagued by traffic issues particularly in the town of Marshall's Creek where it takes a quirky turn and slows down the flow of cars with two traffic lights in quick succession. When we first moved here, folks "dreamed" of a by-pass which would alleviate the problem but seemed out of reach due to cost and environmental requirements. It's been almost 9 years, but the by-pass is finally complete and I drove on it yesterday. What better way to celebrate than to take a picture of some new signs! But as a reminder of The Poconos illustrious past, we'll play around with the processing and make them look old. Now let me see, I want to head north...
Interesting information and cool capture for your word, direction. Don't you just love sign groupings like this? Famous in our area and I often sympathize with the tourists wondering how they ever find their way around ;-) When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by the Poconos Resorts. I always said when I get married I wanted to honeymoon in the Poconos. But when that time came around, I worked for the airlines so it was off to Europe instead & never did get a chance to see the Poconos. When the movie "Dirty Dancing" was released years ago, got to see a bit then....that was the extent of it.
I remember the ads for honeymoon resorts in the Pocanos which showed the couple in a heart-shaped bathtub. As a kid I thought that was the most romantic idea. As an adult, not so much.
@cimes1 Thanks Carole! It's a unique area. Dirty Dancing however is set in The Catskills (NY state). A very similar area, in many ways, but not the same. @kerristephens Thank you Kerri! @allie912 Thank you Allison! And those heart-shaped hot tubs are still going strong! There is also one resort that boasts a honeymoon hot tub in the shape of a champagne glass! I think they are romantic and fun for a honeymoon couple that might not be able to afford something exotic like the Bahamas- and they are still very very popular here. @mrssmith Thanks Carla! I do hope you'll come and visit me someday! There are lots of barns to shoot and even an old bridge or two! We also have some beautiful waterfalls and the Delaware River. @kimmistephens Thanks Kimmi! @digitalrn Thanks Rick! Any time you want to come for a visit you let me know!!
read about the poconos as a young girl in manila. dreamed of going there when i grew up. i grew up and i yet have to go there and it's just a stone's throw from ontario. i'm going to bugger the partner. :-)
@lyno Thanks Lyn! It didn't look too bad in color, but took on so much more character this way! @filsie65 Thanks Phil- oh, it's not as confusing as it looks- the road is at a T here with a traffic light. @sangwann Thanks Dione! It's not too bad actually. See the comment to Phil. @automaticslim lol yes that would be very comical a la Buster Keaton. I'm sure I'd always be knocking the legs out from under the poor thing! Thanks Automatic! @prttblues Thanks Bev! Feel free to visit again- the welcome mat is always out! @wenbow Thanks Wendy! @summerfield Thanks Vikki! Well, if you do come this way the welcome mat is out and dinner's in the stove!
wonderful processing. Love the idea of this and the back ground info you provided. Looks a lot more simple than trying to decide how to get somewhere in IL from downtown St. Louis. There are at least 4 highways that all go across the same bridge down there. It can get very confusing. ;-)
@crickle1969 Thanks Chrystal! Some of our roads are a straight run, but some were probably originally cow paths judging from their twists and turns. We have those gobbly-dee gook highway criss-crosses too. Both Philly and NYC have roads over roads and cause the same kind of confusion for tourists and locals alike!
June 23rd, 2012
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@kerristephens Thank you Kerri!
@allie912 Thank you Allison! And those heart-shaped hot tubs are still going strong! There is also one resort that boasts a honeymoon hot tub in the shape of a champagne glass! I think they are romantic and fun for a honeymoon couple that might not be able to afford something exotic like the Bahamas- and they are still very very popular here.
@mrssmith Thanks Carla! I do hope you'll come and visit me someday! There are lots of barns to shoot and even an old bridge or two! We also have some beautiful waterfalls and the Delaware River.
@kimmistephens Thanks Kimmi!
@digitalrn Thanks Rick! Any time you want to come for a visit you let me know!!
Our road signs in the UK are minor masterpieces of graphic design to be sure, but not nearly as interesting as these.
@filsie65 Thanks Phil- oh, it's not as confusing as it looks- the road is at a T here with a traffic light.
@sangwann Thanks Dione! It's not too bad actually. See the comment to Phil.
@automaticslim lol yes that would be very comical a la Buster Keaton. I'm sure I'd always be knocking the legs out from under the poor thing! Thanks Automatic!
@prttblues Thanks Bev! Feel free to visit again- the welcome mat is always out!
@wenbow Thanks Wendy!
@summerfield Thanks Vikki! Well, if you do come this way the welcome mat is out and dinner's in the stove!