The Susquehanna Valley is a region of low-lying land that borders the Susquehanna River in the U.S. states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The valley consists of areas that lie along the main branch of the river, which flows from Upstate New York through Pennsylvania and Maryland into the Chesapeake Bay, as well as areas that lie along the shorter West Branch in Pennsylvania.
History and architectural features
As of 2014, seventeen of the oldest covered bridges in the United States were located in the Susquehanna Valley.
Geography
Historians and environmentalists at the Chesapeake Conservancy have described the Susquehanna River as the "lifeblood" of the Chesapeake Bay and also as "extension of the Susquehanna Valley that the Atlantic Ocean has steadily flooded over the last 15,000 years."
Within Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna Valley is linked inextricably with the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which extends from Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland through Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York. Pennsylvania's connections to the watershed are "primarily in the counties along the Susquehanna River, the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and their tributaries," according to Shelby Splain. "Located in the middle of the commonwealth, about half of the land in Pennsylvania drains into it."
Communities in the valley
Main Branch
Cities
Oneonta, New York
Binghamton, New York
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Sunbury, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Counties
Otsego County, New York
Delaware County, New York
Chenango County, New York
Broome County, New York
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Tioga County, New York
Bradford County, Pennsylvania
Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Montour County, Pennsylvania
Potter County, Pennsylvania
Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Snyder County, Pennsylvania
Juniata County, Pennsylvania
Perry County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
York County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Cecil County, Maryland
Harford County, Maryland
West Branch
Cities
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Counties
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Clinton County, Pennsylvania
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Union County, Pennsylvania
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
References
External links
Barrett, Brenda and Jackie Kramer. "Contact Period Landscapes of the Lower Susquehanna River." Annapolis, Maryland: NPS Chesapeake Bay Office, National Park Service, 2016 (retrieved online February 4, 2023). "Indigenous Peoples of the Susquehanna Valley." The Historical Marker Database, retrieved online February 4, 2023.
Landforms of Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Centre County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Clinton County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Union County, Pennsylvania
River valleys of the United States
Susquehanna River
Valleys of Maryland
Valleys of New York (state) Valleys of Pennsylvania