Living in Forty Fort, PA — Behind the Levee

Forty Fort is a compact Susquehanna borough of 4,233 residents (2020 Census), down modestly from 4,579 in 2000. It takes its name from the stockade built by the first forty settlers who came here from Connecticut, and the ground it sits on carries some of the oldest history in the Wyoming Valley — the borough figured directly in the events surrounding the Battle of Wyoming in July 1778.

The Forty Fort Meetinghouse, standing at River Street and Wyoming Avenue inside the Old Forty Fort Cemetery, is the borough’s landmark and one of the most historically significant buildings in Luzerne County.

The Flood Story — And Why It Matters Here

Forty Fort sits in the Susquehanna floodplain, and unlike some of its neighbors across the river, it is protected by the Wyoming Valley levee system. That distinction is worth understanding in detail, because it is the difference between two very different insurance situations.

1972 — Agnes. The Forty Fort Cemetery was the site of the first breach of the river levee during the Agnes flood. Roughly one-third of the cemetery was washed away, along with heavy burial vaults, and dozens of gravesites were destroyed. Inside the Meetinghouse the water rose to the tops of the pews — remarkably, the building escaped immediate structural damage.

2011 — Lee. After Agnes, the Wyoming Valley levee system was heightened through the late 1990s and early 2000s. In September 2011, Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene combined to drive the Susquehanna to a record crest of 42.66 feet — higher than Agnes. The levee held. There was no overtopping. It was designed to hold 41 feet and made up the difference with a three-foot “freeboard” top board built to handle waves and debris.

We will also tell you the uncomfortable part, because a levee is not a guarantee: it was close. Seepage was discovered in the Forty Fort Cemetery during the 2011 crest and crews rushed tons of rock and dirt in to stabilize it, and the earthen levee along the borough’s recreation fields was a live concern that week.

The practical takeaway for a buyer: being behind the levee genuinely changes your flood risk and your premium versus an unprotected borough — but it does not eliminate either. Pull the flood zone and an insurance quote on any specific parcel before you offer, and we will do it with you.

Food & Drink

Pizza L’Oven started right here — the original Forty Fort shop opened in 1975, and its pan-fried Sicilian pizza has been a Wyoming Valley institution ever since (the family opened a second location in Exeter in 1982). The Fort Café sits at 1512 Wyoming Avenue. Kingston’s restaurant row and downtown Wilkes-Barre are both a few minutes away.

Things to Do

The Forty Fort Meetinghouse and the Old Forty Fort Cemetery are the historic heart of the borough and worth an afternoon in their own right. Beyond that, Forty Fort’s position is the amenity: Kingston is adjacent, Wilkes-Barre is minutes across the river, and the levee-top river common gives the borough its open space along the Susquehanna.

Schools

Forty Fort is served by the Wyoming Valley West School District, formed in July 1966 when nine districts merged under Pennsylvania’s Act 299 reorganization law. It serves nine boroughs: Courtdale, Edwardsville, Forty Fort, Kingston, Larksville, Luzerne, Plymouth, Pringle and Swoyersville. The district’s single high school, Wyoming Valley West Senior High School, is located in Plymouth and serves all nine.

School Performance

State assessment results for the high school serving Forty Fort, from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Future Ready PA Index, 2024–25 school year:

• Wyoming Valley West Senior High School — Keystone Literature 40.1% proficient or advanced (statewide 49.9%) · Keystone Algebra I 22.5% (statewide 41.7%) · four-year graduation rate 87.2% (statewide 88.0%)

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Future Ready PA Index, 2024–25. We publish these same three measures, from this same source, on every community page in this guide.

Everyday Essentials

Kingston covers groceries, pharmacies and daily retail immediately next door, and the full Wilkes-Barre lineup is minutes away. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, operated by the nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation since February 2026, is the nearest hospital with an emergency department.

The Homes

Forty Fort is a well-kept pre-war borough — substantial early-1900s singles on tree-lined streets, on a walkable grid between Wyoming Avenue and the river. It has long been one of the more sought-after addresses on this side of the Susquehanna, and inventory is genuinely tight because almost nobody builds new here.

Budget flood insurance into any offer near the river side of the borough. Levee protection changes the number substantially compared with an unprotected riverfront town — but the number still varies street by street, and it belongs in your math before you write, not after.