Living in West Pittston, PA — The Cherry Blossom Borough

West Pittston is one of the prettiest streetscapes on the Susquehanna — a compact riverfront borough of 4,644 residents (2020 Census) with deep porches, mature trees and a genuine sense of place. Every spring the cherry trees along the river bloom and the borough throws the Cherry Blossom Festival, which is as close to a signature event as any small town in the valley has.

The land was settled in the 1770s, and Fort Jenkins stood here — a Patriot stronghold that surrendered to British forces under Major John Butler on July 1, 1778, on the eve of the Battle of Wyoming. The borough itself incorporated in 1857.

What You Need to Know About Flooding

We are putting this near the top rather than burying it, because it is the single most important thing about buying in West Pittston.

West Pittston sits outside the Wyoming Valley levee system. When the levees protecting Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Forty Fort and their neighbors were raised in the early 2000s, that protection did not extend here. The borough has been unprotected through every major flood in its modern history.

The record is specific and worth reading before you make an offer. In June 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes pushed the Susquehanna to a crest of roughly 41 feet — about four feet over the levees that existed then. In September 2011, Tropical Storm Lee drove the river to a record crest and put 859 homes and businesses underwater; the borough tallied roughly $98 million in damage across 880 residences, 26 businesses, four churches and four other public buildings.

Since then the borough has pushed continuously for levee funding, and the regional flood authority has studied options including raising homes, supported by a federal HUD allocation for lingering 2011 flood damage. No levee protects West Pittston today.

None of this means do not buy here — plenty of the borough sits well above the flood plain, and people love living here for good reason. It means check the specific parcel. Flood zone, base flood elevation, elevation certificate and a flood insurance quote should be settled before you write an offer, not after. We will pull them for you.

Things to Do

The Cherry Blossom Festival runs May 2–3, 2026, 11am to 6pm along Susquehanna Avenue. Saturday opens with the Cherry Blossom Parade at 11am and opening ceremonies at 12:45; Sunday brings the Little Miss Cherry Blossom contest at 12:15, with live entertainment both days.

The Water Street Bridge, built in 1914 by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls, still carries traffic across to Pittston — where a two-decade downtown revitalization has produced one of the better restaurant rows in the valley, five minutes from your door.

Outdoors & Parks

The riverfront is the amenity here — the open river frontage is exactly what gives West Pittston its cherry trees and its views. Frances Slocum State Park and the Back Mountain trail network are a short drive west.

Schools

West Pittston is served by the Wyoming Area School District, which covers roughly 26 square miles across six municipalities — West Pittston, Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming, Harding and Falls Township — midway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton along the Susquehanna.

There is a district building in the borough: Montgomery Avenue Elementary School serves grades 4–6 in West Pittston. The district’s other elementary buildings are Tenth Street Elementary (grades 1–3) in Wyoming and John F. Kennedy Elementary (kindergarten and Head Start) in Exeter.

School Performance

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

• Wyoming Area Secondary Center — Keystone Literature 48.6% proficient or advanced (statewide 49.9%) · Keystone Algebra I 24.9% (statewide 41.7%) · four-year graduation rate 94.3% (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

Pittston is directly across the bridge for groceries, pharmacies and daily errands, with the full Wilkes-Barre retail and hospital network about fifteen minutes south. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport — which carries an Avoca address and sits next door in Pittston Township — is minutes away.

The Homes

This is one of the most architecturally attractive housing stocks in the valley: late-Victorian and early-1900s homes on wide, tree-lined streets, especially along and near Susquehanna Avenue, built when West Pittston was a prosperous river town.

Price it with flood insurance included. In an unprotected riverfront borough, the annual premium on a given parcel can move the true monthly cost more than a swing in the interest rate will — and it varies enormously street to street depending on elevation. Two houses four blocks apart can carry completely different numbers. Get the quote before you fall in love with the porch.