Hazleton (1983: Doomsday)

Hazleton is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. It has a population of 23,047 people in the city proper, and a total of 28,265 people in the Greater Hazleton Area as of the 2010 census.

The city is the capital of Wyoming County and a regional economic powerhouse, with rail lines linking it to Reading and Bloomsburg, as well as an airport and fairly modern public transit system to cut down on fuel cost and wear on the roads.

Pre-Doomsday
Hazleton was a city in southern Luzerne County. It was formed from a single outpost constructed at the junction between Wilkes Barre and Berwick. A few homes and buildings were constructed, but most of the area remained heavily wooded, but there was some logging in the area.

In 1818 coal deposits were found in the region and several rail lines were constructed into the area. More building were constructed. Several coal companies sprung up in the area, and several schools were constructed by them.

The coal industry attracted immigrants from the rest of the world.

In 1857 the area was incorporated as a borough, and a city in 1891 with a population of 14,000 citizens. That same year it became the third town to install a citywide electric grid.

The city was at its height in the 1940's and began to decline afterwards up to Doomsday. This was due to several disasters that killed off the mining industry in Northeast Pennsylvania.

At the time of Doomsday it was one of the only cities left in the United States left with a majority of its pre World War II architecture intact.

Doomsday
On Doomsday, the city was not a target, being the 17th largest city in Pennsylvania, with a population of 27,318 citizens. Wilkes-Barre and Scranton were both struck by nuclear weapons, and a smaller tactical nuke hit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

Refugees streamed down the interstate into the city. The local police, State Police and Air National Guard contingent mobilized to help the survivors, setting up a triage center.

Post Doomsday
Immediately after the first reports of a nuclear war came in the fire chief pulled the air raid sirens. People began to panic, and many fled the town for the south where they though it would be safer. The town council called an emergency meeting and quickly ordered all police units to the courthouse, municipal buildings, and supermarkets.

Then, they mobilized the small Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and the recruiting station along with JROTC and ROTC men from the local colleges, and high school. These units secured the entrances to Hazleton with soon to be useless cars and trucks.

Meanwhile, the State Police guarded the gas stations, and moved their cars and trucks into a concrete and steel garage, in hopes of saving them.

All this was accomplished within hours of the bombs striking.

After the bombs hit, and the people began to come out of their shelters, the refugees came in droves. Hundreds, if not thousands of survivors of the strikes on Scranton and Wilkes-Barre begin to overrun the city's police and supplies.

But within hours, the police and hastily assembled National Guard were forced to retreat back to the town hall. After a gun battle with desperate refugees, and a handful of gangs, the soldiers made the decision to evacuate the government from Hazleton to a safer location.

Some riot police armed with tear gas, pepper spray, and handguns held off the crowd until the National Guard was able to safely remove the government from the dangerous situation.

A few soldiers wanted to commandeer an old J3 Cub at the airport, but eventually elected to go to McAdoo, a small community south of Hazleton, spared refugees and radiation only by luck.

After spending several months in the community, and organizing a small militia, the survivors attempted to reclaim the city from the mob of refugees.

Modern Day
Today the city encompasses six square miles of land with a population density of 392 people per square mile. It is the sixth largest surviving city in former Pennsylvania, behind State College, Reading, Warren, Gettysburg, and Allentown. It is a relatively modern city, although most, if not all of its architecture is pre-World War II styles. There is some work being done on a new downtown area that will replace the current downtown, which will be converted to the historical downtown.

The city is growing, although not nearly as in the past. Culturally and economically, the community is seen as a 'successor' to the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton which were both nuked. It has received several companies that relocated to the city after Doomsday and the destruction of the two named cities. The economy of Hazleton is still relatively small compared to the rest of Susquehanna, but it is growing and is expected to catch up in coming years.

Demographics
Hazleton has a population of 23,047 as of the 2010 census. It is projected at the next census there will be a population increase of approximately 2% each year, slightly lower than the rest of the nation.

The city has the largest concentration of minorities in the nation. A majority of their population live in the city as it is more diverse. As of the last census there are 1873 African Americans, 1532 Asians, and 721 Hispanics. Most speak English, although there is a small population that speak Spanish. Unlike the rest of the nation, Pennsylvania Dutch is rarely spoken, due to few or no Amish in the city.

Still a majority of the population is white. This has led to some racial issues and a few gangs have remained intact to 'counter' the problem.

Infrastructure
Much of the city's infrastructure remained intact following Doomsday. Roadways have deteriorated due to the lack of maintenance, but with asphalt from Montour County, repairs have begun. The Hazleton Transit Authority has recently reformed, operating three pre-Doomsday school buses modified for public transportation, nine vans, and six Jeep's purchased from North Pennsylvania in 2014. There are talks of purchasing new buses and vans from Niagara Falls to replace the aging fleet of vehicles.

Interstate 80 runs into Hazleton with a new roadway complete in 2009 between the section near Berwick and bypassing the I-81 exit. It uses former Pennsylvania State Route 91.

There are many office building and many businesses have set up in Hazleton due to better transportation available, plus tax incentives.

Architecture
Almost all of the buildings in Hazelton were constructed prior to Doomsday. Much of it is pre-World War Two architecture and is brick and mortar.

The main landmark building in Hazleton is the current Susquehanna Bank and Finance building in the downtown. It it is the tallest building in the nation and operates as primary headquarters for the bank.

Hazleton contains seven of the fifteen tallest buildings in Susquehanna. It has a distinct skyline that is lower that other cities such as Niagara Falls, Toledo, and London.

Downtown
Downtown Hazleton is the primary financial hub of Susquehanna alongside downtown Bloomsburg. It hosts a majority of businesses in Hazleton as well as headquarters for several major companies in Susquehanna.

It has more or less replaced former central business districts of Scranton and Wilkes Barre as a major economic hub in former Northeast Pennsylvania. Today, the downtown area boasts three high rises and several low rises, and fairly modern infrastructure.

Mass Transit
Hazleton operates the Hazleton Public Transportation Authority. It has four buses, six Jeeps, and five taxis that operate. The Authority provides coverage in Hazleton and West Hazleton as well as to Hazleton International Airport. It replaces Luzerne County Transportation Authority.

Airport
Hazleton International Airport is the primary provider of air transit for the city. Air Susquehanna is the primary server and operates a majority of their aircraft. Several other nations fly occasional flights in and out of the airport on a bimonthly basis.

The city is near Reading International Airport and some commute to Reading as more aircraft operate from it.

A handful of military aircraft are operated from the airport.

Rail Transportation
The transportation authority is considering constructing a light rail transport system throughout the city. It would be an above ground system, but a long term goal it to have a subway system by 2100.

Law Enforcement
There are two law enforcement agencies located in Hazleton. The City of Hazleton Police Department is the primary force in the city. There are 35 sworn in officers, and 150 civilian employees. They are the largest community law enforcement agency in Susquehanna. They are also more heavily armed than the other police departments, often engaging the raiders and gangs operating in the area.

The State Police have their East Barracks headquarters in Hazleton and regularly patrol the area on horseback.

Economy
Much of the local economy is focused on mining, light manufacturing, and services. There are several important companies with their headquarters in Hazleton. Susquehanna Bank and Finance operates out of the former Markle Banking and Trust building, with a yearly revenue of nearly two million dollars. Hazleton Textile Mills make cloth for export and sale, with both the headquarters and primary facilities in, and around Hazleton.

Accounting offices, lawyers, and other businesses are located in downtown Hazleton, as well as headquarters for several industries as well.

There are several coal mines outside of the city, providing it with needed heat in the winter. The mines supply coal to the Danville Steel Mills, and in the near future will supply it to the Montour Power Plant.

Education
The city of Hazleton is covered by Hazleton Area School District, and the Wyoming-Schuylkill Vocational Technical School. The city has a below average literacy rate with 42% of citizens being literate, although the government is attempting to address this by encouraging children and teens to remain in school until graduation. This has helped, with the drop out rate in the 2013-2014 school year only being 17%.

Students who attend the vocational school have a higher graduation rate than those who attend the local high school.

Future
The city is rapidly increasing in size. There are plans to expand the city outwards, possibly absorbing West Hazleton, and the surrounding communities.

A few larger businesses have requested building permits to construct steel and glass towers. They will all be office buildings and be in the downtown section.

It is hoped to have the area hooked up to the power grid as soon as possible. This should increase business and available capital.