Towanda, Pennsylvania, United States

🇺🇸 Towanda is a borough and the county seat of Bradford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located 66 miles (106 km) north-west of Wilkes-Barre, on the Susquehanna River. The name means "burial ground" in the Algonquian language.

History Towanda was settled in 1784 and became the county seat in 1812. It was variously known for some years as Meansville, Overton, Williamson, Monmouth and Towanda, and incorporated in 1828. Towanda was once known primarily for its industrial interests, which included flour, planing and silk mills, a foundry and machine shop, dye works, and manufacturers of talking machines, cut glass, toys and furniture. The population in 1900 was 4,663 and 4,281 in 1910.

The Towanda Historic District and Bradford County Courthouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pennsylvania Guide, compiled by the Writers' Program of the Works Progress Administration, described Towanda in 1940 as: an attractive town of wide brick-paved streets, [occupying] a slope on the west shore of the Susquehanna, at the convergence of three valleys. On the upper and lower reaches of the hill are elaborate residences. A well-developed shopping centre serves neighborhood farmers and visitors to surrounding hill and lake resorts. There is a large textile mill in addition to several small industrial plants. The town's early name, Meansville, for William Means who laid it out in 1812, occasioned 'considerable animosity,' and the present one was adopted in 1828.— Federal Writers'Project, "Part III: Tours", Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State (1940)

Geography Towanda is located near the centre of Bradford County at approximately 730 ft. above sea level, on the west bank of the Susquehanna River. It is bordered to the north and west by North Towanda Township, to the south and west by Towanda Township, and to the east, across the river, by Wysox Township.

U.S. Route 6 passes through the centre of the borough, leading south-east 39 miles (63 km) to Tunkhannock and 60 miles (97 km) to the Scranton area, and west 37 miles (60 km) to Mansfield. U.S. Route 220 bypasses the borough to the west and leads north 18 miles (29 km) to its terminus at Waverly, New York and south-west 67 miles (108 km) to Williamsport.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²), of which 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²), or 2.55%, is water.

Education Towanda is home to Lackawanna College Towanda Center, a private, accredited two-year college serving Northeastern Pennsylvania and its satellite campus of Lackawanna College in Scranton.

Government Towanda has a council–manager form of government.