Penn-York Valley facts for kids
The Penn-York Valley, often called The Valley by local people, is a group of towns and villages located right on the border between New York and Pennsylvania. It includes four main communities:
In 2000, these four towns had about 14,822 people living there. By 2010, the population was around 14,425. The larger area, known as the Greater Valley, has about 35,000 residents.
The Penn-York Valley is split into two different census areas for counting people. These are the Binghamton metropolitan area and the Sayre micropolitan area. A "micropolitan area" is like a smaller city area with a central town and nearby communities. The Valley is also part of a larger region called the Twin Tiers, which refers to areas on both sides of the New York-Pennsylvania border.
This community faced serious flooding in 2011 because of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Lee. The water levels were even higher than during a big flood in 2006. In Tioga County alone, the damage was estimated to be around $100 million.
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Learning in the Penn-York Valley
The Penn-York Valley has three main public school districts. They each serve different towns and areas.
Public School Districts
- Waverly Central School District: This district serves Waverly, Chemung, Lockwood, and parts of Lowman, Barton, and Wellsburg.
- Sayre Area School District: This district covers Sayre, South Waverly, and Litchfield.
- Athens Area School District: This district serves Athens, Athens Township, Ridgebury, Smithfield, Ulster, and Sheshequin.
Private Schools in the Valley
Besides public schools, there are also private schools available:
- Epiphany School: This is a Catholic elementary and middle school located in Sayre.
- Zion Ministerial Institute: This is a private religious school in Waverly. It is part of the Zion Fellowship International organization, which has its main world office in Waverly.
Getting Around the Penn-York Valley
The Penn-York Valley has several ways to get around, including local buses, taxis, and nearby airports.
Bus Services
There are three local bus services that help people travel in and around the Valley:
- Ride Tioga: This bus service has stops throughout Waverly, Sayre, and Barton.
- BeST Transit: This service makes many stops in Waverly, Sayre, and Athens. It also provides rides to other towns like Towanda, Wysox, Troy, Canton, and the Lycoming Mall.
- C-TRAN: This bus service operates from Elmira and makes daily stops in Waverly, Wilawana, Chemung, and other places to the west.
You can also find regional bus services like Shortline Coach USA and Greyhound in Waverly.
Taxi and Airports
- Valley Taxi: This taxi service can take you around Waverly, Sayre, Athens, and even to Binghamton.
- Airports: The Valley is conveniently located between two medium-sized regional airports. These are the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport in the Town of Big Flats and the Greater Binghamton Airport in Maine, New York. Both airports serve the Southern Tier region of New York.
News and Entertainment in the Valley
The Penn-York Valley has access to various forms of media, including local newspapers, radio stations, and television channels.
Newspapers
- Press & Sun Bulletin: This newspaper is based in Binghamton but serves the Penn-York Valley area.
- Morning Times: This newspaper is based in Sayre and covers news for Waverly, Sayre, Athens, and nearby communities.
- The Daily Review: Based in Towanda, this paper serves the Penn-York Valley and Bradford County.
- Star Gazette: This newspaper is from Elmira and serves Tioga, Chemung, and Steuben Counties in New York, as well as Bradford County in Pennsylvania.
Radio Stations
- WAVR - 102.1 FM: Based in Sayre, this station is licensed in Waverly for FM radio.
- WATS - 960 AM: This station is based and licensed in Sayre for AM radio.
- WLVY - 94.3 FM: Based in Elmira, this station is licensed in Waverly for FM radio.
- WEBO - 1330 AM: This station is based in Owego but is branded for Waverly for AM radio.
- WENI-FM - 92.7 FM: Based in Elmira, this station is licensed in South Waverly for FM radio.
- WGMF-FM - 103.9 FM: This station is licensed in Dushore, Pennsylvania.
Television Channels
- WBNG-TV: From Binghamton, this is a CBS channel.
- WIVT-TV: From Binghamton, this is an ABC channel.
- WBGH-CA: From Binghamton, this is an NBC channel.
- WICZ-TV: From Binghamton, this is a Fox channel.
- WETM-TV: From Elmira, this is an NBC channel.
- WENY-TV: From Elmira, this is an ABC channel.
- WENY-DT2: From Elmira, this is a CBS channel.
- W52CE-TV: From Sayre, this is a Fox channel. It acts as a "broadcast relay station" for WOLF-TV in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, meaning it re-broadcasts that signal.
- WNEP-TV: From Scranton, this is an ABC channel.
- WYOU-TV: From Scranton, this is a CBS channel.
- YNN: From Syracuse, this is a regional channel for Time Warner Cable.
