Scranton is located in theLackawanna River valley and was historically the largest of several anthracite coal mining communities in the area, includingWilkes-Barre andNanticoke. It was incorporated as a borough in 1856 and as a city in 1866, later becoming the seat of the newly formed Lackawanna County in 1878. The city contains a federal courthouse for theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is conventionally divided into nine districts, namely North Scranton, Southside, Westside, Eastside/Hill Section, Central City, Minooka, West Mountain, East Mountain, and Green Ridge.
Scranton was a major center for industry, mining, and rail transport in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was one of the first cities in the United States to implement electricstreetcars, earning the nickname "Electric City".[6][7][8] It was the site of theScranton general strike in 1877. The city's industrial output peaked during the 1930s and 1940s, particularly duringWorld War II, but declined in the postwar period due to reduced demand for coal and changes in the energy sector. The 1959Knox Mine disaster effectively ended coal mining in the region. Scranton's population fell from a peak of 143,433 in 1930 to 76,089 in 2010, with a slight increase recorded by 2020.
In 1778, during thecolonial era, Isaac Tripp, the area's first known white settler, built his home here; it still stands in North Scranton, formerly a separate town known as Providence. More settlers fromConnecticut Colony came to the area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries following the end of theAmerican Revolutionary War, since their state claimed the area as part of their colonial charter.
They gradually established mills and other small businesses in a village that became known as Slocum Hollow. People in the village during this time carried the traits and accent of theirNew England settlers, which were somewhat different from most of Pennsylvania. Some area settlers from Connecticut participated in what was known as thePennamite Wars, where settlers competed for control of the territory which had been included in royal colonialland grants to both states. The claim between Connecticut and Pennsylvania was settled by negotiation with thefederal government's involvement after the Revolutionary War.
Thoughanthracite coal was being mined inCarbondale to the north andWilkes-Barre to the south, the industries that precipitated the city's early rapid growth wereiron andsteel. In the 1840s, brothers Selden T. andGeorge W. Scranton, who had worked atOxford Furnace in Oxford, New Jersey, founded what became Lackawanna Iron & Coal, later developing as theLackawanna Steel Company. It initially started producing iron nails, but that venture failed due to low-quality iron. TheErie Railroad's construction in New York State was delayed by its having to acquire iron rails as imports from England. The Scrantons' firm decided to switch its focus to producingT-rails for the Erie; the company soon became a major producer of rails for the rapidly expanding railroads.[9]
In 1851, the Scrantons built theLackawanna and Western Railroad (L&W) northward, with recent Irish immigrants supplying most of the labor, to meet the Erie Railroad inGreat Bend, Pennsylvania. Thus they could transport manufactured rails from the Lackawanna Valley to New York and the Midwest. They also invested in coal mining operations in the city to fuel their steel operations, and to market it to businesses. In 1856, they expanded the railroad eastward as theDelaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), to tap into the New York City metropolitan market. This railroad, with its hub in Scranton, was Scranton's largest employer for almost one hundred years.[10]
The Pennsylvania Coal Company built agravity railroad in the 1850s through the city for the purpose of transporting coal. The gravity railroad was replaced by a steam railroad built in 1886 by the Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad (later absorbed by the Erie Railroad). TheDelaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal Company, which had its own gravity railroad from Carbondale toHonesdale, built asteam railroad that entered Scranton in 1863.[11]
During this short period of time, the city rapidly transformed from a small, agrarian-based village of people with New England roots to a multicultural, industrial-based city. From 1860 to 1900, the city's population increased more than tenfold. Most new immigrants, such as the Irish, Italians, and south Germans and Polish, were Catholic, a contrast to the majority-Protestant early settlers of colonial descent. National, ethnic, religious and class differences were wrapped into political affiliations, with many new immigrants joining theDemocratic Party, and, for a time in the late 1870s, theGreenbacker-Labor Party.[12]
In 1856, the borough of Scranton was officially incorporated. It was incorporated as a city of 35,000 in 1866 in Luzerne County, when the surrounding boroughs of Hyde Park (now part of the city's West Side) and Providence (now part of North Scranton) were merged with Scranton. Twelve years later in 1878, the state passed a law enabling creation of new counties where a county's population surpassed 150,000, as did Luzerne's. The law appeared to enable the creation ofLackawanna County, and there was considerable political agitation around the authorizing process. Scranton was designated by the state legislature as the county seat of the newly formed county, which was also established as a separate judicial district, with state judges moving over from Luzerne County after courts were organized in October 1878. This was the last county in the state to be organized.[13]
Creation of the new county, which enabled both more local control and political patronage, helped begin theScranton General Strike of 1877. This was in part due to the largerGreat Railroad Strike, in which railroad workers began to organize and participate in walkouts after wage cuts inMartinsburg, West Virginia. The national economy had lagged since the Panic of 1873, and workers in many industries struggled with low wages and intermittent work. In Scranton, mineworkers followed the railroad men off the job, as did others. A protest of 5,000 strikers ended in violence, with a total of four men killed, and 20 to 50 injured, including the mayor. He had established a militia, but called for help from the governor and state militia. GovernorJohn Hartranft eventually brought in federal troops to quell the strike. The workers gained nothing in wages, but began to organize more purposefully into labor unions that could wield more power.[14]
The nation's first successful, continuously operating electrifiedstreetcar (trolley) system was established in the city in 1886, inspiring the nickname "The Electric City". In 1896, the city's various streetcar companies were consolidated into theScranton Railway Company, which ran trolleys until 1954. By 1890, three other railroads had built lines to tap into the rich supply of coal in and around the city, including the Erie Railroad, theCentral Railroad of New Jersey and finally theNew York, Ontario and Western Railway (NYO&W).
As the vast rail network spread above ground, an even larger network of railways served the rapidly expanding system of coal veins underground. Miners, who in the early years were typically Welsh and Irish, were hired as cheaply as possible by the coal barons. The workers endured low pay, long hours and unsafe working conditions. Children as young as eight or nine worked 14-hour days separating slate from coal in thebreakers. Often, the workers were forced to use company-provided housing and purchase food and other goods from stores owned by the coal companies. With hundreds of thousands of immigrants arriving in the industrial cities, mine owners did not have to search for labor and workers struggled to keep their positions. Later miners came from Italy and eastern Europe, which people fled because of poverty and lack of jobs.[15]
Business was booming at the end of the 19th century. The tonnage of coal mined increased virtually every year, as did the steel manufactured by the Lackawanna Steel Company. At one point the company had the largest steel plant in the United States, and it was still the second largest producer at the turn of the 20th century. By 1900, the city had a population of more than 100,000.[16]
Scranton has had a notable labor history; various coal worker unions struggled throughout the coal-mining era to improve working conditions, raise wages, and guarantee fair treatment for workers.[17] The Panic of 1873 and other economic difficulties caused a national recession and loss of business. As the economy contracted, the railroad companies reduced wages of workers in most classes (while sometimes reserving raises for their top management). A major strike of railroad workers in August 1877, part of theGreat Railroad Strike, attracted workers from the steel industry and mining as well, and developed as theScranton General Strike. Four rioters were killed during unrest during the strike, after the mayor mustered a militia. With violence suppressed by militia and federal troops, workers finally returned to their jobs, not able to gain any economic relief.William Walker Scranton, from the prominent family, was then general manager of Lackawanna Iron and Coal. He later founded Scranton Steel Company.[18]
The labor issues and growth of industry in Scranton contributed to Lackawanna County being established by the state legislature in 1878, with territory taken from Luzerne County. Scranton was designated as the county seat. This strengthened its local government.[19]
The unions failed to gain higher wages that year, but in 1878 they elected labor leaderTerence V. Powderly of theKnights of Labor as mayor of Scranton. After that, he became national leader of the KoL, a predominately[dubious –discuss] Catholic organization that had a peak membership of 700,000 circa 1880.[20] While the Catholic Church had prohibited membership in secret organizations since the mid-18th century, by the late 1880s with the influence of ArchbishopJames Gibbons ofBaltimore, Maryland, it supported the Knights of Labor as representing workingmen and union organizing.[21]
A 1907 illustration of Washington AvenueBurningculm dump,c. 1908Scranton's old post office in 1911City Hall and Soldiers Monument,c. 1919The Globe Store near Wyoming and Lackawanna Avenues in 1978The Historic Electric City sign, restored in 2008
The landmarkCoal strike of 1902 was called by anthracite miners across the region and led by theUnited Mine Workers underJohn Mitchell. The strike was settled by a compromise brokered by PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. A statue of John Mitchell was installed in his honor on the grounds of the Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton, "the site of the Coal Strike of 1902 negotiations in which President Roosevelt participated. Because of the significance of these negotiations, the statue and the Courthouse were added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1997. John Mitchell is buried in Cathedral Cemetery in Scranton."[22]
At the1900 United States census, the population of Scranton was about 102,026, making it the third-largest city in Pennsylvania and 38th-largest U.S. city at the time.[23]At the turn of the 20th century, wealthy businessmen and industrialists built impressiveVictorian mansions in the Hill and Green Ridge sections of the city. The industrial workers, who tended to be later immigrants from Ireland and southern and eastern Europe, were predominately Catholic. With a flood of immigrants in the market, they suffered poor working conditions and wages.
In 1902, the dwindling local iron ore supply, labor issues, and an aging plant cost the city the industry on which it was founded. The Lackawanna Steel Company and many of its workers were moved toLackawanna, New York, developed onLake Erie just south ofBuffalo. With a port on the lake, the company could receive iron ore shipped from theMesabi Range inMinnesota, which was being newly mined.
Scranton forged ahead as the capital of the anthracite coal industry. Attracting the thousands of workers needed to mine coal, the city developed new neighborhoods dominated by Italian and Eastern European immigrants, who brought their foods, cultures and religions. Many of the immigrants joined the Democratic Party. Their national churches and neighborhoods were part of the history of the city. SeveralCatholic andOrthodox churches were founded and built during this period. A substantial Jewish community was also established, with most members coming from the Russian Empire and eastern Europe. Working conditions for miners were improved by the efforts of labor leaders such asJohn Mitchell, who led theUnited Mine Workers.
The sub-surface mining weakened whole neighborhoods, however, damaging homes, schools, and businesses when the land collapsed. In 1913 the state passed the Davis Act to establish the Bureau of Surface Support in Scranton. Because of the difficulty in dealing with the coal companies, citizens organized the Scranton Surface Protection Association, chartered by the Court of Common Pleas on November 24, 1913 "to protect the lives and property of the citizens of the City of Scranton and the streets of said city from injury, loss and damage caused by mining and mine caves."[24]
In 1915 and 1917, the city and Commonwealth sought injunctions to prevent coal companies from undermining city streets but lost their cases. North Main Avenue and Boulevard Avenue, "both entitled to surface support, caved in as a result" of court decisions that went against civil authorities and allowed the coal companies to continue their operations.[24]
"The case ofPenman v. Jones came out differently. The Lackawanna Iron & Coal Co. had leased coal lands to the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Co., an allied interest, which passed the leases on to the Scranton Coal Co. Areas of central Scranton, the Hill Section, South Side, Pine Brook, Green Ridge and Hyde Park were affected by their mining activities. Mr. Penman was the private property owner in the case. The coal operators were defeated in this case."[24]
The public transportation system began to expand beyond the trolley lines pioneered by predecessors of the Scranton Railways system. TheLackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad, commonly referred to as the Laurel Line, was built as an interurban passenger and freight carrier toWilkes-Barre. Its Scranton station, offices, powerhouse and maintenance facility were built on the former grounds of the Lackawanna Steel Company, and operations started in 1903. Beginning in 1907, Scrantonians could also ride trolley cars to the northern suburbs ofClarks Summit andDalton. They could travel toLake Winola andMontrose using theNorthern Electric Railroad. After the 1920s, no new trolley lines were built, but bus operations were started and expanded to meet service needs. In 1934, Scranton Railways was re-incorporated as the Scranton Transit Company, reflecting that shift in transportation modes.[25]
Starting in the early 1920s, theScranton Button Company (founded in 1885 and a major maker of shellac buttons) became one of the primary makers of phonograph records. They pressed records forEmerson (whom they bought in 1924), as well asRegal,Cameo,Romeo,Banner,Domino,Conqueror. In July 1929, the company merged with Regal, Cameo, Banner, and the U.S. branch ofPathé (makers of Pathé andPerfect) to become theAmerican Record Corporation. By 1938, the Scranton company was also pressing records forBrunswick,Melotone, andVocalion. In 1946, the company was acquired byCapitol Records, which continued to producephonograph records through the end of the vinyl era.
By the mid-1930s, the city population had swelled beyond 140,000[23] due to growth in the mining andsilk textile industries. World War II created a great demand for energy, which led to the highest production frommining in the area since World War I.
AfterWorld War II, coal lost favor tooil andnatural gas as a heating fuel, largely because the latter types were more convenient to use. While some U.S. cities prospered in the post-war boom, the fortunes and population of Scranton (and the rest of Lackawanna andLuzerne counties) began to diminish. Coal production and rail traffic declined rapidly throughout the 1950s, causing a loss of jobs.
TheKnox Mine Disaster of January 1959 virtually ended the mining industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The waters of theSusquehanna River flooded the mines.[27][28] The DL&W Railroad, nearly bankrupted by the drop in coal traffic and the effects ofHurricane Diane, merged in 1960 with the Erie Railroad.Demand for public transportation also declined as new highways were built by federal subsidies and people purchased automobiles. In 1952, the Laurel Line ceased passenger service. The Scranton Transit Company, whose trolleys had given the city its nickname, transferred all operations to buses as the 1954 holiday season approached; by the end of 1971, it ceased all operations. The city was left without any public transportation system for almost a year until the Lackawanna County government formedCOLTS, which began operations in late 1972 with 1950s-era GM busses from New Jersey.
Scranton had been the hub of its operations until theErie Lackawanna merger, after which it no longer served in this capacity. This was another severe blow to the local labor market. The NYO&W Railroad, which depended heavily on its Scranton branch for freight traffic, was abandoned in 1957. Minesubsidence was a spreading problem in the city as pillar supports in abandoned mines began to fail; cave-ins sometimes consumed entire blocks of homes. The area was left scarred by abandoned coal mining structures, strip mines, and massiveculm dumps, some of which caught fire and burned for many years until they were extinguished through government efforts. In 1970, the Secretary of Mines for Pennsylvania suggested that so many underground voids had been left by mining underneath Scranton that it would be "more economical" to abandon the city than make them safe.[29] In 1973, the last mine operations in Lackawanna County (which were in what is nowMcDade Park, and another on the Scranton/Dickson City line) were closed. During the 1960s and 1970s, the silk and other textile industries shrank as jobs were moved to the South or overseas.[citation needed]
In 1962, businessmanAlex Grass opened his first "Thrif D Discount Center" drugstore on Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton.[30][31] The 17-by-75-foot (5 by 23 m) store, an immediate success, was the progenitor of theRite Aid national drugstore chain.[30]
During the 1970s and 1980s, many downtown storefronts and theaters became vacant. Suburban development followed the highways and suburban shopping malls became the dominant venues for shopping and entertainment.[citation needed]
Since the mid-1980s, the city has emphasized revitalization. Local government and much of the community at large have adopted a renewed interest in the city's buildings and history. Some historic properties have been renovated and marketed as tourist attractions. TheSteamtown National Historic Site captures the area's once-prominent position in the railroad industry. The former DL&W train station was restored as theRadisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. TheElectric City Trolley Museum was created next to the DL&W yards that the Steamtown NHS occupies.
Since the mid-1980s theScranton Cultural Center has operated the architecturally significant Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral, designed byRaymond Hood, as the region's performing arts center. TheHoudini Museum was opened in Scranton in 1990 by nationally known magicianDorothy Dietrich.
According toThe Guardian, the city was close to bankruptcy in July 2012, with the wages of all municipal officials, including the mayor and fire chief, being cut to $7.25/hour.[33] Financial consultant Gary Lewis, who lived in Scranton, was quoted as estimating that "on 5 July the city had just $5,000 cash in hand."[33]
Since the revitalization began, many coffee shops, restaurants, and bars have opened in the downtown. The lowcost of living,pedestrian-friendly downtown, and the construction ofloft-style apartments in older, architecturally significant buildings have attracted young professionals and artists. Many are individuals who grew up in Scranton, moved to big cities after high school and college, and decided to return to the area. Many buildings around the city that were once empty are currently being restored. Some of the newly renovated buildings are already being used.[34]
Scranton's total area of 25.4 square miles (66 km2) includes 25.2 square miles (65 km2) of land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of water, according to theUnited States Census Bureau. Scranton is drained by theLackawanna River.[citation needed]
Center City is about 750 feet (229 m) above sea level, although the hilly city's inhabited portions range about from 650 to 1,400 feet (200 to 430 m). The city is flanked by mountains to the east and west whose elevations range from 1,900 to 2,100 feet (580 to 640 m).[36][37]
Scranton has ahumid continental climate (KöppenDfa),[38] with four distinct seasons. Summers have occasionalheat waves bringing temperatures well above 90 °F (32 °C), while winters can havecold snaps bringing temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C). The monthly daily average temperature in January, the coldest month, is 28.0 °F (−2.2 °C), while the same figure in July, the warmest month, is 73.7 °F (23.2 °C). Extremes in temperatures have ranged from 101 °F (38 °C) down to −21 °F (−29 °C) on January 21, 1994;[39] there is an average of 15 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs, 39 days where the high fails to rise above freezing, and 3 days where the minimum is at or below 0 °F (−18 °C). Precipitation is generallyslightly greater during late spring and summer, while winter is generally the driest. On average, each month sees 10 to 13 days of precipitation, and the mean annual total is 38.72 inches (983 mm). Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing light snow and others bringing numerous snowstorms. For the 1991–2020 period, snowfall has averaged 45.1 inches (115 cm) per year, with January accounting for most of the seasonal total; on average, the first and last dates of measurable (≥0.1 in or 0.25 cm) snowfall are November 14 and March 31, respectively, with snow in October and April a rare occurrence.
As of the 2010 census, there were 76,089 people, 30,069 households, and 18,124 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,006/mi2 (1,161/km2). There were 33,853 housing units at an average density of 1,342/mi2 (518/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.11%White, 5.45%African American, 0.23%Native American, 2.98%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 4.69% fromother races, and 2.49% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race make up 9.90% of the population. The largest ancestry in the city isIrish, making up 26.5% of the population.
There were 30,069 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. The city had 36.7% of its households with single occupancy and 18.1% whose individuals was aged at least 65. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.
The age distribution of the population included 20.8% under 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% at least 65. The median age was 39. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females aged at least 18, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,805, and the median income for a family was $41,642. Males had a median income of $30,829 versus $21,858 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $16,174. Found below thepoverty line are 15.0% of the population, 10.7% of families, 18.9% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those at least age 65.
As of the 2006American Community Survey, the average family size is 2.95. Of the population that's 25 years old and over, 83.3% of them have graduated from high school. 18.7% of them have aBachelor's degree or higher. In labor force (population 16 years and over), 57.6% of them work. Theper capita income (in 2006 inflation-adjusted dollars) is $17,187.
Many of Scranton's attractions celebrate its heritage as an industrial center in iron and coal production and its ethnic diversity. TheScranton Iron Furnaces are remnants of the city's founding industry and of the Scranton family's Lackawanna Steel Company.[45] TheSteamtown National Historic Site seeks to preserve the history of railroads in the Northeast.[46] TheElectric City Trolley Museum preserves and operates pieces of Pennsylvania streetcar history. Tourists may go for trolley rides from Downtown Scranton to PNC Field on Montage Mountain.[47] TheLackawanna Coal Mine tour atMcDade Park, conducted inside a former mine, describes the history of mining and railroads in the Scranton area.[48][49] The former DL&W Passenger Station is now theRadisson Lackawanna Station Hotel.[50]
Museums in Scranton include theEverhart Museum in Nay Aug Park, which houses a collection of natural history, science and art exhibits; and theHoudini Museum, which features films, exhibits, and a stage show in a unique, century-old building.Terence Powderly'shouse, still a private dwelling, is one of the city's many historic buildings and, with Steamtown, the city's otherNational Historic Landmark. In addition, The Lackawanna Historical Society, founded in 1886 and located at the George H. Catlin House in Scranton's Hill Section, focuses on the history of Lackawanna County. Tripp House, built by the Tripp family in 1771, is the oldest building in the city.
Since the 1970s, Scranton has hostedLa Festa Italiana, a three-day Italian festival that takes place onLabor Day weekend on the courthouse square. The festival originally took place aroundColumbus Day, but was moved because Scranton generally receives cold weather in October.
Scranton's largeIrish population is represented in the annualSaint Patrick's Day Parade, first held in 1862. Organized by the St. Patrick's Day Parade Association of Lackawanna County, it is the nation's fourth largest in attendance and second largest in per capita attendance.[51] Held on the Saturday beforeSaint Patrick's Day, the parade includes more than 8,000 people, including floats, bagpipe players, high school bands and Irish groups. In 2008, attendance estimates were as high as 150,000 people.[52][53]
Scranton was a cultural center forWelsh Americans, and in the late 19th century it was described asAthen Cymru America (the Welsh Athens of America).[54]
For recreation, there isMontage Mountain Ski Resort, known as Sno Mountain for a short period, which rivals the numerous resorts of the Poconos in popularity and offers a relatively comprehensive range of difficulty levels. The 26.2-mile (42.2 km)Steamtown Marathon has been held each October since 1996 and finishes in downtown Scranton.Nay Aug park is the largest of several parks in Scranton and was designed byFrederick Law Olmsted, who also laid outCentral Park inManhattan, New York City. The city is the home to numerous artistic organizations, including theScranton Fringe Festival (a performing arts festival held in the downtown section of the city in fall).
Scranton Cultural Center at theMasonic Temple is an impressive piece of architecture which houses several auditoriums and a large ballroom. It hosts the Northeast Philharmonic, Broadway Theater and other touring performances.
The tallest building in Scranton is the Scranton Times Tower, a lattice radio tower on the Times building, which is illuminated during Christmas season.[55]
The Lackawanna County Library System administers the libraries in Scranton, including theAlbright Memorial Library, theLackawanna County Children's Library and the Nancy Kay Holmes Library. As of 2008, Scranton libraries serve more than 96,000 people and have a circulation of over 547,000.[56]
In football, the Scranton Eagles, a discontinued semi-pro/minor league team, dominated their Empire Football League, winning 11 championships.[57] The formerarena footballWilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, who played eight seasons at theMohegan Sun Arena, formerly Wachovia Arena, inWilkes-Barre Township made the playoffs in their last six years of existence and contended for theArenaCup VIII in 2007 and theArenaCup X in 2009, their final year, but lost both times.[58] Another semi-pro/minor league team the North East Pennsylvania Miners of the [Big North East Football Federation started play in the area in 2007.[59]The NEPA Shock are a Semi-Pro/Minor League team that currently operate out of the Dickson City borough. The Shock were established in 2012 and participate in arena style football as a member of the Great Eastern Football Association. TheWilkes-Barre/Scranton Mavericks, anArena Football One franchise, were scheduled to play in the area, but folded prior to the league's inaugural season.[60]
Watres Armory in Scranton hosted a World Heavyweight Championship fight between titlistLarry Holmes and challenger Lucien Rodrigues of France on March 27, 1983. Holmes retained his title via a unanimous 12-round decision without losing a single round in any official scorecard.[67]
The city's public schools are operated by theScranton School District (SSD), which serves almost 10,000 students.[68] The city has two public high schools for grades 9–12:Scranton High School just northwest of the downtown andWest Scranton High School located on the West Side of the city. The district also has three public middle schools for grades 6–8: Northeast Intermediate, South Scranton Intermediate, and West Scranton Intermediate. In addition, SSD maintains 12 public elementary schools for grades K–5.[69]
Scranton, West Scranton, Scranton Prep and Holy Cross all compete athletically in Pennsylvania's Lackawanna League which is a part of District 2 of thePennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
WSWB (channel 38),The CW affiliate, owned by MPS Media, LLC; operated by New Age Media, LLC; certain services provided bySinclair Broadcast Group through master service agreements
WVIA-TV (channel 44),PBS member station, owned by the Northeast Pennsylvania Educational Television Association
Times Leader is a daily paper that primarily covers nearby Wilkes-Barre. TheTimes Leader also publishesGo Lackawanna, a Sunday newspaper serving Scranton and surrounding municipalities, and theWeekender is a Wilkes-Barre-based entertainment tabloid with distribution in Scranton.
The Aquinas is the weeklystudent newspaper of theUniversity of Scranton.The Scranton Post is a weekly general interest broadsheet which bills itself as the city's first online newspaper. There are several other print publications with a more narrow focus, including theUnion News,La Voz Latina, andMelanian News.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre radio market is the 71st-largest in the nation, according toArbitron rankings in 2009.[80]
Scranton is served by several major highways.Interstate 81 runs along the southeastern and northern edges of the city, connecting Scranton withBinghamton, New York, to the north andWilkes-Barre to the south. ThePresident Biden Expressway (formerly known as the Central Scranton Expressway) provides a freeway connection from downtown Scranton to I-81.Interstate 476, the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, runs along the western edge of the city, connecting Scranton withAllentown andPhiladelphia to the south and terminating just north of Scranton inClarks Summit. While not inside the city limits of Scranton, Interstates84 and380 terminate with I-81 in nearby Dunmore. I-84 connects the Scranton area toNew England, and I-380 connects to a junction withInterstate 80 nearMount Pocono.
U.S. Route 11 enters Scranton from the south, moving through the downtown area and into the northern part of the city as a freeway known as the North Scranton Expressway.U.S. Route 6 moves through the northeastern edge of the city, running as a freeway concurrent with I-81.
Scranton is also served by one state highway,Pennsylvania Route 307, which mostly runs along U.S. Route 11 through the city.
One of its primary objectives is to reestablish rail passenger service toHoboken, New Jersey and New York City. Regular passenger train service to Scranton is slated to be restoredunder a plan to extendNJ Transit service from Hoboken via theLackawanna Cut-Off. That project is ongoing as rail is being laid down in New Jersey.[85][86] The trains would pass the Lackawanna Station building and pull in atthe new Scranton station on Lackawanna Avenue along the northernmost track east of Bridge 60, the railroad bridge over theLackawanna River, and the Cliff Street underpass.[87] In December 2023, theFederal Railroad Administration granted $500,000 for planning studies into the Scranton to New York City corridor to fulfill step 1 of itsCorridor Identification and Development Program.[88]
Private operators such as Burgit's Electric City Taxi service the Scranton area, but they are hired by telephone through central dispatch and cannot be hailed on the street as in larger cities.
TheBureau of Fire was incorporated as a paid service in 1901. It is a full-time service consisting of about 142firefighters. Its headquarters is on Mulberry Street in Central City. The fire department has seven operatingfire stations. It has nine firefighting vehicles, including fiveengines, two trucks (ladders), onerescue, and an assistant chief's vehicle.[as of?][89][90]
The police department consist of 150 sworn police officers and 18 civilian employees. Units include motorized patrol units, walking beats, bike patrol and canine units. City patrol sectors include North, South, West, Center City and Green Ridge. The non-uniform division includes the detective division, street crimes, arson, auto theft, child abuse, crime scene investigation, and juvenile unit. There is a special operations group, bomb unit, and drone unit.[citation needed]
The city was the setting of the home of Roy Munson (portrayed byWoody Harrelson) in the 1996 American sports comedyKingpin. Scenes were shot inPittsburgh as a stand in for Scranton.
The city is imagined as a member of the class of interstellarOkies inJames Blish's 1962 novelA Life for the Stars, in which 2273 AD Scranton, equipped with a space drive, flies away and leaves an impoverished Earth behind.
In 2017, Scranton got national recognition from late night television hostJohn Oliver when he made jokes about how infatuated Scranton community members were with the little train that runs during the weather reports on Scranton'sABC-affiliated TV stationWNEP-TV. The train had been featured in multiple of their "Talkback 16" segments. After a follow-up segment, Oliver donated a train set to WNEP. It was too big for their backyard, so they donated it to theElectric City Trolley Museum.[94]
MusicianJohn Legend was the head of the music department and choir director of Scranton's Bethel AME Church from 1995 to 2004.[95]
American singer, actress and television personalityCher lived in Scranton as a baby and spent time at a Catholic orphanage in the city run by theSisters of Mercy. Cher wrote about the experience in the song, "Sisters of Mercy".[96][97]
American author and film & television producerDick Wolf was married to Susan Scranton, daughter of former GovernorWilliam Scranton, from 1970 to 1983.
American radio talk show host, television broadcaster, and politicianDan Patrick began his broadcast career atWNEP-TV in Scranton.
Americanconservative commentator, journalist, author, and television hostBill O'Reilly's early television career began atWNEP-TV in Scranton, where he served as a news and weather reporter, and as a news anchor later on.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2010.
^Sarah Scinto (October 30, 2013)."Labor leader's grave restored". Scranton Times-Tribune.Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. RetrievedDecember 16, 2016.
^Rich, Megan (September 27, 2012). ""From Coal To Cool": The Creative Class, Social Capital, And The Revitalization Of Scranton".Journal of Urban Affairs.35 (3):365–384.doi:10.1111/j.1467-9906.2012.00639.x.S2CID143899777.
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