Scranton, PA City Guide and Yellow Pages

More About Scranton, Pennsylvania

tled by New Englanders in the late-1700s, the city of Scranton is nestled in the Lackawanna Valley where the Endless Mountains and the Poconos Mountains merge along the shores of the Lackawanna River of northeastern Pennsylvania.

The region was the homeland to the Lenape, a Native American tribe whose phrase "Lackawanna" translates to “stream that forks.”

Scranton is the county seat of Lackawanna County, an anthracite coal region, and is located about two hours from New York City and Philadelphia. The area is sprinkled with numerous state forests, lakes and recreational sites. The original settlement was called Slocum Hollow. Built in about 1771, the first settler, Isaac Tripp’s home still remains as the oldest building standing in Scranton. The former coal and textile town was once called "the Electric City," "Pennsylvania’s Progressive City" and "the Anthracite Capital of the World." Scranton was named in honor of businessman George W. Scranton, and was incorporated in 1866.

Perhaps best recognized as the imaginary small-town setting for the popular NBC-TV comedy, "The Office," Scranton has proved to be a city with a sense of humor. Several citizens now operate a weekly 4-hour fans tour of "The Office" Landmarks. Sightseeing begins with a photo op at the "Scranton Welcomes You" sign at the Steamtown Mall.

Once a blue-collar coal-and-iron hub, Scranton is now ranked as one of "the 10 fastest-growing real estate markets in the nation" by Money magazine. Business Week’s 2010 "Best Place to Raise Your Kids” poll ranks Scranton on that list. Business Week also hails Scranton as No. 17 of the nation’s “Best Place to Start Over.” Forbes magazine ranked Scranton as 30th as one of “America’s Fastest Recovering Cities.”

By the early '90s, Scranton began a turn-a-round after a 40-year nose dive. At the same time, the Pennsylvania Economy League was forced to come up with a 3-year rescue plan to save Scranton from collapse. But by the late-'90s and hundreds of millions of dollars later, Scranton had grown into a desirable city with a population of roughly 77,000 and an economy based on professional services, tourism, manufacturing, retail sales, health, and education industries. Part of Scranton’s rescue plan included the successful repurposing and restoration of buildings in historic downtown. Scranton’s motto is “Embracing Our People, Our Traditions, Our Future.”

Interesting attractions pepper Scranton. Nay Aug Park, designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted (who also designed Central Park in New York City and Louisville's parks), is home to the ramped “universally accessible” Forever Young tree house. Scranton’s Iron Furnaces are reminders of the city’s heritage and of the Lackawanna Steel Co., owned by the Scranton family. Visitors can explore the coal mining and railroad history at McDade Park’s Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. The Everhart Museum offers natural history, science, and art collections. Housed in one of Scranton’s many historic buildings is the Houdini Museum presenting films, shows, and a stage production of the internationally known magician and escape artist. In addition, the National Historic Site of Steamtown boasts “the Scranton Limited,” a vintage diesel train ride from its downtown train museum. Steamtown also houses a technology and history museum of steam railroading, and refurbished freight and passengers cars, along with a “sectioned” steam locomotive. Electric City is home to a genuine streetcar exhibit, and takes reservations for a scenic ride on the Laurel Line electric “inter-urban” railroad.

During Scranton’s warm, humid summers, residents gather at Sno Cove’s water park or the water slides at Nay Aug Park. During cold, rainy or snowy winters, the ski slopes at Sno Mountain ski resort offer chilly weather recreation. Piazza dell’Arte, a plaza located near the city’s courthouse, honors native son Jason Miller, Pulitzer Prize-winner for the 1973 drama “The Championship Season” (and actor in the film "The Exorcist") with a sculpted bust by actor Paul Sorvino. Other notables from Scranton include U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Jean "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" Kerr, and poet W.S. Merwin.

Schools of higher education in Scranton are the Marywood University, founded in 1915, and the University of Scranton, founded in 1888.

Written by Kathleen Cooney

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Newspapers are Times Tribune, Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal
Scranton Sports teams are The RoyalsThe Red Barons
Local Schools are Marywood University, University of Scranton