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Scranton is a city located in Lackawanna County in Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 76,415 (2003 estimate: 74,320). It is the county seat of Lackawanna County. After Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie and Reading, Scranton is Pennsylvania's sixth most populous city.

Scranton is nestled in the Lackawanna River valley. It sits directly between the Pocono Mountains to the east and the Endless Mountains to the west. It is the largest city located in a contiguous quilt-work of former anthracite coal mining towns including Wilkes-Barre, Pittston and Carbondale. Scranton was incorporated as a borough on February 14, 1856, and as a city on April 23, 1866.

History

Humble beginnings (1776-1845)

The present-day city of Scranton was originally occupied by the Lenape tribe of Native Americans. The name of the Lackawanna river valley in which it sits is derived from a Lenape phrase "le-can-hanna" meaning "stream that forks". Gradually, settlers from New England began to inhabit the area in the late 1700s, setting up mills and other small businesses, and the village became known as Slocum Hollow. The home of Isaac Tripp, built in 1778, still stands in the Providence section of the city as a testament to this era.

Industrial foundations established: iron, coal and railroads (1846-1899)

Though anthracite coal was being mined in Carbondale to the north and Wilkes-Barre to the south, the industry that precipitated the city's growth was iron and steel. In 1847, brothers Seldon T. and George W. Scranton, began producing iron T-rails for the Erie Railroad in New York state. These were the first rails manufactured in the United States; prior to this they were made in England and shipped overseas. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) was founded in 1851 by the Scrantons to transport iron and coal products from the Lackawanna valley. A gravity railroad built by the Pennsylvania Coal Company also entered the city to transport the black diamonds. In 1856, the borough of Scranton was officially incorporated and named after its industrious founders. The Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal Company, which had its own gravity railroad from Carbondale to Honesdale, built a steam railroad which entered Scranton in 1863. Scranton was incorporated as a city of 35,000 in 1866 when the surrounding boroughs of Hyde Park (the present-day west side) and Providence (the present-day north side) were merged with Scranton borough. One of the first successfully electrified streetcar (trolley) lines was established in the city in 1886, giving it the nickname "The Electric City". In the late 1890s Scranton was home to a series of early International League baseball teams. By 1890, three other railroads had built lines to tap into the rich supply of coal in the city, including the Erie Railroad, the Central Railroad of New Jersey and finally the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad (NYO&W). Underneath the city, a network of coal veins was mined by workers who were exploited by the wealthy coal barons with low pay, long work days and horrendous, unsafe working conditions. Children as young as 8 or 9 worked 14 hour days separating slate from coal in the coal breakers.

Growth and prosperity (1900-1945)

With the United States Census of 1900, the population of Scranton passed the 100,000 mark, making it the 38th largest city in the United States at the time. The turn of the 20th century saw many beautiful homes of Victorian architecture built in the Hill and Green Ridge sections of the city. In 1901, the local iron ore supply was dwindling and the Lackawanna Steel Company moved operations to Lackawanna, New York, where iron ore from Minnesota was more readily available by ships on the Great Lakes. Despite the loss of the industry on which the city was founded, Scranton forged ahead as the center of the Pennsylvania anthracite coal industry. During the first half of the 20th century it was home to many groups of newly arrived immigrants from Europe. The remnants of this patchwork can still be seen in some of the Catholic and Orthodox churches that dot the city's south, north and west sides. In 1903, an electric interurban rail line known as the Laurel Line was built to connect sister city Wilkes-Barre 20 miles to the southwest. Working conditions for miners were improved by the efforts of such labor leaders as John Mitchell, whose statue is on the Lackawanna County Courthouse grounds in the city's center. By the mid 1930s, the city population had swelled to around 150,000 people due to the extensive growth of the mining and silk textile industries. During World War II, the country's insatiable need for energy to supply the war machine was cause for extensive strip mining operations throughout the area.

The end of an era (1946-1984)

After World War II, it became clear that coal was losing favor to other energy sources such as oil and natural gas. At the same time, the supply of coal in area mines was dwindling. In contrast to other cities in the United States which prospered in the post-war expansion, Scranton (and all of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties) saw its fortunes and population beginning to diminish. Coal production and rail traffic began to decline rapidly throughout the 1950s. In 1952, the Laurel Line ceased transporting passengers. The trolleys of the Scranton Transit Company that gave the city its nickname yielded all operations to buses as Christmas 1954 approached. In 1955, the east and south sides of the city were devastated by the floods of Hurricane Diane, and a total of 80 lives were lost in the area. The NYO&W Railroad, which depended heavily on its Scranton branch for freight traffic, was completely abandoned in 1957. January 1959 saw the Knox Mine Disaster, and almost immediately all mining in the area ended and thousands of jobs evaporated as mines became flooded by the waters of the Susquehanna River. The DL&W Railroad, nearly bankrupt by the drop in coal traffic and the effects of Hurricane Diane, merged with the Erie Railroad in 1960. Scranton had been the hub of DL&W operations; with the Erie Lackawanna merger, the city was no longer an important hub and many jobs left the area. Mine subsidence became a common problem in the city, as pillar supports in abandoned mines gave way; entire blocks of homes were consumed by these cave-ins. The area had become scarred by abandoned coal mining structures, strip mines and massive culm dumps, some of which burned for years until federal and state intervention put the fires out. During the 1960s and 1970s, the silk and other textile industries also saw a decline as jobs moved south or overseas. During the 1970s and 1980s, the center city area saw many of its stores and theaters close as suburban shopping malls began to dominate the scene.

Stabilization and restoration (1985-Present)

Since the mid 1980s, the center city has seen an upswing due to renewed interest in the city's rich architecture and the creation of new tourist attractions, such as the Steamtown National Historic Site, which celebrates the city's railroad history. The former DL&W train station was renovated into what is today a luxurious hotel for visitors, the Radisson at Lackawanna Station. The Steamtown National Historic Site occupies the former DL&W Railroad yards, with the Electric City Trolley museum adjacent to it. Built in 1993, the two-floor Steamtown Mall was built as an attempt to revive downtown shopping, and many new businesses have renovated old buildings, or have built new buildings where abandoned buildings or vacant lots once stood. The University of Scranton campus borders the downtown area in the city's Hill Section. Nay Aug Park was, in the past, a destination for residents throughout the Scranton area, but has fallen into disrepair in recent years. Desptie a 2001 Washington Post article which described Wilkes-Barre as "awful" and Scranton as "awfuler", chastising the area as the "armpit of America", that did not slow down the revitilization campaign, quite the contrary. Since that time, efforts have been made to refurbish Nay Aug Park, and it is slowly returning to being a destination for city residents and not far from the downtown, the Montage Mountain Ski Resort, the Lackawanna County Stadium of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons AAA Minor League baseball team, and the Toyota Pavilion Amphiteater have all been added in the current decade as major cultural hotspots. The coal scarred land is disappearing, and is being replaced with parks, businesses and homes.

Geography

Scranton is located at 41°24'38" North, 75°40'3" West (41.410629, -75.667411). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.9 km² (25.4 mi²). 65.3 km² (25.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.83% water.

The center city area sits at about 750' (229m) above sea level. Generally, the city is hilly, with inhabited portions of the city ranging from about 650' (220m) above sea level to about 1400' (425m) above sea level. The city is hemmed in by mountains to the east and west ranging in height from 1900' (580m) to 2100' (640m) above sea level.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 76,415 people, 31,303 households, and 18,124 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,169.4/km² (3,029.2/mi²). There were 35,336 housing units at an average density of 540.8/km² (1,400.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.54% White, 3.02% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 2.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 31,303 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. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, 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. The per capita income for the city was $16,174. 15.0% of the population and 10.7% of families were below the poverty line. 18.9% of those under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Scranton is also home to a very large Irish American population. According to 2000 census data over 30% of the total population reported Irish Ancestry, this is the largset percentage of Irish ancestry for a city this size.

The local dialect of American English is "Northeast Pennsylvania English", at least for the older generation of Scranton residents. It is uncommon to hear such local words as "hayna" and "couple-too-tree" among the younger and more educated area residents.

Transportation

Highways

Public Transportation

Railroads

Professional sports

Colleges and universities

Notable natives and residents

Landmarks and attractions

  • The city is home to the University of Scranton, Marywood University, and a campus of The Pennsylvania State University (Worthington Scranton, actually located in the northeastern suburb of Dunmore).
  • Scranton is also home of the Steamtown National Historic Site, a museum that seeks to preserve the history of steam locomotives
  • Electric City Trolley Museum, adjacent to the Steamtown Site, preserves and operates pieces of Pennsylvania streetcar history.
  • The Lackawanna Coal Mine tour is open for those who desire to learn about the history of mining and railroads in the Scranton area. The tours are conducted inside a part of a former working mine.
  • The DL&W Passenger Station, now a Radisson Hotel with fine dining and several conference and banquet centers.
  • The Scranton Iron Furnaces, remnants of the Lackawanna Steel Company founded by the Scranton family.
  • The Montage Mountain Ski Resort features a wide array of skiing slopes and is adjacent to an amphitheater, the Ford Pavilion, where musical artists ranging from James Taylor to The Dave Matthews Band have performed.
  • The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons baseball home games can be seen at the Lackawanna County Stadium located across from Montage in Moosic, PA. The Red Barons are the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • The Everhart Museum displays many valuable pieces of "natural history, science and art" in global history, including sculptures from ancient civilizations.
  • Every October the Steamtown Marathon, which finishes in Scranton, is held.

Scranton in popular culture

  • The current NBC sitcom The Office (an Americanized version of a BBC series), is set at a fictional paper company in Scranton. Shots of the city are in the opening credits and there have been references to The Steamtown Mall, Farley's Pub, Lake Wallenpaupack, and other area attributes.
  • A cartoon in a May 2005 issue of The New Yorker depicts the city in the form of an amusement park ride with the sign advertising the ride reading: "experience the sights, sounds, and smells of Scranton and warning: may cause nausea."
  • In the 2004 Coen Brothers film, The Ladykillers, the character of Garth Pancake (played by J.K. Simmons) proudly states that he is from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
  • In 2001, the Disney television show, Lizzie McGuire, mentions Scranton during a scene in which the city is criticized for being chosen as the location for an opening premiere for a middle-school play.
  • In a 2000 episode of HBO's The Sopranos, Tony references the city of Boston as "Scranton with clams."
  • In the 1999 flick, Never Been Kissed, the main character Josie (portrayed by Drew Barrymore) descends from Scranton.
  • In 1998, the movie Dead End, is set in Scranton where a police detective, played by Eric Roberts, investigates the "allegeded" suicide of his ex-wife.
  • In 1996, the movie Kingpin had the lead character, Roy (played by Woody Harrelson), living in Scranton.
  • In the 1994 comedy, My Father, the Hero, a tourist husband-and-wife couple from Scranton join Nicole (Katherine Heigl) and her father in one scene.
  • In a 1994 episode of the FOX's The Simpsons, Kent Brockman reports that David Crosby's liver was found in Scranton above a drugstore.
  • In a 1995 episode of NBC's Friends, Ross mentions the Scranton zoo as the "last hope" to find a home for his pet monkey, Marcel. In the episode, when Ross is informed that the zoo dismissed him, he bellows, "We didn't get into...Scranton?!?!? That was like our safety zoo. They take, like dogs and cows!" Scranton no longer has an operating zoo, as the Nay Aug Zoo fell into serious disrepair over the years.
  • In 1992, the movie School Ties had the lead character 'David Green' (portrayed by Brendan Fraser) living in Scranton at the beginning of the film.
  • In 1990, the movie Home Alone had Kevin's (played by Macaulay Culkin) mom, Kate (played by Catherine O'Hara) stuck in the Scranton Airport (Avoca International) due to a snowstorm, while trying desperately to get home. She eventually gets help from the leader of a Polka band named Gus Polinski (played by John Candy). He drives Kate all the way to Chicago in the band van.
  • In a 1975 episode of the CBS sitcom, All in the Family, Edith attends a friend's wedding in Scranton, despite husband Archie's complaints about the city.
  • The 1973 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play That Championship Season by Jason Miller was based on the fictional lives of members of a Scranton basketball team that had won the state championship in 1957. The play was ultimately made into a movie in 1982 with Miller writing and directing. All of the movie's exterior scenes were filmed in Scranton at Miller's insistence.
  • A 1965 episode of Green Acres is entitled, "What Happened in Scranton?"
  • On March 26, 1965, a truck carrying bananas crashed after coming down a two-mile downhill road (Moosic Street) that leads into the downtown area. This incident would lead to the 1974 Harry Chapin song "30,000 Pounds of Bananas".
  • In James Blish's 1957 novel 'They Shall Have Stars,' the protagonist is captured by a press gang and forced to board the spindizzy city of Scranton as it departs to wander in space, mining minerals and renting out its services.
  • In 1855, George Inness painted the "Lackawanna Valley", an early portrait of Scranton at a major DL&W junction; this painting now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
  • Major League Baseball brothers Jim and Steve O'Neill were born in Minooka, a section of Scranton.

Sister cities

Scranton has two official sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International and one unofficial "twin city":

External links

Cities in Pennsylvania | Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania | Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton (Pensylwania) | Scranton (Pensilvânia) | Скрентон (Пенсильвания) | Скрентон

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Scranton, Pennsylvania".

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