Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton is the county seat of Lackawanna County in northeastern Pennsylvania. Covering 25.44 sq mi (65.89 sq km), it has a population of 76,000 people (2011 estimate), making it the 6th most populous city in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie and Reading.

City Hall, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scranton_City_Hall.jpg
Author: Christopher Seliga
photo licensing

Scranton experiences a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons. Summers here can get very hot, especially when there's the occasional heatwave, while winters are cold and snowy.

Hottest month is July, with average high temperatures of 82.6°F (28.1°C). January is the coldest month, with low temperatures averaging 18.5°F (-7.5°C). Rain is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Snow can be expected from November till March.

The Scranton area has inhabited by the Lenape tribe of Native Americans until the arrival of the first European, that being Isaac Tripp in 1778. His home is still standing today, in the Providence neighborhood of Scranton.

Scranton was named after the brothers Selden T. and George W. Scranton, steel barons who founded the Lackawanna Steel Company as well as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The name Lackawanna comes from the Lenape language meaning "stream that forks".

Scranton was made a city in 1866. Twenty years later, it had the first electrified streetcar in the country, earning itself the nickname, "The Electric City". The late 19th and early 20th century was a prosperous period of Scranton's history, buoyed by wealth from coal and iron mining. This is reflected in the many ornate Victorian houses built during this time.

The fortune of Scranton began to recede in the post-World War II years. The Knox Mine Disaster of 1959 sealed the fate of the local mining industry. Scranton struggled through the 1960s and 70s. Its economy only began to revitalize from the mid-1980s.

Visiting Scranton

Interstate 81, 84 and 476 connect Scranton with the rest of the country. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) receives flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Newark and Philadelphia.

Places of Interest in Scranton

Electric City Trolley Museum
Museum displaying the trolleys and streetcars that were used in Scranton in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Everhart Museum
This natural hisotry museum has a wide range of exhibits from ethnological artifacts to zoological displays, fossils, and artwork by local artists. It is the biggest public museum in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Houdini Museum
Museum documenting the career of famous magician Harry Houdini, who performed several shows in Scranton.
Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple
Originally built as the Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite Cathedral, the building is today a theater and cultural center often hosting off Broadway performances.

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