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==History==
==History==
===Humble beginnings (1776-1865)===
===Humble beginnings (1776-1865)===
Present-day Scranton and the surrounding area had been inhabited by the native [[Lenape]] [[tribe]], from whose language "Lackawanna" (or "le-can-hanna", meaning "stream that forks") is derived. Gradually, settlers from [[New England]] came to the area in the late 1700s, establishing mills and other small businesses, and their village became known as Slocum Hollow. Isaac Tripp, known as the first settler, built his home here in 1778 which still stands in the Providence section of the city as a testament to this era.
Present-day Scranton and the surrounding area had been inhabited by the native [[Lenape]] [[tribe]], from whose language "Lackawanna" (or "le-can-hanna", meaning "stream that forks") is derived. Gradually, settlers from [[New England]], first lead by [[Jonathan "Pop" Slocum]] (the father of [[Frances Slocum]]), came to the area in the late 1700s, establishing mills and other small businesses, and their village became known as Slocum Hollow. Isaac Tripp, known as the first settler, built his home here in 1778 which still stands in the Providence section of the city as a testament to this era.


[[Image:Scranton-1.jpg|thumb|450px|right|'''Scranton, Pennsylvania''', as depicted on an 1890 panoramic map.]]
[[Image:Scranton-1.jpg|thumb|450px|right|'''Scranton, Pennsylvania''', as depicted on an 1890 panoramic map.]]

Revision as of 16:13, 6 April 2008

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Scranton, Pennsylvania
Nickname: 
Electric City
Motto(s): 
Embracing Our People, Our Traditions, and Our Future
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
CountyLackawanna
Incorporated (borough)February 14, 1856
Incorporated (city)April 23, 1866
Government
 • MayorChristopher A. Doherty (D)
Area
 • City
65.89 km2 (25.44 sq mi)
 • Land65.33 km2 (25.23 sq mi)
 • Water0.55 km2 (0.21 sq mi)
Population
 (2000)
 • City
76,415
 • Density1,169/km2 (3,029/sq mi)
 • Metro
624,776
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitehttp://www.scrantonpa.gov

The City of Scranton is the county seat of Lackawanna CountyTemplate:GR in Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 76,415 (2003 estimate: 74,320) (2006 estimate: 72,861). After Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, and Reading, Scranton is Pennsylvania's sixth most populous city.

Scranton is the geographic and cultural center of the Lackawanna River valley. It is the largest city located in a contiguous quilt-work of former anthracite coal mining communities including the smaller cities of 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 (1776-1865)

Present-day Scranton and the surrounding area had been inhabited by the native Lenape tribe, from whose language "Lackawanna" (or "le-can-hanna", meaning "stream that forks") is derived. Gradually, settlers from New England, first lead by Jonathan "Pop" Slocum (the father of Frances Slocum), came to the area in the late 1700s, establishing mills and other small businesses, and their village became known as Slocum Hollow. Isaac Tripp, known as the first settler, built his home here in 1778 which still stands in the Providence section of the city as a testament to this era.

Scranton, Pennsylvania, as depicted on an 1890 panoramic map.

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. Iron T-rails were first manufactured in America at the Montour Iron Works in Danville, PA, on October 8,1845. Prior, they were made in England and shipped overseas. In 1847, brothers Seldon T. and George W. Scranton began producing iron T-rails for the Erie Railroad in New York state. Soon after, Scranton became a major producer of these rails. 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. The Pennsylvania Coal Company built a gravity railroad here for this purpose as well. 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 that entered Scranton in 1863.

Scranton was incorporated as a city of 35,000 in 1866 when the surrounding boroughs of Hyde Park (now the "West Side" section) and Providence (now the "North Scranton" section) were merged with Scranton. The nation's first successful, continuously-operating electrified streetcar (trolley) system 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 and around 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 given jobs by the wealthy coal barons with low pay, long hours and unsafe working conditions. Children as young as 8 or 9 worked 14-hour days separating slate from coal in the breakers.

Growth and prosperity (1900-1945)

By the United States Census of 1900, the population of Scranton was about 102,026, making it the 38th largest city in the United States. 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 dwindling local iron ore supply took the Lackawanna Steel Company away to Lackawanna, New York, where iron ore from Minnesota was more readily available by ships on the Great Lakes. The city lost the industry on which it was founded.

Scranton then forged ahead as the center of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal industry. During the first half of the 20th century, it became home to many groups of newly arrived immigrants from Eastern Europe. This patchwork still survives and is represented by the Catholic and Orthodox churches that dot the neighborhoods of primarily the North, West, and South sectors of the city. In 1903, an electric interurban railroad known as the Laurel Line was started, and two years later connected to sister city Wilkes-Barre, 20 miles southwest. Working conditions for miners were improved by the efforts of labor leaders like John Mitchell, whose statue is found on the downtown Courthouse Square. By the mid-1930s, the city population had swelled to approximately 150,000 due to the extensive growth of the mining and silk textile industries. World War II created a great demand for energy, which was satisfied by expanded 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. In contrast to other cities in the United States that prospered in the post-war "boom", the fortunes and population of Scranton (and the rest of Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties) began to diminish. Coal production and rail traffic declined rapidly throughout the 1950s. In 1952, the Laurel Line ceased passenger service. The trolleys of the Scranton Transit Company that gave the city its nickname transferred all operations to buses as the 1954 holiday season approached. In 1955, some eastern and southern parts of the city were destroyed by the floods of Hurricane Diane, and 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

The Knox Mine Disaster of January 1959 all but erased the mining industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The event terminated thousands of jobs as the waters of the Susquehanna River flooded the mines. 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 its operations until the Erie Lackawanna merger, when it was no longer needed in this capacity; it was another severe blow to the labor market. Mine subsidence 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 then scarred by abandoned coal mining structures, strip mines and massive culm dumps, a few of which continue to burn, though federal and state intervention extinguished most. During the 1960s and 1970s, the silk and other textile industries also shrunk as jobs moved south or overseas. During the 1970s and 1980s, many of the downtown storefronts and theaters became vacant as suburban shopping malls became the dominant venues for shopping and entertainment.

Stabilization and restoration (1985-Present)

There has been an emphasis on revitalization since the mid-1980s. Local government and much of the community at large have adopted a renewed interest in the city's buildings and history. Aged and empty properties are being redesigned and marketed as tourist attractions. The Steamtown National Historic Site captures the area's once-prominent position in the railroad industry. The former DL&W train station is restored as the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. The Electric City Trolley Museum was created next to the DL&W yards that "Steamtown" occupies. The two-story Mall at Steamtown was built in 1993 and has advanced the downtown business district's return as a regional shopping destination. The Houdini Museum, founded by magician Dorothy Dietrich, is a showcase of the legendary artist's exploits in the city. Developers and brokers are beginning to descend on dilapidated buildings and vacant lots to further sculpt a new downtown to be characterized by modern and attractive office, residential, and retail space. The Hill section's Nay Aug Park has been a particular target for progressive Mayor Chris Doherty, having seen numerous renovations after many years of disrepair.

In spite of this progress, a 2001 Washington Post Magazine column described Wilkes-Barre as "awful" and Scranton as "awfuler," and named it a contender for the "armpit of America". There has since been an attempt to renew pride among Scrantonians by elected officials.[citation needed] Other attractions responsible for recent popularity and favorable attention to Scranton include the Snö Mountain ski resort (formerly Montage Mountain), the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (formerly the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons), AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, and their PNC Field, and the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain concert venue.

In addition, the hit NBC sitcom "The Office" has brought attention to Scranton, culminating in the Office Convention and a Washington Post article titled Scranton, Making All the Dwight Moves. [1].

Geography

Scranton is located at 41°24′38″N 75°40′3″W / 41.41056°N 75.66750°W / 41.41056; -75.66750Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.410629, -75.667411)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.9 km² (25.4 mi²). The city has 65.3 km² (25.2 mi²) of land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of water. The total area is 0.83% water.

The elevation of "Center City" is approximately 750' (229m) above sea level. Generally, the city is hilly, with its inhabited portions ranging approximately from 650' (220m) to 1400' (425m). The city is flanked by mountains to the east and west whose elevations range from 1900' (580m) to 2100' (640m).

Neighborhoods

Scranton is broken up into four major sections: West Side, South Side, the Hill Section, and North Scranton. Two major subsets are: Green Ridge, an area two miles from downtown Scranton between the Hill Section and North Scranton, and Minooka, in the southwest part of South Scranton, bordering on neighboring boroughs Taylor and Moosic. The Hill Section is located in the eastern part of the city. Other sections include: East Mountain, an off shoot of South Scranton; West Mountain, an off shoot of West Side; Tripp Park, a small area located between West Scranton and North Scranton; the Plot, a flood prone neighborhood at the foot of the hills of Green Ridge; Bull’s Head, a largely Portuguese and Italian neighborhood between North and West Scranton; Pine Brook which is between downtown Scranton and Green Ridge, and Bellevue, a section bridging lower North Scranton, West Scranton, and South Scranton. Green Ridge is known to be the wealthiest of the neighborhoods. It is in Green Ridge and the Hill Section that the mansions built by former coal barons still stand. As with most cities and neighborhoods, boundaries can be ambiguous and are not always uniformly defined.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
187035,092—
188045,85030.7%
189075,21564.0%
1900102,02635.6%
1910129,86727.3%
1920137,7836.1%
1930143,3334.0%
1940140,404−2.0%
1950125,536−10.6%
199081,805—
200076,415−6.6%
2006 (est.)72,861
US Census Bureau[1]

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race make up 2.62% of the population.

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. The city had 36.7% of its households with single occupancy and 18.1% whose individual was aged at least 65. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.

The population's age is distributed with 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. The per capita income for the city was $16,174. Found below the poverty 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.

Ancestries: Irish (30.3%), Italian (19.4%), German (15.7%), Polish (14.8%), Welsh (6.9%), English (5.8%) (City-Data.com).

Scranton has a notably large Irish American population. According to the census of 2000, over 30% of the total population reported Irish ancestry, which is the highest percentage of Irish ancestry for a city of this size.

The local dialect of American English is "Northeast Pennsylvania English", at least for the older generations of Scranton residents.

As of the 2006 American 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 a Bachelor's degree or higher. In labor force (population 16 years and over) 57.6% of them work. The per capita income (in 2006 inflation-adjusted dollars) is 17.187.

Public Safety

Fire Service

  • Incorporated as a paid service in 1901, the Scranton Fire Department services the city 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The fire department is a full-time service consisting of approximately 140 firefighters. Scranton's Fire Headquarters is located at 518 Mulberry St., in Central City.
  • Fire Headquarters is home to Engine Co. 4, Truck Co. 2, and Car 21.
  • Engine Company 2 is located on Gibbons St. at Pittston Ave, in Scranton's South Side.
  • Rescue 1 is located at 960 Wyoming Ave., in the City's Pinebrook section.
  • Engine 7 is located at 1917 Luzerne St ., in the City's West Side.
  • Engine 8 is located at Rear 211 West Market St., in North Scranton.
  • Engine9 & Truck 4 are housed together at 1047 North Main Ave., in the Bull's Head section of the City.
  • Engine 10 is located at 1900 East Mountain Rd., in the City's East Mountain Section.
  • Engine 15 is located at 1409 Ash St., in the Petersburg section of Scranton.

Police

  • The Scranton Police Patrol Division is broken down into three shifts. Each shift has a minimum of 26 officers.
  • Special Units include, Arson Investigations, Auto Theft Task Force, Child Abuse Investigation, Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Investigation, Juvenile Unit, Special Investigations Unit, Canine Unit, Community Development and Highway Unit

Emergency Medical Services

  • Emergency medical services is provided by two private companies, Community Life Support and Lackawanna Ambulance.
  • The city of Scranton requires that only Advanced Life Support units respond to emergencies, which include a crew of a Paramedic and an EMT.
  • Ambulances are dispatched by an advanced GPS system which allows the 911 dispatcher to send the closest ambulance to the scene of the emergency.

Media

Television

Print

  • The Times-Tribune, daily
  • The Times Leader, daily, primarily Wilkes-Barre
  • The Union News, monthly
  • La Voz Latina, monthly
  • Melanian News, bi-monthly
  • Electric City, weekly (entertainment)
  • Weekender, weekly (entertainment)
  • The Antenna, monthly (arts and culture)

Radio

Scranton's radio market is ranked #70 by Arbitron's ranking system. The following boxes contain all the radio stations receivable in the area.

Transportation

Highways

Public Transportation

Railroads

Professional sports

Club League Venue Established Championships
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees IL, Baseball PNC Field 1937 1 (as the Charleston Charlies)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL, Ice hockey Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza 1999 0
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers af2, Arena football Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza 2002 0
  • Scranton Eagles, Empire Football League
  • Scranton Apollos & Scranton Miners, Continental Basketball Association
  • Scranton Indians (1887-unknown) Minor League Baseball, defunct
  • Unknown Team (1892-1894) Minor League Baseball, Pennsylvania State League
  • Unknown Team (1894-1897) Minor League Baseball, Eastern League
  • Unknown Team (1899-1900) Minor League Baseball, Atlantic League
  • The Leaguers (1961-72, 1997-present)
  • Scranton Miners (1904-1917), Class B Minor League Baseball, New York State League
  • Scranton Miners (1923-1937), Class A & B Minor League Baseball, New York-Pennsylvania League
  • Scranton Red Sox (1939-1953), Class A Eastern League (a renamed version of the New York-Pennsylvania League)
  • Scranton Miners (1993-1995), Atlantic Basketball Association
  • North East Pennsylvania Miners Football, North American Football League

Colleges and universities

Notable natives and residents

Landmarks and attractions

The Steamtown National Historic Site showcases steam era railroading that gives visitors tours through Scranton and portions of the Pocono Mountains.
A banner promoting Dunder Mifflin, the fictional paper company on NBC's The Office hangs in downtown Scranton.

The city has made numerous appearances in popular culture, notably as the setting of current NBC sitcom The Office (an Americanized version of a BBC series). Video of the city filmed by cast member John Krasinski's friends is featured in the opening theme. The program makes frequent references to actual attributes of Scranton and the surrounding area, including the Mall at Steamtown, Farley's Pub, Poor Richard's Pub, Montage Mountain, The Scranton Anthracite Museum, and Lake Wallenpaupack. In a February 2006 episode, Steve Carell's character Michael Scott describes New York City as "Scranton on speed, acid, and steroids." In a November 2006 episode called "The Merger", Scott creates an orientation video titled "Lazy Scranton" (a parody of "Lazy Sunday") in which he highlights many popular Scranton attractions. Also many local items are placed around the office like a quilt with the University of Scranton's logo on it, a Froggy 101 bumper sticker (local radio), and bobble head dolls from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.

The city also served as the setting of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play That Championship Season by Jason Miller was based on the fictional lives of Scranton's 1957 state basketball champions. Miller wrote and directed the 1982 screenplay in which all exterior scenes were filmed in Scranton at his insistence.

Scranton has also been referenced in a cartoon in a May 2005 issue of The New Yorker, on the Travel Channel's Magic Road Trip program featured the city's Houdini Museum as one of the world's top magic attractions, in Harry Chapin's 1974 song "30,000 Pounds of Bananas," which dramatizes the wreck of a truck carrying bananas on March 26, 1965 just outside downtown Scranton, the city is also the subject of George Inness's 1855 painting the "Lackawanna Valley", which now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Sister cities

Scranton has two official sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Scranton(city) QuickFacts". Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  2. ^ Specialist Sean O’Shea guarded the most high-profile prisoner in U.S.
  3. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Parini
  4. ^ 2008 Scranton Pennsylvania Saint Patrick's Day Parade - The Scranton, PA St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 11:30 am
  5. ^ http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19404282&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=590572&rfi=8
  6. ^ "The Electric City Trolley Museum Association". Retrieved 2007-04-14.
  7. ^ "Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel". Retrieved 2007-04-14.

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