Known as the “Electric City” after the advent of electric lighting at an industrial plant in 1880, Scranton still celebrates that legacy in northeastern Pennsylvania with a colorful sign that blazes atop the Scranton Electric Building every night. The city is also known as the setting of NBC’s hit series “The Office” and fans can visit locations from the show. “They play off of it,” says Debbie Friese, a broker associate and Realtor with Coldwell Banker Lakeview Realtors. “Anyone who watches ‘The Office’ in the world can go to Cooper’s Seafood House and actually see it, and the city of Scranton has even done some murals on some locations.”
Scranton's central downtown is surrounded by residential streets. With a population of about 75,000 people, the city is often mentioned in the same breath as Wilkes-Barre, which sits 20 miles to the southwest. The dual cities share elements like a pair of minor-league sports teams, and both offer a vibrant culture of theater, music and art celebrated by local festivals. “It’s a tight-knit community with people from various backgrounds,” says Nell Donnelly-O’Boyle, broker and co-owner of Dwell Real Estate with more than 20 years of selling in Scranton. “We celebrate all the different cultures.” Residents range from students and professors to professionals and retirees. “It’s a popular place to retire,” Donnelly-O’Boyle says. “People from New York and Philadelphia who have vacationed in the Poconos know the area well, and they appreciate the lower taxes here.”
The city also counts mining among its historic ties, and tunnels of anthracite lie open to tours beneath McDade Park in the southwestern part of the city. Scranton’s numerous claims to fame also include being the birthplace of Joe Biden; an array of annual festivals and celebrations; and the cachet of being supposedly haunted, with walking tours and assorted Gothic Revival buildings bringing echoes of eras past to the present day.
The Electric City sign celebrates Scranton being one of the first electric cities in the US.
The Office:The Story of Us Mural is in downtown Scranton minutes from Providence.
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Ghost tours, local festivals and area sports teams
Scranton is noted for reportedly haunted locations, and the city offers several tours and events revolving around ghostly presences. The Lackawanna County Haunted Trail has over a dozen landmarks in and around the downtown Scranton area, including the Scranton Public Library and the Catlin House. In nearby Dunmore, the Dunmore Cemetery Tour features actors playing the ghosts of those buried there. The Houdini Museum features artifacts of the escape artist’s career. Near the Lackawanna County Courthouse, a bust of actor Jason Miller contains some of his ashes; Miller played Father Karras in “The Exorcist” in 1973 and was a longtime staple of Scranton’s theater community.
As winter nears its end, the community gathers at Montage Mountain for Mountainfest, a two-day festival featuring music and contests. The headlining event is Preston & Steve’s Cardboard Classic, when locals create cardboard planes, automobiles and other vehicles to take sledding. Runners and walkers hit the streets of Scranton each year for The Office 5K, which has a route winding past landmarks of the beloved television show and features participants dressing up as their favorite characters. Fire performers tame flames at the Bonfire Fall Festival, which also serves as a Halloween celebration at Scranton Iron Furnaces every year.
Other events include the Scranton Shakespeare Festival, with free theatrical productions of the Bard’s works, and Broadway musical performances at the Scranton Cultural Center. “Broadway of Scranton has musicals that they split with the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre,” Friese says, “and the Philharmonic splits their time between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.” Sports fans can head south to PNC Field for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball games, or farther south to see the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, which operate as an affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
See Houdini memorabilia plus a magic show at the Houdini Museum in Tripp's Park.
Grab a seat and enjoy a game in Moosic at the PNC Field.
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High demand and low supply for Scranton housing
Scranton is primarily made up of single-family homes, and the residential landscape of the city surrounds its downtown. The median price of homes in Scranton is around $189,000, with high demand and low inventory making the area a seller’s market. Prices typically range from $100,000 to $250,000 for single-family properties. Architectural styles often come in the form of traditional homes, characterized by multiple rows of windows, peaked roofs and porches. Buyers can also find Victorians, along with ranch- and colonial-style homes, throughout the city.
Recent investor purchases have created more options for homebuyers, but inventory remains scarce. “People are starting to be able to buy a home and make an income,” Friese says. Potential homebuyers can also find multi-family homes in Scranton, which are often priced between $150,000 and $300,000. “From 2016 to 2019, we were looking at positive growth,” Friese says. “There is an abundance of first-time homebuyers that desire to own their home, but we don't have enough housing available.”
Cold winters in Scranton can often feature temperatures dipping to around 20 degrees or below, while summers warm up to over 80 degrees. Snowfall can tally over half-a-foot early in the year, while rainfall averages are typically under four inches a month. Some homes near the rivers are classified as being in a high-risk flood zone.
You can find a variety of colonial and family homes in East Mountain.
A beautiful Victorian home built circa 1876 in Green Ridge, PA.
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International restaurants and grocery stores in Scranton
Residents can choose from an assortment of restaurants scattered throughout the city. International fare includes Peruvian, Chinese, Italian and Mexican food, with many of the eateries concentrated on North Main Avenue. “Main Avenue is like driving on Route 66,” Friese says. “There are wonderful restaurants in these little towns. It used to be a heavy Italian flavor and the mecca for pizza. It’s very regional.” Tiki- and arcade-themed bars add flair to a traditional pub-like atmosphere, while patrons can order seafood at the maritime-themed Catch 21 Seafood & Steak. “You’ve got all types of dining from all different ethnic styles,” Friese says. “They do First Fridays, where every first Friday of every month, the businesses open their shops and highlight artists or their products.”
Grocery shoppers can head to local Price Rite, Walmart Supercenter or Fresh Grocer locations, and those stores are supplemented by the presence of several international grocery stores. Several chain restaurants, a boutique chocolate shop and national stores call the Southside Shopping Center home along the Lackawanna River. The Viewmont Mall, located beside the cloverleaf interchange of Interstate 81, offers major clothing, electronics and home goods retailers. “We have the big one – the Viewmont Mall – up in Dickson City. That’s the main mall. There’s still growth happening. In downtown Scranton, they’re trying to revitalize again, and you have niche dining.”
Viewmont Mall is just minutes from Tripp's Park to spend some time shopping.
Coopers Seafood is one of the most unique restaurants in Hill Section.
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A pair of large parks for Scranton locals
Scranton’s largest recreational spaces are Nay Aug Park and McDade Park. “There are smaller neighborhood parks,” Friese says. “Most of that is part of the Lackawanna Trail System. Nay Aug is a beautiful place to navigate.” Nay Aug Park derives its name from the Munsee term for its location – situated alongside Roaring Brook – and spans 73 acres on Scranton’s east side. Visitors can roam the park’s forested trails en route to Nay Aug Gorge, passing a waterfall that leads to a 20-foot drop that opens into the gorge. For a break from hiking, the BlackWatch Café is located within the park. Lake Scranton, the Lackawanna River and Roaring Brook all provide opportunities for water-based recreation, while Montage Mountain covers warm and cold weather with a water park and wintertime skiing.
On the west side, McDade Park encompasses nearly 200 acres and includes the Boundless Playground, an inclusive recreation area for children that incorporates safety surfaces, accessible equipment and quiet areas. The park's other amenities include sports facilities, an Olympic-sized pool and a trail system, and visitors can also tour an actual coal mine and museum that commemorates the area’s industrial history.
The Gorge in Nay Aug Park is a beautiful place for a hike.
Mcdade Park is home to the Anthracite Heritage Museum revealing the history of coal miners.
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Highly-rated private schools and several nearby universities
The Scranton School District serves students in the city, receiving a C-plus rating from Niche and encompassing 10 elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools. English Language Development (ELD) programs are available. At Scranton High School, students can also take dual-enrollment courses facilitated by Lackawanna College or Keystone College.
Private schools are common in the region, and Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School receives an A-plus from Niche. Other private institutions include MMI Preparatory School and Scranton Preparatory School, both of which earn A ratings from Niche. Several colleges sit in and around the city. The University of Scranton sits in the middle of the region, while Marywood University lies on the east side of northern Scranton. Both are private universities more than a century old, enrolling over 5,000 and over 2,000 students, respectively.
Scranton Highschool
Lackawanna College if a fully credited college that has been educating locals in Hazleton since 1894.
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Nearby highways that reach major cities
Interstate 81 passes through several parts of Scranton, and both Interstates 81 and 84 are accessible from the city. I-81 runs for over 230 miles across Pennsylvania, linking Scranton with Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg and the Pocono Mountains. I-84 runs from Scranton to the New York state line over 50 miles away. “You have to know the back roads because of the volume of traffic going through the towns,” Friese says. “Between 4 and 6 p.m., it might be a bit difficult to navigate Main Avenue.”
Philadelphia, Harrisburg and New York City are all over 120 miles away. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton International Airport is less than 9 miles from the city and offers direct flights to destinations like Washington, D.C., Chicago and Orlando. County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) buses run throughout the city, and free transportation is available to qualifying students and citizens 65 years of age or older. The Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton offers medical services to the area and sits in the heart of the city.
Declining crime rates over a year-long period
The most recent FBI crime data for Scranton is from 2023, and reports that 78.1 violent crimes and 90.1 property offenses were recorded each month, on average. Both declined about 10% from the previous year. Though the city recorded a decrease in both types of crimes, its violent crime rate remains higher than the state of Pennsylvania, while the property offense rate is lower than the state’s.
The Scranton Police Department facilitates the free-to-attend Citizens Police Academy, which educates locals about various divisions of law enforcement. Students of the academy can also do a ride-along with officers, and the programs are aimed at furthering the relationship between the department and the larger community.
In 2022, after 30 years of classification as a distressed municipality, the city unveiled a Strategic Economic Development Plan for the next decade. Tourism and business investment boosts have added to financial stability, and plans are in the works for a high-speed train to link Scranton and New York City.
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