A Profile of Lackawanna County

County Lines

A Profile of Lackawanna County

2018

Commissioners' Message

Dear Lackawanna County Residents & Municipal Officials:

As you are keenly aware, Lackawanna County is a great place to live, work, raise a family, do business and enjoy a variety of leisure amenities.

Our various cities, boroughs and townships all contribute to the economic climate that we enjoy. Each community has its own unique history, folklore, specialty shops, playgrounds and gathering places.

The 2018 edition of County Lines highlights those elements by providing a comprehensive history of our area along with statistical sketches of our communities.

This compendium is a great resource for the public and municipal staffs. It provides a wealth of data on our various municipalities, school districts, and private institutions along with maps, business parks and utilities overview, government contacts on all levels, law enforcement and court system information, ethnic make-up, quality of life amenities, library system and higher education listings, and much more.

We are pleased to be able to publish this booklet. We hope that you will find it to be a valuable resource.

The data is also on our website at .

And, as always, we welcome your suggestions on how to improve it to fit your needs. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Patrick M. O'Malley

Jerry Notarianni

Laureen A. Cummings

Lackawanna County Quick Facts

Erie

Crawford

Warren

McKean

Potter

Tioga

Bradford

Susquehanna Wayne

Lackawanna

Forest

Wyoming

Venango

Elk Cameron

Sullivan

Mercer

Lycoming

Pike

Clarion Jefferson

Clinton

Luzerne

Lawrence Butler Armstrong

Clearfield

Centre

Union

Columbia Montour

Monroe Carbon

Beaver

Indiana

Mifflin

Snyder Northumberland Schuylkill

Northampton Lehigh

Juniata

Allegheny

Blair Cambria

Perry Dauphin Lebanon

Berks

Bucks

Westmoreland

Huntingdon

Montgomery

Washington

Greene

Fayette

Somerset

Cumberland

Bedford Fulton Franklin

Adams

York

Lancaster

Philadelphia Chester

Delaware

2017 Estimated Population: 210,761

Area: 473.8 square miles

Created August 13, 1878, from a portion of Luzerne County

Named for the Lackawanna River (Lackawanna is an Algonguin word meaning "where the streams meet")

Seat: Scranton

Government: Home Rule Charter, 1976 Latitude/Longitude: 41o24.29'N; 75o38.54'W

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION & MAPS Mileage & Travel Times.........................................2 Municipalities Map...............................................3 Business Parks/Attractions Map............................4 Scranton Center City Map.....................................5 PennDOT Highway Map........................................6

HISTORY Native Americans & Early Settlers.........................8 The Discovery of Anthracite Coal..........................8 Growth & Transformation.....................................9 When Coal Was King.............................................9 Decline & Renewal..............................................10 Historical Facts on County Municipalities...........10

GEOGRAPHY Topography. ........................................................ 15 Geology............................................................... 15 Climate................................................................ 15 Population Distribution.......................................16 Political Subdivisions...........................................16 Transportation..................................................... 17

GOVERNMENT County Government............................................18 Elected County Officials......................................18 City Government.................................................18 Borough Government.........................................18 Township Government........................................18 School Boards......................................................18 County Judicial System........................................19 Magisterial District Judges..................................19 Correctional Institutions.....................................20 Federal Officials...................................................20 State Officials......................................................21 Registered Voters................................................21 Taxes.................................................................... 22 Tax Assessment...................................................22 Calculating Real Estate Taxes...............................22

DEMOGRAPHICS, STATISTICS, & QUALITY OF LIFE Population Characteristics..................................23 Housing Characteristics.......................................24 Crime & Law Enforcement..................................25 Economics & Employment..................................26 Employers & Companies.....................................27 Community & Economic Dev. Programs..............28 Chambers of Commerce & Business Parks..........31 Conservation & Land Preservation......................32 Health Care & Human Services...........................33 Senior & Community Centers..............................36 Health Profile & Vital Statistics...........................37 Public Utilities.....................................................38 Telephone Exchanges..........................................39 Media & Communications..................................40 Attractions, Recreation, Arts, & Events...............43 Libraries............................................................... 58 Shopping Centers................................................59 Religious Traditions.............................................60

TOWN LINES Municipalities Directory......................................62 Rank by Population & Square Miles..................103 Population Change: 1960 ? 2010......................104

SCHOOL LINES School Districts Map.........................................106 School Districts Directory..................................107 Northeastern Educational IU 19........................119 Enrollment Trends & Projections......................120 Public Schools...................................................121 Private Schools..................................................125 Higher Education, Colleges & Career Tech........127 Education Demographics..................................128

MISCELLANEOUS County Trivia.....................................................129 County Office Directory.....................................131 Acknowledgements & Sources..........................134

1

Mileage & Travel Times

From Scranton to:

Allentown Atlantic City Baltimore Boston Buffalo Charleston WV Cincinnati Cleveland Dover DE Erie Harrisburg Montreal QB New York City Philadelphia Pittsburgh Richmond VA Syracuse Toronto ON Washington DC Wilkes-Barre

Source: Bing Maps

Miles Estimated Travel Time via Shortest Route

76

1 hr. 25 mins

185

3 hr. 15 mins

201

3 hr. 25 mins

295

5 hr. 00 mins

257

4 hr. 30 mins

483

7 hr. 45 mins

580

9 hr. 20 mins

374

6 hr. 00 mins

192

3 hr. 20 mins

323

5 hr. 15 mins

125

2 hr. 05 mins

382

6 hr. 30 mins

121

2 hr. 20 mins

125

2 hr. 15 mins

282

5 hr. 05 mins

343

6 hr. 00 mins

130

2 hr. 10 mins

374

6 hr. 15 mins

240

4 hr. 15 mins

20

0 hr. 30 mins

2

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