Living in Nanticoke, PA — A College Town on the Susquehanna

Nanticoke is the third-largest city in Luzerne County — 10,628 residents at the 2020 Census, packed into 3.6 square miles between the Susquehanna River to the north and Pennsylvania State Game Lands to the south. It has a classic Main Street, a walkable town square, and the price point of a coal city rather than a suburb.

The name comes from the Nanticoke people, whose own name — Nentego — means “tidewater people.” They relocated to the Wyoming Valley after European settlement transformed their homeland near the Chesapeake Bay, and the city grew up beside one of their villages. An anthracite mine opened here in 1825, and by 1878 Nanticoke was a major coal-mining center. At its peak in the 1930s the city held more than 27,000 residents — well over twice today’s count, which is the single most useful fact for understanding its housing stock.

The College

Nanticoke’s defining modern institution is Luzerne County Community College, which opened here in 1967 and today occupies a 167-acre main campus inside the city, with seven satellite centers across Northeastern Pennsylvania in Berwick, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Shamokin, Hazleton, Pittston and Watsontown. LCCC is one of the county’s largest employers as well as its community college — a genuine economic anchor, and an unusual asset for a city this size.

Food & Drink

Local names around the city include the Bus Stop Cafe, a small diner beside the park, along with Giuseppe’s for Italian, Mil & Jim’s Parkway Inn, Neo’s Bar & Grill and Gingi’s. Wilkes-Barre’s full restaurant scene is a short drive up the Sans Souci Parkway.

Outdoors & Parks

Nanticoke’s geography is genuinely good for anyone who spends time outside. The city sits between the Susquehanna River and State Game Lands, with Canal Park and the Susquehanna Warrior Trail both close at hand for hiking, biking and fishing, plus several community parks inside the city itself.

Schools

Nanticoke is served by the Greater Nanticoke Area School District, which covers the city plus the neighboring townships — Newport, Conyngham and Plymouth townships. Note the distinction: that is Plymouth Township, not Plymouth borough, which belongs to a different district entirely. Luzerne County Community College gives residents a two-year college and workforce-training programs inside city limits.

School Performance

State assessment results for the high school serving Nanticoke, from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Future Ready PA Index, 2024–25 school year:

• Greater Nanticoke Area Senior High School — Keystone Literature 50.9% proficient or advanced (statewide 49.9%) · Keystone Algebra I 25.9% (statewide 41.7%) · four-year graduation rate 86.7% (statewide 88.0%)

Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Future Ready PA Index, 2024–25. We publish these same three measures, from this same source, on every community page in this guide.

Everyday Essentials

Main Street and the town square carry local shops and services, with the Sans Souci Parkway running northeast through Hanover Township toward Wilkes-Barre for full retail. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, operated by the nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation since February 2026, is the nearest hospital with an emergency department.

The Homes

A city built for 27,000 that now holds 10,628 has a very particular housing profile: overwhelmingly pre-war stock — closely built singles, doubles and small multifamily on a dense grid, most of it dating to the decades when the mines were running.

The practical consequence is price. Nanticoke is among the most accessible entry points anywhere in Luzerne County, which makes it a real hunting ground for first-time buyers and for investors working the small-multifamily numbers — particularly with a community college and its student population inside city limits. Older stock means the inspection matters more than usual here: roofs, knob-and-tube, and heating systems are where the surprises live.

Portions of the city near the river sit in the Susquehanna floodplain. Get a flood determination on any low-lying parcel before you write.