Living in Scranton, PA — The Electric City

Scranton is the anchor city of Northeastern Pennsylvania — the seventh-largest city in the state, with about 76,000 residents, a walkable downtown, and a cost of living that surprises almost everyone relocating from New York or New Jersey. It earned the nickname “The Electric City” in 1887, when the nation’s first successful electric trolley line ran here. And yes — it’s the same Scranton made famous by NBC’s The Office. You can still order dinner at the real Cooper’s Seafood House.

Four highways converge here (I-81, I-84, I-380 and US-6), New York City is roughly two and a half hours away, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is minutes down the road — which is why Scranton keeps landing on the radar of buyers who work remotely but want a real city with real character.

Food & Drink

• Cooper’s Seafood House — the ship-shaped landmark serving Scranton since 1948, featured on The Office and home to what it bills as the largest Office gift shop in the country.
• Alfredo’s Cafe — the South Side pizza spot with its own place in Office lore.
• Backyard Ale House — over 450 microbrews, crafts and imports across from Courthouse Square, known for smoked chicken wings.
• Bar Pazzo — rustic, modern Italian downtown.
• Picciocchi’s Pasta — repeatedly cited among the best Italian in the city.
• Northern Light Espresso Bar — the downtown coffee fixture since 2002, with Zummo’s Cafe and Adezzo rounding out the neighborhood coffee scene.

Things to Do

Steam trains still roll at Steamtown National Historic Site, a National Park Service museum on 62 acres of the original rail yard downtown. Ride restored 1920s trolleys at the Electric City Trolley Museum, or descend into a real anthracite mine on the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour at McDade Park. The Scranton Cultural Center hosts national Broadway tours, the Everhart Museum anchors Nay Aug Park, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders — the Yankees’ Triple-A club — play at PNC Field. In winter, Montage Mountain is minutes away for skiing; in summer it flips to a waterpark and concert amphitheater. And Scranton’s St. Patrick’s Parade draws around 150,000 spectators — one of the largest in the United States.

Outdoors & Parks

Nay Aug Park is the city’s crown jewel — its gorge is a National Natural Landmark, with waterfalls, pools, walking trails and a treehouse overlook. The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail runs roughly 70 miles through the valley, the Lake Scranton loop is a popular 3.5-mile walk just outside downtown, and Lackawanna State Park — 1,445 acres around a 198-acre lake — is ten miles north.

Gyms & Fitness

Crunch Fitness at the Marketplace at Steamtown, Planet Fitness, the Greater Scranton YMCA, Brown’s Gym, CrossFit Scranton and Keystone CrossFit all operate in and around the city.

Schools

The city is served by the Scranton School District (Scranton High School and West Scranton High School). Scranton is also a genuine college town: the University of Scranton, Marywood University, Lackawanna College and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine are all here.

School Performance

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

• Scranton High School — Keystone Literature 47.6% proficient or advanced (statewide 49.9%) · Keystone Algebra I 27.2% (statewide 41.7%) · four-year graduation rate 86.4% (statewide 88.0%)
• West Scranton High School — Keystone Literature 39.3% proficient or advanced (statewide 49.9%) · Keystone Algebra I 23.2% (statewide 41.7%) · four-year graduation rate 85.4% (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

The Marketplace at Steamtown anchors downtown shopping with Boscov’s and the Scranton Public Market; the Viewmont Mall corridor in Dickson City has the big-box retail. Gerrity’s is the hometown supermarket chain. Geisinger Community Medical Center is the only Level II trauma center in Lackawanna County.

The Homes

Scranton’s housing stock is one of its biggest draws. Green Ridge has one of the highest concentrations of pre-1940 historic homes in the country — grand Victorians on walkable, tree-lined blocks. The Hill Section offers early-1900s homes with original woodwork near the University of Scranton. And prices remain far below what comparable homes cost two hours east.