Life in Lackawanna County
Located in northeastern Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County boasts a booming business climate and easy access to major metropolitan areas.
Lackawanna County is home to more than 210,000 people in the heart of northeastern Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City is conveniently located just north of Scranton. Scranton is ranked among the top 100 Best Places to live by U.S. News & World Report.
Industry
Lackawanna County boasts a booming business climate, labor availability, superior quality of life and easy access to major metropolitan markets like Manhattan, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, which has led national corporations to invest in Greater Scranton.
Scranton is home to national industry leaders in health care, manufacturing, transportation, logistics and back-office functions. These companies succeed here because of the region’s strategic location in the center of the Boston-Washington Corridor, available inventory of real estate, readily available labor pool and access to customized job training programs.
Major employers include:
- University of Scranton
- Bank of America
- Chewy Inc.
- Penn Foster
- Lockheed Martin
- Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City – coming soon!
Education
Lackawanna County’s educational opportunities satisfy every interest and skill set.
The county offers a dozen K-12 public school districts in addition to 23 private schools. Eight post-secondary institutions are located in Lackawanna County and offer a diverse set of programs from world-class research and medical studies to specializations in architecture and technical trades.
Several of Lackawanna County’s colleges and universities have teamed with regional industry to develop customized curriculums and work-study that transition into full-time employment at graduation.
Colleges and universities
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Primary and secondary education
Abington Heights School District
Carbondale Area School District
Forest City Regional School District (also in Susquehanna and Wayne Counties)
Lackawanna Trail School District (also in Wyoming County)
North Pocono School District (also in Wayne County)
Entertainment and Attractions
Residents and visitors of Greater Scranton are enjoying a multitude of recreational opportunities year-round. Montage Mountain offers a ski resort and summer fun park. Glenmaura National Golf Club features an 18-hole championship golf course. During the summer months, baseball fans will enjoy professional baseball games at the 10,800 seat PNC Field, home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Pavilion at Montage Mountain is host to various concerts. The Steamtown National Historic Site and Electric City Trolley Museum have the nation’s largest collection of steam locomotives and memorabilia, and the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour takes its visitors 300 feet below the earth’s surface into an authentic coal mine.
Whether you enjoy outdoor sports, shopping or cultural events, Scranton offers a multitude of opportunities to enjoy all the area has to offer year-round:
- Scranton is the setting of NBC’s sitcom “The Office.” You can take a self-guided “Office” tour around the area.
- Scranton hosts one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country, known as “Parade Day” to locals.
- There are 11 museums in the area and local artists can display their work at 10 local galleries, while enthusiasts can take in the First Friday Art Walks, local performing arts at the historic Scranton Cultural Center.
- The Greater Scranton area offers one of the most affordable housing markets on the East Coast.
Lackawanna County Links
Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau
Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce