Lackawanna_County,_Pennsylvania

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

County in Pennsylvania, United States


Lackawanna County (/lækəˈwɑːnə/; Unami: Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,615 (2022).[2] Its county seat and most populous city is Scranton.[3] The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state.[lower-alpha 1]

Quick Facts Country, State ...

The county was created on August 13, 1878, following decades of trying to gain its independence from Luzerne County.[4] Lackawanna was Pennsylvania's last county to be created, and the only county to be created after the American Civil War. It is named for the Lackawanna River.[1]

Lackawanna County is the second largest county in the Scranton–Wilkes-BarreHazleton, PA Metropolitan statistical area. It lies northwest of the Pocono Mountains approximately 40 miles (64 km) from the New Jersey border in Montague Township, and approximately 25 miles (40 km) from New York state in Kirkwood. The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through Lackawanna County.

History

A 1836 map of Pennsylvania counties. At the time, Lackawanna was still part of Luzerne County.
Statue of George Washington, dedicated July 4, 1893, at Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton

Lackawanna County is a region that was developed for iron production and anthracite coal mining in the nineteenth century, with its peak of coal production reached in the mid-20th century. Scranton, then still part of Luzerne County, became a center of mining and industry. It was the site of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, which later began to produce steel using the Bessemer process. In 1877 at the time of the Scranton General Strike, the company was managed by William Walker Scranton, whose father had been president until his death in 1872. Two of his cousins had been founders of the company and the city.

The county was created on August 13, 1878, following decades of trying to gain its independence from Luzerne County. (The courts were organized in October 1878.)[4] It is Pennsylvania's last county to be created, and the only one created after the American Civil War. It is named for the Lackawanna River.[1]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 465 square miles (1,200 km2), of which 459 square miles (1,190 km2) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km2) (1.3%) is water.[5] It has a humid continental climate which is warm-summer (Dfb) except along the Lackawanna River from Olyphant and Blakely below Peckville on down and along the Susquehanna where it is hot-summer (Dfa). Average monthly temperatures in downtown Scranton range from 26.0 °F in January to 71.9 °F in July, in Carbondale they range from 23.8 °F in January to 69.7 °F in July, and in Moscow they range from 22.6 °F in January to 68.4 °F in July.[6]

The hardiness zone is 6a in higher northern, eastern, and southern areas and 6b in most other areas except in Old Forge, lower areas of Moosic, and Scranton along the Lackawanna River to downtown where it is 7a.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...

2020 Statistics

As of the 2020 census there were 215,896 people living in Lackawanna County. 83% were Non-Hispanic White, 4% Black or African American, 3.2% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 4% some other race and 6% were multiracial. In 2020 8.5% of the county was Hispanic or Latino.[12]

More information Race, Num. ...

2010 Statistics

As of the 2010 census, there were 214,437 people living in the county. 92.0% were White, 2.5% Black or African American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 2.0% of some other race and 1.5% of two or more races. 5.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.1% identified as of Italian, 19.9% Irish, 13.0% Polish and 11.4% German ancestry.[14]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families living in the county. The population density was 465 inhabitants per square mile (180/km2). There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 units per square mile (80/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.65% White, 1.31% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.5% were of Italian, 21.2% Irish, 15.4% Polish and 10.2% German ancestry.

There were 86,218 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families; 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, 21.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

Politics and government

More information Year, Republican ...

According to the Secretary of State's office, Democrats hold a majority of the voters in Lackawanna County.

More information Political Party, Total Voters ...

The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics since the rise of new immigrant populations and their descendants since the mid-19th century. The county is part of Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district.

On the state and national levels, Lackawanna County has strongly favored the Democratic Party for the last ninety years. It leaned Republican from 1896 to 1924, only failing to back William Howard Taft during that timespan when the party's vote was split between him and former president Theodore Roosevelt. The county has only voted for the Republican candidate three times since 1928: in the national Republican landslides of 1956, 1972, and 1984. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 60% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 36%.[18] In 2004 Democrat John Kerry received 56% of the vote and Bush received 42%.[19] In 2006, Democrats Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bob Casey, Jr., won 70% and 73% of the vote in Lackawanna County, respectively.[20] In 2008 three of four Democrats running statewide carried the county, with Barack Obama receiving 63% of the county vote to 37% for John McCain.[21] Although Obama easily carried Lackawanna County again in 2012, Donald Trump came very close to beating Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, in 2020, Lackawanna County voted for Joe Biden, a native son of the county, by over 8 points, an improvement over Clinton's margin but not as high as either of Obama's. In Lackawanna County, Democratic strength primarily comes from the city of Scranton and its immediate suburbs, while Republicans do better in the more rural, outer parts of the county.

County commissioners

More information Official, Party ...

County Row Officers

More information Office, Official ...

United States House of Representatives

As of January 3, 2021:

More information District, Representative ...

United States Senate

As of January 3, 2023:

More information Senator, Party ...

State House of Representatives

As of January 13, 2023:

More information District, Representative ...

State senate

As of March 29, 2021:

More information District, Senator ...

Education

Map of Lackawanna County's public school districts

Lackawanna County Workforce investment Board - Scranton

Colleges and universities

Public K-12 schools

Public school districts

They include:[22]

Charter schools

Public vocational technology schools

  • Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County

State-operated schools

Intermediate unit

Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit #19 (NEIU19) provides a wide variety of specialized services to public and private schools. It serves the school communities of Lackawanna County, Wayne County, and Susquehanna County. NEIU19 is governed by a board of appointed officials one from the elected school board of each member public school district. Among the serves are: professional development programs for school employees, background/criminal screening of public school employment applicants, technology support to the schools, and special education services. The Intermediate Unit coordinates and supervises the Special Education transportation.

Diocesan schools

The county is also served by the Diocese of Scranton. The Diocese of Scranton operates four regional systems of diocesan schools, which were established after the area received hundreds of thousands of Catholic immigrants. The Holy Cross School System serves Lackawanna County, and is currently composed of seven elementary centers and one secondary center. The Holy Cross System is the second-largest of the four systems, and Holy Cross High School is the only diocesan high school operating a capacity. The Holy Cross System is the result of diocese-wide consolidations made in 2007 in response to decades of declining enrollment as population declined in the area.

As recently as 2000, Lackawanna County was home to four Catholic high schools and nearly fifteen elementary schools. While the current configuration of sites and schools educates a fraction of the students once enrolled in Catholic schools in Lackawanna County, vast improvements have been made to the curriculum. Millions of dollars of capital gains have been invested in the buildings and technologies of the schools. As part of the ongoing effort to stabilize enrollment and offer a sustainable school system which is "spiritually sound and academically excellent", the Holy Cross System is embarking on a more aggressive advertising campaign to promote Catholic education and establish stronger and more diverse programs at the elementary level.

Sacred Heart Elementary in Carbondale and Marian Catholic Elementary in Scranton were closed in 2011 and were incorporated into LaSalle Academy and All Saint's Academy, respectively. This cut the costs of sustaining two faculties and buildings which collectively operated at less than 50% capacity. It bolstered the enrollments of the hubs of elementary education.

  • Holy Cross High School, Dunmore
  • Our Lady of Peace Elementary, Clarks Green
  • St. Mary of Mount Carmel Elementary, Dunmore
  • LaSalle Academy, Dickson City and Jessup
  • All Saints Academy, Scranton
  • St. Clare/St. Paul Elementary, Scranton

Private schools

As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education:[24]

  • Abington Christian School, Clarks Green, GR PreK-8 (Affiliated with the Assemblies of God)
  • Bais Yaakov of Scranton, GR 9-12 (All girls Jewish school)
  • DePaul School for Dyslexia, Scranton[25]
  • Friendship House
  • Geneva Christian School, Olyphant, GR PreK-8
  • Giant Steps Child Development Center – Carbondale
  • Kinder Kampus Preparatory Preschool, Archbald, PreK
  • Little People Daycare School, Scranton, GR PreK-KG
  • Lourdesmont School, Scranton, Special Education (Roman Catholic)
  • Lutheran Academy – Scranton, GR PreK-6
  • Marywood – Tony Damiano Early Childhood Center, Scranton, GR PreK-KG
  • Milton Eisner Yeshiva High School, Scranton, GR 9-12 (All boys Jewish school)
  • Montessori Kindergarten, Scranton, GR PreK-KG
  • New Story, Throop, Special Education
  • NHS Autism School, Scranton, Special Education
  • Northeast Child Care Services – Archbald
  • Pocono Mountain Bible Conference – Gouldsboro
  • Revival Baptist Christian School, Scranton, GR K-12
  • Scranton Hebrew Day School, Scranton, GR K-8
  • Scranton Preparatory School, Scranton, GR 9-12 (Affiliated with the Society of Jesus)
  • St. Gregory's Early Childhood Center, Clarks Green, GR PreK-KG
  • St. Stanislaus Elementary School, Scranton, GR K-8 (Polish National Catholic Church)
  • Summit Christian Academy, South Abington Township, PreK-12
  • Triboro Christian Academy, Old Forge, K-12, It participates in the state's Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) annual testing

Libraries

Abington Community Library in Clarks Summit
  • Abington Community Library – Clarks Summit
  • Carbondale Public Library – Carbondale
  • Children's Library – Scranton
  • Dalton Community Library – Dalton
  • Nancy Kay Holmes Branch – Scranton
  • North Pocono Public Library – Moscow
  • Scranton Public Library – Scranton
  • Taylor Community Library – Taylor
  • Valley Community Library – Peckville
  • Waverly Memorial Library – Waverly

Recreation

Communities

A map of Lackawanna County with municipalities and census-designated places labeled
Scenery in Lackawanna County

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and one town. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Lackawanna County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Lackawanna County.[27]

county seat

More information Rank, City/Town/etc. ...

See also


References

  1. Includes Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Schuylkill, Carbon, Pike, Bradford, Wayne, Susquehanna, Wyoming and Sullivan Counties
  1. David Craft (1891). History of Scranton, Penn: With Full Outline of the Natural Advantages, Accounts of the Indian Tribes, Early Settlements, Connecticut's Claim to the Wyoming Valley, the Trenton Decree, Down to the Present Time. H. W. Crew. pp. 18–. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. Henry C. Bradsby, History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Volume 1, 1893, Pages 232-233
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  8. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  10. "Story Map Series". mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  11. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State. "January 2023 Voter Registration Statistics" (XLS). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  12. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  13. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  14. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  15. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  16. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lackawanna County, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022. - Text list
  17. Hall, Sarah Hofius (June 10, 2009). "Last class graduates from SSSD". The Times-Tribune. At the end of the month, the state will transfer control of the school to the private [...]
  18. PDE. "Education Names & Addresses". Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  19. "DePaul School for Dyslexia - Allied Services". Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  20. "GNIS Account Login". geonames.usgs.gov.

Further reading

  • Aileen Sallom Freeman and Jack McDonough, Lackawanna County: An Illustrated History. Montgomery, AL: Community Communications, 2000.
  • Thomas F. Murphy, Jubilee History: Commemorative of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Creation of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania: Story of Interesting Events from Indian Occupancy of Valley, Connecticut Settlement, Organization of Luzerne County, Start of Anthracite Industry, and Forty Years Effort to Establish Lackawanna County Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing Co., 1928.
  • Portrait and Biographical Record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. New York: Chapman Publishing Co., 1897.

41.44°N 75.61°W / 41.44; -75.61


Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Lackawanna_County,_Pennsylvania, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.