# Scranton, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania in the 1980s

> An old anthracite and rail city was losing jobs and people while trying to rebuild itself around downtown heritage.

- Place: Scranton, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania (41.409, -75.662)
- Years: 1980 to 1989
- Page: https://yorehistory.com/place/scranton-lackawanna-pennsylvania/1980s
- Step into it (interactive): https://yorehistory.com/?step=Scranton%2C%20Lackawanna%2C%20Pennsylvania%2C%20USA&at=41.4090,-75.6624&year=1985

## Looking around

Stand near Lackawanna Avenue and turn slowly. This is still the commercial middle of Scranton[9], but the old confidence is thinned: the Conrail yard has closed[2], and the city is looking toward railroad history as a future attraction. The streets lead past retail and commercial buildings dating back to the late 1800s[9], with a modern bank from 1979[9] among them. A little away from the center, Scranton Lace still makes lace goods[8], though the city has already lost hundreds of manufacturing and wholesale jobs[4]. Around you is a smaller city than it had been: 88,117 people in 1980[1], falling toward 81,805 by 1990[1]. Catholic institutions remain visible in daily life, from parishes and schools[5] to the university, where by 1985 women were nearly half of the largest class yet[6].

## Work: Jobs leaving town

The old rail yard was gone after Conrail closed it in 1980[2], and the city lost hundreds of manufacturing and wholesale jobs in the 1980s[4]. Some wholesalers left for larger highway sites and lower business taxes[4] outside the city.

## Faith: Catholic city rhythms

The Diocese of Scranton was not just Sunday Mass: it ran or supported parishes, schools, social services, soup kitchens, food pantries, health care facilities, and recreational institutions[5]. The Catholic calendar and school system still structured much neighborhood life.

## Law & power: City hall under strain

Pennsylvania created Act 47 in 1987[3] for municipalities in severe financial trouble, and Scranton would enter that system on January 10, 1992[3]. In the 1980s, people were already living with the pressures that made that later designation possible.

## In the air: Revival through heritage

With the railroad economy gone, public hopes turned toward downtown renewal and railroad memory: the old yard had closed in 1980[2], while its steam-era functions were later restored for interpretation. The coming mall was not yet there; Lackawanna Avenue buildings were not demolished until 1992[9].

## What people feared: Poverty and hollow industry

By 1989, Scranton's poverty rate was 18.2 percent[1]. As in other anthracite cities, older mine workings, vacant industrial land, and shrinking tax bases fed worries about safety and services.

## Home & table: Schools and changing campuses

The University of Scranton had admitted women university-wide in 1971, and by 1985 women were 48 percent of its largest class to that date[6]. No reliable quick source located here gives a block-by-block picture of ordinary houses in the city during the decade.

## Money: A poorer old city

The city shrank from 88,117 residents in 1980 to 81,805 in 1990[1], a loss that narrowed the local tax base. A precise 1980s local price list is a gap: no reliable Scranton-specific grocery price or wage table turned up in this quick search.

## Roads & news: Two-paper competition

The Scranton Times launched the Morning Times in 1988[7] to compete with the Scrantonian Tribune. That newspaper fight ended just after the decade, when the Tribune ceased publication in 1990[7].

## Year by year

- **1980** (here): Conrail closed the old Scranton railroad yard.[2]
- **1980** (here): Scranton counted 88,117 residents in the federal census.[1]
- **1981** (the country): The first Space Shuttle mission made reusable spacecraft a national subject of conversation.
- **1984** (here): James Timlin began his term as bishop of the Diocese of Scranton.
- **1985** (here): Women made up 48 percent of the University of Scranton's largest class to that date.[6]
- **1986** (the world): The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union brought radioactive fallout and nuclear safety into world news.
- **1987** (the country): Pennsylvania enacted Act 47 to deal with financially distressed municipalities.[3]
- **1988** (here): The Scranton Times launched the Morning Times to compete with the Scrantonian Tribune.[7]

## What the sources say

- Scranton had 88,117 residents in 1980 and 81,805 in 1990, a 7.2 percent decline across the decade. (from the sources)[1]
- Conrail finally closed the old Scranton railroad yard in 1980, after Erie-Lackawanna had been absorbed in 1976. (from the sources)[2]
- A 1995 HUD summary said Scranton lost hundreds of manufacturing and wholesale jobs in the 1980s, with some wholesale firms moving to nearby municipalities for larger highway sites and lower business taxes. (from the sources)[4]
- The city's long decline was tied to anthracite and rail: demand for anthracite began falling in the mid-1920s, gas and oil displaced coal in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Scranton steam locomotive repair shop closed in 1949. (from the sources)[2]
- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton remained a major institution, with parishes, schools, social services, soup kitchens, food pantries, health care facilities, and recreational institutions in the region. (inferred)[5]
- At the University of Scranton, women had been admitted university-wide in 1971, and by 1985 the largest class in the school's history at that time was 48 percent women. (from the sources)[6]
- Scranton Lace Company, still operating in the 1980s, made products such as bedspreads, lace tablecloths, and other lace goods before ultimately closing in 2002. (from the sources)[8]
- The Mall at Steamtown was not yet present in the 1980s; twenty-four buildings on the 300 and 400 blocks of Lackawanna Avenue were demolished on April 5, 1992 to make way for it. (from the sources)[9]
- Some Lackawanna Avenue buildings had retail and commercial uses reaching back to the late 1800s. (from the sources)[9]
- A modern bank building at 101 Wyoming Avenue opened in 1979, just before the decade began. (from the sources)[9]
- Pennsylvania created Act 47, the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, in 1987 to help municipalities in severe financial difficulty; Scranton itself was not designated distressed until January 10, 1992. (from the sources)[3]
- Local newspaper competition was still strong late in the decade: The Scranton Times launched the Morning Times in 1988 to compete directly with the Scrantonian Tribune. (from the sources)[7]
- In 1990, the Scrantonian Tribune was bought by its rival, The Scranton Times, and ceased publication, with the owner citing deteriorating economic conditions in the Northeast. (from the sources)[7]
- The 1989 poverty rate recorded for Scranton was 18.2 percent. (from the sources)[1]
- As across northeastern Pennsylvania's anthracite cities, older mine workings, vacant industrial land, and shrinking tax bases shaped public talk about safety, redevelopment, and municipal services. (inferred)
- No online source found in this quick search gives a reliable Scranton-specific grocery price list or average wage table for the 1980s. (not known)
- No online source found in this quick search gives a block-by-block description of ordinary Scranton houses during the 1980s. (not known)

## Sources

1. Places Left Behind Data Charts. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1999. https://archives.hud.gov/news/1999/nwtimcht.html
2. Park Brochure: Steamtown National Historic Site. National Park Service. https://home.nps.gov/stea/planyourvisit/park-brochure.htm
3. Act 47 Financial Distress. Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. https://dced.pa.gov/local-government/act-47-financial-distress/
4. Scranton Consolidated Plan for 1995 Executive Summary. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1995. https://archives.hud.gov/reports/plan/pa/scrantpa.html
5. Diocese of Scranton Historical Overview. Diocese of Scranton. https://www.dioceseofscranton.org/about/diocese-of-scranton-historical-overview/
6. An Overview of Women's Contributions to the Life of the University. The Scranton Journal, University of Scranton, 2023. https://journal.scranton.edu/issues/2023/spring/standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants.shtml
7. P.M. Briefing: Scranton Paper Buys the Other. Los Angeles Times, 1990. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-21-fi-306-story.html
8. Scranton Lace Company, Scranton Pennsylvania. Historic Structures. https://www.historic-structures.com/pa/scranton/scranton-lace-company/
9. Historic Scranton: Downtown Scranton Landmark Buildings and Historic Districts. City of Scranton Historical Architectural Review Board, 2016. https://www.scrantonpa.gov/docs/HARB/Historic%20Scranton-Downtown%20Scranton%20Landmark%20Buildings%20and%20Historic%20Districts.pdf

## The same place in other decades

- [Scranton in the 1940s](https://yorehistory.com/place/scranton-lackawanna-pennsylvania/1940s/md)

## Nearby, about the same time

- [Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the 1980s](https://yorehistory.com/place/wilkes-barre-luzerne-county-pennsylvania/1980s/md) (26 km)
- [Dallas, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the 1960s](https://yorehistory.com/place/dallas-luzerne-county-pennsylvania/1960s/md) (26 km)
- [Fanwood, Union County, New Jersey in the 1960s](https://yorehistory.com/place/fanwood-union-county-new-jersey/1960s/md) (137 km)
- [Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the 1950s](https://yorehistory.com/place/newtown-bucks-county-pennsylvania/1950s/md) (145 km)
- [Riverdale, Bronx, New York City, New York in the 1980s](https://yorehistory.com/place/riverdale-new-york-city-new-york/1980s/md) (158 km)

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Researched by Yore's AI historian (gpt-5.5) on 2026-10-12 from the sources listed. It is about the place and the time, not about any person. Statements marked "inferred" are conclusions, not records. Cite as: Yore, "Scranton, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania in the 1980s", https://yorehistory.com/place/scranton-lackawanna-pennsylvania/1980s