Old Forge is a borough of about 8,500 people on the Lackawanna River, roughly five miles southwest of downtown Scranton and twelve miles northeast of Wilkes-Barre. It covers just over three square miles, and the region’s cities, interstates and airport are all close by, so most errands and commutes stay short.
Getting around
- Interstate 81 runs along the edge of the borough, north to Scranton and Binghamton and south to Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg.
- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (I-476) heads south to the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia.
- Interstates 380 and 84 meet I-81 near Scranton and lead east toward I-80, New York and New England.
- New York City is about 120 miles away, roughly two hours by car. Philadelphia is about two to two and a half hours, and the Lehigh Valley a little over an hour.
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) is just south of the borough, with connecting flights through major airline hubs.
Health care
Several full-service hospitals are a short drive away:
- Geisinger Community Medical Center, Scranton
- Regional Hospital of Scranton and Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, near Wilkes-Barre, an accredited Level I trauma center
- Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Wilkes-Barre
Schools and colleges
The borough has its own public school district. The Old Forge School District runs Old Forge Elementary School and Old Forge Junior/Senior High School (grades 7 to 12) on one campus on Marion Street. The school district depends on a home’s address, so ask the leasing office which district serves the community you are interested in.
The Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area also has a long list of colleges and universities, including:
- University of Scranton, Marywood University, Lackawanna College and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton
- Wilkes University and King’s College in Wilkes-Barre
- Misericordia University in Dallas and Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman
Work
Living between two cities widens the job market. Health care and higher education employ thousands of people across the region, from the hospital systems above to the area’s universities, and I-81 and the Turnpike make commutes across Lackawanna and Luzerne counties straightforward. For anyone who works remotely, New York and Philadelphia are close enough for a day at the office.
Things to do
- PNC Field in neighboring Moosic, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
- Montage Mountain Resorts: skiing and snowboarding in winter, a waterpark in summer.
- Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey (the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins), concerts and touring shows.
- Steamtown National Historic Site in downtown Scranton, a National Park Service railroad museum with seasonal train rides. The Electric City Trolley Museum is on the same grounds.
- Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour and the Anthracite Heritage Museum in McDade Park, Scranton, where a mine car takes visitors 300 feet underground.
- Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, a multi-use trail system of more than 70 miles following the river through the valley.
- Lackawanna State Park and the Pocono Mountains, for lakes, hiking and more ski areas within an easy drive.
- Shopping at The Shoppes at Montage in Moosic and The Marketplace at Steamtown in Scranton.
Old Forge pizza
Old Forge calls itself the Pizza Capital of the World. Old Forge-style pizza is baked in rectangular pans and ordered by the tray or by the cut, in two styles: red, with sauce and cheese on a thick crust, and white, a double crust filled with cheese and herbs. The tradition goes back to the 1920s, and more than a dozen pizza shops still operate in a borough of about three square miles.