Yes, world, Scranton is very, very real.
The city found itself in the spotlight once again today thanks to a map identifying the “Worst City in Every State,” which caused #Scranton to start trending on Twitter overnight after people realized it was a real place and not the stuff of “Office” fiction.
View this post on Instagram
The Instagram post originated last fall, but the internet took it and ran with it today.
idk if you can truly call yourself a #TheOffice fan if you’re just figuring out that #scranton is a real place like i’m not trying to be mean but the first few shots of the theme song is actual footage of scranton that was shot by @johnkrasinski pic.twitter.com/pFX8yR2nfi
— Abbi Alexander (@AbbiHope03) May 27, 2020
so apparently people are shook that scranton pa is a real place…… uh yeah i live here and it’s hell #scrantonisreal
— Rowan (@RowanI15) May 27, 2020
Office fans are finding out that #scranton is real. We are just over here like… pic.twitter.com/HwAVbMLdh7
— Katie Gedrich Radle (@k8d80) May 28, 2020
Some people jumped in to point out other cities they thought were worse. Scrantonians and others took the news in stride.
UHMMMM– apparently, #Scranton is trending because, after this map was released, people started to realize that it is AN ACTUAL CITY, and not a fake city from #TheOffice 😂😂😂
1. That made me laugh really hard.
2. Thoughts on the map? Best/Worst cities in YOUR state? pic.twitter.com/kj8JoBGW3r— Kristina Shalhoup (@shalhoupwx) May 27, 2020
I can’t believe people didn’t already know about it from Harry Chapin’s huge hit song, “30,000 Pounds of Bananas”!!
— Tundra British Columbia Headhunters Circus (@BeeeejEsq) May 27, 2020
Yes people, my home town of #Scranton is real! These are real pictures from real Scranton places. And no…it’s not the worst city. I ❤️ Scranton. pic.twitter.com/gpq9Q45aFp
— Jeannine Luby (@laughinglu) May 28, 2020
Even Lt. Gov. John Fetterman got in on the action.
Don’t know who needs to hear this but Scranton is actually pretty great. 🥰 https://t.co/0CUjzqq5tL
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) May 27, 2020
Caitlin Heaney West is the content editor for Access NEPA and oversees the Early Access blog in addition to working as a copy editor and staff writer for The Times-Tribune. An award-winning journalist, she is a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University and also earned a master’s degree from Marywood University. Caitlin joined the Times-Shamrock family in 2009 and lives in Scranton. Contact: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107; or @cheaneywest
