Scranton was the name of the family that founded the city, developing iron, steel, and coal in the area.
A direct descendent of one of the founders, William Scranton, served as a Republican Congressman and Governor of Pennsylvania. Scranton was and is a hugely Democratic city; Republicans tried to get Scranton to run for higher office because of his ability to get Democratic votes but he always declined. This is probably good because he worked in the State Department under Eisenhower and was UN Ambassador under Ford where he had a record of hostility to Israel.