Pittston City Map Poster

About Pittston

Greater Pittston comprises the largest portion of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was founded in 1839 and incorporated as a borough in 1842 and reincorporated as a city on March 1, 1914. The name is derived from William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–78), who became Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1766 at age 24. It was originally named "New Dublin" after Dublin, Ireland; however it was later discovered that there already existed another New Dublin located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania so the name had to be changed to avoid confusion with that other place. In 1840 John Blystone bought land near Coal Creek along what is now Main Street for $10 an acre ($250 per km²). In 1841 he sold half his plot to William Scott while retaining title over most of this land until 1860 when he sold it outright for $2000 cash plus property valued at $3000 more which Scott had purchased elsewhere along Coal Creek between Centre Street and West Avenue (now known as Washington Avenue) .