Everybody likes an “underdog wins” story, including the Appalachian Regional Commission.
On Wednesday, the ARC released a report called “Strengthening Economic Resilience in Appalachia.” It tells the success stories of 10 counties out of 420 in Appalachia that have rebounded from the 2008 recession — including the tourism industry in McKean County and the Pennsylvania Wilds tourism initiative.
The research includes a statistical analysis of key factors common to economic resilience, as well as a guidebook featuring ten communities that have rebounded after experiencing significant economic shocks.
“A rural and sparsely populated county on the New York border, McKean County’s economy has traditionally been based on oil, timber and tourism,” the ARC’s report stated. “The Pennsylvania Wilds program, in particular, has heightened McKean County’s profile as a tourism destination and base of operations for artisans.”
The resilient features included in the report indicate the cooperative efforts of several counties in the PA Wilds to make the initiative a success. It mentions, too, the success of the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette and the Kinzua Bridge Visitor Center in Mount Jewett as “pull(ing) many people to this part of the PA Wilds, with focuses on nature and heritage tourism.
“The Kinzua Bridge site is home to the first PA Wilds Conservation Shop, a gift shop operated under a public-private partnership with (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources), which focuses on selling products from the Center’s regional value chain, called the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania. These stores help grow rural businesses, and profits from the gift shops are earmarked to support regional marketing to ensure continued demand.”
PA Wilds Center Executive Director Ta Enos said a lot of people and organizations from the public and private sectors in the region contribute to the Wilds effort.
“It is great to see their work and ours recognized on the national stage through this report,” Enos said. “Our region has seen decades of population decline and the Wilds effort is part of the answer of how we stem that; it’s long-term work that takes many people all pulling in the same direction.”
Enos also specifically thanked the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development, the DCNR and the ARC, “which have all invested in our work.”
While thrilled with the distinction, Enos said she isn’t surprised, as the county has been making huge strides in economic progress.
“Just the things on my radar — the new Rail-Trail project, the visitor center at Kinzua Bridge State Park, several new business startups and expansions, downtown revitalization effort in the county’s major towns, residents stepping up and working together to move projects forward — there’s great momentum,” Enos said. “This stuff isn’t easy and it doesn’t just happen. People are making it happen. Entrepreneurs. Local leaders. It’s great to see and be a part of.”
Linda Devlin, executive director of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, agreed.
“It is wonderful to see the people of McKean County recognized for their resilience in the ARC study. I would also add, I think the residents in McKean County have excellent creativity and tenacity,” Devlin said. “After the disaster of the F1 tornado partially destroying the Kinzua Viaduct, locals didn’t give up and allow the park to be closed.”
Instead, the park was reinvented with a skywalk and a visitor center.
“In 2018, the park received 242,580 visitors, including every state in the United States, along with international visitors from Canada, Australia, Europe, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela,” Devlin said.
Using industry tourist spending estimates, Devlin said the Kinzua Bridge State Park is “now generating over $19 million annually into our local economy. In addition, the first section of abandoned rail trail of the Knox & Kane Railroad developed for trail use from the Kinzua Bridge State Park to Mount Jewett is seeing as many as 380 hikers during a week, and this was during December.”
The increased tourism is leading to new business opportunities, and Devlin said it is reaching into communities throughout the county.
“The energy created by the increased number of visitors, and their spending in local businesses, is leading to new businesses opening in Bradford, Kane, Smethport, and Port Allegany,” she said. “Kane has a new brewery — Logyard Brewing, a new restaurant — Table 105, and has opened Twisted Vine Beverages. Bradford has the Marilyn Horne Museum and will soon have two new breweries. In addition, we are seeing private citizens investing their funds in opening businesses such as the Bradford Flatiron Airbnb and Revive Spa which can be enjoyed by both visitors and local residents.”
The ARC report said the PA Wilds model, and McKean County’s success, can “provide insight into how communities are evolving their approach to economic development both inside and outside the Appalachian Region.
“McKean County relies heavily on natural assets and tourism to improve economic resilience,” the case study on the region noted. “Rather than single counties working to promote themselves in a crowded tourism marketplace, an entire region of Pennsylvania has banded together under a cohesive identity and brand.
“This is a strategy worth considering in other regions.”
