Residents and business owners celebrate Ohiopyle's 'Best Small Town' designation

The announcement, which declared Ohiopyle the “best small town in the Northeast,” drew surprise and vindication from local residents who hoped it would help the tiny borough break out of the shadow of the popular state park that shares its name. It showed both reactions.

“I think a lot of people are already coming to the area, and we want people to stay here longer and see all the attractions,” said a local business owner and ward. said Councilwoman Pamela Kruse. “We've been here so long that we consider ourselves the star attraction.”

On Wednesday afternoon, local and state dignitaries gathered at the station next to the Great Allegheny Passage to announce that Ohiopyle beat out 19 other heavy hitters in the Northeast, including Gettysburg, to be crowned the winner of the USA Today reader-chosen contest. announced that he had been selected.

“I can't believe it,” said Kruse, who owns Falls Market Restaurant & General Store and Ohiopyle Coffee in town. “There were big names on that list.”

Residents and business owners learned of the designation earlier this week and were excited about how the honor would help promote the borough. While many people visit Ohiopyle State Park for hiking, rafting, and beautiful views, the city is also for shopping, dining, and lodging.

“We expect it to mean a lot. We're the outdoor mecca for this region,” said Joel, who runs Ohiopyle Trading Post and River Tours with his wife, Robin. Means said. “Most people are confused that (Ohiopyle) is a borough. They think it's part of the park.”

The competition included places with populations under 25,000, but with only 38 people counted in the 2020 Census, Ohiopyle takes its small-town feel to the next level. But Kruse estimates that only 13 residents currently live permanently in the borough. Its small population pales in comparison to the more than 1 million people who visit the 20,500 acres of state parks surrounding the borough.

In the past, the tourist season was booked mostly between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but the advent of Airbnb vacation rental homes is giving more visitors the opportunity to stay longer. I did. Although the small-town designation focuses only on the borough, Kruse said the publicity will create a jolt for the area and its many tourist attractions, encouraging more people to visit and stay overnight during the off-season. I think it will become.

“People can experience this region through all four seasons. The biggest challenge was getting people out of the day-trip mindset,” Kruse said. “Ohiopyle is free. It's never been an issue – the economy has gone up or down – and you can do all these things for free. That's what makes this visit so special. .”

Ohiopyle attracts a wide range of visitors, from Western Pennsylvanians looking for a staycation to out-of-state residents who travel hundreds of miles.

Jim and Kathy King were eating ice cream with their dogs Josie and Jackson on the patio outside Falls Market on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. The couple is a four-hour drive from their home in Marysville, Ohio, a city of about 25,000 people northwest of Columbus, which they visit at least once a year. Jim King said he travels to Ohiopyle regularly because it has a “small town feel” with hiking trails, beautiful rivers and waterfalls, campgrounds and, of course, ice cream.

“When I tell people I’m going to Ohiopyle, they think it’s Ohio State,” he said with a laugh. “This is the closest thing to Eden I've found. There's no terrain like this in Ohio. It's worth the drive.”

That feeling is also experienced by those who live and work in Ohiopyle.

Demetrius Johnson has been doing both since moving to the borough from his hometown of Greensburg several years ago. He considered the designation as the best small town to be a well-earned honor for the place he now calls home.

“Honestly, I think it's pretty big. Ohiopyle is a great place,” Johnson said as she cleaned the facade of a local ice cream shop in preparation for the approaching tourist season. “There's a sense of community here. It doesn't matter what your background is. Everyone is really accepting here.”

However, as the number of visitors increases, the strain on infrastructure such as roads and sewerage systems increases. Kruse noted that the borough held the first of its annual Eustoverfest celebrations last fall to raise funds for upgrades to the borough's water treatment facilities.

“People don't understand the infrastructure (stress) that 1.5 million people put on a town of 13 people,” Kruse said. “We need to improve the city. We don't want to just be known as the Ohiopyle State Park. We want to be known as the Ohiopyle of the town.”

With the designation likely to increase visitor numbers, Kruse and his mother, Sharon, see it as an opportunity to showcase the borough's history, including old buildings like the Ohiopyle United Methodist Church. . Even the industrial buildings that no longer exist and the commercial buildings that were removed when state parks were formed in the late 1960s should be celebrated.

She also hopes the “Best Small Town” rating will continue to revitalize the local business district by allowing more stores to stay open year-round and giving visitors more reason to spend their money. doing.

“We hope more people will come and check it out,” Kruse said. “It's a very beautiful place.”

Mr. Means agrees, pointing to the picturesque Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River, just across Route 381 from his company, which is a major draw for visitors and a driver of the borough's economy. I pointed.

“None of us would be here if it wasn't for that waterfall,” Means said. “That waterfall will make that happen.”