Allegany County, New York has been working hard to highlight its natural splendor, beauty, and other charms. Last profiled by Business in Focus in January 2019, Allegany is a largely rural county based in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. “I think the single biggest change [since the previous profile] is that people have found us. Because of COVID, we had a bit of a boom relative to outdoor visitor traffic,” notes Ashley Smith, Director of Economic Development for Allegany.
Allegany County counted 47,027 residents in the 2023 census, with a median age of 38.9 years and median household income of $61,233 in 2023 (a leap from the previous year, when median household income stood at $58,725), according to Data USA.
During the pandemic, air travel was curtailed, festivals and other big gatherings were cancelled, and people were encouraged to socially distance from each other. For anyone seeking a vacation or respite, the outdoor ambiance of Allegany County proved to be a huge draw. There are no major cities in Allegany County but plenty of hills, valleys, waterways, walkable communities, and recreational opportunities.
“We have launch sites for kayaks and canoes along the Genesee River, plus public fishing spots all over the county. There’s a place where you can take your ATV and ride for miles, snowmobile trails that go on forever, and parks and state forests where you can even ride horseback. We have a ski resort, and—probably my favorite part—we still have true hometown festivals. We host the best hot-air balloon rally and county fair you’ll find anywhere in New York State,” says Smith.
This year’s Great Wellsville Balloon Rally in July offered a parade, refreshments, and the launch of more than 30 hot air balloons helmed by experienced balloon pilots. The balloon rally has been held since the mid-1970s. This year’s Allegany County Fair, also in mid-July, featured exhibits, shows, grandstand events, and more. Hiking, hunting, and camping are hugely popular in Allegany, as are the historic and charming Main Streets that offer local eateries and quaint shops.
At the time of our previous profile, the county was bracing for the closure of a Dresser-Rand plant in the village of Wellsville. After producing steam turbines for over a century, the plant was shuttered for good in April 2020 by its owners, the Siemens company. Since then, the plant site has been repurposed and renamed to the Wellsville Business Park. The Park features nearly half-a-million square feet of warehouse, manufacturing, and office space, a large portion of which has been leased, with new tenants including small manufacturers and companies with warehousing needs. In addition to the Wellsville Business park, Smith shares details regarding the ACME building in Cuba, New York. This location is 180,000 square feet of warehouse, manufacturing, and office space, and has tenants that range from healthcare to production. Both facilities have space for lease or can be purchased in their entirety.
The Allegany County Office of Economic Development, the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency (ACIDA), and state and federal partners, want to attract new businesses to the county and the region in general, and to this end, the ACIDA offers tax-exempt bond financing, sales tax forgiveness, mortgage recording tax fee exemptions, and payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreements to interested and qualified companies.
As for the type of companies Allegany hopes to see join their communities, Smith points to the county’s strong agricultural heritage. “We are looking at food industry-specific businesses, companies that utilize rail, and businesses that operate in the ceramics space,” she says. “Additionally, we have abundant natural resources and a need for retail here… At the end of the day, Allegany County is open to any businesses that want to come here and be part of our amazing community.”
“What makes our county attractive,” Smith explains, are the low costs and proximity to major transportation routes.” As to the former, the median property value in Allegany was $97,900 in 2023, making the county eminently affordable. As to the latter, Allegany is located near Buffalo, Rochester, and Canada, and is served by Interstate 86, New York State Routes 19 and 417, among other roadways, rail lines, and a municipal airport based in Wellsville. The county now boasts a Quicklee’s Travel Center (a family-owned convenience store/gas station chain in upstate New York), which serves as a rest area for truck drivers and travelers—and there are plans to develop land adjacent to the site once infrastructure is in place.
In another draw for businesses, the county boasts a highly educated workforce. Allegany is an academic powerhouse with three post-secondary institutions—Alfred State College, Alfred University, and Houghton University—and some programs offered by these schools tie in with local economic needs. Alfred State College, for example, emphasizes the trades and has introduced courses focused on food processing, while Alfred University is focused on advanced ceramics engineering says Smith.
Alfred State College features robust agriculture and applied technology programs; Houghton University is a Christian liberal arts school with strengths in applied sciences and education; and Alfred University boasts a well-known Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT). While Alfred University is a private institution, its ceramics program is closely connected with the State University of New York (SUNY) system. In total, Allegany County counts 7,000 post-secondary students, with 1,600 graduates each year.
Unsurprisingly, the education sector accounts for the highest number of jobs in the county, followed by healthcare/social assistance and retail. The county’s top employers include Alfred State College, Alfred University, and the Allegany County government, according to an Allegany County Business Resource Guide compiled by the Allegany County Offices of Planning.
Arvos Ljungström of Wellsville and Saputo Dairy Foods in the town of Friendship are two of the largest manufacturing companies in the county. A division of the ARVOS Group, the larger Ljungström company manufactures systems and solutions for the industrial, renewable energy, and thermal heat and power sectors. With a presence in Allegany going back decades, the Wellsville site was selected to fabricate steel components for wind turbine foundations a few years ago. Saputo, one of the top dairy processors in the world, operates a dairy plant in Allegany County and remains a vested partner in the community.
In addition to drawing businesses, Allegany is determined to build on its reputation among tourists and visitors. “The county decided they really needed to brand themselves in the tourism space. We hired a consultant to come in and help us because we’re not widely known—we’re not the Poconos, we’re not Vegas,” says Smith.
Through these efforts, Allegany positioned itself as a pocket of wilderness adventure matched with excellent hospitality and recreational opportunities. The tag “Western New York Wilds of Allegany County” was born, along with a website of the same name, that showcases scenic vistas, historic sites, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, sports, recreation, and culture within the county. The Western New York Wilds concept is also promoted via social media.
As for attracting individuals and families for the long term, Smith says, “We still have that hometown feel; we haven’t grown too big. You can still walk downtown, it’s safe here. You really get that sense of community, and we have all four seasons; it’s beautiful.” The weather is varied, with cold but not frigid winters, warm but not scorching summers, and “incredible fall scenery… Usually, we don’t get snow until January and then in summer, we typically range in the 80s,” she adds.
For anyone suffering from illness or injury, the county is well-served by Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville. With 49 beds, this acute care facility has a coveted four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a U.S. government agency that offers health coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs. “We’re really proud of [the hospital]. For a rural community, we have an incredible healthcare system and that’s important,” says Smith.
Going forward, she hopes to see more economic development in the county in the form of new jobs, higher wages, and better opportunities, and is not anticipating any major demographic changes over the next few years. The county population “is probably never going to be 100,000 in my lifetime, but who knows? Because we don’t have a city, we’re not going to see one local area just explode; rather, we’ll see growth across the county that impacts multiple communities.”
If anything, Smith sees Allegany County retaining its rural vibe while expanding its available services. The goal is to be “a place where, while we don’t have the hustle and bustle of urban areas, we offer just as much as they do—we’re not short of any amenities.”
This ties in with another issue; two of the biggest challenges currently facing Allegany County are “site readiness and utilities,” Smith explains. Sewer systems haven’t been fully connected in every municipality (a countywide sewer study is currently underway). There’s also a shortage of new houses, a problem impacting communities across North America. As such, a countywide housing strategy is being conducted, with a view to collaborating with housing developers who want to build in Allegany.
The power grid is a challenge as well. “We’re such a rural community that we’re not graced with adequate power in every location in our communities… That will be our biggest challenge, I think—just getting the infrastructure we need to the locations that are desirable for new businesses,” Smith shares.
“But we’re open to the challenge, so bring it on.”
