One of Western Pennsylvania’s most precious gems, where adventure begins, nature thrives, and every season tells a story, Clarion County covers a magical patch of the United States just North of Pittsburgh.
With Interstate 80 crossing the heart of this exquisite area, all the towns and villages that call this county home have fantastic access to destinations across the United States. The Clarion County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) is the county’s lead economic development organization and recently became the county’s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). The nonprofit is taking advantage of the county’s abundant natural assets and is fostering a community that draws business owners, residents, and visitors alike. Aspiring business owners, welcomed from larger metropoles across the country, are able to enjoy the affordable cost of business set-up and the enviable lifestyle afforded across its breathtaking rural areas.
As the lead economic development organization for Clarion County, Pennsylvania, the marketing team is tasked with bolstering the region’s economic prosperity. As such, it leverages the area’s strengths as an ideal tourist destination for those who appreciate the stunning natural environment and laidback pace. With a large part of the economy based on businesses serving the tourism sector, people here are as warm as they are hospitable, welcoming visitors from around the country and beyond for decades.
Once a visitor herself, Tourism Director Hind Karns and her family often took a break from their hectic corporate lives in Dubai to escape to this region where her husband spent his childhood. On one such holiday, the family fell in love with a home in Foxburg, a charming town on the Allegheny River, about 23 miles southwest of the county seat, Clarion. Enchanted by the region since her first visit, Karns could not have imagined that she would one day find herself in the enviable position of marketing the area and its beauty to the rest of the world.
As an entrepreneur, Karns is excited about the county’s future. “There are so many opportunities here for entrepreneurs,” she says.
The driver behind the CCEDC’s current work is to develop programs that not only hit the ground running but bring about valuable and permanent change. “We’re in the business of attracting people—because in today’s world, jobs follow people,” says Jarred Heuer, CCEDC Executive Director. “Our strategy positions Clarion County as a destination for entrepreneurs, digital nomads, individuals and families seeking a better quality of life. Through thoughtful placemaking—revitalizing our downtowns, enhancing outdoor recreation, and fostering vibrant community spaces—we create an environment where people want to live and invest.”
With this community-centric approach, the CCEDC seeks to attract opportunities that have a genuine civic interest. This, in turn, positions the county as a natural magnet for new economic opportunities and businesses that share its hardworking values.
In 2024, the organization launched the county’s first regional main street program, seeking to build consensus among local stakeholders and identify improvement projects in five downtowns across the county. Building on this initiative and drawing on resources like its relationship with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the CCEDC advocated for the creation of a state program called “Main Street Matters,” a program that helps fund main street revitalization programs including enterprise improvement, façade upgrades, and more.
“In order to cultivate and revitalize our downtowns, which feeds into tourism, our regional main street program offers Clarion County’s business corridors the opportunity to work together,” says Heuer.
Passionate about the area’s outstanding potential as an even more popular tourist destination than it already is, the team is committed to doing its best to promote the industry consciously by retaining the area’s charm, its calm, and its pristine rivers and forests. In the process, it fully intends to maintain the small-town values, local character, and historic aspects that have created the ambiance of this wonderful place—all while adding a touch of modernity to its amenities for the benefit of the local economy and the communities and people that call Clarion County home.
Therefore, rather than engaging in an aggressive development strategy, the DMO’s commitment is clear in its focus on preservation, protecting the character and charm of the region while updating its offerings. “We don’t want to build high-rises; we want to build sustainable progress for the local community,” Karns confirms. In the process, protecting the area from over-saturation through tourism is a priority. To achieve these two goals in tandem means that the development team takes the conscious management of resources across the county seriously. “We aim to grow economically while staying true to who we are. Balancing tradition and innovation, we welcome visionary ideas to carve out our place in the changing world, ensuring our future remains authentic and vibrant,” Karns adds.
Several local institutions have joined the mission, creating a range of programs to support successful outcomes. Built on a solid backbone of historic industries such as steel, coal, lumber, and oil, a phenomenal amount of wealth was brought to the area in its heyday, offering the county beautiful historic infrastructure. Some of these buildings include historic libraries, homes, churches, tunnels, and bridges.
One of its prettiest towns, Foxburg, is known as the area’s resort town, with a winery, historic buildings, a very rare and historic organ and a superb art gallery in a lovely old red brick building featuring fine art, woven fabrics, basketry, artisan jewelry, and more. “The natural assets in this region are amazing. People have to experience it for themselves,” Karns says of the exquisite landscapes that surround this picturesque village and the rest of the county.
It is also home to the Foxburg Country Club, which is the United States’ oldest golf course in continuous use. The club was first established by Joseph Mickle Fox, after whom the town was named—also known as the father of golf in America—following a fortuitous meeting with Tom Morris in St Andrews in Scotland. Originally leasing the land to the Foxburg Country Club, which welcomed its first players in 1887, Fox had, according to the club’s historic records, introduced the game to friends and associates on his estates playing with a set of clubs he was gifted by Morris.
Also not to be missed is Cook Forest, with its own fascinating history and some of the oldest trees in the country. Established in 1927, Cook Forest State Park was Pennsylvania’s first park created to protect a natural area. Now a National Natural Landmark, it preserves ancient trees, diverse wildlife, and the iconic “Forest Cathedral.” Once threatened by logging, it now thrives as a premier destination for hiking, paddling, and exploring nature. Decades of conservation efforts have safeguarded its beauty, ensuring future generations can enjoy its rich history and breathtaking landscapes.
The county seat, Clarion Borough, is known for its outstanding PennWest University and is the home of the Autumn Leaf Festival. As Western Pennsylvania’s second largest university, rendering well-rounded, successful professionals who actively contribute to the well-being of society is part of the institution’s nearly 200-year legacy. In addition, the county boasts a fine YMCA facility in Monroe Township. This facility offers residents access to outstanding wellness programs, modern equipment, a heated indoor swimming pool, childcare, and a full-size basketball court. Clarion Borough is also home to a multi-generational park that is currently under construction. Celebrating the ribbon cutting of the park’s playground just last year, the completed park will offer an ice-skating rink that doubles as a splash pad in summer, basketball and pickleball courts, and more.
Post-pandemic, three fabrication outfits moved into the county. Originally from Jackson, Ohio, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage set up a stave mill in Clarion Township, bringing over 50 jobs to the county in 2022. Lewis Lumber expanded to Clarion County from Tennessee and set up shop in Strattanville, Pennsylvania. The company imports hardwood lumber and sells it as a luxury commodity. Then there is Modern Living Solutions by Greystar in Knox, which designs and fabricates luxury modular pods used in the construction of apartment complexes.
Together, these three companies brought more than 300 new employment opportunities to the area. “For a rural area like ours, that’s tremendous,” Heuer says.
Clarion County’s story was not always so glamorous, however. As the geopolitics of the 1900s changed heavy industry, the county’s small towns suffered heavy depopulation, significantly changing the economic profile of the region. Positioning current sources of prosperity against this backdrop of sudden past economic downturns—which put a number of manufacturers out of commission over time—recent trends are certainly positive for those skilled in these industries. As a result, there is also a large focus on encouraging small and medium-sized manufacturing outfits that would allow the community to better mitigate any future downturns—firstly by bringing down the numbers of possible job losses at any one time and at the same time having enough industry in place to allow for maximum employee absorption in the event of another slump.
“Entrepreneurs are natural risk-takers… We want to position Clarion County as a landing spot for people who are searching for new opportunities,” Heuer says, highlighting that the area remains ideal for manufacturing. As a former New Yorker, he is especially aware of the county’s economic potential. The DMO is therefore also committed to attracting private investment while wisely investing in public works as part of its development strategy. Lauding entrepreneurs—and especially local ones—for their determination and courage, the organization is in full support of stimulating its local economy by making it easy for businesses to set up shop here to help turn its downtown areas into sought-after, socially conscious tourist destinations.
With the area’s property market attractive to those with families in search of good schools alongside robust accessibility, moving here is perfectly doable and also practical for those who prefer remote employment over entrepreneurship while pursuing a more intentional lifestyle. And easy access from everywhere in the county to its main artery means easy access to the facilities and institutions in neighboring areas.
Of course, reimagining the county’s identity means recasting its future. As such, the county may have much work ahead, but it has a few draw cards in its favor. “I think we are on the verge of a new cycle of invention,” says Karns.
With a new tourism website, and backed by trustworthy local infrastructure, exquisite natural surroundings, and a history of tenacity, Clarion County is well-positioned to achieve its goals. By undertaking such long-term creative and innovative endeavors, this DMO knows that taking meaningful action in the right direction every day will get it to where it envisions its future.
