With sparkling night skies and breathtaking natural beauty, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania has much to offer world-weary travelers and those looking to relocate alike. Recently appointed as the county’s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), the Jefferson County Economic Development Council is all set to take local tourism by its proverbial horns. Now its Director, Jess Seary, and her team are leveraging the opportunity to bring visitors who want to come and wind down here on vacation—or perhaps even stay forever—to this verdant corner of Pennsylvania.
“It’s been a big undertaking,” she says. “Our economic development has changed over the past decade. We had to regroup and find our niche while still being productive and bringing new dollars to the county.”
With its new Tourism Director, Mary Jo Milford, appointed late last year, the organization also used the opportunity to develop a new website and branding. “We’re gearing up for our first full year with that plan behind us and that infrastructure,” Seary continues. Moreover, sights are set on marketing this lovely region internationally.
For over a century, the county has been home to Punxsutawney Phil, a position that can only be filled by an honorary groundhog, in the town of Punxsutawney, around 80 miles from Pittsburgh. On February 2 each year, as the first rays of the sun hit the landscape, Phil is pulled from his burrow to predict the end of winter or the arrival of spring. The festivities are rounded out with a party at Gobbler’s Knob.
While it is widely understood to be more superstition than hard science, Punxsutawney Phil has become such a part of the local psyche that Groundhog Day inspired the 1993 film by the same name. The film was so popular that a sequel was released earlier this year. “It’s a fun, quirky festival, an all-night celebration [that lasts] until 7 a.m. when they pull Phil out of his little enclosure. People get really into it,” Seary says. Complete with a regular Governor’s visit, a live band, fireworks, and free entry, this popular shindig tends to be well attended.
Jefferson County is also home to well over 100 sites of archeological significance to Indigenous First Peoples. These sites have been excavated with the help of the Jefferson County History Center in Brookville, which is an invaluable resource to the area that offers educational events and activities as well as fascinating exhibits. It also offers locals the opportunity to get involved in local history and its preservation through volunteering. The Coolspring Power Museum, meanwhile, features some of the world’s earliest internal combustion engines.
The county shares its access to Cook Forest State Park with Clarion County and is also home to Clear Creek State Park, with its famous Beartown Rocks hiking trail that takes visitors to a “rock city” dating back to the last ice age. For those not in the mood for hiking, an easy stroll from the Corbett Road parking lot also gets you to this breathtaking outcrop of rocks. Founded in 2017, Brookville’s Laurel Festival gives locals a chance to gather over eight days celebrating the flowering of the Mountain Laurel. And Brockway is home to the county’s most picturesque Fourth of July celebrations.
The county’s fairground in Brookville is a hub of activity all year-round with wonderful gatherings like wine tastings, horse shows, monster truck shows, and all sorts of family-friendly events, all culminating in the biggest event of the year when producers and performers from across Jefferson flock together for the county fair during the third week in July. In addition, the Hazen Flea Market in Brookville acts as the Warsaw Township Volunteer Fire Company’s main fundraiser, welcoming visitors on selected dates, typically from May to October. Offering everything from antiques to curios and quality apparel, it is historically known as the largest flea market East of the Mississippi.
For city folk who are feeling a tad claustrophobic where they currently are, the county’s population count of around 43,000 makes the area anything but overcrowded. Situated close to several large cities, Jefferson County offers the perfect balance between peaceful country living and easy access to urban amenities. “We have a beautiful state forest here in Jefferson County. It has some of the oldest living trees in the United States. It’s an outdoorsman’s paradise out here,” Seary says, adding that there is something to suit everyone’s tastes in this rural area. Indeed, with myriad outdoor activities to keep everyone in the family engaged and active, this fascinating place has a lot going for it.
As an economic development authority, the DMO lends support in securing state and federal grants to boost local community well-being and the economy. “Our doors are always open to have conversations [with businesses that want to come here],” says Seary. Jefferson County Development Council’s loan program lends $100,000 with a fixed three percent interest rate aimed at small and medium enterprises, while other local loan providers lend varying amounts. And businesses here benefit from Seary’s expertise in finding and securing grants, grant-writing, and access to local government departments.
As such, the county invites those in industry to come and explore the possibilities it provides—not only in terms of incentives but also in skilled labor. With its local trades school, Jefferson County-Dubois Area Vocational-Technical School (Jeff Tech), focused on teaching machining, welding, and other manufacturing skills, the area is blessed with young workers ready to reach the next level in their development. “Every year, these kids [are graduating] and they’re looking for jobs. So, any industry that plays to our local trades school would do well here for certain,” Seary says.
“If you are a laborer, a machinist, someone in the blue-collar field, there are high-paying jobs here where you could start tomorrow,” she shares. As Interstate 80 conveniently cuts through the center of the county with six exits, logistics become a cinch for enterprises transporting goods across the country. Two of its main towns also offer access to railway transportation.
Indeed, the county’s existing industry is doing well, and three of its more recent arrivals are especially flourishing. One of these is the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Project in collaboration with Cresco Yeltrah, which received permission to trade in 2017 and has met with success. “We’re very blessed to have that here in Jefferson County,” says Seary. “They’re a top employer.” The Legacy Truck Center is another enterprise that has brought a significant number of new jobs to the region since it opened in 2019.
Penn Highlands Healthcare has also substantially added to the local economy by consolidating a number of individually operating healthcare operations, ranging from hospitals to senior living facilities, under the management of a single brand. With its new community medical facility in Brookville and extensive upgrades and improvements to existing outfits, Penn Highlands Healthcare remains a large investor in the county.
Looking at the DMO’s goals for the county, Seary and her team are resolute in their vision. Set on driving a thriving economy with community at the heart of all its efforts, the organization is taking aim at fully occupied commercial properties, bustling main streets, and growing and updating housing developments.
With so much to offer, seeing the area’s tourism sector grow exponentially is also a priority. And, with such a warm sense of hospitality, the spirit of welcoming people here is not simply business as usual, Seary tells me. “We hope you visit,” she says, “but we also hope you stay.”
