Special Place with a Relaxed Pace

Tionesta was settled in the late 1700s and became the Forest County seat in 1868.  Its origins are in river transportation, farming and lumber. The town was once home to an enormous variety of business enterprises, from ice producers and a greenhouse, to lumber mills and barge builders, gravel and stone quarries, brick works, a mantel factory, plastic and glass bottle manufacturers, a pottery manufacturer, and many others.

While the drilling of the first commercial oil well in nearby Titusville made Tionesta boom in the late 1800’s, timber and tourism have been the sustaining industries.  Today, oil and gas are making a comeback in the region and the area has the natural resources (wood, water, stone, natural gas, etc.), the workforce, affordable facilities, high speed internet access, and highway transportation to support manufacturing and other industries on a small to mid-sized scale.

In 2013, the Tionesta Market Village was established – a truly creative use of a burned-out downtown block that has become a great asset to the community as well as a tourism attraction.  In recent decades, the development of tourism and thousands of seasonal hunting and fishing camps has played a major role in the economy of Forest County.

This small town of less than 500 residents has all the needed services necessary for doing business, as well as a low cost of doing business and a high quality of life for you and your employees.  It is especially well-suited to small and medium sized businesses and is central to many commerce centers and primary highways for transport of your materials and products.

Tionesta is a place where you want to raise a family, as well as a place where you can age actively in a relaxed setting.  There are many opportunities to be active in local organizations and get to know your neighbors. Tionesta has little crime, good schools with a high teacher/student ratio and progressive-thinking administration, available housing stock and land, and entrepreneurial opportunities.  Tionesta is located along the Allegheny River and surrounded by public lands – including the Allegheny National Forest – offering many recreational opportunities for all ages. Tionesta is the “Special Place with a Relaxed Pace.”