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PA Wilds/Tioga County

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Tioga County is proudly located in the Pennsylvania Wilds, a region known for its incredible outdoor recreation opportunities and laid back way of life. Residents and visitors alike are captivated by the incredible natural assets and opportunities for outdoor recreation that this region has to offer. Stewarding these natural assets and helping people explore them safely can be a positive economic driver for local communities and sustain rural businesses and families.

Public lands are at the heart of the outdoor recreation economy. For the last 20 years, local partners from the public and private sectors have been working to grow this sector of the economy in the Pennsylvania Wilds. The region is home to more than 2 million acres of public land – more than Yellowstone National Park – and 16,000 miles of waterways.  

Did you know?

  • The outdoor recreation economy is an $862 billion annual industry in the United States, accounting for 1.9% of GDP and more than 4.5 million jobs in fields that include everything from guide and outfitting services to developing and manufacturing outdoor products such as kayaks, backpacks, tents and cook stoves. 
  • Tourism accounts for about 11% of the PA Wilds economy and generates $1.85 billion per year.

TIOGA COUNTY + PA WILDS

A 13-county region, the PA Wilds is a state-designated tourism region and Conservation Landscape known for its incredible public lands and outdoor recreation experiences. The region is home to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, world famous dark skies, the largest wild elk herd in the northeast, the Commonwealth’s only National Forest and so much more! Twenty years ago, the state launched an initiative to establish the region as a premier outdoor recreation destination under the Pennsylvania Wilds brand to help diversify the region’s distressed economy, inspire stewardship, improve quality of life, attract investment and retain population. The regional strategy has many components, including recreation infrastructure development, small business development, community character and natural resource stewardship, branding and marketing, and regional planning. 

Tioga County is a founding member of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement that brought the region’s counties together around the PA Wilds effort in 2006 and continues to participate in and support the PA Wilds Planning Team. Tioga County is also a Community Partner member of the Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network of communities, businesses and nonprofits based in the PA Wilds region that is working together to address market demands for regional experiences and products. Members receive PA Wilds branding and marketing support, access to selling on PA Wilds platforms, referrals and professional development opportunities. Located in the region, the PA Wilds Center is the coordinating nonprofit for the state-sponsored regional strategy and oversees the Wilds Cooperative and other PA Wilds branded business development initiatives.