Wellsboro, PA
 

Wellsboro (pop. 3,263) is the seat of Tioga County (pop. 41,981) in north-central Pennsylvania. Wellsboro is connected to the rest of the Northern Tier via scenic U.S. Route 6, and is one hour north of Williamsport, PA and one hour southwest of Elmira, NY.

Wellsboro is located in the glaciated plateau region, which is more suitable for agriculture than the more rugged unglaciated regions immediately west and south. Founded in 1806 and incorporated in 1830, Wellsboro was one of my lumber boomtowns in late 1800s Northern Pennsylvania. The town developed a host of manufacturing concerns, such as light bulbs, furniture and powdered metals.

A remarkably elegant and well-preserved town, Wellsboro has seized upon its proximity to stunning natural beauty and outdoors activities to become a tourism hub in the newly branded "Pennsylvania Wilds". The most famous natural asset is the Pine Creek Gorge, or Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, about 10 miles west of Wellsboro. Located in the Tioga State Forest, this 47-mile long gorge is Pennsylvania's deepest at 800 feet.

Like many other Northern Tier towns, Wellsboro owes its urban layout to the New England / Upstate New York cultural hearth moreso than the Pennsylvanian. The two primary streets in town are boulevards featuring grass medians adorned with authentic Victorian gas lamps. The gaslight imparts a unique soft glow on the town... especially when blanketed with snow. The boulevards intersect at the town green and courthouse.

In the past couple years, life in tranquil Wellsboro has been transformed. Tioga County is the epicenter of Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale gas drilling activity, with hundreds of wells throughout the county. White trucks adorned with Texas plates are ubiquitous in the area. The area has seen a population and economic surge recently, but questions remain about the long-term impacts of this extractive industry on bucolic Tioga County. The hydraulic fracturing practice is controversial, and Pennsylvania has been very lax on regulation. Dusty, noisy trucks clog the streets of tiny Wellsboro and housing is in short supply.


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The Tioga County Courthouse was built in 1835


a statue inspired by a Dutch lullabye in the middle of Wellsboro's green across from the courthouse






































































































small church on the way to the Grand Canyon






Leonard Harrison State Park overlooks the Grand Canyon from the east rim












Colton Point State Park overlooks from the west rim








Mansfield (pop. 3,625) is located 13 miles east of Wellsboro and has an urban cluster population of 4,152. The town is located at the intersection of US 6 and US 15, which has undergone upgrades recently and may be designated as part of I-99 in the future... connecting I-80 to Rochester, NY. Mansfield is home to Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, a state school with an enrollment of 3,360.



Mansfield is one of the smallest towns in PA to host a state university. Its downtown is only two blocks long.



Perry's Country















North Hall, built in 1878, dominates the Mansfield cityscape. It was closed in 1975 and slated for demolition. Thankfully, public pressure put a stop to those plans and North Hall was renovated.

Looks like a peaceful town. Nice set.

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rush hour in wellsboro!

nice and thorough as ever, 'grey. i love tioga county and the "wilds", but man, i sure hope they don't frack it up.

Awesome.

Great tour. I like the parkway in downtown Wellsboro.

Nice pictures. I should've covered Wellsboro more thoroughly when I was there a couple years ago, but you did a good job of it. You also did a good job with Mansfield; I never really have covered it much even though I drive by it a few times a year.

I went to the Grand Canyon this past fall right around when peak foliage was about to hit, and it was great. I noticed that little church on the drive to the state park, but didn't get a chance to stop.

Thanks for the shots, Evergrey!

Wellsboro is a lovely and pleasant town. I like those victorian gas lamps in those boulevards with grass. Some houses are really pretty. I like so much grass around the houses and streets. It must be a beautiful place to live in.

Grand Canyon and Mansfield are amazing too. I miss the peaceful of those small towns surounded by spectacular landscapes.

Thanks again for the tour. I hope to see more pictures of that pretty state soon.

Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain!:tup:

Reminds me of St Marys! Lumber towns, FTW.

Nice little town!

Lots of character. I like the gas lamps in the median.

Very interesting thread Evergrey! Thanks for sharing your photos.

Wellsboro? I never heard of it before now. What a gem!

What a wonderful looking town... awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Freaking awesome photos, Evergrey! :tup:

As for the Marcellus activity in Tioga County, well, with natural gas prices being as unbelievably low as they are right now, the number of rigs in northeast-north central PA has been dropping like a rock the last 6 months or so, and the rigs have been moving SW towards Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Clarksburg, places like that. That being said, I have no doubts that a good amount of wells will continue to be drilled and completed (fraced) for the long-term future in the region. Honestly, with the current level of environmental rules and regulations, the fracing process as we know it now is only continuing to get safer and safer for everyone involved, and will continue to bring in a good amount of revenue to small towns such as Wellsboro.

Aaron (Glowrock)

Nice tour, Evergrey. Looks like two interesting towns. Those lamps are great.

Great Thread, I grew up 45 minutes from Wellsboro. Great that the town is bustling these days, but I don't want to fracking to take from the natural beauty of northern PA.

Nice town!! Looks well preserved and touristy!! :cool:

Very nice thread as always. This is one PA town I never been to, but keep wanting to go visit.