Smethport, Pennsylvania
| Smethport, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Borough | |
McKean County Courthouse
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 Smethport, Pennsylvania
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| Coordinates: 41°49′N 78°27′W / 41.817°N 78.450°WCoordinates: 41°49′N 78°27′W / 41.817°N 78.450°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | McKean |
| Settled | 1807 |
| Incorporated | 1853 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Borough council |
| • Mayor | Wayne V. Foltz |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,655 |
| • Density | 1,009.5/sq mi (389.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Zip code | 16749 |
| Area code(s) | 814 |
| Website | Borough of Smethport |
Smethport is a borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The current mayor is Wayne V. Foltz. The population was 1,655 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of McKean County. Smethport is part of the Bradford, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Smethport, having the coldest temperature ever recorded in Pennsylvania, is the coldest place in Pennsylvania, and among the coldest towns in the continuous United States.
Smethport is situated in the Pennsylvania Wilds region, in a hilly area a short distance from the Allegheny National Forest and Kinzua Bridge State Park. Smethport is about two hours from Erie and Buffalo. The highest point on U.S. Route 6 east of the Mississippi River is near Smethport at Bush Hill.
Smethport was founded in 1807 by Dutch land investors who were surveying a large tract of land they purchased from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and was named in honor of a Dutch banking family, the De Smeths, who financed the land investments. The town's first business was a water-powered sawmill built by John Applebee in 1822. Smethport became the McKean County seat in 1826 and was incorporated as a Borough in 1853. The sawmill's artificial pond is now the centerpiece of Hamlin Park. Smethport has ties to General Thomas L. Kane who organized the Bucktail Regiment during the Civil War; the borough is home to an active group of Bucktail re-enactors.
The borough has been the location of offices for several forest industry firms. From the 1870s to the early 1900s, Smethport was an important center for the East Coast hardwoods industry and enjoyed a timber-fueled economic boom that allowed the construction of many mansions that today make up a historic architectural district.
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