2026
Online Community Profile &
Membership Directory
Welcome to the Bedford County Online Community Profile! We hope you enjoy learning more about our wonderful community. If there is any other information that you need, please click the logo to visit our website or give us a call at 814-623-2233.
Welcome to
BEDFORD
COUNTY
Bedford County possesses a unique charm that goes beyond its historic downtowns, the pre-Revolutionary War fort, the world-class Omni Bedford Springs Resort, or Blue Knob – Pennsylvania’s highest skiable mountain. Bedford and Everett, our two largest towns, feature architecture that is both attractive and inviting. Store fronts brim with captivating shops, memorable restaurants and the usual downtown fare – banks, law firms, service agencies, and pharmacies. The charm comes from the countryside. Bedford County is framed by the Allegheny Front to the west and north, the flatlands of the Cove to the east, and the Cumberland Basin to the south. It’s the westernmost edge of Pennsylvania’s Ridge-and-Valley country. Soaring ridges give every valley a green, forested curtain.
The ridges are blanketed by deciduous forests of poplar, oak, and maple with a smattering of pines and hemlocks, all of which supply lumber, stunning fall foliage and homes for our game. This area is home to the headwaters of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River – eighty-five miles as the crow flies, but one hundred seventy miles of lazy, winding water before it meets the Susquehanna at Duncannon – perfect for fishing, camping, and kayaking, and when it spills into Raystown Lake, watersports of all kinds.
Bedford County is home to lots of communities that are proud of their past and building toward a prosperous tomorrow. Family farms separated by fence rows and quiet streams create a landscape that still takes your breath away. The scenery changes around every corner – from the orchard-dotted hills near New Paris, where apple, cherry, and peach blossoms paint the ridges in spring, to the wide-open fields of the Cove where corn and wheat roll gold under harvest skies. From those same farms to the manufacturers, shops, and service providers that line our roads – Bedford’s business spirit is alive and working.
Preserving the past is important to people here, whether it’s a small log cabin, a large stone home or the elegance and grandeur of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, which is one of Pennsylvania’s true historical treasures. The resort is a point of pride for the community and a lure that brings thousands of visitors to the area each year to relax, reconnect and explore Bedford County’s shops, restaurants and attractions.
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Bedford County will celebrate its own role in the birth of the nation – telling stories that are uniquely ours, including Fort Bedford, which helped to secure the frontier. Forbes Trail, which originated the way west for a growing nation, became the Lincoln Highway, the first road to the Pacific, now known as Route 30. Bedford Springs Hotel, whose mineral springs drew the young nation’s elites – welcomed Harrison, Jackson, Tyler, Polk, and Taylor. Buchanan made it his summer White House, year after year. When the Old Course opened, Taft, Eisenhower, Reagan, and George W. Bush followed. Only two other resorts boast longer presidential guest lists. In 1855, Supreme Court Justices, Taney among them, talked Dred Scott over lemonade on these very porches. Today’s Omni Bedford Springs Resort, after a painstaking $120 million dollar renovation in 2007, is Bedford County’s crown jewel and home to the nation’s oldest still-operating indoor swimming facility, built in 1905 for the hotel.
Bedford County’s historical accolades don’t stop there. On the afternoon of October 10, 1794, President George Washington came to Bedford, had a hot dinner, met with the militia, and stayed overnight – all at the Espy House, which still stands on Pitt Street. The Whiskey Rebellion tested whether a fledgling republic could enforce its laws against armed resistance. Bedford was the quiet stage where Washington drew the line.
As the nation celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Bedford County is proud to have witnessed and contributed to every moment.
Another anniversary is being celebrated here this year – the 40th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s home, the Russell House sits on the edge of the Square – land deeded from William Penn’s family – right beside Veterans Grove, where we honor every veteran, living and dead, who made these 250 years of freedom possible.
If you are a visitor or a new resident to Bedford County – welcome! This publication is designed to highlight all that Bedford County has to offer. If you’d like more info about our county or to join our vibrant business community, call the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce at 814-623-2233.
