Historic small town surrounded by outdoor adventure
The county seat of Crawford County, Meadville was settled in 1788 at the confluence of the Cussewago and French creeks by a party led by David Mead. One of the city’s claims to fame is that it is the home of the zipper. The Talon Corporation, headquartered in Meadville, solely developed and marketed this tool, now so essential. Other tool and die machine shops, like Channellock, are why Meadville was given the nickname Tool City, USA.
The city is also well known for its parks, trails and natural resources. “Meadville’s creeks are places to kayak, boat and fish,” says longtime resident David Schepner, broker/partner of Howard Hanna Bainbridge Kaufman. “We have hiking and biking trails that people can use for cross-country skiing. If you like seasonal change, fall is gorgeous here, summer is warm and comfortable, and winter brings snowmobiling and other sports.” With stateparks and lakes nearby, such as Woodcock Creek Lake created by the Army Corps of Engineers, Meadville is a playground for nature and outdoor lovers.
But at its core, Meadville is a friendly, supportive community. “People care about one another here,” Schepner says. “We have Market House, a trading hub, where farmers can bring their wares to sell. Buying local and supporting each other’s businesses is important.” With live theatre and community events too, Meadville is a place where people gather to shop, dine, enjoy the outdoors and mingle.
Meadville locals have easy access to a variety of everyday amenities.
Channellock, a widely used plier company, employs over 300 Meadville residents.
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Recreational sports, walking trails and French Creek
Meadville offers eight parks and greenspaces with playgrounds and sports facilities. The 47-acre Meadville Area Recreation Complex features an ice arena with a hockey academy and an indoor aquatic center where new swimmers can take lessons. The complex also features outdoor facilities, including two soccer fields, a baseball field, four tennis courts, a picnic shelter and a skatepark.
Several multi-use trails wind through Meadville, such as the Eldred Glenn Walking Trails beside the recreation complex. Bessemer Trail, newly opened in 2024, starts at the Bessemer Commerce Park along French Creek. A proposed extension would connect the trail to Crawford Business Park, the site of Acutec Precision Aerospace, one of Meadville’s largest employers, enhancing the city’s trail system for employees and the public.
Anglers and kayakers can also enjoy French Creek, which hugs the western part of Meadville. “It’s one of the freshest streams in Pennsylvania,” Schepner says. “French Creek starts in New York and flows into Crawford County with fish species you can’t find anywhere else. Meadville is part of the French Creek Water Trail, with access points for kayakers from Union City to Franklin. Anglers also prize the panfish and game fish that thrive in the creek, including such rare species as darters and lampreys, along with more common gamefish like muskellunge, pike, walleye and other varieties.
The Meadville Recreation Complex features an indoor pool and ice rink.
French Creek is often used by Meadville kayakers and anglers.
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Fairs, classics and parades in Meadville
The Crawford County Fair held at the fairgrounds on the east side of Meadville attracts over 150,000 people to the event in August. Award-winning animals fill the barns, stalls and tents of the fair. Commercial exhibits, food, amusement rides and concerts line the midway. “Toby Keith, Keith Urban and other country greats have performed here,” Schepner says. “We get stars before they are stars.”
The Thurston Balloon Classic fills the skies over Meadville with hot-air balloons during Father’s Day weekend in June. The Thurston family began ballooning in Meadville in the 19th century, and the classic has inspired dozens of balloonists since. Another event, Thunder in the City, is a classic car show in August at Diamond Park in front of the county courthouse. Admission is free, and the event includes music, vendors and food trucks. Meadville’s Halloween Parade in late October is the largest night-time parade in Pennsylvania. Its floats and costumes are judged against the parade’s theme that year.
Locally owned businesses, markets and theatres
Meadville’s downtown business district features locally owned retail and specialty stores, cafes, restaurants and bars. At Chateau Christine, proprietress Christine Yamricka handpicks the funky and edgy clothing and gifts her store sells. Firehouse Tap and Grille, which used to be the Meadville Central Fire Station, serves barbecue from an in-house commercial smoker and curates wines and signature drinks to go with it.
The Meadville Independent Business Alliance organizes First Friday events downtown with after-hours access to galleries and shops. Second Saturday Community Markets are also downtown from May to September. They feature arts and crafts vendors, live music and games. The Market House on Market Street is open year-round and features vendors selling produce, dairy, meat, specialty goods and artisan crafts. Saturday mornings from May to October, Market House holds a farmers market. Shoppers can also pick up groceries at the Tops Friendly Market on Center Street in the Downtown Mall or choose from several other markets, including Valesky’s, Malady’s Meat Market in the Park Avenue Plaza shopping center or Verna’s Discount Grocery and Deli on the east side.
Meadville has a thriving theater scene, too, from Academy Theatre downtown, which produces Broadway musicals, to French Creek Community Theatre, the area’s only youth theatre. “I saw ‘Jersey Boys’ and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ at the Academy Theatre,” Schepner says. “They’re not Broadway, but they’re really good.” Meadville Community Theatre, now housed in the Odd Fellows Building on the Allegheny College campus is the area’s progressive theatre, bringing new and inventive projects to the stage.
Market House hosts several local Meadville craft vendors and has a farmers market in the warmer months.
Downtown Meadville hosts several boutiques such as Chateau Christine.
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Homes well below the national average
Most homes in Meadville are two-story and single-family residences, such as Dutch Colonials built in the 1920s with beautiful wood trim and large front porches. Cape Cods built in the ’40s and ’50s near Allegheny College or on the city’s east side often feature fireplaces and fenced-in backyards. Ranch-style homes with attached garages sometimes sit on lots as big as a half-acre. Multifamily homes with two to four units are often renter-occupied and within walking distance of downtown, the college or recreational parks and trails.
“The housing market in Meadville is great,” Schepner says. “Your dollar goes a long way because you can get a nice home here for well under the national average.” The average home price in Meadville is $145,000, nearly 75% lower than the average home price across the country. The cost of living in Meadville is also less than in other parts of the state or nation.
Multifamily homes in Meadville make for great investment properties.
Meadville's hilly landscape creates unique yards for its single family homes.
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Public, parochial and private schools and colleges
The Crawford Central School District receives an overall C-plus from Niche. It serves approximately 3,450 students in Meadville and its surrounding communities with five elementary schools, a middle school, a senior high school and a junior-senior high school. First and Second District elementary schools, Meadville Area Middle School and Meadville Area Senior High School are all within the city. Meadville also has one independent school, The Learning Center K-8 School, and two parochial schools, Seton Catholic School and Crawford Christian Academy.
Allegheny College, one of the area’s largest employers, is a private liberal arts school north of downtown with a total enrollment of 1,300 students. In 2002, an Allegheny art professor, also a former highway maintenance manager, installed the first phase of “Read Between the Signs,” an art display made of discarded highway signs that depicts Meadville landmarks, such as Allegheny’s Bentley Hall and the Thurston Balloon Classic. The ongoing public art installation was constructed on a fence in front of the PennDOT maintenance building on Route 322 headed into the city.
The historic Allegheny College, a private liberal arts college in Meadville, offers a variety of majors.
Meadville Senior High School has earned an overall grade of C+ from Niche.
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Public transportation and Meadville Medical Center
Cyclists will find bike paths in Diamond Park, which fronts the county courthouse, and on the campus of Allegheny College. The city is also installing a multi-use trail on Route 6 from the intersection with Reynolds Avenue to Baldwin Street Extension, a 2.5-mile section.
Meadville offers a Bikeshare program and bus service through Crawford Area Transportation Authority (CATA). Interstate 79 connects Meadville to Erie, 40 miles north, and Pittsburgh, 90 miles south. Several other state and federal highways connect the city to neighboring towns, including Routes 6, 322, 77 and 27.
Meadville Medical Center, the largest employer in town, employs 2,000 people in the area with an overall payroll of nearly $150 million. The health system offers 37 medical and surgical specialties and has won awards for its patient safety, stroke care and orthopedic surgery.
Meadville’s crime spike and continental climate
According to the Pennsylvania State Police Uniform Crime Reporting System, violent and property crimes in the City of Meadville rose by 75% over the last two years as compared to relatively stable and declining crime numbers over the previous five years. FBI crime data confirms this spike.
The climate in Meadville is classified as humid continental, which features four distinct seasons with precipitation throughout the year. Residents can expect highs in the mid-’80s during the summer and temperatures in the teens to mid-’30s in the winter.
Written By
Christopher Kopczynski
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Nile Vincz
Video By
Mark Tilley
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