Summit Township is a rural area with a slower pace of life
Summit Township is a rural area in Somerset County known for hosting the Pennsylvania Maple Festival, family farms and small businesses. “People who left home come back for the slower pace and the sense of community,” says Martha Albright, an experienced Realtor with Re/Max Premier Realtors who also live in the Meyersdale Borough. “We have the Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center and great local businesses that work hard.” The Amish community within the township has been active since the late 1700s, and some families run markets like Peachey’s Country Store and Ada’s Greenhouse. The township and its boroughs often celebrate farming and maple tapping — one of the county’s leading economies. Residents enjoy the laidback lifestyle, and visitors book rooms in bed and breakfasts where they can rest before exploring nearby destinations, like the Great Allegheny Trail. Summit Township is a blend of natural beauty and local pride.
Old buildings line the streets of downtown Summit Township.
Residents pick up prescriptions at the F.B. Thomas Drug Store in Summit Township.
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Pennsylvania Maple Festival and Somerset County Fair
The Pennsylvania Maple Festival, a tradition since 1947, put Meyersdale on the map and earned the borough’s “Maple City” nickname. People from all over the county visit to see tree-tapping demonstrations, vote for the Maple King and Queen, and grab breakfast at the Lions Club Pancake House. Albright says businesses always get involved during the festival. Albright Pizza puts up a food stand, and food trucks come in for the festival. The Festival Park Complex often holds a beer garden and live music. Money raised during the event goes back to support local businesses and community groups.
The Somerset County Fair happens every August in the township, and the event will have its 125th anniversary in 2025. Contestants bring their prized animals to win a blue ribbon, while visitors watch demo derbies, bid at the baked goods auction and see who will be crowned the Somerset County Fair Queen.
Cows are cleaned and prepped for guest to admire their beauty at the Somerset County Fair.
Watch sheep get sheered up close at the Somerset County Fair.
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Older ranch-style homes, farmhouses and colonial homes
Homes in the township and boroughs hover around $160,000 to $240,000. Summit Township has ranch-style homes and farmhouses, often on lots with at least one acre of land. Meyersdale properties are closer together, often featuring colonial-inspired designs with covered front porches and large backyards. Throughout the area, the newest homes were built in the 1990s, but most were built between the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Living in Meyersdale or Garrett comes with paying borough taxes, but the boroughs also have public water and sewage lines, volunteer fire departments and quicker access to the GAP Trail. Homes in the township run on septic tanks and wall water.
Front porches on large houses are common in Summit Township.
Older houses can be found in the downtown area of Summit Township.
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Cycling down the GAP Trail to Washington D.C.
The Meyersdale Area Historical Society runs a small museum that also acts as a Great Allegheny Passage Trail Head. Cyclists from across the state visit to bike up and down the 150-mile GAP Trail, as it flows north to Pittsburgh and south to Washington. Also in Meyersdale, Paul E. Faller Playground and Park has a spacious play area, two paved basketball courts, a volleyball pit and a baseball field, all bordered by a gravel walking path. For quieter activities, there's the Meyersdale Public Library and Senior Community Center. Anyone who wants to climb the highest point in Pennsylvania travels to Mount Davis, 15 minutes from Summit Township. The peak stands at 3,213 feet above sea level, and an observation tower at the top has views of treetops in Forbes State Forest below.
Gap Trail is a popular destination for bikers, and history buffs near Summit Township.
Paul E. Faller Playground and Park features a nautically themed play set.
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Meyersdale Area Schools rank well in Somerset County
The Meyersdale Area School District covers all of Summit Township, and Niche ranks the district as the third best in Somerset County. Meyersdale Elementary School gets a B-minus and feeds into Meyersdale Area Middle, which receives a B. Meyersdale Area High School earns a B-minus, and multiple athletes won medals during the PIAA Track and Field Championships in 2024. The football team celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022. All three schools neighbor each other on one campus.
Prepare for college at Meyersdale Area High School.
Meyersdale Area High School serves grades 9-12.
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Family-owned businesses in Meyersdale and Summit Township
Summit Country Market is housed in an 1846 German Baptist meeting house, though now the building holds a deli counter and shelves stocked with dry goods and locally sourced maple syrup. The township also has family farms like Peachey’s Country Store that sell homemade goods, often including pies and chocolates. Residents who want more options can also visit the Food Lion off Mason-Dixon Highway near Meyersdale.
According to Albright, Meyersdale has multiple popular restaurants and coffee shops. “For breakfast, there’s Donges Drive-In and Motel and the G.I. Dayroom Coffee Shop,” Albright says. “The White House Restaurant is a good place for lunch and dinner.” In addition to restaurants, the borough also features locally owned businesses. There are home goods stores like The Sewing Box Quilt Shop and bed and breakfasts operating out of historic homes, including The Inn on Main.
The White House Restaurant near Greenville is a beloved local favorite.
Residents grab coffee at The Corner Cup on a cold winter day in Summit Township.
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Taking Route 219 to Somerset or Johnstown
U.S. Route 219, commonly known as Flight 93 Memorial Highway, flows 16 miles north to Somerset. Commuters also use the highway to travel 40 miles to John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown. Most churches are in Meyersdale, like the Amity United Church of Christ, but there’s also Garrett United Methodist in Garrett and the Old Order Amish Church in Summit Township. The Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center is located behind the Casselman Healthcare and Rehab center and has access to an emergency. Because the township is in the Laurel Highlands, it often snows in the winter with below-freezing temperatures. Heavy rain in the spring can lead to flooded roads, primarily in west Meyersdale near Casselman River. The CAP Index gives the township a 2 out of 10 crime score, lower than the national average of 4.
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