Our small towns are favorites

All right coal crackers, it's time to fire up the Internet and start your voting. Trip Advisor recently released a contest for "Prettiest Small Town in America," on its site and Jim Thorpe has made the top 28 list.

Mauch Chunk is competing with sites all across the nation from California to Massachusetts but we could use the win more than any of them.

During the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corp. dinner local business owners were honored for their hard work and ingenuity in our aging county.

Kathy Henderson of the Economic Development branch told guests that tourism has become one of our largest sources of revenue in the county next to manufacturing. She encouraged diners to "Welcome tourists and their dollars," and I agree.

Carbon County had once been on the cutting edge of commerce with the boom in coal mining and the train industry. However as time marched on and new and more shining industries popped up on the horizon across the country, the coal region took the hit. Once-thriving towns like Lansford and Weissport have been reduced to abandoned buildings and bad-news fodder for the police log.

The shift in the economy left once-bright store front windows dusted over and vacant. It's taken a lot of hard work and dedication from organizations such as CCEDC and volunteers from Lansford Alive to breathe new life into the left-behind area. The old saying goes, "any press is good press," especially when it is good press.

Spending an afternoon in "Sleeping Bear" it is easy to see how Jim Thorpe has been polished into the diamond of the coal region. The small shops have taken the initiative to devote their money and lives to their crafts. During the dinner the top three businesses honored reside in the borough of Thorpe: Somersault Press, Turn To Us and Kresge Electric.

But it's not just the shopping that draws the crowds. Like the contest's title, Jim Thorpe is beautiful. Spend some time on the D&L Trail and you'll most certainly catch a glimpse of deer sipping from the Lehigh or hawks soaring above the Glen. The wild rhododendrons in the spring and summer create a floating island effect for those who stand among them on the mountainside during a quiet morning.

The history is vast and fascinating. Jim Thorpe has it all from lore of ghosts to murder and other tales predating any living resident. I've heard residents over the years say that Carbon County is behind the times but I disagree. New blood, new families and new businesses are cropping up all over the vast and wooded area, bringing new life to all the municipalities. Over the past year Lehighton has seen its school expand and built a state-of-the-art stadium.

Summit Hill is home to the up-and-coming hair salon Midas touch and the popular Mansion House Restaurant.

Lansford recently constructed and unveiled a monument to our coal miner heritage, drawing a crowd which packed the park.

Weissport has even built a monument to a female Olympic swimmer in the same park which hosts the expanding Redneck Festival.

Palmerton recently hosted the prestigious moving Vietnam wall.

That is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the growth the county has seen in the past few years.

I encourage residents to vote for our Jim Thorpe because at its core, that vote is for the benefit of all of Carbon County.

Get your vote counted at https://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalsBlog/2016/11/11/americas-prettiest-small-town-vacations.