Originally established in 1804, Cranberry Township in Southern Butler County was named for the wild cranberries that once grew along the banks of Brush Creek. The population soared to a hearty 513 residents by 1810, according to statistics from the Cranberry Township Historical Society.
Drought and farming dried up the township’s namesake fruit by the late 1880s, leaving a rural farming community behind. It stayed that way until the 1960s when the region began to experience a growth boom that hasn’t stopped. Today, Cranberry Township is a thriving community with over 32,000 residents.
Its proximity to Pittsburgh and ample land for growth have helped turn the township into prime real estate for residents and businesses. To date, more than, 1,000 businesses have decided to call Cranberry Township home thanks to its excellent transportation infrastructure and diverse and stable economy.
Chris Camp, owner of Fun Fore All Family Fun Park, said his 24 years in the township have brought continued growth and success. The park was originally built in 1996, with Camp buying it in 2000. When he bought it, Camp said his plans were to use the eight acres on the property to entice a developer, eventually selling it for a profit.
But then he started to run the business and realized it had a lot of potential. Camp noticed families flocked to the fun center because there was nothing else like it around. With the explosion of young families relocating to the township, he said he decided to make a few investments to see if it was worth keeping the business. “There’s not very many places around here that have both indoor and outdoor attractions, and we’re one of the very few outdoor go-kart tracks left in the area,” Camp said. “We invested back into it and watched it grow. And here we are 24 years later, still watching it grow.”
Located along the busy Route 19 corridor in the township, Fun Fore All gets plenty of traffic from the community and neighboring states. With the addition of the Cranberry Connector in 2004 which provides a link between Interstate 79 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, getting to Fun Fore All is convenient, making it an attractive getaway for families outside the area. “I don’t think we could do that as easily if we were in a different location,” Camp said. “We’ve gotten people from as far away as Michigan, to nearby states like Ohio and West Virginia because of the ease of getting on and off major highways.”
Camp said the township does an excellent job of managing the growth explosion. “The township and the different organizations within the township all just want to work together to make the area better,” he said.
Stephanie Oliver, owner of Coffee Brake in the Meeder by Charter Homes neighborhood, said she decided to open a second location in Cranberry Township after her customers requested it. Oliver’s original coffee shop is located along the main street in nearby Evans City. “I kept getting requests to open a location in Cranberry, which seemed like such an impossible idea because there’s so much retail there,” she said. “I knew I needed to have a captive community like I do in Evans City to make it work.”
When she learned about what Charter Homes was doing with the Meeder community, she reached out to them about becoming a part of the neighborhood. She said the community was a perfect fit because it felt like a duplicate of Evans City and was the only walkable community in the township where people could live and walk to retail shops easily.
The coffee shop isn’t just open to residents in the Meeder community. Oliver said anyone can stop by the location. She said some of her best customers are the township employees. “We’re located within walking distance of their office, so they were extra excited for us to be coming in.”
Oliver said being a small business owner is hard, but she hasn’t regretted her decision to open a second location in Cranberry Township.
“Cranberry is just booming,” she said. “It has this energy that’s looking for the modern and technological advances and everything that goes along with that, including upscale shopping and dining. But at the same time, it’s diverse. We’re building a rich community, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
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