I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation about local Revolutionary War tourism. Among the many interesting comments and ideas of the presenter, one was that the local community needs to do a better job expanding “revolution” to mean more than just the Revolutionary War.
York is proud of its colonial past and Revolutionary heritage. A friend of mine once described York as a “Victorian town with a colonial attitude.”
The claim of “First Capital” rose to prominence as part of a mid-20th century tourism initiative. But York – the city, the visitors bureau – has toyed with many other slogans and tag lines over the years: “The Spice of Life,” “You’ve Gotta See It,” “See for Yourself,” “Gateway to Central Pennsylvania,” “You’ve Got it Made in York, PA,” “Factory Tour Capital of the World.”
Recognize any of these? “Factory Tour Capital of World” is the current branding initiative of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, packaging industrial heritage with factory and winery tours, among other offerings.
And the City of York uses “A Revolutionary Experience” in promotional activities, combining colonial history and buildings with the modern-day York Revolution baseball team.
I had the opportunity to work with Genesis Publishing & Advertising on several installments of their “Revolutionary York” visitors guide, which focused on the City of York. Here’s how we packaged the many revolutions of York, from the 2006 guide:
