Butler County is the only county in Southwestern Pennsylvania with “any appreciable growth,” Mark Gordon, county chief of economic development and planning, said Thursday at the State of the County event.

The mean wage in the county is $54,000, the median family income is almost $80,000 and the county’s unemployment rate of 3.6% is the lowest in the state, said Gordon, who was featured a panel with the Butler County Commissioners covering the status of Butler County.

After detailing the status of a project that will turn the former Butler Middle School building into a center for workforce development and community activities and explaining that the county infrastructure bank has helped fund $42 million in municipal infrastructure projects over the last three years, Gordon praised Butler County.

“We have a lot to be proud of,” he said, addressing more than 200 business representatives and public officials at the Butler County Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the County program.

This is true. Butler County has a lot going for it.

Last week, we wrote about how Cranberry Township acquired a 71-acre, 150-year-old farm for preservation as a public agricultural center and an after-school group aiming to help Butler students find avenues to self-expression.

Sometimes it’s challenging to see the progress amid the day-to-day happenings, but there are many projects happening throughout our county.

It’s good to stop sometimes and recognize how far we’ve come.

Butler County has a lot going on. We’re proud to be from Butler County.

— TL