Examining How Climbing Has Impacted Orangeville

We have been very very grateful to have gone to many places for the activity of rock climbing. After visiting many small towns and interacting with local community members we wanted to understand the impact we have had on these communities socially and economically. Thus, we went to look at the connection between outdoor recreation and small-town communities and used Orangeville as a case study for investigation. 

To investigate this question we conducted interviews and made observational findings. First, we interviewed residents of Orangeville whom we had the pleasure of meeting on previous trips. We asked them a series of questions. 

• Has climbing had an impact on your sense of community in Orangeville?

When interviewing locals we found that climbing has had a significant impact on their daily lives. Mostly in a positive way. We found that local property values have significantly increased, anywhere from 150%-400%. This increase has occurred in the time since climbing started becoming an established sport within Orangeville. The positive impact has been social as well, many locals said they have become dear friends with many of the climbers that pass through seasonally. One local said, “I even had two young women come to my Thanksgiving dinner!”. We are happy to report that no one we interviewed said that the small inconveniences due to the increase in climbers outweighed the overall benefits to the town and community. 

• We realize this question may be sensitive, but we are curious as to how you think climbing may have impacted the prices of food, gas, real estate, and retail?

Many locals noted that the price of food, gas, real estate, and retail has increased significantly since Climbing has come to Orangeville. All of our interviewees discussed the increase in the amount and variety of goods imported into Orangeville, the town selection of groceries and retail have basically quadrupled. This increase in products available to Orangeville residents, although accompanied by an increase in price, was seen as a net benefit to the town. 

• Is there anything that you wish the climbing community would be more cognizant of when visiting Orangeville? 

While the locals seemed to be very appreciative of the climbing community in Orangeville a few had comments about what they believed climbers could do a better job of. One local said that “ trash found on the side of roads has increased significantly”. This was a good reminder to us that as climbers our job we need to be careful not to litter and to make sure we properly dispose of all our waste. Another local said that they would appreciate it if climbers “realized that Orangeville isn’t just a climbing destination, but our home”. When talking to this local she did appreciate climbers, but she felt that some of them viewed Orangeville as an amusement park or ski resort rather than an actual place where people live. It is our responsibility as climbers to acknowledge that while we may only visit these areas seasonally, we still must recognize that many people live in these areas year-round and we need to treat these places well in order to be able to return year after year. 

To examine the economic impact of climbers on Orangeville, we interviewed employees at the famous Food Ranch. The Food Ranch is Joe’s Valley’s largest business, functioning in Orangeville and frequently visited by climbers. The store has oriented itself around climbers and sales have exponentially increased as a result. Now, the Food Ranch sells climbing tape, chalk, harnesses, etc., and even has a buffet option for lunch and dinner. It has become a staple of the climbing community. Here, we asked questions such as:

• How has climbing impacted the Food Ranch?

Climbing has made the Food Ranch “grow into a very successful business”. So much so that since climbers have come to Orangeville it has transformed from just another grocery store into Orangeville’s biggest grocery store. We asked how much climbing has helped grow the Food Ranch. The owners said they attribute the 200%+ increase in business to the climbing community. 

• How much of the Food Ranch's business do you believe is attributed to climbers?

The workers and owners of the food ranch said that more than half of their clients are climbers. Almost all of the locals visit the Food Ranch weekly. However, they said many climbers come in frequently to buy groceries, climbing gear, gas, etc, spending much more money than locals. 

• Is there anything that you wish the climbing community would be more cognizant of when visiting Food Ranch?

The Food Ranch employees and owners had nothing bad to say about the climbers and said that they are very appreciative of the climbers' business.

• Where would you see Orangeville without the Food Ranch?

The owners and employees of the Food Ranch said that they do believe that the Food Ranch would still be operational if it wasn’t for climbers, but it “would be a much smaller business with a lot less products to sell”.

Throughout this project we not only learned more about Orangeville's community, but we also learned how to be more respectful visitors when recreating outdoors. We are incredibly grateful to the Keller Family and the committee for approving, supporting, and funding our project. It would not have been possible to pursue this project without their support. We are also thankful to our faculty mentor, Dr. Lee, for supporting our project.