[3] Smethport is situated in the Pennsylvania Wilds region, in a hilly area a short distance from the Allegheny National Forest and Kinzua Bridge State Park.

The highest point on U.S. Route 6 east of the Mississippi River is near Smethport at Bush Hill.

From the 1870s to the early 1900s, Smethport was an important center for the East Coast hardwoods industry and enjoyed a timber-fueled economic boom that allowed the construction of many mansions that today make up a historic architectural district.

[6] Smethport is tied with Lawrenceville for the state February record minimum temperature of −39 °F (−39 °C)[citation needed].

The central Appalachian region has experienced some of the largest rainfall accumulations in the world at time intervals less than 6 hours, including the July 18, 1942, Smethport, Pennsylvania, storm that produced 780 mm (30.7 inches) in less than 5 hours.

Smethport Specialty Company, which manufactured Wooly Willy and other magnetic toys.

[11]) America's First Christmas Store, opened in 1935 and was the nation's first year-round yuletide shop.

"Hamlin Bank" Chef Specialties Company, founded in 1940, is America's first manufacturer and purveyor of pepper and spice mills.

"Chef Specialties" Backus Company, a precision metal stamping manufacturer, founded in 1906.

Smethport is the location of one of the largest, documented short duration storms in world history.