It’s no secret that Jim Thorpe has grown in popularity as a tourist destination.

With picturesque Victorian charm, nestled in between mountains and the Lehigh River that provides outdoor recreational opportunities, the small-town charm has proved to be a place where people want to be.

The proof is also in the increase in revenue in the Carbon County owned parking lot, as well as the number of passengers riding the daily trips offered by Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.

On Thursday, the county commissioners reported the increases.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said the parking staff has said that they think there was a lot more activity in the lot this year so he completed an analysis.

From January through the Fourth of July, the county has seen an increase of 13.2 percent in parking revenue compared to last year.

In terms of figures, the revenue went from $362,501 to $413,931 over the first six months. “It really talks to the number of folks that are coming to Carbon County,” he said, noting that the increase of parking revenue helps maintain the county-owned parks, the parking lot, Mauch Chunk Lake Park and other parking related projects. “Those costs are not borne by the taxpayer, but rather the revenue that that lot generates for us.”

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein agreed with Lukasevich’s assessment, saying that you can see just how many more people are coming to Carbon County, whether it is to hike, bike, ride the train, white-water raft or just take in all the area has to offer.

He said that he has heard that Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway has been needing additional coaches or runs to accommodate the increase in ridership out of Jim Thorpe and said that in addition, the railroad is also bringing in thousands of people from the Reading and Pittston areas.

He said now if the county could solve parking issues that have been increasing as the number of people visit, then that would also be a win for the area.

Jim Thorpe is landlocked, with only so much available space for parking.

It is common on weekends to see the county lot filled to capacity early in the day, with visitors then trying to find parking in residential areas.