East Liverpool marks the point of "beginning," both kicking off the western land survey in 1785 for Lewis and Clark, and being described as the Gateway to the Northwest. That significance is why surveyors named East Liverpool an America250 Ohio city ahead of the country's 250th anniversary.

America250 is a non-partisan, multi-year initiative to commemorate the national milestone in 2026 by recognizing communities that have contributed to the country's history.

"Any good news coming out of East Liverpool, it draws attention from everybody and from the governor on down. " Smith told 21News. "To be honest with you, we've had so much outreach and help to us that it's just overwhelming."

The designation comes with a $50,000 grant, which East Liverpool Mayor Robert Smith says will be put towards the city's downtown beautification project, led by the East Liverpool Community Partnership in Revitalization, with an estimated cost of $39 million. That project includes re-paving roads and sidewalks, and adding a visitor center, landscaping, and street lamps.

The mayor also announced the city recently received a federal grant to fund the renovation of bike trails that run alongside Route 39 from East Liverpool up to Leetonia.

"We have a lot of things going on. A lot of public interest in some of the investments- the housing stock is coming up, we've been tearing down quite a bit of homes. So anything and everything is going to help this whole picture," Smith added.