 Elkins is headquarters for the Monongahela National Forest, a federal reserve encompassing the "High Alleghenies" area to the east of the city.In 1995, a second edition of "The 100 Best Small Towns in America", written by Norman Crampton, featured Elkins among the special places in the United States.Crampton quoted then Editor Emerita of "The Inter-Mountain", Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum, "You can stand on any street in Elkins and turn in all directions and see forest covered mountains rimming the city.