Sewickley, Pennsylvania

Sewickley
Borough
Sewickley in March 2016
Location in Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°32′11″N 80°11′04″W / 40.53639°N 80.18444°WCoordinates: 40°32′11″N 80°11′04″W / 40.53639°N 80.18444°W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny
Government
• Type	Mayor-council government
• Mayor	Brian F. Jeffe
• Manager	Kevin E. Flannery
Area
• Total	1.1 sq mi (3 km^2)
• Land	1.0 sq mi (3 km^2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km^2)
Elevation	741 ft (226 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	3,827
• Density	3,500/sq mi (1,300/km^2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
ZIP codes	15143
Area code	412
FIPS code	42-69736
GNIS feature ID	1187277
Website	Borough of Sewickley

Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 12 miles (19 km) west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 at the 2010 census. The Sewickley Bridge crosses the Ohio River at Sewickley.

Name

Sewickley is thought to be a Native American word meaning "sweet water." Historians dispute if Native Americans were referring to the Ohio River as the "sweet water" or instead to the syrup derived from a local abundance of maple trees.^[1]

Geography

Sewickley is located at 40°32.2′N 80°10.5′W (40.5390, -80.1807).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (11.11%) is water.

Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods

The borough of Sewickley is bordered directly by the boroughs of Edgeworth, Glen Osborne, and Sewickley Heights, as well as Aleppo Township. Along with those four municipalities, plus Bell Acres, Glenfield, Haysville, Leetsdale, Leet Township, and Sewickley Hills, Sewickley is located in the Quaker Valley School District. Together, these boroughs and townships constitute a loosely defined region in northwestern Allegheny County. Most of these eleven municipalities – not including Leetsdale and parts of Leet Township – share the Sewickley post office and its 15143 zip code.

Sewickley sits across the Ohio River from Moon Township and Coraopolis.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	795		—
1870	1,472		85.2%
1880	2,053		39.5%
1890	2,776		35.2%
1900	3,563		28.4%
1910	4,479		25.7%
1920	4,955		10.6%
1930	5,599		13.0%
1940	5,614		0.3%
1950	5,836		4.0%
1960	6,157		5.5%
1970	5,660		−8.1%
1980	4,778		−15.6%
1990	4,134		−13.5%
2000	3,902		−5.6%
2010	3,827		−1.9%
Est. 2015	3,829	[2]	0.1%
Sources:[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,827 people with 1,765 households and 950 families residing in the borough's 1,965 housing units. The racial makeup of the borough was 88.8% White, 7.3% African American, with the remainder of other races or multi-racial. No other single race represented more than 2% of the population. Hispanics represented less than 2% of the population.^[10]

According to the 2007–2011 American Community Survey, the median household income in the borough was about $53,000, and the median family income was $75,000. The per capita income for the borough was about $43,000.^[10]

Education

There are several private schools in the area, including Sewickley Academy, St. James Catholic School, Eden Christian Academy, and Montessori Children's Community. The public school system, Quaker Valley School District, is renowned for an innovative laptop-technology grant received in 2000 from former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge. Quaker Valley School District is often regarded as one of the best and academically top-ranked school districts in the nation. In the spring of 2006, U.S.News & World Report ranked Quaker Valley High School among the top 2% of high schools nationwide. The Sewickley Public Library of the Quaker Valley School District is a Library Journal Star Library for the third year in a row ^[11] and is continuously one of the top 25 largest libraries in the Pittsburgh Business Times Book of Lists.^[12]

Health care

Sewickley is home to Sewickley Valley Hospital, which is part of the Heritage Valley Health System.

Notable people

Former Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux, as well as current Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Penguins assistant coach and former player Sergei Gonchar, retired Pittsburgh Steeler legend Franco Harris live in Sewickley, as well as former Steelers Quarterback Mike Tomczak. Lynn Swann is often thought to be a Sewickley resident, but lives in the neighboring borough of Sewickley Heights. Actor and former MTV VJ Dan Cortese and longtime NFL head coach legend Chuck Noll lived here, as well as former Penguins goalie Tom Barrasso. Musician William Fitzsimmons also hails from the borough. The U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 12th district, Keith Rothfus, lives in Sewickley. Former NFL head coach Chuck Knox was born and raised in Sewickley. Broadway and film star Caitlin Clarke lived in Sewickley since the age of 10. Former Sewickley resident is current Adult Film star, Amara Romani.

In popular culture

Parts of the movies Houseguest and The Mothman Prophecies were filmed in the Sewickley area. Houseguest in particular was filmed in many locations on Sewickley's main streets, Broad Street and Beaver Street. The Bruegger's Bagels on Beaver Street was transformed into a McDonald's during shooting. Scenes from Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise, and The Lifeguard, starring Kristen Bell, were filmed in the town near the Sewickley Heights Manor.^[13] Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum, began filming in the Sewickley area in October 2012.^[14]

The fictional 1/24 scale town of Elgin Park, by artist and photographer Michael Paul Smith,^[15] is actually based on the town of Sewickley. ^{[16] [17]}

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

1. What's in a Name?, Article about the origins of the word "Sewickley". Apr 14, 2004.
2. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
3. "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). 1880 United States Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
4. "Population-Pennsylvania" (PDF). U.S. Census 1910. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
5. "Number and Distribution of Inhabitants:Pennsylvania-Tennessee" (PDF). Fifteenth Census. U.S. Census Bureau.
6. "Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
7. "Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
8. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
10. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
11. Ray Lyons and Keith Curry Lance. "America's Star Libraries, 2011: Top-Rated Libraries". Library Journal.
12. Book of Lists. Pittsburgh Business Times. 2012. ISSN 1097-1394.
13. Tady, Scott (July 10, 2012). "'Lifeguard' movie shoots in Sewickley". Beaver County Times. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
14. Serafini, Kristina (October 17, 2012). "Film crews back in Sewickley area". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
15. https://www.flickr.com/photos/24796741@N05/
16. http://www.exploresewickley.com/event/michael-paul-smiths-elgin-park-at-sewickley-public-library/
17. http://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/pennsylvania/articles/american-life-michael-paul-smith-s-elgin-park/

External links

• Sewickley travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Borough of Sewickley website
• / marketing campaign for Sewickley including a store directory and event calendar
• Post-Gazette article on Sewickley Garden Tour