Sewickley, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Sewickley in March 2016 | |
 Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates:40°32′11″N80°11′04″W / 40.53639°N 80.18444°W /40.53639; -80.18444 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Allegheny |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | George Shannon[1] |
| • Manager | Donna Kaib |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2) |
| • Land | 1.00 sq mi (2.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2) |
| Elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 3,907 |
| • Density | 3,793.3/sq mi (1,464.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 15143 |
| Area code | 412 |
| FIPS code | 42-69376 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1187277 |
| Website | www |
Sewickley is aborough inAllegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along theOhio River 12 miles (19 km) northwest ofPittsburgh, it is a residential suburb in thePittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 3,907 at the2020 census.[3] TheSewickley Bridge crosses the Ohio River from Sewickley toMoon Township.
Historian Charles A. Hanna suggested "Sewickley" came fromCreek words for "raccoon" (sawi) and "town" (ukli).[4] According to Hanna, theAsswikale branch of theShawnee probably borrowed their name from the neighboringSawokli Muscogee before the former's migration from present-day South Carolina to Pennsylvania. Contemporary accounts from noted anthropologistFrederick Webb Hodge[5] and the Sewickley Presbyterian Church,[6] as well as the current Sewickley Valley Historical Society[7] concur to varying degrees with Hanna's etymology. Some locals alternatively consider Sewickley to be a Native American word meaning "sweet water."[8]
The valley surrounding the Big Sewickley Creek was surveyed in 1785 and sold toAmerican Revolutionary War veterans. After theBattle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, settlers began to trickle in to the area, withflatboats,keelboats, andsteamboats forming an industry along theOhio River.[9]
In 1837, the Edgeworth Female Seminary was moved fromPittsburgh to what was then called Sewickley Bottom.[9] The following year,Sewickley Academy was founded. Becoming a small center for education, by 1840 the community was formally established as Sewickleyville.[9] The borough was incorporated as simply Sewickley on July 6, 1853, after growth continued as thePittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway was built through the area.[9]
In 1911, theSewickley Bridge was completed, bringing an end to theferry industry.[9] Ohio River Boulevard, later designated a part ofPennsylvania Route 65, was completed in 1934.[10]
Sewickley is located at 40°32.25′N 80°10.5′W (40.5390, −80.1807). According to theU.S. 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) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (11.11%) is water.
Sewickley has four land borders withEdgeworth to the northwest,Glen Osborne to the southeast,Sewickley Heights to the northeast, andAleppo Township to the east. Across the Ohio River, Sewickley runs adjacent withMoon Township andCoraopolis with the Sewickley Bridge as the direct link to the former.
Along with the four land borders, plusBell Acres,Glenfield,Haysville,Leetsdale,Leet Township, andSewickley Hills, Sewickley is located in theQuaker Valley School District. Together, these boroughs and townships constitute a loosely defined region in northwestern Allegheny County. Most of these municipalities – not including Leetsdale and parts of Leet Township – share the Sewickley post office and its 15143 zip code.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 3,907 | 2.1% | |
| Sources:[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][3] | |||
The population of Sewickley peaked in the1960 census, with over 6,000 residents. As of the2010 census, there were 3,827 people with 1,765 households and 950 families residing in the borough's 1,965 housing units. Theracial 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.[18]
According to the 2011–15American Community Survey, the median household income in the borough was about $91,735 and the median family income was $118,507. Theper capita income for the borough was about $54,149.[18]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[19] | 38% (938) | 60% (1,514) | 2% (54) |
| 2016[20] | 40% (819) | 58% (1,192) | 2% (27) |
| 2012[21] | 51% (1,081) | 48% (1,004) | 1% (21) |
Sewickley is divided intowards and is governed by amayor and a nine-member borough council composed of three members from each ward. Members are elected to four-year terms. The current mayor of Sewickley is George Shannon.[1][22] The current members of council are Cynthia Mullins (President), Julie Barnes (Vice President), Thomas Rostek (Presidentpro tempore), Bridgett Bates, Brian Bozzo, Todd Hamer, Donna Korczyk, Todd Renner, and Anne Willoughby.
There are several private schools in the area, includingSewickley 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 governorTom 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. TheSewickley Public Library of the Quaker Valley School District is aLibrary Journal Star Library for the third year in a row[23] and is continuously one of the top 25 largest libraries in thePittsburgh Business Times Book of Lists.[24]
Sewickley is home to Sewickley Valley Hospital, which is part of the Heritage Valley Health System. Heritage Valley Sewickley provides comprehensive health care for residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania; eastern Ohio and the panhandle of West Virginia.
Heritage Valley offers medical, surgical and diagnostic services at its hospitals, community satellite facilities and in physician offices. Heritage Valley Health System's affiliated physician groups include Heritage Valley Medical Group, Tri-State Obstetrics and Gynecology and Heritage Valley Pediatrics.
In 1860 Sewickley Cemetery was opened. The cemetery is now the resting place of more than 12,000 people. There are also two war memorials located on the burial grounds.[25]
There is a monument celebrating the local Civil War veterans - it is 20 feet tall and was installed in 2005. There was an 1866 statue which depicted a soldier on bended knee; but that statue was damaged from many years of weather.[25]
The Tuskegee Airmen have been memorialized in the cemetery with two large black granite blocks. the blocks are inscribed with the names of Western Pennsylvania veterans. Another block shows a depiction of two planes engaged in aerial combat.[26][27]
In 1995, the movieRoommates was filmed in and aroundPittsburgh, Pennsylvania including Sewickley.
Also in 1995, parts of the movieHouseguest were filmed on Sewickley's main streets, Broad Street and Beaver Street. The Bruegger's Bagels on Beaver Street was temporarily transformed into an operating McDonald's during shooting ofHouseguest.
In 2002, parts ofThe Mothman Prophecies were filmed in the Sewickley area.
Scenes from the Netflix showSweet Magnolias were filmed at the intersection of Broad Street and Beaver Street.
Scenes fromJack Reacher andThe Lifeguard were filmed near the Sewickley Manor apartments and condominiums.[32]
Foxcatcher was filmed in the Sewickley area in October 2012.[33]
The fictional 1:24-scale town ofElgin Park, by artist and photographer Michael Paul Smith, was loosely based on Sewickley.[34][35]
Sid Lang, a primary character in Wallace Stegner's 1987 novelCrossing to Safety, grew up in Sewickley.[36]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)sewickley.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Smith was born in Sewickley, but most of her upbringing took place in Grapevine, Texas.
Sewickley travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
