Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania

Sewickley Heights is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 810 at the 2010 census.[3] Sewickley Heights is one of the wealthiest municipalities in Pennsylvania and in the United States of America.[4]

Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania
Borough
House on Backbone Road
Location in Allegheny County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Coordinates: 40°33′40″N 80°9′20″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny
Government
• Mayor	John Oliver III (R)
Area [1]
• Total	7.33 sq mi (18.97 km^2)
• Land	7.33 sq mi (18.97 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Population  (2010)
• Total	810
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	807
• Density	110.17/sq mi (42.54/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	42-69400
Website	www.sewickleyheightsboro.com

Geography

Sewickley Heights is located at 40°33′40″N 80°9′20″W (40.561091, -80.155541).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km²), all of it land.

Surrounding neighborhoods

Sewickley Heights borders five areas, including Bell Acres to the north and northwest, Sewickley Hills to the east and northeast, Aleppo Township to the south, Sewickley to the southwest, and Edgeworth to the west.

Education

Sewickley Heights is one of 11 communities served by the Quaker Valley School District.

Government and politics

Presidential Elections Results[6][7]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2016	58% 307	42% 220	0% 2
2012	73% 405	26% 145	1% 3

Councilmembers

• [2017 - 2019] Republicans - 3 (Handley, Kinney, Pangburn), Democrats - 0, Unknowns - 4 (Means, McCargo, Snyder, Sirianni)[8]

Taxes

The Quaker Valley SD (shared with 12 other municipalities) school tax millage rate in 2017 was 18.40. This ranked 35th-highest/most expensive of Allegheny County's 45 school districts, between West Allegheny SD (34th-highest) and North Allegheny SD (36th-highest).[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	773		—
1920	654		−15.4%
1930	982		50.2%
1940	748		−23.8%
1950	679		−9.2%
1960	931		37.1%
1970	797		−14.4%
1980	899		12.8%
1990	984		9.5%
2000	981		−0.3%
2010	810		−17.4%
2019 (est.)	807	[2]	−0.4%
Sources:[10][11][12][13][14]

As of the census[13] of 2000, 981 people, 336 households, and 273 families resided in the borough. The population density was 133.9 people per square mile (51.7/km²). The 355 housing units averaged 48.5 per square mile (18.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.35% White, 0.92% African American, 0.61% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.31% of the population.

Of the 336 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.0% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.5% were not families. About 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 2.87.

In the borough, the population was distributed as 20.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 17.8% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 28.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $115,672, and for a family was $158,756. Males had a median income of $89,473 versus $40,417 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $79,541 placing it at number 99 on the list of highest-income places in the United States. About 5.2% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Sewickley Heights was established as a borough in 1935, but the area's character was largely established with the move of the Allegheny Country Club from Pittsburgh to its Sewickley Heights location in 1902. The establishment of the country club accelerated the settlement of the area as a haven for wealthy Pittsburgh residents. Many estates established in Sewickley Heights up through the 1930s occupied hundreds of acres with houses of immense proportions. Among the grandest estates was As You Like It, the estate of banker, shipper and investor William Thaw. As You Like It was featured in a 1903 print advertisement of the United States Battery Company that promoted electric lighting for country homes. Other notable estates included the Henry Robinson Rea mansion, Farmhill (which hosted Madame Curie in May 1921),[15] and B.F. Jones' 100-room mansion, Fairacres.

Many of the grand estates in Sewickley Heights began to fall into disrepair in the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the original massive houses were demolished and the lots subdivided. Sewickley Heights preserved the country character of the borough by requiring minimum lot sizes of 5 acres (20,000 m²), though many homes are on substantially larger parcels. Many "neighborhoods" of Sewickley Heights are named after the original estate and the clusters of homes on the estate parcel are marked by unique stone fences original to the old estate.

In the 1960s and 1970s, several parcels of land were donated or purchased to form the Sewickley Heights Borough Park. The park now occupies approximately 600 acres (2.4 km²) and is renowned regionally for its hiking and horse-riding trails and other recreation areas. Sewickley Heights is also home to the Fern Hollow Nature Center and the Sewickley Heights History Center, which are co-located on a 33-acre (130,000 m²) site.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Sewickley Heights borough, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
4. "Magazine ranks Sewickley Heights at 57 among richest".
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
6. EL. "2012 Allegheny County election". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
7. EL. "2016 Pennsylvani general election..." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
8. EL. "Allegheny County". Election Results. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
9. EL. "Allegheny County Treasurer". Retrieved 1 September 2017.
10. "Number and Distribution of Inhabitants:Pennsylvania-Tennessee" (PDF). Fifteenth Census. U.S. Census Bureau.
11. "Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
12. "Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
14. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
15. "Mme. Marie Curia Visited Pittsburgh 13 Years Ago". The Pittsburgh Press. 51 (12). July 5, 1934. p. 7 – via Google News Archive.