Sewickley, Pennsylvania

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.}

Historian Charles A. Hanna suggested "Sewickley" came from Creek words for "raccoon" (sawi) and "town" (ukli). According to Hanna, the Asswikale branch of the Shawnee probably borrowed their name from the neighboring Sawokli Muscogee before the former's migration from present-day South Carolina to Pennsylvania. Contemporary accounts from noted anthropologist Frederick Webb Hodge and the Sewickley Presbyterian Church, as well as the current Sewickley Valley Historical Society concur to varying degrees with Mr. Hanna's etymology.

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

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.

According to the 2011–15 American Community Survey, the median household income in the borough was about $91,735 and the median family income was $118,507. The per capita income for the borough was about $54,149.

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 and is continuously one of the top 25 largest libraries in the Pittsburgh Business Times Book of Lists.

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. Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum, began filming in the Sewickley area in October 2012.

The fictional 1/24 scale town of Elgin Park, by artist and photographer Michael Paul Smith, is actually based on the town of Sewickley.