Wexford, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Wexford is an unincorporated community
in Allegheny County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The area known as Wexford is split among multiple municipalities
, including Franklin Park
, McCandless
, Pine Township
, and Marshall Township
. It is named after County Wexford
, Ireland
.
Home to many upper-middle-class people, Wexford's commercial landscape is dominated by a mixture of corporate chains, car dealerships, and a number of local small businesses, concentrated on the main thoroughfare of the "Wexford Flats", U.S. Route 19
. It is also home to what is considered to be one of the top high schools in Pennsylvania, North Allegheny Senior High School
. Other schools in the area are Pine-Richland High School
, and Vincentian Academy
.
It was recently ranked the twenty-eighth best place to live by Money
magazine, despite it being essentially a postal zip code and a general descriptor of a section of suburban Pittsburgh, not a formal town. The presence North Allegheny Senior High School, a large, well funded public high school, the numerous businesses, and a number of churches along the "Wexford Flats" gives the area a more distinct community identity than simply an otherwise unremarkable suburb in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Adjacent to Wexford is North Park and North Park lake. This area is a great feature to the community featuring many hiking/biking trails, 5 mile paved running path around the lake, many pavilions for outdoor events, outdoor ice rink, golf course, dog parks, and local restaurants and shops. The lake is currently under construction including dredging and refinishing shore lines, but plans to be completed by 2012.
The Wexford area is a growing community with subdivisions and neighborhoods constantly increasing. To account for the immense increase in population in the past few years and for years to come, the county has finally been forced to make a change to Rt 19, the road that runs clear through the "flats". This will be an ongoing project, with a projected due date of 2012. The four lane (two each way) road is prone to accidents, due to the amount of traffic and the difficulty in making turns onto side roads. The project includes adding a center turning lane starting before North Allegheny Senior High School to Church Road.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The area known as Wexford is split among multiple municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, including Franklin Park
Franklin Park, Pennsylvania
Franklin Park is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,470 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Franklin Park is located at ....
, McCandless
McCandless, Pennsylvania
McCandless is a municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 28,457 at the 2010 census. It was originally incorporated as a township; however, on January 1, 1975, McCandless Township adopted a new charter designating it a Home Rule Charter Municipality with the...
, Pine Township
Pine Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Pine Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,497 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which 0.06% is water.-Demographics:...
, and Marshall Township
Marshall Township, Pennsylvania
Marshall Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,915 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 15.6 square miles , all of it land...
. It is named after County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Home to many upper-middle-class people, Wexford's commercial landscape is dominated by a mixture of corporate chains, car dealerships, and a number of local small businesses, concentrated on the main thoroughfare of the "Wexford Flats", U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19 is a north–south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie....
. It is also home to what is considered to be one of the top high schools in Pennsylvania, North Allegheny Senior High School
North Allegheny Senior High School
North Allegheny Senior High School is a suburban high school in the North Allegheny School District and is located in Wexford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The current building was built in 1974, the school has won numerous awards and was ranked in the top 1300 US high...
. Other schools in the area are Pine-Richland High School
Pine-Richland High School
Pine-Richland High School is a high school located in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the Pine-Richland School District and is located in Pine Township, Pennsylvania.-History:...
, and Vincentian Academy
Vincentian Academy
Vincentian Academy is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.-Campus:...
.
It was recently ranked the twenty-eighth best place to live by Money
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
magazine, despite it being essentially a postal zip code and a general descriptor of a section of suburban Pittsburgh, not a formal town. The presence North Allegheny Senior High School, a large, well funded public high school, the numerous businesses, and a number of churches along the "Wexford Flats" gives the area a more distinct community identity than simply an otherwise unremarkable suburb in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Adjacent to Wexford is North Park and North Park lake. This area is a great feature to the community featuring many hiking/biking trails, 5 mile paved running path around the lake, many pavilions for outdoor events, outdoor ice rink, golf course, dog parks, and local restaurants and shops. The lake is currently under construction including dredging and refinishing shore lines, but plans to be completed by 2012.
The Wexford area is a growing community with subdivisions and neighborhoods constantly increasing. To account for the immense increase in population in the past few years and for years to come, the county has finally been forced to make a change to Rt 19, the road that runs clear through the "flats". This will be an ongoing project, with a projected due date of 2012. The four lane (two each way) road is prone to accidents, due to the amount of traffic and the difficulty in making turns onto side roads. The project includes adding a center turning lane starting before North Allegheny Senior High School to Church Road.
Notable natives and residents
- Christina AguileraChristina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, singer and pop culture icon. She lived in Wexford from the age of 2 until her high school years. - Richard RossiRichard RossiRichard Rossi is an American filmmaker, actor, producer, musician, church planter, and healing evangelist...
: writer and director of the biopic Aimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPherson (film)Aimee Semple McPherson is a feature length dramatic biopic about evangelist "Sister" Aimee Semple McPherson.The cast includes Mimi Michaels, Rance Howard, and Kiera Chaplin. Richard Rossi wrote, directed and also acted in the film. Rossi shot the film with a $300 consumer camcorder...
; graduated from North Allegheny Senior High SchoolNorth Allegheny Senior High SchoolNorth Allegheny Senior High School is a suburban high school in the North Allegheny School District and is located in Wexford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The current building was built in 1974, the school has won numerous awards and was ranked in the top 1300 US high... - Charlie BatchCharlie BatchCharles "Charlie" Batch is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
quarterback - James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker
- Julie BolognaJulie BolognaJulie Bologna is an American television meteorologist who was the chief meteorologist at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until 2011.-Early life:Bologna was born in Center Township, Pennsylvania...
, WPXIWPXIWPXI, channel 11, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter located on the north side of Pittsburgh. Owned by Cox Enterprises, the station has studios in the...
meteorologist - Frank NicoteroFrank NicoteroFrank Joseph Nicotero is an American comedian widely known as the host of the syndicated comedy game show Street Smarts.-Career:...
, Comedian - Bradley C. LivezeyBradley C. LivezeyBradley Curtis Livezey was an American ornithologist. His main research included the evolution of flightless birds, the ecology and the behaviour of steamer ducks, genetic analysis of birds, and avian diseases....
, ornithologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural HistoryCarnegie Museum of Natural HistoryCarnegie Museum of Natural History, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, was founded by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896... - Cy Hungerford, longtime editorial cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-GazetteThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
External links
- Money magazine's profile on Wexford (2005)
- "Pa. Town On 'Best Towns' List Does Not Exist." NBC10.com. 13 July 2005. Accessed 25 December 2006
- Heyl, Eric. "Unreal! Wexford bounced from list." Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewPittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
. 19 July 2006. Accessed 28 July 2009