Upper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania

Etymology

St. Clair Township was named after General Arthur St. Clair of Revolutionary War fame, the ninth President of the United States in Congress Assembled. Under his administration as president from February 2, 1787, to October 29, 1787, the Northwest Ordinance and United States Constitution of 1787 were passed.

History

The first European settler in present-day Upper St. Clair was John Fife, who settled near what is now the intersection of Washington and McLaughlin Run roads in 1762.

St. Clair was one of the original townships of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania at the county's creation in 1788. In 1836, the St. Clair Township was divided into two separate townships, Upper St. Clair and Lower St. Clair. The residents of Upper St. Clair formed their township to ensure better government service that could be obtained by separating from the more densely populated northern part of the township. Upper St. Clair Township was further subdivided throughout the 19th and 20th centuries as several parts of the original township separated to form new townships and boroughs. In 1973, Upper St. Clair Township adopted a home rule charter that took effect on January 5, 1976, and is no longer governed by the Pennsylvania Township Code.

The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 had its roots in Upper St. Clair.

Formed as a volunteer militia company in 1844 by residents of the township, the "St. Clair Guards" later became Company H of the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry.

The community was home to several mines beginning in the late 19th century. Freehold Real Estate Co. built the first major residential development in March 1913 along Washington Road, which at the time was conveniently close to streetcar service. During the 1930s, Upper St. Clair was recorded as a community within the city which had a school district providing regular nursing services.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 9.8 sqmi, of which 0.10% is water.

Education

Upper St. Clair is served by a K-12 namesake public school district, consisting of three elementary schools (Baker, Eisenhower, and Streams), two middle schools (Boyce and Fort Couch), and a single Upper St. Clair High School. In addition, a church named for St. Louise de Marillac hosts a private Catholic-affiliated school serving from Pre-K to 8th grade. A K-8 school for students with special needs known as the Wesley School also operates within the township.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 21,160 people and 7,506 households residing in the township. The population density was 2152.59 PD/sqmi. There were 7,887 housing units. The racial makeup of the township was 88.6% White, 1.0% African American, 0.10% American Indian, 9.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.7% of the population.

There were 7,506 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.2% were married couples living together, and 17.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

In the township the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% were 20 to 29, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 males, there were 96.29 females.

Government and politics

The structure of Upper St. Clair is a managerial government along with an elected Board of Commissioners consisting of seven members. In a Commission/Manager form of government, the main responsibility of the Board of Commissioner is to function as a policy-making body of government, while the managerial body is responsible for the administrative functions of the Township.

Matthew R. Serakowski is the current Township Manager and Mark S. Mansfield is the current Assistant Township Manager. The elected Board of Commissioners are Mark D. Christie (President), Nicholas J. Seitanakis (Vice President), Russell Del Re, C. Elise Logan, Robert W. Orchowski, Daniel R. Paoly, and Ronald J. Pardini.

Notable people

• Sean Casey, former Major League Baseball first baseman, current baseball analyst for MLB Network
• Stephen Chbosky, novelist, screenwriter, and film director best known for the coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• Dave Giusti, former American Major League baseball pitcher, chiefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Chuck Greenberg, former owner of the Texas Rangers and Altoona Curve; born and raised in Upper St. Clair; raised his family in the township
• Todd Haley, former head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs; former offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns.
• Tunch Ilkin, former NFL player and Steelers broadcaster
• Anthony Jeselnik, stand-up comic
• Sean Lee, former NFL linebacker
• Grant Lewis, former NHL defenseman
• Ryan Malone, former NHL forward and Olympic athlete
• Greg Miller, animator and television director
• Dylan Reese, former NHL defenseman

References

References

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