Clearfield Township

For many, the familiarity of a small-town country setting is comforting. The local market manager knows your name, the mechanic is used to your car troubles and each day ends with the sound of crickets and birds out in the dusk. Such is daily living in Clearfield Township, a rural community found an hour north of downtown Pittsburgh. "I grew up there, and I still drive past where my old school used to be, still know the families living there," says Clearfield native Amanda Shingleton, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway who's going a decade strong. "There's not much to it, and that's a draw. People stay there for years, sometimes their whole lives."

For many Clearfield residents, walking out onto your porch means a scene of woodland and seemingly endless green fields, the residential roads calm enough to support kids riding bikes and neighbors out chatting during their walks. Privacy and country quiet are some of the township's most significant assets, and certainly a win for people who dream of having ample acreage. "Homes typically come with an acre of land, minimum, but many lots are much larger. You can invest in dozens, even hundreds," Shingleton says. "The market moves fairly quickly, and you're looking at an average of $185,000 for single-family houses." From the stretch of mixed-material ranch homes to elegant and contemporary Colonial Revivals, properties in Clearfield trend toward classic vernacular styles. Three to four bedrooms are most common, and prices typically only spike if the house has had extensive renovation or comes with an exceptional amount of acreage.

Public institutions for Clearfield Township are served by the Butler Area School District, and when children are ready to begin their educational journey, they'll start at Summit Elementary School. Receiving an overall B-minus from Niche but a B for staff, Summit Elementary keeps a small student-teacher ratio of 12-to-1. In 2019, the Community Agricultural Partnership at Summit entered the classrooms, where agricultural education became a large part of the curriculum. Students move on to Butler Intermediate High School, which takes home another B-minus from Niche. The school encourages participation in one of its many clubs and organizations, the selections incredibly diverse for all ranges of interest. The last stop for primary education is Butler Senior High, graded with a B on Niche and in the top percentile of high schools within Butler County. With top-notch college readiness programs, over 30 clubs and plenty of school spirit for its variety of athletics, Butler Senior High is an excellent gateway into higher education.

"Route 422 will get you over to Butler and Kittanning, that's where all the big shopping is. Walmart, Target, things like that," Shingleton advises. "But the local businesses have been around forever. Igloo Ice Cream has the best peanut butter milkshakes and an attached mini-golf course. And I've gotten my car fixed so many times at Gaiser's Truck Stop, they're super nice." She recommends County Line Tavern for great sandwiches and drinks, and Fenelton Market when you need to pick up some simple groceries. Clearfield may not have huge shopping plazas, but it certainly has reliable businesses where you can find friendly faces.

Many residents will make the short ten-minute drive over to the Winfield Township Community Park. It provides a quick fix when you want to take a family trip to the playground, have picnics under the covered shelter and kick around a soccer ball in the open space. "Hiland Golf Course stays busy, a lot of locals love that place for hanging out," Shingleton says. "Hunting is also big in the area, so people will head out into the designated woodland or meet up for the sportsman club at Happy Hunters. I grew up just playing in the woods or going on bike rides. As far as I know, that hasn't changed for kids in the township."

Clearfield Township is a stunning settling place in rural Pennsylvania, and many residents have happily called it home for years – you may consider being one of them.

Written By

Kaitie Lamb

Photography Contributed By

TJ Engler

Video By

Anthony Pesa