Well-worn blocks of homes, industrial buildings and commercial strips rise along hills above the Monongahela River in the east Pittsburgh borough of Swissvale. “There’s a lot of legacy here, but there’s also so many new people,” says Brittany Swartzwelder, a Swissvale council member who has lived in the borough for 34 years. “People have figured out that we’re just off the Parkway and we’re not Lawrenceville, so it’s affordable.” Swissvalians enjoy evolving community programs and down-to-earth industrial town ambiance 7 miles from downtown Pittsburgh.
Swissvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 9 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh.
The Historical Carrie Blast Furnaces is where the annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival is held.
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Mom and pop shops and Edgewood Towne Center
Rows of aged brick commercial buildings and scattered corner storefronts house mom and pop businesses throughout the borough. “My grandmother’s best friend is 85 and he’s still running his barber shop. You walk into the place and it’s like stepping through a time portal,” Swartzwelder says. Strolling down Monongahela Avenue, locals can duck into their Carnegie Library branch before stopping for a trim at Quality Cutz or an ice cream cone at Swissvale Dari Delite down the block. At the end of the road, Triangle Bar & Grill has been in business since the 1940s and is famous across Pittsburgh for serving enormous Battleship hoagies.
Several churches hold religious services throughout the borough, some of which have served the community for a century or more like the Italian Romanesque styled St. Anselm/Word of God Church and Swissvale Presbyterian Church. The Giant Eagle at Edgewood Town Centre is a popular spot for weekly grocery shopping.
The Battleship at Triangle Bar & Grill in Swissvale is the best sandwich you will find anywhere.
Swissvale Dari Delite is a great place to hang out with your friends.
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Borough events and the Festival of Combustion
Community organizations and Swissvale’s local government put on family-friendly events throughout the year, including annual Easter egg hunts and the Community Day Festival. “My mom and the old Swissvale Crime Watch started some of these events 30 years ago,” Swartzwelder says. “Community Day used to be multiple days of carnival games and activities, but we shortened it to just one full day. The fireworks have always been around.” Industrial-era steel works decked with contemporary sculptures and graffiti along the Monongahela River make up the defunct Carrie Blast Furnaces, now known for sparking Pittsburgh’s creativity with the help of modern metalworkers, musicians, dancers and plenty of art vendors at the Festival of Combustion each fall.
Swissvale Pennsylvania is proud of their history.
Glass making is on display at Festival of Combustion in Swissvale.
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Prewar houses on flat blocks and hills
Waves of construction in the early 1900s developed Swissvale's blend of closely plotted single-family homes. Simple two-story gable-front, American Foursquare and Craftsman homes with covered front porches stand on long, flat stretches or defy gravity on steep hills alongside minimal traditional homes built through the midcentury, selling for $100,000 to $300,000. Dilapidated homes in need of serious rehabilitation can dip below $50,000. More yard space on tree-lined, cobblestone streets in Regent Square increases prices, with similar home styles and those with more ornate, preserved historic interiors selling for $300,000 to $700,000. Sidewalks line the borough’s blocks, but width and weed whacking upkeep vary.
Rows of houses with nice yard line the streets of Swissvale.
Standard style homes are around every corner in Swissvale, pass all of them on your walk.
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Attending Woodland Hills School District
Kids can attend Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy which earns a C from Niche, followed by Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy which earns a C and Woodland Hills Senior High School which earns a B-minus. The district’s high school students and teachers created the Woodland Hills Student Summit in 2020, growing the event into an annual discussion between districts across western Pennsylvania about topics ranging from mental health to community violence.
Woodland Hills Senior High School serves the Swissvale area, offering an array of classes.
Swissvale students reflect on education at Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy.
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Frick and Les Getz parks, bowling lanes and skateparks
While the enormous, forested grounds of Frick Park are a major pull for hikers, bikers and off-leash dog walkers just outside Swissvale, the borough is home to several smaller recreation hubs. Basketball players meet at the court on Collingwood Avenue. Down in a forested hollow, Les Getz Memorial Park is a wide-open community park with a shady playground and pavilion known for hosting Swissvale Orioles games across two baseball fields. “There are some unofficial bike trails behind the park,” Swartzwelder says. League participants and casual players have kept score at the small, family-owned Swissvale Bowl-A-Rama since the 1960s. Around the block, skateboarders drop in and learn new tricks at the indoor Switch and Signal Skatepark.
Frick Park is one of Pittsburgh most popular parks and right next to the Swissvale neighborhood.
Find amazing beauty at Les Getz Memorial Park in Swissvale.
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Interstate 376, tunnels and Port Authority stops
The borough is bisected by I-376, giving commuters a 7-mile drive through the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and down the Parkway East into downtown Pittsburgh. “There are ways to get around the tunnels, or people plan for an extra 15 minutes at rush hour. It’s completely manageable,” Swartzwelder says. “Kennywood traffic in the summer brings a lot of people through Swissvale.” Public transit users can access several Port Authority bus routes throughout the borough, including a stop on the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.
John is a Pittsburgher through and through born and raised in New Kensington and currently residing in Oakmont. Recently reaching 10 years of practicing real estate, surpassing 1000 homes sold and over 500 million in sales, John has risen quickly to the peak of the industry, ranked as the number two Realtors® in the West Penn MLS for sales units. He attributes this success to his passion for his clients, deep local roots in the communities he serves, and his knowledge of the Pittsburgh market. Whether its helping a customer understand the nuances of the home sale/purchase, helping buyers/sellers have the confidence to negotiate, or connecting them with his vast connections to home and building professionals, John approaches every customer experience with the same energy and excitement that creates fanatical clients for life!
Before becoming a Realtor®, John was an award winning and top performing General Manager with Best Buy. Responsible for day-to-day business operations (sales, merchandising, marketing, inventory) of 100+ employees and over 30+ million in sales per year. His passion for business translates perfectly to the real estate industry, where he works tirelessly to provide the highest level of professional service and guidance to those considering selling or purchasing a home. He started in real estate alone and has since grown into a team of agents that work alongside him. This allows John and his team to provide a unique experience to their clients that is unmatched in the region and gives buyers and sellers an edge in a fast paced market. John's background in marketing and sales, combined with his in-depth understanding of the Greater Pittsburgh area market is an incredible asset to his customers. He successfully utilizes both traditional and digital marketing (multi-generational marketing he calls it) to maximize exposure for sellers and provide comprehensive information for buyers. Always staying ahead of real estate trends and keeping on top of market fluctuations, while maintaining a strong business network, gives John a competitive edge that is invaluable to his customers. Locally, John attended Valley High School before he studied at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute for Multimedia design and Point Park University for Business Administration.
John is a member of the Realtors® Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (RAMP) and volunteers as a coach for Riverview Athletic Association. He also participates yearly in several local causes including Sojourner House. In his free time, John is a rabid Steelers and Pirates fan, and he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons.
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