Ambridge

Harmony Township offers all the amenities of a small town with the added beauty of rural western Pennsylvania. Sitting about 25 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, Harmony Township wraps around the tiny borough of Ambridge, where you'll find quaint shops and restaurants with a colorful and historic charm. Homes in Harmony Township sit close together on half-acre lots. Streets are often separated by rolling ridges and tree-covered hills, making the area feel much more remote than it is. A lack of sidewalks on residential streets also contributes to the township's rural feel, and the diverse housing stock makes it clear that this is far from a planned development. You might come across a 2,000-square-foot, four-bedroom Tudor-inspired home that needs a full interior renovation, and the neighboring homes could be anything from a petite Cape Cod with a sand-colored brick façade to a sprawling, three-bedroom ranch-style home on a slightly larger lot. You'll find options with garage and street parking here, and a curving canopy of mature trees shades most streets. Regardless of housing style, prices tend to stay consistent in the $200,000 to $300,000 range, significantly lower than neighboring townships. "We've always had a stable market in western Pennsylvania, and homes in Harmony are pretty consistently well-priced," says Adam Cannon, real estate advisor with The Cannon Group at Piatt Sotheby's International Realty, who has sold numerous homes in the area. Cannon, a resident of the nearby borough of Sewickley, says homebuyers often consider Harmony Township because of its county location. "Beaver County's taxes are much lower than Allegheny County, and that can be a big draw," Cannon says. When it comes to education, though, Harmony Township isn't usually at the top of the list. Students here attend schools in the Ambridge Area School District, including Highland Elementary School, which maintains a grade of C on Niche. Students will move on to attend Ambridge Area Middle and Ambridge Area High School, which both maintain grades of C-plus on Niche. In high school, students interested in aviation, health care or criminal justice careers can earn early college credit by enrolling in dual enrollment courses with the Community College of Beaver County. After school, kids can let loose at 400-acre Economy Park, which has a popular disc golf course, spacious picnic shelters and plenty of open space for setting up a weekend birthday party. In summer, you'll likely run into a few neighbors enjoying the outdoor pool or setting up chairs for an evening concert by the old red-door barn. And after the first snow, kids flock to the top of the park's steep slopes for an adrenaline-pumping sledding experience. At Walter Panek Park's baseball fields, uniformed kids chatter on the bench while waiting for their turn at bat. Younger siblings can burn off energy on the colorful playground, and teens often meet for a lively pickup game on the basketball court. If you'd prefer to stretch your sea legs, you can take your boat out on the Ohio River for a calm day of bass fishing. And if golf is more your style, you'll find a public, nine-hole course at Harmony Ridge Golf Club. Need an afternoon pick-me-up after all that activity? Head over to Merchant Coffee Company, where you can get a cup of locally roasted coffee in a refurbished industrial space. Next door, grab a local brew and catch some live music at Fermata Brewing Company, a new addition to Ambridge's already popular retail and restaurant corridor, Merchant Street. For something classic, check out the menu at Maple, a family owned restaurant open since 1963. When it's time to pick up groceries, you'll find multiple options nearby, including a Shop 'N Save in Ambridge and an ALDI on State Street in the neighboring borough of Baden. For check-ups and emergencies, Heritage Valley Sewickley is a general hospital located just 10 miles south. For anything else you might need, hop on Interstate 279 and make the 25-mile trip to downtown Pittsburgh. If you're looking for a home with rural views and access to suburban amenities, consider Harmony Township.