A rural enclave of Washington County
Among the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, Amwell Township is a bucolic community of less than 4,000. “It’s really a rural, agricultural area,” says Ruth Ann Cleveland, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty and Washington County native. “The people who live there love it, and families tend to stay. There’s just a lot of land, and it’s quiet out there in Amwell.” While the town embraces tranquility in nature, Interstate 79 passes through the countryside and connects residents to modern amenities. “I-79 provides easy passage through Washington and the Pittsburgh area,” says Jared Prusia, a land and rural home expert with the Countryside Group at Keller Williams Realty. “Washington County draws buyers from all over the state looking for good school districts and reasonably priced acreage with the option to be close to several city centers.” Amwell Township offers all that and more as part of the top-rated Trinity Area School District, which Niche ranks as the third-best school district in Washington County.
Amwell Township has country homes with acres of land
There are no housing developments in Amwell Township. Instead, homes dot the countryside and offer residents plenty of privacy with a median lot size of nearly two acres. “It’s a mixed bag out there,” Cleveland says. “There are custom-built properties, and then there’s the old Amity where little Cape Cods and ranch-style homes are right on the road.” Home prices typically range from $115,000 to $300,000, although larger properties with significant acreage can sell for anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million. Due to the town’s rural nature, most residents don’t have access to public sewage or water. “It’s all well water and septic tanks,” Cleveland says.
Career-based learning at Trinity High School
The Trinity Area School District earns an overall grade of B-plus from Niche and has an average student-teacher ratio of 13-to-1. Trinity South Elementary School receives an A-minus, while Trinity Middle School and Trinity High School score a B-plus. The district has several Career and Technical Education programs that allow high school students to gain hands-on experience in fields such as agriculture, early childhood education and veterinary technology. The high school also partners with the Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy to offer a cosmetology program with a 100% pass rate for participants who go on to take the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology exam.
Hunting, fishing and more in Washington County
A paved walking path loops around Amwell Township Park, which sits in the middle of town and has a playground, picnic pavilion and ballfield. In the northwestern corner of town is the White Fox Equestrian Center, which offers horseback riding lessons for all ages. The countryside is also a destination for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. Washington County has nearly 20,000 acres of State Game Lands, and Amwell Township is less than 10 miles from SGL 297. Residents with hunting licenses or range-use permits can head to the SGL and hunt native game such as deer, squirrels and rabbits. Tenmile Creek is a popular fishing spot that winds through the southern half of town. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission classifies part of the creek as a Stocked Trout Stream, and anglers can access the water at several spots in town.
Annual festival at the historic Hughes Covered Bridge
Amwell Township is home to the historic Hughes Covered Bridge. Just one of 23 covered bridges in Washington County, it crosses over Tenmile Creek and is a popular site for the county’s annual Covered Bridge Festival. Residents gather around the striking red wooden bridge each September to celebrate the beginning of fall with live music, family friendly activities and an outdoor market with craft and food vendors.
A roadside saloon and nearby shopping in Washington
There are few shops and restaurants in Amwell Township. Rinky Dinks Road House is an old-fashioned saloon and roadside stop along U.S. Route 19. It embraces a rustic feel in its wood-paneled walls and American eats, and the eatery doubles as a local honky-tonk with live music every week. On the eastern edge of town is Lone Pine Market, a small country store with fresh produce and other grocery essentials.
Residents typically head into bigger cities to run errands, get groceries or grab a bite to eat. “Most people will head into Waynesburg or Washington,” Cleveland says. Washington is less than 10 miles away via U.S. Route 19, and the city has big-box stores like Target, Walmart and Lowe’s. It also has Shop ‘N Save, the closest grocery store to Amwell Township. The dining scene in downtown Washington includes everything from fast-food chains to local institutions such as The Union Grill, known for its homemade Italian food.
Interstate 79 connects residents to bigger cities
Like most rural communities, Amwell Township lacks public transportation and is heavily car-dependent. U.S. Route 19 and Interstate 79 are the town’s main thoroughfares. U.S. Route 19 connects residents to Washington, less than 20 minutes north, while I-79 offers a direct route to Pittsburgh, about 45 minutes northeast. The town is also just miles from the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border.
