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One of several communities within Elizabeth Township, Mt. Vernon is a sloping suburb settled between forests and farmland and the denser communities hugging the Youghiogheny River. “We’re a bedroom community of street after street of little neighborhoods and families,” says Josh Walls, president of the Elizabeth Township Board of Commissioners and Mt. Vernon resident. “A lot of community leaders don’t have technical roles but show up at garage sales and are just neighborly with each other and add to this feeling of community and safety.” Surrounded by the developing parks and education resources within Elizabeth Township and commercial destinations in neighboring boroughs, Mt. Vernon is a quiet pocket of suburbia connected to small-town necessities and the more distant amenities of downtown Pittsburgh. <br><br>Loosely plotted subdivisions range up and down hills throughout Mt. Vernon, lined by single-family homes built predominantly in the 1940s through 1970s, private driveways and grassy front lawns kept up by push mowers or lawn tractors. Cape Cods and ranch-style homes sell for $130,000 to $250,000 depending on lot size and renovation needs. Colonial Revivals and New Traditional designs built in the 1990s and later sell for $200,000 to $600,000 depending on age, interior updates and lot size. Although streets are not lined with sidewalks, traffic is light enough that residents can walk or bike through their neighborhoods. “We have a really good police department. Elizabeth Township still requires residency for officers – we believe that seeing police cars parked at homes in our neighborhoods is important,” Walls says. Mt. Vernon has a CAP Index crime score of 2 out of 10 compared to the national average of 4. <br><br>Kids may attend Mount Vernon Elementary School, followed by Elizabeth Forward Middle School and Elizabeth Forward High School which each earn a B-plus from Niche. At Mount Vernon Elementary, kids enjoy creative learning opportunities like hatching baby chicks in incubators to help put classroom concepts into practice. Student organizations from the middle and high schools join forces at the annual Night of Service to provide local charities with care packages, blankets, meals and other tangible goods. <br><br>A lack of public transportation options means residents rely on their own vehicles to get around. Route 51 runs west of Mt. Vernon, beginning 33 miles south in Uniontown and providing a 20-mile commute into downtown Pittsburgh. <br><br>The community’s largest green space, the private Youghiogheny Country Club, makes use of Mt. Vernon’s rolling terrain with an 18-hole golf course alongside other amenities like a pool and sauna. Mt. Vernon Fields is a hub for Elizabeth Forward Youth Athletics ball games, but less-interested spectators and other athletes can head to the nearby playground or basketball and pickleball courts. Hikers and bikers traversing the Great Allegheny Passage snake along the Youghiogheny River through Mt. Vernon, many choosing to rest up at the picnic tables or Adirondack shelters at the Queen Aliquippa Campground. <br><br>Locally owned and operated restaurants are a few miles away from home in Elizabeth Township. Carriage Inn is a casual eatery known for its broad menu, daily specials and weekly fixtures like Wednesday Wing Night. Nearby, Candelore’s Dog House Diner serves homestyle breakfast and lunch in a cozy dining room crowded with photos of local pups. For groceries, locals drive to big box names within 5 miles of Mt. Vernon like the Aldi and Shop ‘n Save in Versailles or the Giant Eagle near Elizabeth Borough. Mount Vernon Community Presbyterian Church holds religious services at the crest of a rolling hill overlooking residential streets and a neighboring cemetery. “Seeing the steeple lit up at night at the top of the hill, it makes me feel like I’m home,” Walls says. <br><br>Residents head to the Elizabeth Township Municipal Building and line nearby parade routes to celebrate holidays throughout the year at events like the Halloween Trunk or Treat and Light the Night festival. Within Mt. Vernon, residents follow their noses to the Fall BBQ and accompanying raffle and bake sale held by Mount Vernon Community Presbyterian Church each year. <br><br>During times of unusually heavy rain, the Youghiogheny River is known to spill its banks. Within Mt. Vernon, flooding is isolated to the GAP Trail and surrounding forests, though a few creeks and streams throughout the community may also become oversaturated.

Greenock has plenty of green space to offer from the expansive lawns to a scenic trail along the Youghiogheny River, locally known as The Yough. “It’s a suburb that still has a rural feel since homebuyers have more land there,” says Alecia DiMatteo, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices who has lived in the area her whole life. The river is known for being a key location of the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, where the first shots were fired. Today, the river brings in not tourists as well as longtime residents. “Many outdoorsy people move here since the river is nearby,” says Kim Stotlemyer, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty, who has been selling homes in the area for nearly two decades. There’s also a well-regarded golf club nearby that attracts homebuyers, the Youghiogheny Country Club, Stotlemyer says. The Great Allegheny Passage is a trail that borders the edge of Greenock and follows the surrounding Youghiogheny River. Here, residents come to jog, bike, or walk along the river. “People live here to be by the bike trail and the river,” Rollison says. In the warmer months, the river is a popular spot for kayaking, tubing and river rafting. The Youghiogheny Country Club is known for its challenging golf course and is a popular place to hold events and gatherings, like birthday parties. Bordered by the river, Greenock has winding roads and large yards. "The architecture is not seamless. There are all different kinds in Greenock,” says Devie Rollison, a Realtor with Realty One Group Gold Standard, who’s been selling homes in the area for over a decade. Cape Cods and ranch-style homes with front porches range between $100,000 to $250,000 while brick Colonial Revivals range from $150,000 to $250,000. Greenock students attend the Elizabeth Forward School District, which earns an A-minus from Niche. Children can go to Greenock Elementary School, before advancing to Elizabeth Forward Middle School, and then possibly moving on to Elizabeth Forward Senior High School. All schools receive a B-plus from Niche, which the middle and high schools offer many clubs like an Arts and Bots STEM Club and Leo Club, where students do community services. The nearest private school option is Mary of Nazareth Catholic School, just 5 miles away. Greenock has two prominent churches and one ministry in the area, Greenock United Methodist Church, the Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church and the River House Ministry. History buffs can visit the Greenock Log House on Greenock Buena Vista Road. This home preserves the history of the neighborhood, where conflicts first sparked the French and Indian War in the mid-1700s. In downtown Pittsburgh – just 17 miles away – residents can catch a concert at Heinz Hall or watch the Penguins play hockey at the PPG Paints Arena. Residents can grab a quick bite at Hurd’s Greenock Deli, which serves subs and baked goods made from scratch. To dine in, Muddy Waterz Bar & Grill offers breakfast and seafood sandwiches in a wooded bar interior. For homemade dinners, people shop at the Stop n’ Save across the bridge on Walnut Street. Residents can use U.S. Route 30 to reach work in the area and downtown Pittsburgh. Those using public transportation have a harder time getting to work since there’s no public bus service in Greenock. They must travel over the Boston Bridge to public bus stops along Walnut Street. A major employer in the area is UPMC McKeesport Hospital. The Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is about 30 miles away.