Edinboro combines college town energy with lakefront living
Edinboro is named after the capital of Scotland, but its ties to Edinburgh don’t stop at its name. Red and white banners and a muscular highlander named MacCato decorate homes, businesses and campus buildings, symbols of Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro. PennWest Fighting Scots comprise a good portion of the borough, whether they are current students or proud alumni. And while Lake Erie and its namesake city are less than 30 minutes up Interstate 79, a healthy slate of small-town events and a lake of its own have made Edinboro a stand-alone community and cultural center for rural Erie County. “Edinboro is your quintessential college town,” says Libby Remache, a Realtor with Howard Hanna Erie East who’s specialized in Erie County for over 9 years. “But it’s got two vibes: you get the fun, artsy hippie college side alongside laidback lake living."
Single-family homes in the country, in town and on Edinboro Lake
Lot sizes in Edinboro range from smaller sizes typical of a city to rural acreages in the woods and large waterfront properties. Mature trees shade blocks lined with National- and Victorian-style homes built in the early 1900s near downtown. Small cottages and bungalows are especially common in the Lakeside community, named for its position along Edinboro Lake. From the midcentury through the 1970s, classic ranch-style, split-level and colonial-style homes popped up in surrounding suburban developments. Prices for these older homes range from around $100,000 to $440,000; higher-cost homes are often set on small country acreages far from the borough or close to Edinboro Lake. From the late 1980s through the 2020s, subdivisions of New Traditional homes developed on the borough’s outskirts. Prices for these newer homes range from around $390,000 to $740,000. “There’s going to be a pretty heavy investor presence because of the college, but there’s a healthy mix of owner-occupants,” Remache says. “PennWest is surrounded by more apartment-style buildings, so students aren’t renting all the houses.”
Attending General McLane School District and PennWest Edinboro
Edinboro is served by the General McLane School District. Edinboro Elementary School earns an A-minus from Niche, as does James W. Parker Middle School. General McLane High School scores a B and offers students the opportunity to take dual enrollment courses at Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro.
The borough’s namesake university has existed since 1857, but Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro took its new name and merged resources with other small colleges in Clarion and California in 2022. PennWest Edinboro has remained small, with an enrollment of fewer than 3,000 in-person undergraduate and graduate students.
Recreation areas all around Edinboro Lake
Edinboro Lake fills with motorboats and kayaks through hot summers. Boaters and anglers can enter the water from backyard docks, resort-owned marinas and the Lakeside Boat Ramp. Pockets of sandy shoreline like Pat Crawford Beach are watched by lifeguards through the warmer months. Ice skaters and ice fishers sometimes wander out onto the frozen lake during long winters. Kids climb the jungle gym at Billings Park, not far from the water. Away from the lake, golfers head to the 18-hole course at Culbertson Hills Golf Club, while gardeners gain inspiration by exploring the pollinator gardens and arboretum at Goodell Gardens and Homestead.
Shopping and dining downtown and on Edinboro Lake
Old-fashioned commercial buildings cluster around the junction of Erie, Meadville and Plum streets, making up Edinboro’s small business district. Bohemian trinkets and clothing displays draw window shoppers into Earthshine Company. A short walk away, Flip Cafe is a popular spot for hearty homestyle breakfasts and fluffy, beignet-like cinnamon flips. Older students and Edinboro alumni gather at casual nightlife spots like Edinboro Hotel Bar and The Empty Keg. Diners look out over the lily pads on Edinboro Lake while live bands play on Sunset Grille's patio. Giant Eagle stocks groceries farther north on Erie Street.
The Highland Games and Scottish Festival
Bagpipes, fiddles and drums herald the return of the two-day Highland Games and Scottish Festival. Edinboro’s university has hosted this fall tradition for over 30 years, inviting visitors to a campus packed with Celtic craft vendors, grounds for athletic competitions like the caber toss and spots to try traditional dancing and cuisine. College students and borough residents mingle during many other borough events throughout the year, from the Downtown Edinboro Arts and Music Festival to the autumnal Homecoming festivities. Many churches hold religious services and their own community events throughout Edinboro, including Our Lady of the Lake Church, known for Lenten fish fry fundraiser dinners.
Taking I-79 and the EMTA around Erie County
Interstate 79 is just west of Edinboro, and it is a roughly 20-mile drive to downtown Erie and Erie International Airport. Two significant regional hospitals, UPMC Hamot and Saint Vincent Hospital, are also located in the Erie County seat. Residents might walk and bike around the borough, especially near PennWest Edinboro. And while many residents rely on cars to get around, Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority buses run limited routes through the county.
Living in the Lake Erie snowbelt
Edinboro is set firmly in the Lake Erie snowbelt, typically seeing well over six feet of snow each year. When lake-effect snowstorms roll through, residents hunker down until snowplows clear the roads and visibility improves.
Written By
Julia Szymanski
