Hopewell

After hundreds of years of shifting lumber, mill and steel industries building up along the Ohio River, Hopewell Township has developed rich local history and a modern community of residents continuing to enjoy life in the forested hills of Western Pennsylvania. “A lot of the family names from early settlers are still here in Hopewell,” says John Bates, Hopewell Township’s zoning officer who has lived in the area for 63 years. “Even though the land has been utilized for neighborhoods, it continues to develop, upgrade and change. It’s evolving into what it will be in the future.” Maintaining an identity as the Gateway to Beaver County via the active Interstate 376 corridor, Hopewell Township connects residents to the greater Pittsburgh area and to community life much closer to home. Hopewell Township’s diverse housing sits on midcentury suburban blocks, subdivisions developed within the last 30 years and isolated rural acreages along forested country roads. Small ranch-style, split-level and minimal traditional single-family homes are the most common finds, standing on long, grassy blocks developed in the 1940s through 1970s and selling for $90,000 to $300,000 depending on modern upgrades and square footage. Complementary New Traditional homes with crisply landscaped planting beds and at least four bedrooms line gently winding subdivisions and cul-de-sacs developed in the 1990s through 2020s, selling for $300,000 to $550,000. Mismatched townhouses built over integral garages near I-376 in the 1980s and 1990s sell for $130,000 to $180,000. While Green Garden Plaza is a stop on Beaver County Transit Authority’s Line 2 bus route, Hopewell Township residents overwhelmingly use their own vehicles to get around. I-376 runs throughout the township, providing a 10-mile drive to Pittsburgh International Airport and a 27-mile drive into downtown Pittsburgh. Brodhead Road is Hopewell Township’s main commercial thoroughfare, lined by scattered shopping plazas and small business centers and medical offices. “There’s not a lot of chain restaurants. It’s more small family places that have been in business for years,” Bates says. “We just got a new one, Leon’s Caribbean Restaurant, which is a different cuisine.” Next to the Kuhn’s Market in the same Hopewell Shopping Center, J. W. Hall’s has served sit-down prime rib and seafood specials alongside a popular salad bar since the 1980s. Further down the road, Harold’s Inn is known for its special chicken seasoning. Away from Brodhead and tucked off the interstate, Green Garden Plaza is home to retailers like Giant Eagle and Big Lots as well as a gym and Chevy dealership. Several churches hold services throughout the township. At the center of the township, Hopewell Community Park is a sprawling collection of picnic pavilions, playground equipment and more natural recreation amenities. Hikers explore tranquil woods on trails interspersed with wooden footbridges. Anglers catch and release from piers around the central lake, kept company by flocks of ducks and geese. The park’s steepled wooden amphitheater has hosted countless bands and performers, playing to crowds sitting in lawn chairs brought from home. Across the street from the main park, locals can let furry friends run off-leash at Hopewell Dog Park. Kids can start off at Hopewell Elementary School which earns a B-minus from Niche, followed by Hopewell Junior High School and Hopewell High School which both earn a B. Hopewell Vikings play home games at Tony Dorsett Stadium, named after an alumnus who went on to play for the Pitt Panthers and eventually win a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. The township’s recreation department organizes events at Hopewell Community Park throughout the year, ranging from vintage care shows to family move nights and fishing derbies for all ages. Hopewell Township Park Fest is one of the most anticipated annual events, drawing hundreds of locals to shuttle from nearby parking lots to the fairgrounds each July for an afternoon of carnival games, bounce castle fun, watermelon eating competitions, food trucks, live music and fireworks at dark. Areas of the township closest to Raccoon Creek and waterways running through Hopewell Community Park can flood after heavy rain, leading to road closures. Portions of Independence Road and the roadways surrounding Green Garden Plaza have experienced the brunt of flooding in the past. “Luckily, it’s mostly state roads and very few households that are in those flood zones. There’s not a great number of people in significant danger,” Bates says.