Rural residences and suburban streets make up Union Township Lawrence
Union Township Lawrence straddles the line between the rolling Pennsylvania countryside and the suburban outskirts of New Castle. “It’s a good mix between suburban and rural living,” says Wendy Stuck, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, who has about a decade of experience. “There’s a city feel to some of the neighborhoods, but there are still farms in Union.” Interstate 376 seems to divide the township into its rural, western side and the more populated, eastern portion, with two large shopping plazas between the two. Another highway forms a straight shot to the center of New Castle, roughly 5 miles away.
Original Craftsman houses, midcentury Cape Cods and ranch-style homes
Mature trees spill shade onto front porches and patios throughout Union Township, where long driveways carve through spacious front yards, uninterrupted by sidewalks. Cottages from the Arts and Crafts Movement range from $30,000 to $130,000, depending on their condition and proximity to town. Minimal Traditional homes and Cape Cods constructed from the 1930s through the 1950s sit on lots that go up to an acre; many feature back patios, sunrooms, decks and detached garages. These homes fetch between $115,000 and $285,000, and a handful of ranch-style and split-level homes from the 1960s and 1970s can be found on the upper end of the price range.
Bike trails, a golf course and a community park on a rolling landscape
Brown spotted ducklings follow their moms around the fountain in the center of the pond at Scotland Meadows Park. Sandwiched between the township elementary and high school, the green space also has baseball diamonds, a basketball court, tennis courts and a disc golf course. Farther north, the Castle Hills Golf Course offers a public, 18-hole layout that’s been part of the community since 1930. On the southwestern side of the township, the Stavich Bike Trail follows an abandoned trolley line through Pennsylvania’s rolling hills and wildflower-speckled pastures for roughly 12 miles, eventually crossing the Ohio border and ending in the city of Struthers.
Career education programming at Union Area High School
Children in the township may begin their educational journeys at Union Memorial Elementary School, which earns an A-minus grade from Niche. They may then advance to Union Area Middle School, scoring a B-plus, before rounding out their secondary education at B-rated Union Area High School. “It’s a smaller school district, so there are smaller-sized classrooms,” Stuck says. “[Parents] don’t have to worry about kids getting lost in the shuffle.” The high school offers robust career education programming, with four years of digital media and marketing courses, multiple levels of computer programming and a mentor teacher class, in which students work in elementary or middle school classrooms.
Union Plaza, Union Square have big-box retail surrounded by fast food
Union Plaza — anchored by Lowe’s Home Improvement and Gabe’s, with a Michaels that opened there in 2025 — and Union Square, home to the area’s only Walmart Supercenter, sit across from each other near the intersection of two major highways. One of those highways, U.S. Route 224, is lined with fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, Arby’s, Bob Evans and a new Jersey Mike's Subs, which opened in 2025. Locally owned eateries include Parkstown Restaurant and Lounge, which not only prepares hearty dinners, like marinated lamb, chopped sirloin or fried haddock, but also sells sheds. Los Amigos Family Restaurant & Bar is a well-known spot for Mexican food, conveniently located outside of the town's movie theater.
Three major highways lead toward Canfield, Youngstown and Pittsburgh
Three major highways carve through the township, linking it to larger metro areas. United States Route 224 runs east to west through the center of Union Township, reaching the heart of New Castle in the east and traversing Poland, Boardman and Canfield in the west. The westernmost streets in the township are within roughly 5 miles of town, and a New Castle Area Transit Authority bus route stops at Union Plaza.
United States Route 422 travels to Youngstown, which is about 17 miles away in Ohio, and continues west, eventually reaching Cleveland. Interstate 376 also passes through the township. It connects with Interstate 76, which commuters can use to reach Pittsburgh — roughly 60 miles away — and its international airport.
