I jokingly say that we moved during the pandemic because we didn’t have anything else to do. In reality we wanted to escape the ‘burbs.
The area we were living in, a northern suburb of Pittsburgh, was becoming increasingly more crowded. While we loved having easy access to center city Pittsburgh and a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, we wanted more land and an old house. After looking for a year and a half, I found a great property just north of New Castle, Pennsylvania, it has a 200 year-old house an huge old trees. The property we purchased met the criteria of having:
- more land in a rural setting
- a barn which could handle both storage and a woodshop
- easy access to the airport
For the first couple of years, the city of New Castle (and the rest of Lawrence County) sat ignored. Even as things began opening up again, we didn’t hear about what the area had to offer, though complaints about New Castle were plentiful. My son and I made the first discovery, the Scottish Rite Cathedral. At the Cathedral we saw A Halloween silent movie with organ accompaniment; it was fabulous. More discoveries followed: Joseph’s Marketplace and their coffee, Riardos, the scale model of the Statue of Liberty, and then the Hoyt Center for the Arts. Long story short, New Castle area has some pretty amazing offerings! Here is a list that covers some of them and shows that there are plenty of reasons to boast about this corner of western Pennsylvania.
- Hoyt Center for the Arts
- Warner Brothers Theater and its collection
- Scottish Rite Cathedral and its organ.
- Family businesses such as Riardos, Josephs Market Place, 2 Fat Guys and an Oven…., e.g. it is not overrun by chains.
- Proximity to parks, inside Lawrence County (McConnell’s Mill, Quaker Falls Recreation Area, Pearson, etc.) and nearby (Pymatuning, Goddard, Moraine)
- Various concert series at Westminster College
- Small town/city feel
- Events like the Tour De Donut and Amish Benefit Auction
- Proximity to micro breweries and micro – distilleries and independent coffee shops
- International Ties – Rotary links with Bosnia, Cultural heritage with Italians and Syrian Christians, Polish, etc. Did you guys know about: https://newcastlesoftheworld.com/
- Amish businesses such as bakeries, quilt shops, rug manufacturers, greenhouses, produce stands
- Industry – past and present – fireworks, steel, china, and more!
I believe that New Castle and Lawrence County are worth at least a second glance. If you would like to learn more about what is available in Lawrence County, check out the Lawrence County Visitors Guide. Like other older cities there are problems but one of them is local perception; however, the amenities/possibilities outweigh the issues! In 2023 Lawrence County was added to the Pittsburgh metro area, so the area is starting to expand its outlook and awareness of those possibilities. I am glad we made the move and look forward to supporting the area’s revitalization!
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