Smock/Uniontown, PA (Pittsburgh, Washington, Beaver Falls: house, neighborhoods, college)

[jenrik2714]

I am from Chicago and I will be travelling to Pittsburgh on business the end of this month. I wanted to visit Smock and Uniontown since that is where my grandfather grew up before coming to Chicago. I am part Slovak and I know alot of Slovaks settled in that area. Are these areas considered safe to drive into? Are these depressed towns? Please let me know

Thank You

[Pitt Chick]

Since you can handle Chicago, Smock will be a breeze (as will Uniontown). Yes, they are safe.

Not sure how you define 'depressed' though.... Fayette County is one of the poorest counties in the state. Is that what you mean?

[Drover]

Uniontown: Depressed, yes. Dangerous? Not particularly. Depressed or not, there's some great scenery out that way (especially from a Midwesterner's perspective) and that alone makes it worth the drive.

Don't know about Smock though. (Never heard of it, actually...)

[ghostinthemachine]

I will go further and instead of saying "Not particularly" say simply NO. It's not at
all dangerous. Uniontown is depressed, but it's in a unique location right at the foot of the mountains, which makes it rather picturesque on fair days. It's also only about 45 minutes from Deep Creek, MD. which is a popular winter resort town and really cool in the summer.

[andyd33]

First i would like to say that Fayette County is NOT one of the poorest counties, its actually one of the least populated counties and Uniontown has its own unique little town with mountians and creeks/rivers. Great Scenery! And 0% dangerous. When walking along the street everyone is friendly!! As for smock, It's kind of in the boonies with not many things to do. Thats about all i know about it.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by andyd33

First i would like to say that Fayette County is NOT one of the poorest counties . . .

Hate to bust your burble here, but according to the most recent census data Fayette County has the third-lowest per-capita income in Pennsylvania.

[louiemoon0810]

Originally Posted by jenrik2714

I am from Chicago and I will be travelling to Pittsburgh on business the end of this month. I wanted to visit Smock and Uniontown since that is where my grandfather grew up before coming to Chicago. I am part Slovak and I know alot of Slovaks settled in that area. Are these areas considered safe to drive into? Are these depressed towns? Please let me know

Thank You

I grew up about 10 minutes from Uniontown in Connellsville. Smock is a little further north from Uniontown on Route 51. Like someone else mentioned, there's really not much to Smock. In fact, except for a random road sign along Route 51 that says "Smock", you won't even know that you just passed it.

[BTW, I'm Slovak, also....my ancestors were coal miners and also worked in the coke ovens in Leisenring, which isn't far from Smock via the backroads. Was your grandfather a coal miner?]

Anyway, re: safely.....yes, that area is extremely safe. Absolutely. We're talking rolling hills and farm land. The drive from Pittsburgh to Uniontown (via Route 51) is fairly rural, once you get out of Allegheny County and past Century 3 Mall, etc. The most dangerous thing you'll encounter along the ride is the smell of cow manure. That and "Gene and Boots" chocolate store, which can be dangerous to your waistline.

Uniontown is a bigger city....though "big" is a stretch. Population is fewer than 20,000, if I had to guess. It has its share of homey little places to grab a bite to eat, clothing shops, and other businesses. You should encounter zero safety issues in Uniontown, either. (And if you want a stick-to-your-ribs, "what can I get ya', honey?" type of dining experience.....try Meloni's veal parmigiana on Main Street.

And, yes......rankings or no rankings.....the entire Fayette County area, in general, is extremely economically depressed. (I'm not qualified to speak about any psychological depression that may exist in the area....though I'm sure some residents suffer from that problem, as well....likely due to their bleak economic status.)

There are pockets of pricier homes and people who drive BMWs or Volvos, but that is the exception and certainly not the rule. But the people in Fayette County are good people, if you know what I mean. They work hard to make a living and are proud of what they have. They may not make a lot of money.....mainly b/c there just isn't enough industry in the area to sustain economic growth.....but when I drive through Connellsville and Uniontown (I live in Pittsburgh, presently), I'm always struck at how "tidy" many of the homes look. Not fancy, mind you....but tidy. To me, the homes exude the pride that the residents have in their towns & neighborhoods. That's just my perception, though.

I could go on and on about Fayette County. If you have any specific q's, let me know. Enjoy your trip!

[Shenandoah]

I agree totally with LouieMoon about the area. Smock is a nice little village. Do you know where your family used to live there? I took my ailing 90 year old dad on a 'memories' drive about 10 years ago before he died. It was great - we went on all the back roads in Fayette County that he used to drive, he showed me the house he was born in Liberty (still standing), where the cops chased him because his car didn't have tags, where his dad was supervisor of one of the coke yards.

Uniontown is a nice safe small city, also, with historic buildings. You'll have no problems walking the streets. There is a 'not safe' area, but it's out of the downtown area. You'll need to consult with someone in the area for that. I haven't gone there in many many years, but the bank building used to have a mural of when Santa Ana came thru the city back in the 1830's. Fort Necessity is up on the mountain - Lt George Washington's first command, and first lost battle. Albert Gallatin (our first Secretary of the Treasury) built a home in the area also, Friendship Hill. Nemacolin Woodlands is up in Farmington also, a great resort with a PGA golf course, polo fields, too many other activities to tell, just google them. Meloni's is a great Italian restaurant - too bad the original Pechin's burned down for their unique ambiance.

I was born in Vanderbilt PA, had some family in Smock years ago. My family now lives just outside of Uniontown in Fairchance, another beautiful small town at the base of the mountains.

Enjoy your visit! And I wish you the best in returning to your family's past history in the area.

blessings, Shen

[Katiana]

I love this term "historic", as in "historic buildings". I was looking at a college guide book once which said that Geneva College is in "historic" Beaver Falls! I said to my husband "what's historic about Beaver Falls?" He said "I think they mean 'old' "! Since then, I have noticed this use for older areas of towns! Interesting!

[andyd33]

Originally Posted by Drover

Hate to bust your burble here, but according to the most recent census data Fayette County has the third-lowest per-capita income in Pennsylvania.

Show me the website, I Heard on the Pittsburgh Times County Review that Fayette county does NOT have the 3rd lowest per-capita income. Besides that says nothing about the area.