Freeport (Pittsburgh, Butler, New Kensington: lease, crime, houses)

[Cupcake77]

I did a seach in this forum and couldn't find any info on Freeport. Is it a safe area to live in and how are the schools near by?

[Cupcake77]

Nobody knows anything about Freeport? A friend of mine lives there and said they would sell me 8 acres of land for only 100k which is really cheap and would help me get a job at Siemens where they work which isn't too far from freeport.

[PeterRabbit]

Are you talking about Freeport near Pittsburgh? As far as I know it's fine. Some people nearer to the city have summer homes/cottages there along the river. I think Freeport has it's own school district with a good reputation.

[Karyzma]

I grew up not far from Freeport and lived just up the hill from town for a short period of time. Freeport is a tiny boro that is located in Armstrong County on the Allegheny River, about 30 miles from downtown Pgh. Freeport School District serves Freeport, as well as Sarver & Buffalo Twp., both in Butler County. I have a friend who has lived there all her life & she loves it. I lived in the area for a year & moved back to what I would call civilization as soon as my lease was up. I gave it a try but the area is not for me. Just my opinion. Freeport itself is literally a one stop-light kind of town, always has been & probably always will. The neighborhoods on the flats are run-down but get nicer as you go up the (steep) hill. Lots of big victorian type houses up there. Overall, without looking at statistics, my opinion is that crime in Freeport isn't that bad when you consider the surrounding Alle-Kiski Valley. There are worse little towns in the area, such as New Kensington, Brackenridge, Tarentum; even Natrona Hts. is going down hill. The school district isn't bad, my daughter went to Buffalo Elementary for a year. But we had just come from a district that was ranked in the top 25 statewide and I noticed a big difference. Freeport SD had much lower expectations of their students than the better school we had moved from. One thing I found interesting is that the district sends all kindergarteners to a kindergarten center in town, and the parents can choose either half day or full day for their kids. I thought that was kind of neat. In general, if you enjoy being away from it all, you might really like living in this area. But if you want to be near all the conveniences & activities, I'd recommend finding some place closer to Pittsburgh. Also if you plan to commute into downtown you might want to reconsider traveling on Rt. 28, it's a nightmare. I would suggest the many communities north of Pgh along I279 & I79.

[SteelCityRising]

I just got back in from a glorious 5-mile run today on a rare day off from work, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to provide a positive review of the Butler-Freeport Trail. I parked near the Lanesville Trailhead on the northern edge of the Town of Freeport and ran up to just past where the Route 28 overpass crosses the trail. On my way I passed wildlife that include frogs (toads?), ducks, and woodpeckers, along with a variety of insects. The trail peacefully follows the meandering path of Buffalo Creek, and I was very impressed by how clean and inviting the water looked. As I became soaked in sweat I just wanted to veer off the trail and go skinny-dipping! The trail wasn't very busy (although most people aren't lucky enough to have a weekday off from work I suppose). Nevertheless EVERY person I passed raced me to be the first to greet me, which I thought was fantastic. I passed two friendly older (60s?) couples, a bunch of middle-aged men on bikes riding solo, and a middle-aged woman on a bike. As I returned to my vehicle a younger (early-30s?) very attractive woman was stretching prior to her workout (Copanut would have had to do a double-take!) There was also a neighbor who was standing at his fence watching people from the moment I parked my car to the moment I left. I waved to him as I left, and he waved back.

Freeport may just truly be one of my favorite communities on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. I hope the Buffalo Creek Gorge area is preserved for future generations to enjoy. Once the Route 28 reconstruction is completed I can easily foresee the townships surrounding Freeport exploding in growth. It only took me a half-hour each way to access the trail from my home in the East End. I can only imagine how many people who work in the RIDC Park may decide to move to the Freeport Area in the coming years.