Exurb of the Week: Buffalo Township (Butler County) (Freeport: movie theater, school district)

[runpens1]

Buffalo is an exurban to rural township located in the southeast corner of Butler County, just across the Allegheny County line from the "Highlands" area and also bordering Armstrong County, with Freeport and South Buffalo Township to its east, with which it shares Freeport Area School District with.

Buffalo Township's history goes way back to before 1854 before the last re-organization of the townships within Butler County took place, when it was the largest township in the county, and included present-day Winfield Township (to its north) and Clinton Township (to its east). It is named for the creek that flows out of the Allegheny River and through the township. Much of the township's history was based upon the farming and coal industries. Since its current incorporation, the township has seen waves of growth, with surges in the 60's/70's, late 90's/early-mid 2000's, and mid-late 2010s to present time. The township's main road throughout it is route 356, which bisects the township's boundaries from southeast to northwest, intersecting route 28 in the southeastern portion. This portion features a wide mix of housing developments, from post-war to more modern style. The township's main business district in the area known generally as Sarver, the township's main zip code, is pretty typical for a small suburban area and features a Giant eagle, small shopping centers, restaurants, medical offices, banks, a movie theater, and a hardware store. A few miles to the north, at the eastern end of Route 228, there is also a more modern brewery and a growing range of denser modern housing developments. This area seems to be why it is one of the only places in the northeast portion of the metro to be seeing population growth at the current time. There is also a little bit smaller business district along route 228 in an area know as Ekastown, that features a furniture store, car dealership, and a few other small businesses.

Having the advantage of convenient highway access and reasonable commutes to job centers, some major employers within the township's limit such as Oberg Industries, a good school district, and still plenty of undeveloped rural land in the northeast and southwest portions of the township, it is safe to assume that Buffalo Township will continue to grow at a slow and steady pace for years to come. Some popular recreational opportunities within the township include Lernerville Speedway, Todd Nature Reserve, and the Butler-Freeport Trail.

[erieguy]

I knew it was a local big deal, but was extremely surprised when I first learned how significant Lernerville Speedway is on a national level.