Indiana Township growth matches U.S. rate

Indiana Township was the sole community in the Lower Valley to show a population surge over the past decade.

The township's population grew by 13 percent, according to figures released earlier this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. Indiana Township was one of few municipalities to match the nationwide growth rate of 13.2 percent. As a whole, even Pennsylvania slumped in growth compared to the rest of the nation. The state's growth rate was 3.4 percent.

After a minuscule dip in numbers from 1980 to 1990, Indiana Township's population made a sound resurgence in the past 10 years, up from 6,080 to 6,809 people.

'We're a forgotten little pocket,' said Dorothy Claus, township supervisor and resident for more than four decades.

Claus said people flock to the community because it offers a rural flavor with the perks of big-city living.

'We're within 20 miles of downtown Pittsburgh, the expressway is very convenient and we're one of the last areas to be developed,' Claus said.

Families are attracted there because it is part of the Fox Chapel Area School District, she said.

But the secret appears to be out, and it's become somewhat of a hot topic for supervisors to curb the impending hustle and bustle. The township intends to form a comprehensive plan to control growth and retain the rural charm, Claus said.

The trend toward rural communities - and away from mill-town hubs - has been repeated across the country, said Carl Haub, senior demographer with the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, D.C.

'It's something you see in Pittsburgh; it's something you see all over,' he said.

In the Lower Valley, Aspinwall, Fox Chapel and Indiana Township were the only communities to report an increase. Albeit, both Aspinwall and Fox Chapel showed only slight increases, about 2 percent each.

That's about all Aspinwall could handle.

'We're landlocked. There's nowhere to expand,' said Borough Manager Ed Warchol. 'I think everything we have is occupied.'

Warchol said he was pleased with the numbers. In fact, they were about what he anticipated. An increase in population, although only about 100 people, will help when the borough applies for state and federal grants, which often are allocated based on population.

'I couldn't see any reason the numbers would be down,' Warchol said. 'Mostly, when these houses go up for sale its only a small time before they're bought.'

Other Lower Valley communities - Blawnox, Etna, O'Hara and Sharpsburg - reported a decline in population.

Etna showed the biggest dip, from 4,200 to 3,924, or about 6 percent. Blawnox and Sharpsburg each lost about four percent of its population, while O'Hara saw a 2 percent decrease.

For former industrial towns, the reason seems clear, accordingto Sharpsburg councilman Frank Buccieri.

'The mills all shut down. That killed us,' said Buccieri, 70.

With the closing of plants like Union Steel, Tippins and more recennnTippins and more recenecently Miller Springs - and with the advent of technology-driven jobs - young people are not as inclined to settle in tiny, river towns as in the past.

'Everything went to computers now. You can't find jobs like that here,' Buccieri said.

The borough native also credits the rise of shopping malls and superhighways for the demise of small towns. When towns bustled with company employees, people patronized the local mom and pop shops, like Isaly's and the five-and-dimes.

'They built shopping centers and then they built that new bypass. Route 28 used to come right through town and that brought us business,' he said. 'Now, those stores are shut down and the people moved.'

Allegheny County's population declined 4.1 percent since 1990, prompting County Executive Jim Roddey to release a statement applauding that the decline wasn't as sharp as it had been in the 1970s and 1980s when the county lost 9.7 and 7.8 percent of its population, respectively.

'Although I'm concerned with the negative population changes in Allegheny County over the past decade, the figures indicate that our population loss is flattening out,' Roddey said.

Still, the Lower Valley held its own, with an overall gain of 1 percent in population figures over 1990.

Staff writer Wynne Everett contributed to this report.