Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
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Borough
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Shady Side Academy upper school campus
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Location in Allegheny County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
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 Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Allegheny |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.88 sq mi (20.40 km2) |
| • Land | 7.87 sq mi (20.38 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 5,343 |
| • Density | 679.08/sq mi (262.21/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
15215 and 15238
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| Area code(s) | 412 |
| School district | Fox Chapel Area |
Fox Chapel is a town, called a borough, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. It's a suburb of Pittsburgh, about 6 miles northeast of the city center. In 2020, about 5,343 people lived there. Fox Chapel is known for being a beautiful area where many well-known families live.
Contents
History of Fox Chapel
In the 1750s, the Seneca Indians lived in the Fox Chapel area. Native American tribes hunted and fished here until the late 1700s. Both Virginia and Pennsylvania claimed this land. They settled their disagreement after the American Revolutionary War. Today, very few Native Americans live in Fox Chapel.
The first white settler, James Powers, arrived around 1790. The first schoolhouse was built on Squaw Run in 1806. It was a simple log house. A church was started in 1818 on Kittanning Road.
Over the years, several important places opened in Fox Chapel. The Pittsburgh Field Club, a sports club, moved here in 1915. The Fox Chapel Golf Club opened in 1919. Shady Side Academy, a private school, opened its high school campus in 1922. This land was a gift from Wallace H. Rowe, a famous Pittsburgh businessman. Later, in 1958, a private estate built in 1928 became the academy's middle school.
Geography of Fox Chapel
Fox Chapel is located at 40°30′46″N 79°53′35″W / 40.51278°N 79.89306°W. It shares borders with several other towns. These include Indiana Township to the north and Harmar Township to the northeast. It also borders parts of O'Hara Township and the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar to the south.
The United States Census Bureau says Fox Chapel covers about 7.8 square miles. Only a tiny part of this area is water.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1940 | 1,080 | — | |
| 1950 | 1,721 | 59.4% | |
| 1960 | 3,302 | 91.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,684 | 41.9% | |
| 1980 | 5,049 | 7.8% | |
| 1990 | 5,319 | 5.3% | |
| 2000 | 5,436 | 2.2% | |
| 2010 | 5,388 | −0.9% | |
| 2020 | 5,343 | −0.8% | |
| Sources: | |||
In 2000, Fox Chapel had 5,436 people living in 1,875 households. Most people (93.29%) were White. About 5.22% were Asian, and 0.55% were African American. A small number of people were from other racial backgrounds.
Many households (41.7%) had children under 18. Most families (79.9%) were married couples. The average household had 2.89 people. The average family had 3.18 people.
The population included people of all ages. About 30.1% were under 18. About 14.9% were 65 or older. The average age was 44 years.
In 2015, the average income for a household in Fox Chapel was $154,722. For families, it was $169,596. A small number of families (3.3%) lived below the poverty line.
Places of Worship
Fox Chapel has four churches: Faith Methodist Church, Christ Church Fox Chapel, Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
The Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church started in 1953. A group of families began meeting at Shady Side Academy. The church officially formed with 339 members. They built a chapel in December 1953. The church has grown to include more buildings and a beautiful sanctuary.
Chabad Fox Chapel - The Jewish Center opened in 2002. It serves the Jewish community in the area. It offers a community center, a Jewish day camp, Hebrew school, and adult education.
Adat Shalom is another Jewish center nearby. It serves about 240 Jewish families from the Fox Chapel area.
Education in Fox Chapel
Public Schools
The Fox Chapel Area School District provides public education. The high school is in O'Hara Township. The middle school is in Dorseyville, about five miles north. Elementary school children attend schools in Indiana Township or O'Hara Township. These schools are O'Hara Elementary, Kerr, Fairview, and Hartwood.
The Fox Chapel Area School District includes several communities. These are Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, O'Hara Township, Sharpsburg, and Blawnox. The district has won many awards. Each of its schools has been named a National Blue Ribbon School. Fox Chapel Area High School has also received a Silver Medal rank from U.S. News & World Report.
Private Schools
Fox Chapel is home to Shady Side Academy. This is a co-educational independent college preparatory school. Shady Side Academy has four campuses. It has a junior school for pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. There's a middle school for grades 6–8 and a senior school for grades 9–12.
Shady Side Academy has been in Fox Chapel since the early 1920s. The middle school campus was added later in 1958. This campus was once a private estate. The junior school campus is in Pittsburgh.
The Fox Chapel Country Day School is now part of Shady Side Academy. It offers private education for young children. The Fox Chapel Chabad Community Hebrew School offers extra Jewish education on Sundays and Wednesdays.
The Pittsburgh Japanese School also uses the middle school facilities of Shady Side Academy. This school helps Japanese children keep up with their language and culture. It started in 1977 as a small class system and became an official school in 1993.
Famous People from Fox Chapel
Many well-known people have lived in Fox Chapel, including:
- Rocky Bleier, a former professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Bill Cowher, a former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Jim Delligatti, who created the Big Mac sandwich.
- Chip Ganassi, a former racecar driver and current owner of Chip Ganassi Racing.
- Eddie Ifft, a stand-up comedian and radio host.
- Edgar J. Kaufmann, a famous department store owner.
- Teresa Heinz Kerry, a businesswoman and giver to charities. She is married to former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
- Kathryn Kuhlman, a healing evangelist.
- Anisha Nagarajan, an actress and singer.
- Barry Nelson, a former professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks.
- David Newell, an actor from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
- Matthew Ridgway, a U.S. Army general.
- Rick Rockwell, a reality TV personality.
- Beth Ostrosky Stern, wife of radio host Howard Stern.
Images for kids
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Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
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Shady Side Academy upper school campus
See also
In Spanish: Fox Chapel para niños
