Southeast Butler County — between rural and urban
Residents of the southeast portion of Butler County feel they have the best of both worlds.
“We’re not too far away from Butler or the city of Pittsburgh,” said William Thiele, whose family owns a dairy farm in Jefferson Township. “We’re pretty close to a lot of things, but at the same time we’re far enough away from that stuff that we’re not part of the hustle and bustle 24/7.”
They are nestled away from the development in the southwest part of the county, but are close enough for a comfortable commute. The six townships in the southeast part of Butler County — along with the borough of Saxonburg — are part of a wide spectrum of farmland, small businesses and increasing development.
No municipality demonstrates this more than Middlesex Township, located on the southern border of the county. Route 228 runs straight through the township, connecting it to the more developed Cranberry and Adams townships to the west, and the more agricultural Clinton Township to the east.
This year, Middlesex Township updated its comprehensive plan for the first time in 20 years, and a lot has changed. Since 2010, the population of the township has increased by 32%, far above the 7% rate of growth of the county as a whole, and even above the 20% rate of growth of the urban oasis of Cranberry Township.
In addition, housing values in Middlesex Township are some of the highest in the county, with an assessed value of $22,457.65 and a fair market value of $350,900.77. These are well above the county averages of $16,813.28 and $262,613.71, respectively.
The final draft of the comprehensive plan, before it was officially adopted in June, stated that “balance” was the mission statement — the balance between preserving the township’s natural resources, such as the Glade Run Lake, while encouraging commercial and residential development.
“Middlesex has the advantage of maintaining a rural character while also having the corridors of state Route 8 and state Route 228 for commercial growth,” said township manager Jeffrey Winkle. “The comprehensive plan outlined the ability to have growth along the commercial corridors but also protect the rural areas and great environmental features of the community, such as the Glade Run Park and working family farms.”
Just east of Middlesex, among the municipalities in the southeast of Butler County, Clinton Township stands alone as a primarily agricultural community. Whereas other townships have made allowances and preparations for residential and commercial development and have started focusing on the future, Clinton Township has aggressively focused on preserving its agricultural parcels.
“We actually presented a survey to our township residents the year before last, which included a questionnaire,” said township Supervisor Kathy Allen. “I would say the majority of the people wanted to maintain the rural culture.”
More than any other municipality in the county, Clinton Township’s farms have benefited from the Farmland Preservation Act, which allows the state and county governments to purchase conservation easements from farmers. As of July, Clinton Township had the most farmland preservations in Butler County, with 11.
The one exception is a business district located along Victory Road, which includes the Bayer Corporation’s $11 million headquarters, which opened in 2023. Also located in the complex are Kingsly Compression, Brayman Construction, Cygnus Manufacturing Center, an Aldi distribution center and a FedEx warehouse.
Allen says that the business park still has plenty of room to expand and attract new business.
“I think there are three or four blocks that are still available that could attract additional companies to come in and build at the industrial park,” Allen said.
While Jefferson Township is home to the headquarters of Penn United Technologies, much of the township is also agricultural in nature and content to stay that way. Although Jefferson’s per capita income of $32,349 is far below the region’s average of $41,440, the township also has the fewest proportion of residents below the poverty line — 1.8%, compared to the region’s average of 3.6%.
“If there was more development that happened here and people moving in from elsewhere, I guess that would change the dynamic of the of the population around here,” said Thiele, whose farm takes up 295 acres in Jefferson. “I kind of understand why people want to move here, but they don’t want too many people to move here, because it’s not rural anymore.”
Winfield Township also prides itself on being a rural and agricultural community and feels no pressure to change that anytime soon. According to township Supervisor Matthew Klabnik, Winfield’s main industry is agriculture.
“We have a lot of farming, and that’s been going on for centuries here,” Klabnik said. “There’s not a lot of push for large-scale development, and that’s sort of not where we're at in terms of what we want to do as a municipality.”
Similarly to Clinton and Winfield townships, the majority of residents of Penn Township have made it clear that they are content with their rural, small-town atmosphere and would like to see the township preserve it. A survey of nearly 300 residents made that clear in the responses they gave to two surveys that were distributed when the township updated its comprehensive plan this year.
When asked what they enjoyed about living in Penn Township, the most frequent responses included a rural, small-town atmosphere, peace and quiet, and low crime. Of the 298 who responded to at least one of the surveys, all but six were over the age of 30 and more than 200 had lived in the township for over 20 years.
To the east of Clinton Township lies Buffalo Township, which — like much of the southeast zone — was once a primarily agricultural community. However, Buffalo Township is now undergoing the most active development of any community in the southeast section of the county, with residential and commercial development sprouting along Route 356.
Multiple people, including former Supervisor John Haven, have described Buffalo Township as a “bedroom community” for the city of Pittsburgh, which is only 28 miles south.
“We have a rural lifestyle close to Pittsburgh, short travel time, new homes, and we have a blue-ribbon school district,” Haven said. “That’s what draws people into Buffalo Township.”
One roadblock — literally and figuratively — to Buffalo Township’s growth is a planned widening of the township’s portion of Route 356, which has been delayed by the state Department of Transportation multiple times. The current target date for the widening project is 2028.
“We’re looking at 17,000 to 20,000 cars a day, and 60% of those cars are ‘pass-through,’ in other words, they go to Jefferson, Winfield, and Summit (townships),” Haven said. “We need the (Route) 356 widening project sooner rather than later. It's been pushed back five times already.”
The hub of the southeast region is arguably Saxonburg, located between the townships of Jefferson, Winfield, Clinton, and Buffalo. It prides itself on having a thriving Main Street with successful small businesses, a culture of entrepreneurism, and numerous local events that bring residents together each year from across the county.
These events include the popular Firemen’s Carnival, the Mingle on Main, and the recently-established Artisan Market, which was held for the first time Sept. 7 and 8.
“We have the charm and sense of community that most towns of our size can only begin to imagine,” said Steven May, borough manager. “Our residents look out for each other while having the safety and security of a top-notch police department. Our leaders actively participate and are deeply involved in the community. Our elected officials are approachable and can always be found volunteering their time and resources to all of our Main street events. Our mayor, council members and police are regularly seen engaging residents and listening to their concerns in a positive manner.”
However, May did identify some obstacles to Saxonburg’s ability to prosper in the future.
“Saxonburg is rapidly running out of room to grow,” May said. “Our population is aging, and it’s hard to find a residence to purchase or an apartment to rent that hasn’t been occupied by the same owner for 30-plus years. When people move here, they grow fond of our town’s charm and never leave.”
