These Are The 10 Best Cities For Hippies In Pennsylvania


We used science and data to determine which Pennsylvania cities probably wear tie dye the most.

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You might think that the whole hippie movement has faded away, but the truth is, there are plenty of hippies out there in Pennsylvania.

While they aren’t necessarily in your face all the time with war protests and the next Woodstock isn’t being planned any time soon, we thought it would be fun to look at which cities in the Keystone State where the most hippies would live.

And, after crunching the data, you know what? It was pretty spot on, we have to say.

How do you decide where the most hippies live? By the number of yoga studios, organic markets, and most importantly, where the liberals live in droves.

Using that criteria, it’s not hard to scrape the internet, run some scientific data on where hippies might live in Pennsylvania, and then put out a list.

So, put on your tie dye shirt and your sandals as you go through this list with us.

After analyzing all cities with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list of the 10 best cities for hippies in Pennsylvania:

  1. Forest Hills (Photos)
  2. Sharon Hill (Photos)
  3. Norwood (Photos)
  4. Clifton Heights (Photos)
  5. Swarthmore (Photos)
  6. Mckees Rocks (Photos)
  7. Dormont (Photos)
  8. Collingdale (Photos)
  9. Swissvale (Photos)
  10. Glenolden (Photos)

Read on below to see where your town ranked, young flower child.

And if you already knew these places were hippie heavens, check out the best places to live in Pennsylvania or the safest places to live in Pennsylvania.

How do you determine the most beatnik city in Pennsylvania?

In order to rank the best cities for hippies in Pennsylvania, we had to determine what criteria defines a hippie.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the Google Places API, the Census’s 2010-2014 American Community Survey, and Voter Registration data, this is the criteria we used:

  • Number of yoga studios per capita
  • Number of organic markets per capita
  • Number of pet adoption centers per capita
  • Number of vegan restaurants per capita
  • Number of thrift stores per capita
  • Each city’s liberal voting population

Note: For the sake of getting reliable numbers, we counted places within a ~4.5 mile radius of a city’s center. The average city in America is about 18 square miles.

All of these results are listed in a per capita basis, meaning number of stores per person in a city. Additionally, we limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 5,000 people.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 182 in each category, where 1 was the most hippie.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a hippie index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the highest hippie index the ‘Best City for Hippies In Pennsylvania.’ We’re lookin’ at you, Forest Hills.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in hippie central. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from hippiest to most square.

1. Forest Hills

Forest Hills, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 4.15
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.92
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 1.23
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 2.61
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 3.54

2. Sharon Hill

Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 1.93
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.88
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 1.41
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 2.46
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 2.99

3. Norwood

Norwood, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 1.7
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.68
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 1.36
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 1.36
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 3.05
Norwood is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,890 at the 2010 census.

4. Clifton Heights

Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 2.1
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.45
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 2.1
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.9
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 4.66
Clifton Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on Darby Creek 8 miles (13 km) west of downtown Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census the population was 6,652.

5. Swarthmore

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 2.1
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.48
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 1.45
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.81
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 5.0
Swarthmore (pronounced /sw.mr/ SWAHTH-mor locally, or /swr.mr/ SWAWRTH-mor) is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Swarthmore was originally named ‘Westdale’ in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to ‘Swarthmore’ after the establishment of Swarthmore College. ‘Swarthmore’ can be pronounced with the first ‘r’ either vocalized or dropped due to differences in rhotic and non-rhotic accents, but locally it is usually pronounced without the first ‘r’ (i.e. SWAHTH-mor). The borough population was 6,194 as of the 2010 census.

6. Mckees Rocks

Mckees Rocks, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 2.96
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.82
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.82
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 1.48
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 2.79

7. Dormont

Dormont, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 2.92
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 1.05
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.58
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 1.63
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 3.15
Dormont is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 8,593 at the 2010 census. Dormont is a home to a diverse population including young professionals, working families, and retirees. Dormont’s economic stability can be attributed to this diversity along with its close proximity to jobs in Downtown Pittsburgh, access to The ‘T’ (Pittsburgh Light Rail), diverse housing stock, and historically low crime rates. Dormont is mixed use and urban and features a pedestrian friendly business district, with bars, coffee shops, restaurants, and retail stores. It is famous for one of the largest municipal pools in Pennsylvania, the historic Dormont Pool. Loosely translated, Dormont means ‘Mountain of Gold’ in French.

8. Collingdale

Collingdale, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 1.25
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.46
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 1.14
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 1.48
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 3.76

9. Swissvale

Swissvale, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 3.79
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.67
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.67
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 2.68
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 2.9
Swissvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 9 miles (14 km) east of downtown Pittsburgh. Named for a farmstead owned by James Swisshelm, during the industrial age it was the site of the Union Switch and Signal Company of George Westinghouse. The population was 8,983 at the 2010 census. In 1940, 15,919 people lived there.

10. Glenolden

Glenolden, Pennsylvania

Source: Wikipedia

Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 1.26
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.56
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 1.4
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.84
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 3.78

There You Have It — The Hippies Of Pennsylvania

If you’re measuring the locations in Pennsylvania where there are lots of liberals, and there are many options for vegan food, yoga and thrift stores, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious, here are the most square places in Pennsylvania:

  1. Tyrone
  2. Punxsutawney
  3. Berwick

For more Pennsylvania reading , check out:

Detailed List Of The Hippiest Cities In Pennsylvania

City Rank Population
Forest Hills 1 6,501
Sharon Hill 2 5,685
Norwood 3 5,897
Clifton Heights 4 6,656
Swarthmore 5 6,198
Mckees Rocks 6 6,088
Dormont 7 8,565
Collingdale 8 8,778
Swissvale 9 8,963
Glenolden 10 7,150
Folcroft 11 6,615
Catasauqua 12 6,477
Media 13 5,341
Brentwood 14 9,625
Lansdowne 15 10,618
Castle Shannon 16 8,317
Yeadon 17 11,506
Clarks Summit 18 5,101
Munhall 19 11,355
Swoyersville 20 5,038
Crafton 21 5,931
Fox Chapel 22 5,397
Duquesne 23 5,558
Bridgeville 24 5,142
Ridley Park 25 7,021
Bellevue 26 8,338
Wilkinsburg 27 15,894
Collegeville 28 5,263
Turtle Creek 29 5,335
Camp Hill 30 7,891
Steelton 31 5,959
Carnegie 32 7,960
Hatboro 33 7,403
Darby 34 10,689
Brookhaven 35 8,045
Conshohocken 36 7,864
Oakmont 37 6,358
Ambler 38 6,481
Stroudsburg 39 5,528
Wilson 40 7,852
Shillington 41 5,272
West View 42 6,752
Souderton 43 6,668
Milton 44 7,017
Baldwin 45 19,791
Olyphant 46 5,178
New Cumberland 47 7,276
Blakely 48 6,534
Moosic 49 5,712
Plymouth 50 5,905
Whitehall 51 13,931
Millersville 52 8,320
Pleasant Hills 53 8,291
Emmaus 54 11,291
Nazareth 55 5,723
Wyomissing 56 10,467
Mechanicsburg 57 8,971
Arnold 58 5,090
Milton 59 7,017
Northampton 60 9,921
Bristol 61 9,657
Taylor 62 6,230
Old Forge 63 8,265
Birdsboro 64 5,158
Coraopolis 65 5,655
Kennett Square 66 6,123
Lehighton 67 5,427
Palmyra 68 7,399
East Stroudsburg 69 9,773
Franklin Park 70 13,882
Kingston 71 13,105
Exeter 72 5,633
Dunmore 73 13,974
West Chester 74 18,860
Clairton 75 6,752
South Williamsport 76 6,370
Lansdale 77 16,382
Hollidaysburg 78 5,792
Westmont 79 5,086
Phoenixville 80 16,530
White Oak 81 7,851
Perkasie 82 8,511
Jefferson Hills 83 10,984
Schuylkill Haven 84 5,368
New Brighton 85 5,973
Lititz 86 9,386
Lewisburg 87 5,781
Gettysburg 88 7,632
Clarion 89 5,000
Red Lion 90 6,343
Monaca 91 5,721
Milton 92 7,017
Uniontown 93 10,203
Jeannette 94 9,522
Canonsburg 95 8,973
Easton 96 26,977
Sharon 97 13,845
Selinsgrove 98 5,698
Sunbury 99 9,817
Ambridge 100 6,973
West Mifflin 101 20,271
Columbia 102 10,399
Chambersburg 103 20,430
Archbald 104 7,053
Greensburg 105 14,726
Pittston 106 7,702
Hermitage 107 16,237
Economy 108 9,133
Harrisburg 109 49,297
Hanover 110 15,365
Bangor 111 5,256
Chester 112 34,007
Butler 113 13,609
Pottsville 114 14,136
Palmerton 115 5,382
New Holland 116 5,407
Carbondale 117 8,843
Aliquippa 118 9,356
Greenville 119 5,919
Indiana 120 14,025
Vandergrift 121 5,142
Mckeesport 122 19,663
York 123 43,817
Sugarcreek 124 5,238
Bellefonte 125 6,250
Carlisle 126 18,877
Ephrata 127 13,529
Mount Joy 128 7,774
Beaver Falls 129 8,842
Washington 130 13,715
New Kensington 131 12,959
Dubois 132 7,718
State College 133 42,066
Johnstown 134 20,576
Corry 135 6,546
Bloomsburg 136 14,699
Waynesboro 137 10,673
Bethlehem 138 75,050
Arnold 139 5,090
Erie 140 100,832
Coatesville 141 13,130
Huntingdon 142 7,069
Meadville 143 13,307
Wilkes-Barre 144 41,202
Pittsburgh 145 306,045
Shippensburg 146 5,479
Columbia 147 10,399
Scranton 148 75,842
Philadelphia 149 1,546,920
Monessen 150 7,630
Edinboro 151 6,484
Plum 152 27,386
Lower Burrell 153 11,653
Hazleton 154 25,179
Lancaster 155 59,368
California 156 6,703
Allentown 157 118,793
Tamaqua 158 6,994
Lebanon 159 25,553
Reading 160 88,051
Warren 161 9,543
Somerset 162 6,185
Allentown 163 118,793
Nanticoke 164 10,395
Shenandoah 165 5,002
Oxford 166 5,100
Connellsville 167 7,578
New Castle 168 22,883
Williamsport 169 29,377
Clearfield 170 6,143
Altoona 171 45,987
St. Marys 172 12,940
Titusville 173 5,479
Lock Haven 174 9,860
Bradford 175 8,665
Johnstown 176 20,576
Mount Carmel 177 5,833
Sayre 178 5,553
Shamokin 179 7,295
Berwick 180 10,398
Punxsutawney 181 5,927
Tyrone 182 5,433
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.