4 communities compared — 19 shuls, 2 kosher stores and restaurants, 9 day schools and 4 mikvaos on the map.
Most of Pennsylvania's Orthodox communities on ShulMap are in Greater Philadelphia, and they are three quite different choices. Bala Cynwyd, on the Main Line in Lower Merion, is the Modern Orthodox center, with five shuls along Montgomery Avenue and two day schools a few minutes from Center City.
Rhawnhurst, in Northeast Philadelphia, is the yeshivish community around Castor Avenue, with the most affordable frum housing in the area. Elkins Park, just north of the city line, is small and growing, with houses that cost well under the Main Line.
At the other end of the state, Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh is one of the few Orthodox communities outside the Northeast where a family can live in the city itself and walk to everything — several shuls around Murray and Forbes Avenues, Hillel Academy and the Yeshiva Schools, and a community mikvah.
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| Guide | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | 7 | · | 4 | 1 | $$ | $455k | Moving guide → |
| Bala Cynwyd, PA Philadelphia | 5 | · | 4 | 1 | $$$ | $632k | Moving guide → |
| Rhawnhurst, PA Philadelphia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $ | $294k | Moving guide → |
| Elkins Park, PA Philadelphia | 2 | 1 | · | 1 | $$ | $392k | Moving guide → |
Pittsburgh's historic Jewish neighborhood — Young Israel, Poale Zedeck, Shaare Torah and several Chabad shuls within a walk along Murray and Forbes Avenues, with Hillel Academy and the Yeshiva Schools in the same few blocks.
The Main Line's Modern Orthodox center — five shuls along Montgomery Avenue, two day schools, its own eruv, and leafy Lower Merion housing a few minutes from Center City.
Northeast Philadelphia's yeshivish community — five shuls around Castor Avenue, House of Kosher, Politz Hebrew Academy, its own eruv, and the most affordable frum housing in the Philadelphia area.
A small, growing Orthodox community north of the city — Young Israel of Elkins Park and a yeshiva gedola, with its own eruv and mikvah, and houses that cost well under the Main Line.
We're adding shuls, kosher places, schools and eruv detail across these communities all the time. Leave your email and we'll tell you when the map gains something where you're looking.
ShulMap maps 4 Orthodox communities in Pennsylvania: Squirrel Hill, Bala Cynwyd, Rhawnhurst and Elkins Park. Together they have 19 shuls on the map, plus 2 kosher stores and restaurants, 9 day schools and 4 mikvaos. Each has its own page with a walkable shul map.
Squirrel Hill has the most on ShulMap, with 7 mapped, followed by Bala Cynwyd (5) and Rhawnhurst (5). Shul count is a rough guide to community size, not to fit — a smaller community with a daily minyan near housing you can afford may suit a family better than a bigger one.
By the US Census median home value for each community's ZIP (2020–2024), Rhawnhurst ($293,700) is the most affordable in Pennsylvania, followed by Elkins Park ($391,600) and Squirrel Hill ($455,100), and Bala Cynwyd ($632,000) the most expensive. These are ZIP-wide figures as valued by owners — asking prices usually run higher, and each relocation guide says which sections cost what.
ShulMap has mikvaos mapped in Squirrel Hill, Bala Cynwyd, Rhawnhurst and Elkins Park. Day schools are mapped in Squirrel Hill, Bala Cynwyd and Rhawnhurst. A community without one on the map may still have one we have not added yet, and families commonly use institutions in a neighboring community.
It differs community by community, and ShulMap never infers one. Each community page carries its own eruv detail with the source and the date it was last checked. Always confirm with your local rav or the eruv hotline before carrying on Shabbos.
Walking distance: Walking-distance circles are approximate and do not assert a halachic standard. Confirm what is walkable for you locally.
ShulMap is an independent directory. Listings and routes are informational — verify all details directly with the source.