Carrick is located on the southeastern edge of the City of Pittsburgh with Brownsville Road serving as the main commercial thoroughfare and the backbone of the community. In 1853, Dr. John H. O'Brien received permission from the U. S. Postal Service to establish a post office in the area; for his hard work he was given the honor of naming it, and he chose "Carrick" after his home town, Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland. Carrick became a Borough in 1904 and in 1926 voted to become part of the City of Pittsburgh. In 1927 it officially became known as the 29th Ward. Located between the suburbs of the South Hills and downtown, Carrick is well-served by public transportation. Once home to prominent mansions and wealthy families, the neighborhood currently has an affordable, solid housing stock and remains family-oriented. The Carrick section of Brownsville Road is approximately 2.2 miles long; it is generally comprised of three discrete business districts with residential areas in between.
Carrick prides itself as having two fine elementary schools, Concord Elementary School and Roosevelt Elementary School as well as Carrick High School. Along with well-kept modest and large grand homes, the neighborhood boasts of numerous parklet playgrounds, the Carnegie Library of Carrick, historic Phillips Park (comprised of walking paths, a disc golf course, a recreation center and swimming pool) and Volunteers Field (comprised of an expertly maintained baseball only field and a multipurpose athletic field.) Carrick includes many places of worship, including Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Jehovah Witness, Lutheran and Catholic Orthodox.
In 1997, Carrick was named the first "Cool Community in the northern United States by the U.S. Department of Energy. "Cool Community" is a national recognition program for strategic tree planting for energy conservation purposes. Partnering with conservation organizations, community groups worked to weatherize homes and businesses, plant trees and flowers, and add elements of "green building" to the renovation of Carrick High School.
