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AHistory
History · Aliquippa

Aliquippa dates to 1793, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #202 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Jones, B. F., Memorial Library and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Passenger Station, Aliquippa. Its Register listings are the Jones, B. F., Memorial Library and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Passenger Station, Aliquippa. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1900.

1793founded
2on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
41famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Aliquippa’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Aliquippa began

When was Aliquippa founded?

1793

Aliquippa dates its founding to 1793 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 620 in 19002020 census: 9,238233 years

How historic is Aliquippa?

A

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1877.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Aliquippa’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aliquippa is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #202 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aliquippa’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194038.7% of homes (±5.3) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register2 listings, 2.2 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 89%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 81%

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Aliquippa’s 2.2 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1793.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Aliquippa’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Boom and bustPeaked at 27,116 in 1930; 9,238 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19065 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1990. Watch Aliquippa change.Famous sons and daughtersPete Maravich, Joe Letteri and 39 more were born here.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1938–1973.
★ What stands out · People over time

Aliquippa, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 27,116

Peaked at 27,116 in 1930; 9,238 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Aliquippa’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Aliquippa on the map, 1906 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Aliquippa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Aliquippa on the 1906 USGS mapAliquippa on the 1953 USGS mapAliquippa on the 1969 USGS mapAliquippa on the 1979 USGS mapAliquippa on the 1990 USGS map1906Sewickley sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Aliquippa.

Famous people

41 famous people were born in Aliquippa

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Pete MaravichAmerican basketball player · b. 1947
Joe LetteriAmerican visual effects artist · b. 1957
Darrelle RevisAmerican football player · b. 1985
Ty LawAmerican football player · b. 1974
G
Gust AvrakotosCIA analyst · b. 1938
H
Herb BonnAmerican basketball player · b. 1916
The story

How Aliquippa came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Aliquippa.

Read it all →

The oldest church within the current boundaries of Aliquippa is Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church (formerly White Oak Flats Presbyterian Church), established about 1793 in the New Sheffield region on Brodhead Road.

Aliquippa was founded in 1894. It was the merger of three towns: Aliquippa, Woodlawn, and New Sheffield. There is no known direct connection between Seneca nation Queen Aliquippa and the city; rather, "Aliquippa" was one of several Indian names selected arbitrarily by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad in 1878 for stations along its route.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Aliquippa, 1793 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1793
    FoundingAliquippa is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1877Post officeThe Woodlawn post office opens
  5. 1892Post officeThe Aliquippa post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1911BuiltPittsburgh and Lake Erie Passenger Station, Aliquippa is built
  9. 1927BuiltJones, B. F., Memorial Library is built
  10. 1928Post officeThe Woodlawn post office closes
  11. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 27,116
  12. 1938In the archiveArthur Rothstein, FSA (Farm Security Administration) photographer
  13. 1941In the archiveA Greek restaurant and club in
  14. 1947Born herePete Maravich is born here
  15. 1957Born hereJoe Letteri is born here
  16. 1973In the archiveBLACK WATER BEING DISCHARGED INTO THE OHIO RIVER FROM THE COKE AND BY PRODUCTS AREA OF TH…
  17. 1974Born hereTy Law is born here
  18. 1985Born hereDarrelle Revis is born here
By decade

Aliquippa, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s–1940s9 items
Arthur Rothstein, FSA (Farm Security Administration) photographer1938Arthur Rothstein, FSA (Farm Security Administration) …General view of1938General view ofMain street1938Main streetMrs. Koltias ironing clothes1938Mrs. Koltias ironing clothesA Greek restaurant and club in1941A Greek restaurant and club inChildren living in two-room slum apartment1941Children living in two-room slum apartmentHouses on one of the "plans" in1941Houses on one of the "plans" inSteelworkers outside the Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation in1941Steelworkers outside the Jones and Laughlin Steel Cor…The recreation room of the Serbian Club in1941The recreation room of the Serbian Club in
1970s3 items
BLACK WATER BEING DISCHARGED INTO THE OHIO RIVER FROM THE COKE AND BY PRODUCTS AREA OF THE JONES AND LAUGHLIN STEEL... …1973BLACK WATER BEING DISCHARGED INTO THE OHIO RIVER FROM…POLLUTION FROM COKE BATTERIES HANGS IN THE AIR OVER A JONES AND LAUGHLIN STEEL CORPORATION PLANT AT ALIQUIPPA... - NARA…1973POLLUTION FROM COKE BATTERIES HANGS IN THE AIR OVER A…POLLUTION FROM THE JONES AND LAUGHLIN STEEL CORPORATION PLANT AT ALIQUIPPA, PENNSYLVANIA, NEAR PITTSBURGH. SOME... - NA…1973POLLUTION FROM THE JONES AND LAUGHLIN STEEL CORPORATI…
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Greetings from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania - Large Letter Postcard2013Greetings from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania - Large Letter…DocumentB.F. Jones Memorial Library2010B.F. Jones Memorial LibraryB.F. Jones Memorial Library2009B.F. Jones Memorial LibraryAliquippa Culvert2007Aliquippa Culvert
Every building

Aliquippa, building by building, 1912–1925

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Aliquippa fire insurance map, 1912, sheet 11912Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Arthur Rothstein, FSA (Farm Security Administration) photographer
Retake this viewArthur Rothstein, FSA (Farm Security Administration) photographer, 1938

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Aliquippa’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Aliquippa

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Jones, B. F., Memorial Library
Jones, B. F., Memorial Library, built 1927Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Passenger Station, Aliquippa, built 1911
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Italian Renaissance1
Tudor Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Jones, B. F., Memorial LibraryItalian Renaissance · Built 1927
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Passenger Station, AliquippaTudor Revival · Built 1911

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Aliquippa’s post office has been open since 1892. Another post office, Woodlawn, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Woodlawn
1877–1928
Aliquippa
1892–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Woodlawn
Gone or out of use
West Economy Stationlocale
1cemetery inside Aliquippa
Woodlawn

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Aliquippa’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewArthur Rothstein, FSA (Farm Security Ad…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hopewell Township1 historic placeC+Ambridge3 historic placesA+Harmony TownshipIts storyBBadenIts storyB

Questions about Aliquippa’s history

What year was Aliquippa founded?

In 1793, according to Wikidata. Aliquippa’s post office opened in 1877, and the census of 1900 counted 620 people here.

How does Aliquippa rank for history?

Aliquippa is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #202 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Aliquippa?

Two places: the Jones, B. F., Memorial Library (listed 1978) and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Passenger Station, Aliquippa (1990).

How old are the homes in Aliquippa?

39% of Aliquippa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1946.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.