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History · Arona

Arona dates to 1895, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1900.

1895founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Arona began

When was Arona founded?

1895

Arona dates its founding to 1895 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 382 in 19002020 census: 255131 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1900.

What stands out about Arona’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Arona are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 683 in 1910; 255 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1979. Watch Arona change.Old housesHalf of Arona’s homes were built before 1941.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arona’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arona’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Arona, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 683

Peaked at 683 in 1910; 255 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

On the map

Arona on the map, 1904 to 1979

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

Arona on the 1904 USGS mapArona on the 1953 USGS mapArona on the 1969 USGS mapArona on the 1979 USGS map1904Greensburg 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 Arona.

The story so far

Arona, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Arona yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Arona is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 253 at the 2020 census.

Arona was established in 1895. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 370 to 255 (-31%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Arona, 1895 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1895
    FoundingArona is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900Post officeThe Arona post office opens
  5. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 683
By decade

Arona, decade by decade

Today3 recent
2022-05-14 17 07 38 View east along Pennsylvania State Route 136 at Orchard Street in20222022-05-14 17 07 38 View east along Pennsylvania Stat…Main Street2019Main StreetArona Pennsylvania 20112011Arona Pennsylvania 2011
Famous people

Famous people close to Arona

Nobody well known was born in Arona itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Bruce WeberAmerican photographer · b. 1946
S
Sheila KelleyAmerican actress · b. 1961
Slide HamptonAmerican trombonist · b. 1932
Vic MignognaAmerican voice actor · b. 1962
A
Angela JonesAmerican actress · b. 1968
Tony VaccaroAmerican photographer · b. 1922

Questions about Arona’s history

What year was Arona founded?

In 1895, according to Wikidata. Arona’s post office opened in 1900, and the census of 1900 counted 382 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.