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History · Buena Vista

Buena Vista dates to 1849, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on.

1849founded
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Buena Vista began

When was Buena Vista founded?

1849

Buena Vista dates its founding to 1849 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1851.

177 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1851.

What stands out about Buena Vista’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 Buena Vista are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19045 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1993. Watch Buena Vista change.Old housesHalf of Buena Vista’s homes were built before 1946.Deep rootsEstablished in 1849: 177 years of Buena Vista.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Buena Vista’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Buena Vista’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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On the map

Buena Vista on the map, 1904 to 1993

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

Buena Vista on the 1904 USGS mapBuena Vista on the 1953 USGS mapBuena Vista on the 1960 USGS mapBuena Vista on the 1979 USGS mapBuena Vista on the 1993 USGS map1904Pittsburgh 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 Buena Vista.

The story so far

Buena Vista, in brief

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

Buena Vista ( BEW-nə VIST-ə) is an unincorporated community in Elizabeth Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located just outside Pittsburgh on the Youghiogheny River. The Great Allegheny Passage rail trail runs through the community. Buena Vista was laid out in 1849 by James B. McGrew for the heirs of Daniel Greenawalt. For a time, it served as a mining town. Like many places in the US with this name, Buena Vista was named for the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War. Notable people to have come from Buena Vista are former baseball players Bill Ford and Brian Holton.

Buena Vista was established in 1849.

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

Timeline

Buena Vista, 1849 to 1915

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1849
    FoundingBuena Vista is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1915Born hereBill Ford is born here
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Sewickley TownshipIts storyB−IndustryIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElizabeth Township2 historic placesA−

Questions about Buena Vista’s history

What year was Buena Vista founded?

In 1849, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Buena Vista’s post office opened in 1851.

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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.