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C+History
History · Cleona

Cleona dates to 1883, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 44% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1930.

1883founded
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Cleona began

When was Cleona founded?

1883

Cleona dates its founding to 1883 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 968 in 19302020 census: 2,013143 years

How historic is Cleona?

C+

More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1890.
History grade

What drives Cleona’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cleona is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cleona’s overall grade.
Founding era1883, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194024.6% of homes (±7.2) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 44%
NewerOlder

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 Cleona’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 points). Two sources give 1883.

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 Cleona’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 Cleona are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18916 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1995. Watch Cleona change.Old housesHalf of Cleona’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cleona’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Cleona on the map, 1891 to 1995

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

Cleona on the 1891 USGS mapCleona on the 1943 USGS mapCleona on the 1955 USGS mapCleona on the 1969 USGS mapCleona on the 1976 USGS mapCleona on the 1995 USGS map1891Lebanon 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 Cleona.

The story so far

Cleona, in brief

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

Cleona is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,005 at the 2020 census.

Cleona was established in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,080 to 2,013 (-3%).

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

Timeline

Cleona, 1883 to 1958

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883
    FoundingCleona is established
  3. 1890Post officeThe Cleona post office opens
  4. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1958Post officeThe Cleona post office closes
By decade

Cleona, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Cleona, PA memorial, Jan. 20252025Cleona, PA memorial, Jan. 2025Cleona, PA fire company, Jan. 20252025Cleona, PA fire company, Jan. 2025Cleona, PA elementary school, Jan. 20252025Cleona, PA elementary school, Jan. 2025Cleona, PA borough hall, Jan. 20252025Cleona, PA borough hall, Jan. 2025US Route 422 - Pennsylvania2009US Route 422 - PennsylvaniaUS Route 422 - Pennsylvania2009US Route 422 - PennsylvaniaCleona, PA Keystone Marker in 20092009Cleona, PA Keystone Marker in 2009Cleona pa2005Cleona paCleona, PA Keystone Marker in 20032003Cleona, PA Keystone Marker in 2003
People over time

Cleona, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50019401960198020002020Peak: 2,322

Between 968 and 2,322 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Cleona

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

See all →
Sam BowieAmerican basketball player · b. 1961
Betty HarteAmerican actress · b. 1882
Derek FisherAmerican baseball player · b. 1993
John M. ThomeAmerican-Argentine astronomer · b. 1843
Brendan WoodsAmerican ice hockey forward · b. 1992
B
Bill PattonAmerican baseball player · b. 1912
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Cleona had its own post office from 1890 to 1958.

Cleona
1890–1958
18901960today
1cemetery inside Cleona
Bowman - Kreider Farm

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

North Cornwall Township1 historic placeBNorth Lebanon Township1 historic placeB−Pleasant HillIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Cleona’s history

What year was Cleona founded?

In 1883, according to Wikidata. Cleona’s post office opened in 1890, and the census of 1930 counted 968 people here.

How does Cleona rank for history?

Cleona is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. 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.

How old are the homes in Cleona?

25% of Cleona’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1957.

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 (9), 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.