Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1895.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives East Pittsburgh’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Pittsburgh is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Pittsburgh’s overall grade.
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 East Pittsburgh’s 4.7 sits above most of its state (67% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1895.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.6 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 East Pittsburgh’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 6,527 in 1920; 1,927 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Pittsburgh’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
East Pittsburgh on the map, 1904 to 1979
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Pittsburgh. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Pittsburgh 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 East Pittsburgh.
The first transmission from pioneering radio station KDKA (AM) was made from East Pittsburgh on November 2, 1920.
In 1928, an early demonstration of a new broadcast medium was conducted at the Westinghouse laboratories in East Pittsburgh. Eventually, the new medium became known as television. Vladimir Zworykin worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation at that time. He lived in the borough of Wilkinsburg. The Westinghouse Works became the Research and Business Park "Keystone Commons" in 1989.
The East Pittsburgh School District included Bessemer Avenue Elementary School and East Pittsburgh Junior/Senior High School on Howard Street. East Pittsburgh's school colors were green and white, and its athletic teams were called the Shamrocks.
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.
In 1895, according to Wikidata. East Pittsburgh’s post office opened in 1895, and the census of 1900 counted 2,883 people here.
How does East Pittsburgh rank for history?
East Pittsburgh is more historic than 73% 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.
What is on the National Register in East Pittsburgh?
One place: the Westinghouse, George, Memorial Bridge (listed 1977).
How old are the homes in East Pittsburgh?
41% of East Pittsburgh’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1944.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) 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.
1929
1929
1929