Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Leetsdale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Leetsdale is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns. All 3 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 Leetsdale’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 Leetsdale’s 18.2 sits above most of its state (81% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1827.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 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 Leetsdale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area that includes present-day Leetsdale was part of The Deprecation Lands, an area lying between the north of the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny River.
Leetsdale was named after Major Daniel Leet, who surveyed the area in 1783 as part of the Depreciation Lands survey. In 1786, the surveyed lands became on sale in Philadelphia. Daniel Leet purchased tracts #3-9, which included the land where Leetsdale is today.
Peaked at 2,774 in 1930; 1,162 people lived here in 2020.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Leetsdale’s Wikipedia page.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Leetsdale in 1889
Passages that mention Leetsdale, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 201Read the page →
Read the text
The population of Leet township in 1870 was 629; in 1880, 890. The only postoffice of the township, Leetsdale, was established July 30, 1873. Seioickley Borough. — This borough was incorporated July 6, 1853. The first house within the present borough limits was situated between Park Place hotel and the river, and was owned by George Ulery. When the railroad was opened there was also a group of houses along the Beaver road, several of which were used as hotels. Thomas Hoey owned a farm of three hundred acres, the eastern boundary of which was the present Division street of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 201Read the page →
Read the text
The population of Leet township in 1870 was 629; in 1880, 890. The only postoffice of the township, Leetsdale, was established July 30, 1873. Sewickley Borough. — This borough was incorporated July 6, 1853. The first house within the present borough limits was situated between Park Place hotel and the river, and was owned by George Ulery. When the railroad was opened there was also a group of houses along the Beaver road, several of which were used as hotels. Thomas Hoey owned a farm of three hundred acres, the eastern boundary of which was the present Division street of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 198Read the page →
Read the text
within the limits of Leet township, and at each there is a village, while the Beaver road is virtually lined with handsome residences. Fair Oaks, at the western extremity of the township, is the location of a Baptist church, constituted in 1877. The Leetsdale Presbyterian Church was organized August 1, 1864, at Edgeworth Seminary. A chapel was erected by Mrs. Eliza Shields in 1865, and the cornerstone of the church was laid June 23, 1868. Its dedication occurred November 14, 1869. Mrs. Shields contributed eighteen thousand dollars toward this enterprise. Rev. James M. Piatt was pastor of thia
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania1889 · page 198Read the page →
Read the text
within the limits of Leet township, and at each there is a village, while the Beaver road is virtually lined with handsome residences. Fair Oaks, at the western extremity of the township, is the location of a Baptist church, constituted in 1877. The Leetsdale Presbyterian Church was organized August 1, 1864, at Edgeworth Seminary. A chapel was erected by Mrs. Eliza Shields in 1865, and the cornerstone of the church was laid June 23, 1868. Its dedication occurred November 14, 1869. Mrs. Shields contributed eighteen thousand dollars toward this enterprise. Rev. James M. Platt was pastor of this
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Leetsdale, 1827 to 1938
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1827, according to Wikidata. Leetsdale’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1910 counted 1,904 people here.
How does Leetsdale rank for history?
Leetsdale is more historic than 93% 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 Leetsdale?
One place: the Elmridge (listed 2005).
How old are the homes in Leetsdale?
51% of Leetsdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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