More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #992 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of McCandless Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1906 on and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives McCandless Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McCandless Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #992 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of McCandless Township’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 McCandless Township’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 C. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1851.
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 McCandless Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost a third of its people between 1860 and 1870, then grew more than tenfold.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on McCandless Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Keown, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Keown
1887–1914
Ingomar
1889–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Fox RidgeHighlandIngomarKeownMcKnight
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside McCandless Township
Allegheny County Memorial ParkDuncan HeightsHoly Trinity Greek OrthodoxSaint Johns LutheranSaint Paul's Lutheran ChurchSisters of Charity of NazarethSisters of Divine Providence
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Native American artifacts, primarily Iroquois Nation, have been found in areas of the township. Early written history includes a visit by George Washington and his guide, Christopher Gist, in 1753.
The state of Pennsylvania enacted legislation in order to gain Continental Script, a quickly depreciating currency during the Revolutionary War. The legislation ordered for a plan to sell Iroquois land that was known as the Depreciation Lands at the time; this land included the North Hills. Soldiers redeemed their certificates by receiving cash or Iroquois land. Because of this, Iroquois unrest emerged and did not stop until the Iroquois were defeated in 1794.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McCandless Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1906Sewickley 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 McCandless Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to McCandless Township
Nobody well known was born in McCandless Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1851, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. McCandless Township’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1860 counted 1,482 people here.
How does McCandless Township rank for history?
McCandless Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #992 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 McCandless Township?
6% of McCandless Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
