More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #874 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Murrysville was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Murrysville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Murrysville is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #874 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 Murrysville’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 Murrysville’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 (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1788.
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 Murrysville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Murrysville was originally settled as Franklin Township in 1788 and underwent several name and structural changes before adopting a home rule charter in 1976, becoming the Municipality of Murrysville.
The area is historically significant for its early role in the development of the natural gas industry in the United States. In 1878, brothers Michael and Obediah Haymaker drilled what became one of the nation’s first commercial natural gas wells in Murrysville. The well produced vast quantities of natural gas and helped spur the formation of early gas companies, including operations that later contributed to the development of what became Sunoco and other regional utilities.
In 1788, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Murrysville’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1880 counted 81 people here.
How does Murrysville rank for history?
Murrysville is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #874 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 Murrysville?
4% of Murrysville’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 1979.
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 (7), 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.
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