Half of New Sewickley Township’s homes were built after 1979
More historic than 27% of U.S. towns · #964 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of New Sewickley Township was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1906 on and the census since 1970.
What drives New Sewickley Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Sewickley Township is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #964 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Sewickley 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 New Sewickley 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 New Sewickley Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New Sewickley 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 New Sewickley Township.
The story
How New Sewickley Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of New Sewickley Township.
New Sewickley Township is a part of Depreciation Lands that were set aside by Act of Assembly on March 12, 1783, to be awarded to those men who served in the American Revolutionary War. In 1801 the original Sewickley Township was divided and New Sewickley Township was created. At that time, New Sewickley Township was situated in the eastern part of Beaver County and was composed of about 19,279 acres (78.02 km2) of hilly, but very fertile land. Over the next 28 years, New Sewickley Township was reduced in size by forming Economy Borough, Rochester Township and Pulaski Township. Despite being the closest municipality in Beaver County in proximity to Cranberry Township and where I-76 and I-79 meet, New Sewickley is predominantly rural and undeveloped.
New Sewickley Township is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #964 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 New Sewickley Township?
10% of New Sewickley Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 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 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.
