The story
Read it all →How North Charleroi came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of North Charleroi.
The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0B−History
History · North Charleroi
North Charleroi dates to 1885, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 53% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1900.
1885founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
3famous people
Quick answers
How North Charleroi began
When was North Charleroi founded?
1885
North Charleroi dates its founding to 1885 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.
First census: 425 in 19002020 census: 1,303141 years
How historic is North Charleroi?
B−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 53% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives North Charleroi’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, North Charleroi is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of North Charleroi’s overall grade.
Founding era1885, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194039.2% of homes (±4.7) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 53%
NewerOlder
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 North Charleroi’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1885.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 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 North Charleroi’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19027 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1993. Watch North Charleroi change.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,879 in 1930; 1,303 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of North Charleroi’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start North Charleroi’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Charleroi’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
North Charleroi on the map, 1902 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Charleroi. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Brownsville sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Charleroi.
People over time
North Charleroi, census by census
Peaked at 2,879 in 1930; 1,303 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Charleroi’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
North Charleroi, 1885 to 1956
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1885FoundingNorth Charleroi is established
- 20th century
- 1902
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1927
Born hereAustin Murphy is born here - 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 2,879
- 1949
Born hereReggie Walton is born here - 1956Born hereDeborah Jeane Palfrey is born here
By decade
North Charleroi, decade by decade
Date unknown3 to date
Date?
Date?
Date?
2026
2014
2010Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewBird's-eye View of Charleroi, Pa. 66882
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on North Charleroi’s page.
Retake this view · +15Famous people
See all →3 famous people were born in North Charleroi
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Places that used to be
Places now gone
Gone or out of use
Charleroi-Monessen Bridgebridge
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about North Charleroi’s history
What year was North Charleroi founded?
In 1885, according to Wikidata. the census of 1900 counted 425 people here.
How does North Charleroi rank for history?
North Charleroi is more historic than 53% 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.
How old are the homes in North Charleroi?
39% of North Charleroi’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1947.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.