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History · North Irwin

North Irwin dates to 1894, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1900.

1894founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How North Irwin began

When was North Irwin founded?

1894

North Irwin dates its founding to 1894 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 403 in 19002020 census: 823132 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about North Irwin’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of North Irwin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,306 in 1970; 823 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1979. Watch North Irwin change.Old housesHalf of North Irwin’s homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start North Irwin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Irwin’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

North Irwin, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,306

Peaked at 1,306 in 1970; 823 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Irwin’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

North Irwin on the map, 1904 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Irwin. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

North Irwin on the 1904 USGS mapNorth Irwin on the 1953 USGS mapNorth Irwin on the 1969 USGS mapNorth Irwin on the 1979 USGS map1904Greensburg 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 North Irwin.

The story so far

North Irwin, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of North Irwin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

North Irwin is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, North Irwin had a population of 823.

North Irwin was established in 1894. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 846 to 823 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about North Irwin in 1906

Passages that mention North Irwin, cut from the printed page as they were published.

he filled for two years, being then promoted to conductor, in which capacity he served about three years. He was then made yard master at Jeannette, Pennsylvania, where he resided until June 17, 1904, and then purchased the property in North Irwin which he now occupies. He had previously built the …
History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania1906 · page 608Read the page →
Read the text

he filled for two years, being then promoted to conductor, in which capacity he served about three years. He was then made yard master at Jeannette, Pennsylvania, where he resided until June 17, 1904, and then purchased the property in North Irwin which he now occupies. He had previously built the first house in North Irwin, completed September 22, 1890, now occupied by his brother, Harry O. Carroll. In religion Mr. Carroll adheres to the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he holds membership. In politics he is a Republican, taking an active interest in the affairs of that great

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

North Irwin, 1894 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894
    FoundingNorth Irwin is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,306
By decade

North Irwin, decade by decade

Today1 recent
North Irwin Pennsylvania 20122012North Irwin Pennsylvania 2012

Questions about North Irwin’s history

What year was North Irwin founded?

In 1894, according to Wikidata. the census of 1900 counted 403 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.