Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1880.
Verona dates its founding to 1769 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Verona is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Verona’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Verona’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Verona.
Verona was named by creating a portmanteau of the names of the Verner and Iona railroad stops along the Allegheny Valley Railroad. James Verner was the town's founder.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Peaked at 4,396 in 1940; 2,492 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Verona’s Wikipedia page.
Passages that mention Verona, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Very early James Verner laid out part of the land about Verona station, which was formerly known as Verner. This part of the town received an impetus when the railroad-shops were located here, soon after the road was opened. The Verona Tool-works, Metcalf, Paul & Co., proprietors, were established in 1873, burned and rebuilt in 1881, with largely increased capacity. The product consists of railway supplies exclusively. The Dexter Spring company manufactures the well-known "Dexter" spring, the "Fairy Fifth Wheel ' ' for reach vehicles, and other supplies used in the carriage trade.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Very early James Verner laid out part of the land about Verona station, which was formerly known as Verner. This part of the town received an impetus when the railroad-shops were located here, soon after the road was opened. The Verona Toolworks, Metcalf, Paul & Co., proprietors, were established in 1873, burned and rebuilt in 1881, with largely increased capacity. The product consists of railway supplies exclusively. The Dexter Spring company manufactures the well-known “Dexter” spring, the “Fairy Fifth Wheel ’ ’ for reach vehicles, and other supplies used in the carriage trade.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Armstrong county. Pa. ; was then superintendent and foreman on the construction of the Allegheny Valley railroad shops at Verona, Pa., and continued as foreman for this railroad for several years. Locating in Verona, he engaged in the coal, lime and cement business, which still occupies his attention. Mr. Bissett was married, in 1864,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Verona Borough. — Verona was incorporated May 10, 1871, by act of assembly, from Penn and Plum townships. It borders on the Allegheny river a distance of two and one-half miles, extending inland a mile in the precinct north of Plum creek. The streets are wide and regular. There is no large part of the population below the railroad; that part of the town has been overflowed by river freshets several times within the last score of years, and is consequently regarded with a degree of disfavor. The avenue above the railroad is lined with beautiful residences, while the ascending slope in the rear presents
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archiveVerona & Oakmont, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 1896
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
In the archive1914-05 Photo of First National Bank, Verona, in the Builder; Steen & Son, architects2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2025Verona, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania aerial
2024First National Bank, Verona, 2024-05-10
2024First National Bank, Verona, 2024-05-10-2
2024First National Bank, Verona, 2024-05-10-1
2024First National Bank, Verona, 2024-05-10, ornament
2024First National Bank, Verona, 2024-05-10, ornament-1
2024First National Bank, Verona, 2024-05-10, bracket
2009LehnerGrain-and-CiderMillandHouse
2007Map of Allegheny County PA HighlightingMapEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Verona. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Verona.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1895Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Verona’s page.
Retake this view · +15Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1769, according to Wikidata. Verona’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1880 counted 1,599 people here.
Verona is more historic than 86% 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.
58% of Verona’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
