A Brief History of Penn Hills

Penn Hills, formerly a township, is now a home rule municipality in Allegheny County. Its population as of the 2010 census was over 42,000 making it the second-largest municipality in Allegheny County. The history of Penn Hills starts as part of Pitt Township when Allegheny County was formed in 1788. Three men named Robert Logan, Thomas Davison and Daniel Bieber were asked by the court to review boundaries of a new township. It was first called Adams, then McNair and finally Penn Township. In 1958, it became Penn Hills Township and in 1976, became a home rule municipality.

Fast Facts about Penn Hills

There are multiple neighborhoods with parts within Penn Hills including Point Breeze, Verona Hilltop, Lincoln Park and more. Plum Creek flows through Penn Township. The local high school is Penn Hills High. Surrounding Penn Hills neighborhoods include Verona, Oakmont, Monroeville and others. The Allegheny River borders Penn Hills to the northwest and across from that is O’Hara Township and Blawnox. Rodi Road (Pennsylvania Route 791) is home to multiple restaurants, fast food, retail and gas stations and is often used for truckers and travelers who use I-376. The township’s population was fairly evenly spread out as of the 2010 Census, with around 20 percent of the population evenly spread out among all ages.