A Brief History of O’Hara Township
O’Hara Township is a township in Allegheny County located just six miles from the city of Pittsburgh. O’Hara was first organized as a township and keeps its name but it is officially “home rule charter” as of 1973. The neighborhood got its name from James O’Hara, an American industrialist and Revolutionary War general who was born in the 1750s. O’Hara bought land at a sheriff’s sale and it included what is now the Boy Scout Camp to the Allegheny River. The community is a unique one, as it is five areas that don’t touch each other, with Fox Chapel, Aspinwall and Sharpsburg separating them. The neighborhood is quite large, consisting of a total area of 7.3 square miles. In 1910, O’Hara begins to get bigger and strengthen. The John F. Casey construction company is built, along with the Blaw-Knox manufacturing company. Some residents hit it big with oil drilling. Later, trains and streetcars bring city dwellers out to the country to enjoy picnics in Ross Grove (now a Get Go and S&T Bank) and a carousel. Since the 1980s, O’Hara has been home to an RIDC Park that is home to 100+ companies and employing thousands.
Facts about O’Hara Township
O’Hara is home to the Bayernhof Music Museum, which features a collection of automated musical instruments from the 19th and 20th centuries. School students in O’Hara go to Fox Chapel School District. The township includes two volunteer fire departments. As of the 2000 census, the population of O’Hara was just under 9,000. The majority of the township’s population falls into the 45 to 64 age range.
