The approximate site where the Haymaker brothers struck natural gas in Murrysville on November 3, 1878
The Haymaker Gas Well in Murrysville was the nation's first commercial natural gas well. For some time, it remained the largest commercial gas well in the world.[4] The well was drilled in 1878, and until a gas pipe line was attached to the well in 1883, approximately 35 million cubic feet of gas a day was released into the atmosphere, resulting in a total of about 60 billion cubic feet of natural gas released into the atmosphere from this single site[5] Murrysville was described in the first half of the 20th century as being "the center of a district dotted with gas wells, the first of which was bored in 1878; wild speculation in leases precipitated the open conflict known as the 'Haymaker Riots,' named for the speculator killed in one of them."[6]
Since 1933, Murrysville has had a "tree sign" spelling out the word "Murrysville". The trees were landscaped to grow and form the letters by local Boy Scouts. The sign is situated on a large hill as one enters the Municipality from the Murrysville–Monroeville border, near U.S. Route 22. In 1947, the sign was featured in "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" as the world's largest arboreal sign.[7] (It is no longer the world's largest). The "Y" in the Murrysville sign points to the Haymaker Gas Well.
In 1977, Murrysville was designated the "Gateway to Westmoreland County" by Mayor Walt Dollman in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, community leaders upgraded sign and landscaping elaborately at the main entrance at the Allegheny / Westmoreland border featuring this designation. As is shown at the introduction of this page, the Gateway designation is featured on the official Seal of the Municipality.
Murrysville became a home rule municipality in August 1976, when its electorate voted for a Charter designating it a Municipality.[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the municipality had a total area of 36.9 square miles (96 km2), of which, 36.9 square miles (96 km2) of it is land and 0.03% is water.
Among the neighborhoods within Murrysville are Murrysville Heights, Heather Highlands, Franklin Estates, Settlers Ridge (The Ridge), Dunningtown, Newlonsburg, Ringertown, Sardis, and White Valley. Murrysville surrounds, but does not include, the Borough of Export, which is a separate municipal entity.
Surrounding municipalities
Murrysville has eight borders, including Upper Burrell Township to the north, Washington Township to the north and east, Salem Township to the south and southeast, Delmont to the southeast, Penn Township to the south, and the Allegheny County municipalities of Monroeville to the southwest and Plum to the west. The borough of Export is situated inside Murrysville in the south-southeast section.
Demographics
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 18,872 people, 7,083 households, and 5,630 families located in the municipality. The population density was 511.0 inhabitants per square mile (197.3/km2). There were 7,396 housing units at an average density of 200.3 per square mile (77.3/km2). The racial makeup of the Municipality was 95.38% White, 0.61% African American, 0.05% Native American, 3.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 7,083 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.8% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the Municipality population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the Municipality was $64,071, and the median income for a family was $72,740. Males had a median income of $58,553 versus $32,567 for females. The per capita income for the Municipality was $32,017. About 2.2% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Murrysville is governed by a mayor (currently Regis J. Synan)[14] who is elected every two years and has executive/administrative powers, and a seven-member council, whose members are elected every four years and have precise legislative powers.[15]
In the mid-1970s, as suburban growth began to occur, the community rapidly transitioned through three forms of government (township, borough, and home rule) and four legal name changes (Franklin Township, Franklin Borough, Murrysville Borough, and Municipality of Murrysville). Since 1976, it has operated under its Home Rule Charter as the Municipality of Murrysville.
On Dec. 6, 2023, Murrysville Council approved gas fracking beneath its two largest parks, Duff and Murrysville Community Park, over the objections of at least 174 residents who petitioned Council. No plan was presented for using the incoming money from the leases. Council member Jason Lemak pointed to fracking operations around the Beaver Run Reservoir “We’re talking about parks, but there has been fracking going on for a long time below the water supply for us and 120,000 people,” he said. [16]
On Dec. 18, 2023, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued a mandatory water conservation order for Murrysville and others, including energy companies using water from the Beaver Run Reservoir for fracking, due to an ongoing drought. [17] In the Department of Environmental Protection’s 2021 Climate Change Impacts Assessment, it is noted that precipitation patterns are expected to change over the next century. Those changes are likely to include more extreme and intense rainfall — something scientists already have reported noticing — and increased drier weather in between and drought, along with higher temperatures. [18] “In general, we expect worse drought over most of the U.S. as a result of human-caused warming, and Western Pennsylvania is no exception,” said Michael Mann, a professor and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Our Fragile Moment.” [19]
Education
Murrysville is part of the Franklin Regional School District. The district operates four schools: Franklin Regional Primary School, Franklin Regional Intermediate School, Franklin Regional Middle School, and Franklin Regional High School, with Dr. Gennaro Piraino as the district's superintendent.[20] The district's high school boasts a graduation rate of 99.3% compared to the national average for public high schools of 82% [21] and is ranked #213 in Newsweek's 2016 "America's Top High Schools".[22] Private schools include Mother of Sorrows Catholic School. The Free Gospel Bible Institute (FGBI), a Holiness Pentecostal bible college, is located in Murrysville.[23]
