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Moon Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census. Located northwest of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, the township is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and is home to Pittsburgh International Airport.


History


18th century

The initial settlement of Moon Township was a direct result of the westward expansion of English settlers and traders who arrived in the Ohio Valley in the early to mid-18th century. During the French and Indian War, the Iroquois, who controlled the land for hunting grounds through right of conquest, ceded large parcels of southwestern Pennsylvania lands through treaty or abandonment to settlers. In some cases, the land was already occupied by squatters who were to be forced off the land. In the face of this turmoil, Native American settlements of the south bank of the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
typically relocated to more populous areas of the north bank in the current locales of Sewickley and Ambridge. On the southern banks of the Ohio River, political disputes among settlers clouded the disposition of lands. Generally, the Pennsylvania Land Office apportioned land to owners through grants. However, some of the land encompassing what is now the Coraopolis Heights, Thorn Run valley, and Narrows Run valley were claimed through the process of "Tomahawk Improvements", a non-specific and oftentimes contested method. Settlement processes were often convoluted because of differences among land policies of the several colonies claiming the land, specifically Pennsylvania and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. On April 3, 1769, Andrew Montour, an Indian interpreter who had provided service to the English settlers during the French and Indian War, was granted one of the first land patents for approximately of what later became the borough of Coraopolis and Neville Island. In 1773, the settler John Meek was awarded a land grant from
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
above the river bottom and between the Thorn Run and Montour Run valleys, and "Moon Township" was born, although formal, legal recognition would have to wait until 1788. The settlers Robert Loudon and John Vail were awarded grants to a total of . Loudon's tract was situated on the Coraopolis Heights adjacent to the Meek grant. Vail's grant was established between the current Thorn Run and Narrows Run valleys (although the exact location is open to some interpretation). Three other early grants were warranted by either Virginia or Pennsylvania land speculators. The boundaries of these land tracts are hard to identify, and the names of the original grantees are contested. But historians believe that they encompassed about or so, and were occupied by anonymous squatters. Given that the history is somewhat hazy, it remains that in abandoning their lands, the unidentified squatters ceded any potential claims to settlers who would otherwise improve and/or cultivate the land. As the 18th century drew to a close, abandoned lands were taken up by new settlers who were drawn to the region by the fertility of the soil. This round of pioneers were, by and large, wealthier than their predecessors and had the means to develop the broken and hilly areas into plots suitable for farming. Moon Township was created in 1788 as one of the original townships of the newly created Allegheny County. In 1789 by an act of the legislature a portion of Washington County south of the Ohio River was transferred to Allegheny County. The transferred area became part of Moon Township. At this time Moon Township occupied an enormous tract of land, possibly . Some reports and, more often, legends of the time indicate that it would take one man on horseback two days to travel between the boundaries of the township. The sheer difficulty of settlers performing their civic duties (e.g., reporting to assigned polling places or attending jury trials) made it necessary for local governing authorities to parcel out the land into smaller municipalities. So, in 1790, the current Fayette Township was portioned off from Moon Township, to be followed by Findlay and Crescent townships, respectively.


19th century

In 1800, when Beaver County was created from Allegheny and Washington Counties that portion of Beaver County south of the Ohio River that it received from Allegheny County was in Moon Township. Upon the creation of Beaver County that portion of Moon Township that Allegheny County lost to Beaver County was divided into two new townships: First Moon and Second Moon Townships, Beaver County.


20th century

In 1943, the federal government designed and built a housing plan known as Mooncrest for defense workers. Mooncrest residents produced armor plates, munitions and
ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...
s at the nearby Dravo Corp. during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Operated by the U.S. Air Force after 1945, homes were sold to private investors in the mid-1950s. Moon became home to Pittsburgh International Airport in 1951, replacing the Allegheny County Airport as the main terminal for the region. The area developed mainly due to the airport. Prior to this time, the western hills of Allegheny County consisted largely of rolling farms and small residential developments. On April 1, 1956, TWA Flight 400 crashed on takeoff from the airport, killing 22 people just past the east end of the runway, which lies in Moon Township. Development of Pennsylvania Route 60 (now Interstate 376) to the Pittsburgh airport, plus the addition of the Parkway West from Pittsburgh and nearby exits of Interstate 79, allowed Moon to become the area's crossroads for transportation via air and road. During the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, Moon Township was the location of Nike Site PI-71, which was a battery of Nike Ajax and/or Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles, used by US armed forces for high – and medium-altitude air defense. The former missile site is now a nature preserve. In 1991, the relocation of the landside terminal of the Pittsburgh International Airport to nearby Findlay Township resulted in a loss in traffic to the township. Moon experienced a significant loss of tax revenues but has since rebounded as the cargo area for the airport. A large part of the airport's runways and facilities are located within the boundary of Moon Township, although the terminal and about half of the airport's land area are in Findlay Township, to the west. Since the loss of the airport terminal, the township has shifted its focus from airport commerce to corporate development, residences and university hub. The main campus of Robert Morris University is also located within the township. Playing off the township's unique name, supervisors in 2005 gave Moon a new slogan, "Explore Our Universe". "The slogan is a play not only on the township's lunar name but also on Robert Morris University and the University Boulevard business corridor, which township officials would like investors and consumers to explore a little more thoroughly," wrote the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...
'' in 2005.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.41%, is water.


Surrounding and adjacent communities

Moon Township has six land borders, including Crescent Township to the north-northwest, Hopewell Township (Beaver County) to the northwest, Findlay Township to the west and southwest, North Fayette Township to the south, Robinson Township to the southeast, east and northeast, and the borough of Coraopolis to the north-northeast. Across the Ohio River to the northwest, a section of Moon runs adjacent with (from north to south) Edgeworth, Sewickley, and Glen Osborne. The Sewickley Bridge is the direct link between Moon Township and Sewickley.


Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 22,290 people, 8,445 households, and 5,767 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 9,200 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 93.17%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 3.58%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.06% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.25% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino people of any race were 0.99% of the population. There were 8,445 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. Of all households, 26.8% were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99. In the township, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $57,173, and the median income for a family was $68,256. Males had a median income of $48,444 versus $31,073 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the township was $26,457. About 2.2% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Moon Township is home to Pittsburgh International Airport, the primary international airport serving Greater Pittsburgh, with Findlay Township. The township is home to the Air Force Reserve Command 911th Airlift Wing, which was established in 1943. Moon is also home to the 171st Air Refueling Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Additionally, the Army has its 99th Regional Readiness Command, built in the late 1990s. Major corporation headquarters in Moon include Nova Chemicals, FedEx Ground, Dick's Sporting Goods, and First Health/Coventry. Moon Township is the location of the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
forecast office that serves Pittsburgh. Ground was broken in late 2006 on the new Cherrington Parkway extension. The extension, which opened in early 2008, created additional shovel-ready land for Class A office space, for corporate development. As a result of Robert Morris University, the college feeds much of the economy along the township's University Boulevard area.
US Airways US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it ...
was based at Pittsburgh International Airport and had its flight operations center in Moon until was closed following the 2015 merger of US Airways and American Airlines.


Retail

The West Hills Shopping Center, once the heart of Moon's commercial business, was sold to
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
for $4.7 million and announced to the public on January 3, 2007. Walmart officials announced their plans to build a supercenter location on the site of what was the West Hills Shopping Center. The store opened in fall of 2016. On the morning of August 14, 2003, the former Beers School and Narrows Run Roads (from the I-376 Business Loop route to Thorn Run Road) became known as University Boulevard, a move that helped to promote the township as the home of Robert Morris University. The new road name also depicts the township's efforts to re-emerge as a business-dominant community. Since the 2003 renaming, township officials have researched various zoning ordinances to piece together Moon's main business corridor.


Government and politics

The township is policed by the Moon Township Police Department.


Education

Moon Township is home to the Moon Area School District, which consists of students from both Moon and Crescent townships. The school district enrolls approximately 3,900 students in their seven schools educating grades kindergarten through 12th grade. Robert Morris University enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 bachelor's degree programs and 35 master's and doctoral programs at its campus in Moon.


Livability

In 2007, Moon Township was honored with several honors as one of the country's best places to live. BusinessWeek.com ranked Moon one of five best affordable suburbs in the Northeast. The recognition includes the 15108 zip code covering Coraopolis borough, Kennedy and Moon townships. Moon was nominated as a runner-up in the list of top Pittsburgh suburbs to raise a family in 2013.


Notable people

* Kurt Angle, NCAA champion wrestler, US Olympic gold-medal wrestler, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestler; also formerly a sports anchor at WPGH-TV * Jodi Applegate, graduate of Moon Area High School, former NBC News anchor, currently employed at the Fox affiliate in New York City * Jim Baechtold, second pick in 1952 NBA draft and Head Coach of Eastern Kentucky University basketball * Barry Bonds, resided in Moon while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates * Plaxico Burress, resided in Moon while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers * John Calipari, graduate of Moon Area High School, basketball coach * Lou Christie, graduate of Moon Area High School in 1961; singer, songwriter * Willie Colon, Pittsburgh Steelers * Bob Davie, former Notre Dame football coach and current ESPN sportscaster, grew up in Moon * Ann B. Davis, actress, briefly lived in Moon in the 1990s * Joe DeNardo, long-time WTAE-TV personality that was mostly known for his work as a meteorologist and the phrase "Joe Said It Would" * Trai Essex, Pittsburgh Steelers * Sean Gilbert, Washington Redskins player * James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers * Cameron Johnson, professional basketball player * Ryan Malone, former Pittsburgh Penguin * Sarah Marince, singer * Rich Milot, graduate of Moon Area High School; former linebacker with the Washington Redskins from 1979 to 1987 in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
; played college football at Penn State University * T. Mark Mustio, Pennsylvania state representative * John Pippy, former Pennsylvania state senator * Katelyn Pippy, actress * Ray Seals, resided in Moon while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers * A. Q. Shipley, center for the Arizona Cardinals, graduate of Moon Area High School * Brandon Wilson, graduate of Moon Area High School, author/explorer * Khama Worthy, former UFC fighter


Moon in the media

* Scenes from the 1979 movie '' The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh'' were shot in the gym at Moon Area High School. * The Los Angeles–based production company Phalco Films was established in Moon Township in early 2006 before relocating to the West Coast. * Parts of the movie '' The Silence of the Lambs'' were filmed in Moon Township. Several Moon Township police officers had minor non-speaking roles as extras in the film. * Parts of the movie '' Adventureland'' were filmed in Moon Township at the Stardust Lounge. *The movie "Monkey Shines was largely filmed there.


Presidential visits

Because Pittsburgh International Airport is adjacent to Moon, many presidential visits to the Pittsburgh area start in Moon. For example, President Gerald Ford made a surprise visit to Moon a day after pardoning President Richard M. Nixon on September 9, 1974. In 1994, President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
greeted Prime Minister John Major of Great Britain at a hangar at the 911th Air Wing of the Air Force Reserve at the Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township. A day after securing the Democratic nomination for president, then–Vice President
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
held a rally at Moon's high school gym on March 16, 2000. In September 2009, President Obama visited Pittsburgh for the G-20 conference. Then–Republican presidential nominee
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
held a rally on June 11, 2016, at the Moon Township airplane hangar. On March 10, 2018, then-President Trump held another rally at the Moon Township airplane hangar, campaigning in support of Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone for a special election within Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district. On Wednesday, April 17, 2024,
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, along with Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, visited a Sheetz gas station on University Boulevard to pick up sandwiches for construction workers.


References


External links

*
Moon Township Economic Development
{{Authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Ohio River Pittsburgh metropolitan area Townships in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania