Gibsonia, PA

Gibsonia is a small town in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, located about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh. The population was 2,876 at the 2010 census.

The town was founded in 1812 by Nicholas Gibson and his brother-in-law, John Armstrong. Gibsonia was originally known as "Armstrong's Mills." The first mill was built on the Allegheny River near what is now the intersection of Route 22 and Old Route 119. In 1814, Gibson erected a second mill on the Monongahela River opposite what is now downtown Gibsonia. These mills were among the earliest in Pennsylvania and were instrumental in developing the local lumber industry.

In 1848, Gibson purchased a tract of land on which he erected a sawmill and gristmill. This mill became known as "the Big Mill." In 1862, he constructed a woolen mill on this site that operated until 1902. The original Big Mill building still stands today and is used as an antique store/gift shop.

In 1870, Gibson built a hotel on Main Street that served as both a residence for guests and an office for his lumber business. The hotel burned down in 1893 but was rebuilt two years later at its present location at 101 North Main Street (now occupied by J&J Tire & Auto). In 1899, Gibson opened another hotel called "The White House" next to his sawmill on South Main Street (now occupied by Subway). This hotel also burned down in 1933 but was rebuilt two years later at its present location at 106 South Main Street (now occupied by Subway).

In 1903, Gibson purchased 400 acres of land along Turtle Creek near what is now the intersection of Routes 22 and 119 to build another sawmill but never completed it due to financial difficulties. The site today houses an industrial park operated by Koppers Company Incorporated (formerly known as Koppers Incorporated Lumber Company).

Gibsonia's economy has traditionally been based upon agriculture (particularly dairy farming), timber production (particularly hardwood lumber), tourism (especially related to its history as an early industrial center), and manufacturing (particularly furniture manufacturing). However, since the late 1990s there has been growth in information technology companies such as Google Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc., Amazon Web Services LLC., Twitter Inc., LinkedIn Corporation Ltd., Oracle Corporation USA ,and Uber Technologies Inc..