Town file
Newville, Pennsylvania
Newville, Pennsylvania (Cumberland County, Pennsylvania) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 175, "Cruel, Unusual & Pointless" (11 June 2020). Newville is a tiny borough of 1,228 people in Cumberland County, south-central Pennsylvania, about two hours and twenty minutes from Philadelphia and three hours from Pittsburgh, with a single red light on the mile-long road through town.
- Town
- Newville
- County
- Cumberland County
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 175
- Approximate location
- 40.170, -77.402
Episode 175 / 11 June 2020 / 166 min / full
Cruel, Unusual & Pointless
"This week in Newville, Pennsylvania... This is in Cumberland County, zip code 17241." about 0:08:07
The case: Murder of Leslie Ray White (October 4, 2000). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2020
- Population
- 1,228
- Median household income
- $39,375
- Median home value
- $139,700
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $1,030 a month
- Cost of living
- $89
- Religious
- 53.7%
- Property crime
- ▼ just under the average
- Violent crime
- ▼ less than half the national average
History, in brief
- Newville was founded in 1790. about 0:08:18
- Big Spring Presbyterian Church laid out the town on its land and sold off the lots. about 0:08:38
- The first lots were sold to a number of people named Isaac and to McGonigal. about 0:09:17
- The town remained part of Newton Township until 1817, when it was granted a charter. about 0:09:32
- The Cumberland Valley Railroad came through in 1837, which made the town viable for business. about 0:09:37
- A post office was established in Newville in 1800. about 0:09:52
- In 1896 a committee was appointed to collect contributions and superintend the erection of a public fountain, and the town received a grant for free use of water. about 0:09:58
- Mr Henry Schreffler, his son John and Mr Macklin s dressed and laid a perfect circle of stones to form the fountain's base and pool. about 0:11:11
- Vaudeville and minstrel shows came through the town. about 0:11:24
- Paris Chambers organised a concert band in the town. about 0:12:14
- The town got talkies as soon as the cinema did. about 0:12:20
The reviews read out
4 stars
"Newville is a very family-oriented town; the reviewer has lived there a little over five years, the community holds family-friendly activities year-round and for every holiday, and even people just passing through are treated like family."about 0:12:46
2 stars
"Very small town with only one red light in the mile-long drive from one end to the other, no real social events or places, the closest Walmart 20 minutes away, the interstate about five miles away, and you need a car to go anywhere."about 0:13:22
"The food was cheap and delicious, bingo was fun, the reviewer liked the game where you buy tickets to see if you won money, and the people were friendly; she wishes she was a member but cannot afford it."about 0:29:16
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Jackson Township, Pennsylvania33 miles
- Westminster, Maryland46 miles
- Centre Hall, Pennsylvania49 miles
- Washington Boro, Pennsylvania51 miles
- Sunbury, Pennsylvania58 miles
- Lititz, Pennsylvania58 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.