Town file
Ross Township, Pennsylvania
Ross Township, Pennsylvania (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 207, "Mr. Hot Tub" (21 January 2021). Ross Township, Pennsylvania, is a suburb of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, about fifteen minutes from downtown.
- Town
- Ross Township
- County
- Allegheny County
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 207
- Approximate location
- 40.878, -75.361
Episode 207 / 21 January 2021 / 148 min / full
Mr. Hot Tub
"we're going to Ross Township, Pennsylvania; this is in Alleghane county" about 0:05:32
The case: Murder of Elaine Boczkowski (November 4, 1990); Murder of Marianne Boczkowski (November 7, 1994). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2021
- Population
- 3,869
- Median age
- 44.4
- Median household income
- about $68,500
- Median home value
- $193,300
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $1,095
- Cost of living
- 95
- Religious
- over 60%
- Property crime
- about average
- Violent crime
- ▼ under half
History, in brief
- Many Native Americans in the area did not agree with their chief's treaty with George Washington in 1784. about 0:08:04
- Their chief was named Chief Cornplanter, and the land was their hunting grounds before he gave it away. about 0:08:35
- About 1794 white settlers came to the area, and the first group was chased out by a group of Indians. about 0:08:48
- David and Caspar Jr. Reel became the first white men born north of Pittsburgh. about 0:08:59
- In 1809 John McKnight and 30 other residents of Pine Township petitioned the courts of Allegheny for a new township, and Ross Township was formed. about 0:09:18
- The township was named after James Ross, an attorney who represented western Pennsylvania in the convention to ratify Pennsylvania as a state. about 0:09:31
- In 1902 Catherine Soffel, wife of the warden of the Allegheny jail, fell in love with the Biddle brothers and helped them escape. about 0:09:54
- The escape was made in a blinding snowstorm; the brothers broke into a schoolhouse, bought ham sandwiches and whisky at a hotel and were tracked the next day. about 0:10:30
The reviews read out
3 stars
"The area is very quiet; the toughest thing growing up was that there were not many kids on the street and the nearby pool was not affordable."about 0:12:17
3 stars
"It has been getting worse over the years."about 0:12:49
3 stars
"Everyone is isolated and there is not much communal communication."about 0:12:54
3 stars
"Bellevue has a bit of a drug problem; the activity goes on around the skate park and the high schools, where delinquent teenagers sell drugs to one another."about 0:13:10
"Obesity is a bit of a problem and there is little access to gyms, although the fitness trails in local parks are solving it."about 0:15:16
"The hospital in the area is small but quick, efficient and effective for pressing matters; most people go downtown for emergency rooms or Med Express."about 0:17:04
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Easton, Pennsylvania15 miles
- Weisenberg Township, Pennsylvania26 miles
- Kingston Township, Pennsylvania38 miles
- East Amwell Township, New Jersey42 miles
- Franklin, New Jersey43 miles
- Denville, New Jersey46 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.