Welcome to Dawson ...
Dawson is located in Fayette County<1>.
The location of Dawson has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Dawson, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
When the people of Dawson refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Dawsonite<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Dawson has a population of 347 people<4> (see below for details).
Dawson is 850 feet [259 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Dawson lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Dawson had an population of 347 people. This is a decrease of 5.45% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 23.06% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Dawson had a population of 367 people. This makes Dawson the county's 15th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 367 people, the population of Dawson decreased 18.63% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 451 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Dawson.
Communities Also Named Dawson ...
While we believe that this Dawson is located in Fayette County, we know of another 3 Pennsylvania communities named Dawson. Those communities are located in the following counties: Beaver, Cambria and Forest County.
Beyond Pennsylvania, there are 28 communities that are also named Dawson - they are located in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri (2), Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Yukon.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Dawson.
Communities near Dawson ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Dawson.
- Greensburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greensburg
- Greensburg is located in Westmoreland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,082 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greensburg <6>
- Uniontown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Uniontown is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,632 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Uniontown <6>
- Jeannette
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Jeannette is located in Westmoreland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,000 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jeannette <6>
- Monessen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monessen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monessen
- Monessen is located in Westmoreland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,176 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monessen <6>
- California
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for California have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for California
- California is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,261 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for California <6>
- Donora
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donora
- Donora is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,546 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donora <6>
- Mount Pleasant
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mount Pleasant is located in Westmoreland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,186 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Pleasant <6>
- Monongahela
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monongahela have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monongahela
- Monongahela is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,090 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monongahela <6>
- Scottdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottdale
- Scottdale is located in Westmoreland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,060 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottdale <6>
- Charleroi
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleroi
- Charleroi is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,887 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Charleroi <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Dawson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Dawson.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Dawson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dawson.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Dawson. See our Newspapers Page for Dawson.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Dawson ...
Looking for more information about Dawson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Dawson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Dawson.
Adding Dawson to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Dawson in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Dawson was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Dawson on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Pennsylvania (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Dawson.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dawson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Fayette County: www.fayettepa.org
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties, including Fayette, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Dawson refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Dawson may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Dawson. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Dawson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |