Meadville, settled by David Mead in 1788, was established 100 miles from Pittsburgh and Buffalo in the French Creek Valley of northwest Pennsylvania. The city's population grew from 500 in 1810 to more than 10,000 at the end of the 20th century. The construction of residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial buildings burgeoned, and the diverse cultural heritage of the residents dictated a wide variety of architecture. Meadville's Architectural Heritage captures how the citizens of Meadville have retained portions of the grand architecture and have continued efforts to find new uses and functions for many historic buildings.