The Norwin area, comprising North Huntingdon Township, Irwin, and North Irwin, surrounds the Lincoln Highway, Route 30, and has been crossed by almost every major travel route through the region, including Braddock's Trail, the Pennsylvania Road, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Lincoln Highway, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Transportation strongly shaped the area's growth. Beginning in the early 1900s, the main mode of transportation was the streetcar, and the Irwin-Herminie streetcar barn, built before 1908, still stands on Pennsylvania Avenue about one block west. Before 1920, the area's roads were in poor condition, and travelers heading east were advised to use care because the main street, Pennsylvania Avenue, was primitive. In 1924, it was finally paved.