While most of the township is residential, a retail corridor is located along McKnight Road along with business districts on U.S. Route 19 and Babcock Boulevard.

Ross Township, along with the nearby borough of West View, comprises part of the North Hills School District, and both participate in the multi-municipality Northland Public Library.

Many of the early settlers lived in fear of the Native Americans, since many Indians did not agree with Chief Cornplanter's treaty with Washington in 1784.

In 1794, Casper Reel decided to finally settle in the area after being formally chased out by a group of Indians.

The Native Americans traveled the Venango Path, later called the Franklin Road, and was one of the most important routes used by Commodore Oliver Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

During this time, the road had large wooden planks on one side to assist in traveling during inclement weather.

It was only when State Senator Herman P. Brandt petitioned to have the road paved from the city line to Perrysville in the 1920s.

The church, which still stands today, served as the hub of the community with most of the early families worshiping there and as its use as the town meeting hall.

On January 30, 1902, Katherine Soffel, wife of the warden of the Allegheny Jail, helped the Biddle Brothers, whom she was in love with, escape.

It was during this escape through a blinding snow storm that they found themselves on Perrysville Plank Road looking for shelter, transportation and something to eat.

Wanting something to eat, the Biddles traveled up the road to the White House Hotel, where they requested six ham sandwiches and a pint of whiskey.

Herman P. Brandt was a State Senator, Casper Reel & Jacob Weitzel were famed Revolutionary War Soldiers, Simon Girty was a renegade traitor to the settlers and has been written about many times all over the world.

In the summer of 1967, Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac sandwich in the kitchen of his McDonald's, located on McKnight Road.

As of 2024,[20][21] the current Board is: Ross Township is served by the North Hills School District.