[3] It is situated 36 miles (58 km) northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River.

In 1756, the village was destroyed by John Armstrong Sr. at the Battle of Kittanning during the French and Indian War.

During the attack, a blast from the explosion of gunpowder stored in Captain Jacobs's house was heard at Fort Duquesne, present day Pittsburgh, 44 miles away.

During the American Civil War, the 103rd Regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry volunteers was organized at Kittanning from September 1861 to February 1862.

Among other engagements, the unit participated in the Siege of Yorktown (1862) as well as the Battle of Plymouth (1864), during which most of the regiment was captured.

[6] By the early in the 20th century, the city had developed considerable industry: large iron and steel works, foundries, and coal mines, all associated with the steel and iron industries of Pittsburgh; glassworks, flour and lumber mills; china, pottery, brick, lime, and clay works; and mirror and typewriter factories, breweries, etc.

The playground on North Jefferson Street was developed on the former site of the historic Kittanning Cemetery.

In order to enable this, the city moved 274 graves in 1960 to a new cemetery formed along Troy Hill Road.

7 and Armstrong County Courthouse and Jail are each listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), all land.

[21] The 2010 pilot episode for Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant, was filmed in Kittanning and its surrounding areas.

[23] The setting for three episodes of the Netflix original TV series Mindhunter is based in Altoona, but scenes were actually shot in and around Kittanning in January 2017.