Pennsylvania Route 641 passes through the borough as Main Street, leading west 9 miles (14 km) to Newburg and east 11 miles (18 km) to Carlisle, the county seat.

Pennsylvania Route 233 (High Street) crosses PA 641 at the center of town and leads north 16 miles (26 km) to Landisburg and southeast 5 miles (8 km) to Interstate 81 near Dickinson.

Pennsylvania Route 533 leads southwest from Newville 11 miles (18 km) to Shippensburg.

Newville (New Village) was founded in 1790 when the Big Spring Presbyterian church laid out the town on their land and sold the lots.

The town remained a part of Allemstraf Township[8] until 1817 when it was granted a charter as a borough.

The naming is in honor and commemoration of U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, a Medal of Honor recipient whose courageous actions in combat cost him his life during the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, where he fought under Special Operations Command in October 1993.

Shughart's story is depicted in Black Hawk Down, a 2001 film by Ridley Scott, based on the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden.