Belle Vernon is a borough located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania along the Monongahela River. The population was 1,211 at the 2000 census. The borough is served by the Belle Vernon Area School District, whose buildings are located in adjacent Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. "Bellevernon", as it was originally spelled, was laid out in 1813 by Noah Speer in northwestern Fayette County. French for “beautiful green,” this was the name chosen by both Noah Speer for his little community on the Monongahela River and later by his son Louis, who founded a town with nearly the same name just up the hill (North Belle Vernon).