Mt. Lebanon is a
home ruleDevolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a Sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level...
townshipA township in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is a unit of local government subordinate to a county, and distinct from cities and boroughs. Townships were established based on convenient geographical boundaries and vary in size from six to forty square miles . There are two classifications of...
and
census-designated placeA census-designated place is a type of place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in
Allegheny CountyAllegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,281,666. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 33,017 at the 2000 census.
An affluent
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
of nearby
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
, Mt. Lebanon is well known for its excellent educational facilities, especially its high school's fine arts department.
Established in 1912 as "Mount Lebanon", the community's official name was changed to "Mt. Lebanon" in 1975.
History
The first settlers arrived in 1773-1774, having purchased the land from the descendants of
William PennWilliam Penn was an English founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future U.S. State of Pennsylvania. He was known as an early champion of democracy and religious freedom and famous for his good relations and his treaties with...
; other pioneers soon bought land from the state government.
In 1912,
Mount Lebanon Township was incorporated as a "First Class Township" under
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
state law. It had formerly been a part of
Scott TownshipScott Township is a census-designated place and township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,288 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scott Township is located at ....
, which in turn traces its origins to the long-defunct St. Clair Township. Mount Lebanon was named for two
Cedar of LebanonCedrus libani , is a species of cedar native to the mountains of the Mediterranean region, in Lebanon, western Syria and south central Turkey, with varieties of it in southwest Turkey, Cyprus, and the Atlas Mountains in Algeria and Morocco in northwest Africa.The Cedars Conservancy parks...
trees from
PalestinePalestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
that were planted in 1850 on Washington Road near the top of Bower Hill Road. Prior to the incorporation of the township, the "Mount Lebanon" name was used for the area of
Upper St. Clair TownshipUpper St. Clair Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about ten miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The population was 20,053 at the 2000 census.-History:...
near the cedar trees. In the 1880s, a
post officeA post office is a facility authorised by a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail. Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was located near the transplanted cedar trees was named "Mount Lebanon". Incorporators of neighboring Dormont Borough initially tried to use the "Mount Lebanon" name in 1909, but were opposed by residents of the future Mount Lebanon Township.
In 1928, Mount Lebanon became the first First Class township in Pennsylvania to adopt the
council-managerThe council-manager government is one of two main variations of representative municipal government in the United States....
form of government and has had an appointed manager serving as the chief administrative officer since that time.
Mount Lebanon was a farming community until the arrival of streetcar lines, the first line to Pittsburgh opening on 1 July 1901. followed by a second in 1924. After the arrival of the streetcar lines, which enabled daily commuting to and from
Downtown PittsburghDowntown Pittsburgh, officially called the Golden Triangle or Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose joining forms the Ohio River. The "triangle" is bound by the two rivers. The...
, Mount Lebanon became a
streetcar suburbA streetcar suburb is a community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. The earliest suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 1800s cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing residences to...
, with the first real estate subdivision being laid out in November 1901. Further, the opening of the
Liberty TubesThe Liberty Tunnels are a pair of tunnels located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that allow motorists to travel between the South Hills of Pittsburgh and the city, through Mt. Washington...
in 1924 allowed easy
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
access to Pittsburgh. Between the 1920 and 1930 censuses, the township's population skyrocketed from 2,258 to 13,403. Today, Pittsburgh's mass transit agency, the Port Authority Transit of Allegheny County, or "PATransit," operates a
light railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system whose
42SThe 42 South Hills Village is a line on the Pittsburgh Light Rail system that runs between South Hills Village and Downtown Pittsburgh via the Beechview neighborhood. A companion route, the 47 South Hills Village, branches off at Washington Junction and runs through Overbrook...
line runs underneath Uptown Mt. Lebanon through the
Mt. Lebanon TunnelThe Mt. Lebanon Tunnel is a light rail tunnel in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, also known as the Dormont/Mt. Lebanon Transit Tunnel, part of the Pittsburgh Light Rail system....
, merges with the 47L line in Pittsburgh's Mt. Washington section. Mt. Lebanon's only platform station,
Mt. Lebanon StationMt. Lebanon is a station on the "Beechview" branch of the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail network. It is located in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania and is served by the 42S and 42C trains. The station features a small 24 space parking lot, making it a minor stop for park and ride...
, is in Uptown Mt. Lebanon; the adjacent
Dormont JunctionDormont Junction is a station on the "Beechview" branch of the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail network. It is located in Dormont, Pennsylvania. The station is an important a park and ride facility, featuring 132 spaces. West Liberty Avenue, Dormont's main artery, is located one...
and
Castle ShannonCastle Shannon is a station on the "Beechview" branch of the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail network. It is located in Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania and is served by the 42S and 42C trains...
stations are in neighboring municipalities. And as of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 33,017 people living in Mt. Lebanon.
On May 21, 1974, the electorate approved a
Home RuleHome rule is where constituent parts of a state are given greater self-government within the administrative purview of the central government....
CharterA charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
, which took effect on January 1, 1975, Mount Lebanon became one of the first municipalities in Pennsylvania to adopt a home rule charter.
http://www.mtlebanon.org/DocumentView.asp?DID=18 In the charter, the official name of the municipality became
Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania; the word "Mount" is abbreviated in all government documents, although the U.S. Postal Service continues to use "Mount."
Geography
Mt. Lebanon is located at (40.375, -80.05). According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the township has a total area of 15.7 km².
Surrounding neighborhoods
Mt. Lebanon is a
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
of
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
seven miles south of Downtown Pittsburgh. There are two small borders with Pittsburgh neighborhoods to the northeast (
BanksvilleBanksville is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Western part of the city and borders the South Hills. It has two zip codes of both 15220 and 15216, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 .-Surrounding communities:Beechview,...
and
Brookline-History:Brookline was linked by streetcar to downtown Pittsburgh in 1905 by Pittsburgh Railways who built a single line south along West Liberty Avenue, turning east on a private right of way and then following Brookline Boulevard to Saw Mill Run. This initial line was cut back to Edgebrook Avenue...
), but most of the northeast border is with the
boroughIn the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, boroughs are a form of local government, a subdivision of a county. As of August 2005 there were 961 boroughs in the state....
of
DormontDormont is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Its assigned zip code is 15216. The population was 9,305 at the 2000 census and is the most densely populated municipality in Allegheny County. Dormont is a home to a diverse population...
. Immediately north, the borough of
Green TreeGreen Tree is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and a suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,719 at the 2000 census.The town is the birthplace of U.S...
has an intersection bordering Mt. Lebanon. The entire western border is with
Scott TownshipScott Township is a census-designated place and township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,288 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scott Township is located at ....
. To the south are the two towns which, due to their comparable size and affluence, are most often compared with Mt. Lebanon:
Upper St. ClairUpper St. Clair Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about ten miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The population was 20,053 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to the southwest and
Bethel ParkBethel Park is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 8 miles southwest of Pittsburgh...
to the southeast. To the east is
Castle ShannonCastle Shannon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 8,556 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, and finally, to the northeast,
Baldwin TownshipBaldwin Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,244 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land...
(not to be confused with the
Borough of BaldwinBaldwin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,999 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baldwin is located at ....
).
Commercial districts
Uptown Mt. Lebanon is the central business district and has Washington Rd. (
U.S. Rt. 19 TruckU.S. Route 19 Truck is an auxiliary route of U.S. Route 19 located in Western Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh Metro Area that has a length of 19 miles . The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 19 near Mt. Lebanon and the northern terminus is U.S. Route 19 in McCandless Township. Trucks are not...
) as its main thoroughfare. (
U.S. Rt. 19 TruckU.S. Route 19 Truck is an auxiliary route of U.S. Route 19 located in Western Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh Metro Area that has a length of 19 miles . The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 19 near Mt. Lebanon and the northern terminus is U.S. Route 19 in McCandless Township. Trucks are not...
continues into Pittsburgh and back out into the city's northern suburbs and beyond.) Uptown Mt. Lebanon is one of the more built up central business districts outside of Pittsburgh, featuring numerous coffee shops, small galleries, pizzerias, and clothing boutiques. The neighborhood is organized as
The Uptown Mt. Lebanon Business and Professional Association.
There are sizable business districts along the borders with Upper St. Clair and Castle Shannon, as well.
Communities within Mt Lebanon
Neighborhoods within Mt Lebanon include: Cedarhurst Manor, Hoodridge Hilands, Mission Hills, Sunset Hills, Virginia Manor, Twin Hills, and Woodridge.
Virginia Manor is an affluent
subdivisionSubdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known as a subdivision in the United States...
, with streets designed to follow the natural contours of the land. Future Governor
James H. DuffJames Henderson Duff was an American lawyer and politician in the mid-20th century. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania and U.S...
helped found Virginia Manor in 1929.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 33,017 people, 13,610 households, and 9,023 families residing in the CDP. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 5,457.2 people per square mile (2,107.1/km²). There were 14,089 housing units at an average density of 2,328.7/sq mi (899.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.21% White, 0.61% Black, 0.07% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 13,610 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,783, and the median income for a family was $79,744 (these figures had risen to $73,765 and $98,731 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $56,183 versus $37,008 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the CDP was $33,652. About 2.2% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Mt. Lebanon is well known in the region for its public school system. Mt. Lebanon High School has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education each of the three times it requested certification: 1983-84, 1990-91, and 1997-98. The other schools have been awarded with similar frequency. The High School is also widely recognized for having one of the best fine arts departments in the nation. Mt. Lebanon School District plans to replace or renovate the High School by 2010.
Note:
Keystone Oaks High SchoolKeystone Oaks High School, built in 1969, is a public high school in the South Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the Keystone Oaks School District...
is physically located in Mt. Lebanon, but it serves the youth of the adjacent communities of
GreentreeGreen Tree is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and a suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,719 at the 2000 census.The town is the birthplace of U.S...
,
DormontDormont is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Its assigned zip code is 15216. The population was 9,305 at the 2000 census and is the most densely populated municipality in Allegheny County. Dormont is a home to a diverse population...
and
Castle ShannonCastle Shannon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 8,556 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
Seton-La Salle Catholic High SchoolSeton-La Salle Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.-Academics:...
, a Diocese of Pittsburgh school, is also physically located in Mt. Lebanon.
The
Mt. Lebanon Public Library, founded in 1932, is funded almost entirely by the municipality and county. Its home is a $4.2 million building, with shelves for 140,000 books, seats for 165 persons, and more than 50 public computers. When the building opened in 1997, it won an architectural design award and was featured in the architectural issue of
Library JournalLibrary Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
. Circulation is 563,000 items/year, and attendance averages 111 per hour.
http://www.mtlebanonlibrary.org/libhistory.html
Recreation
Mt. Lebanon provides many recreational opportunities for its residents. Fifteen parks are scattered over 200 acres throughout the community. In addition to the parks, there is an olympic size swimming pool, open in summer, and a regulation size ice rink and recreation building located adjacent to Mt. Lebanon Park on Cedar Blvd. Mt. Lebanon also boasts one of the oldest public golf courses in western Pennsylvania and has several tennis and basketball courts which are open year round. Other recreational facilities include a Sand volleyball court, bocce courts, platform tennis, a plethora of picnic pavilions and over eight children's playgrounds .
Famous people
Due in part to its excellent school system and its longevity as a populous and desirable suburb, Mt. Lebanon has a fairly large number of famous people associated with the town. People from Mt. Lebanon have excelled in acting, such as
Ming-NaMing-Na Wen is an Annie Award winning American actress. She has been credited with and without her family name, but most credits since the late 1990s have been without it....
(
Joy Luck Club, ERER is an American medical drama series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 1994 to April 2009. It is set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment in...
, MulanMulan is a 1998 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 19, 1998...
); athletics, such as
gold-medal
wrestlerAmateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
; politics, such as
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
Sen.
Orrin HatchOrrin Grant Hatch is a Republican United States Senator from Utah, serving since 1977.Hatch is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where he serves on the subcommittees on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure and Taxation and IRS Oversight...
; business, such as self-made
billionaireA billionaire is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a currency, usually the US Dollar, Euro or the Pound. Forbes Magazine updates a complete list of US Dollar billionaires around the world every year.- Regions by net worth :...
Mark CubanMark Cuban is an American billionaire entrepreneur. He is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, an NBA basketball team, and Chairman of HDNet, an HDTV cable network.-Biography:...
; and science, such as
cardiopulmonary resuscitationCardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest...
pioneer
Peter SafarPeter Safar was an Austrian physician of Czech descent. He is credited with pioneering cardiopulmonary resuscitation.- Early life :Safar was born in in Vienna, and graduated from the University of Vienna in 1948. He married Eva Kyzivat and moved from Vienna to Hartford, Connecticut in 1949 for...
.
Pittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and are the defending Stanley Cup champions. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first...
legend
Mario LemieuxMario Lemieux, CQ is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2005...
used to reside in Mt. Lebanon as well.
Frank CappelliFrank Cappelli was the star of the children's television series Cappelli & Company.-External links:*...
, local legendary childern musician graduated and still resides in Mt Lebanon.
External links