Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the
United States. It is the county seat of
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Built on the land between the confluence of the
Allegheny,
Ohio and
Monongahela rivers and the surrounding hills, Pittsburgh features a skyline of skyscrapers and dozens of bridges. Once an industrial center, the collapse of the United States steel industry has had a lasting impact on Pittsburgh. However, in 2005 in
The Economist, Pittsburgh shared with
Cleveland the top spot for liveable cities in the United States, and tied for 26th on cities world-wide. Despite these rankings, Pittsburgh still faces many problems common to
Rust Belt cities. An overarching trend of declining population in the city has had multiple side effects, from a dwindling tax base to cuts in both police and firefighting services. In response to the collapse of the steel industry, Pittsburgh has become a nationally known center of medicine, education, technology and financial services.
Pittsburgh is the home of several prestigious universities, including the
University of Pittsburgh,
Duquesne University, and
Carnegie Mellon University, among others. The city also hosts several nationally acclaimed sports teams, including the five-time
Super Bowl champion
Pittsburgh Steelers, five-time
World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates and the two-time
Stanley Cup champion
Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition, Pittsburgh is home of many top-rated medical institutions, such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Allegheny General Hospital. Although still facing a declining population, Pittsburgh remains the chief city of the eastern Ohio River Valley. Pittsburgh has had a population problem since the First Renaissance and the closing of many steel mills due to union problems in the early 1970s.
History
At the site of present-day Pittsburgh, in 1754, the French built
Fort Duquesne. During the
French and Indian War, British General John Forbes occupied the fort. He ordered the construction of Fort Pitt, named after British Secretary of State
William Pitt the Elder. He also named the settlement between the rivers "Pittsborough."
During
Pontiac's Rebellion, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes tribes
besieged Fort Pitt for two months. Colonel Bouquet defeated Pontiac's forces in the
Battle of Bushy Run.
In the 1768
Treaty of Fort Stanwix, the descendants of
William Penn, purchased from the Six Nations western lands that included most of the present site of Pittsburgh. In 1769, a survey was made of the land situated between the two rivers, called the "Manor of Pittsburgh."
Following the
American Revolution, the village of Pittsburgh continued to grow. One of its earliest industries was building boats for settlers to enter the
Ohio Country. In 1784, the laying out of the "Town of Pittsburgh" was completed by Thos. Vicroy of Bedford County and approved by the attorney of the Penns in Philadelphia. The year 1794 saw the short-lived Whiskey Rebellion. The Act of March 5, 1804, which modified the provision of the old charter of the Borough of Pittsburgh in 1794 -- the original of which is not in existence, so far as known -- refers throughout to the "Borough of Pittsburgh."
The
War of 1812 cut off the supply of British goods, stimulating American manufacture. By 1815, Pittsburgh was producing significant quantities of iron, brass, tin and glass products. The Act of March 18, 1816, incorporated the City of Pittsburgh. The original charter was burned when the old Court House was destroyed by fire. By the 1840s, Pittsburgh was one of the largest cities west of the Allegheny Mountains. A great fire burned over a thousand buildings in 1845, but the city rebuilt. By 1857, Pittsburgh's nearly 1,000 factories burned 22,000,000 bushels of coal yearly.
The
American Civil War boosted the city's economy with increased production of iron and armaments. Steel production began by 1875, when the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock began to make steel rail using the
Bessemer process.
In 1901, the
U.S. Steel Corporation formed. By 1911, Pittsburgh was producing between a third and a half of the nation's various types of steel. The city's population swelled to half a million, many of whom were immigrants from Europe. During
World War II, Pittsburgh produced 95 million tons of steel.
Pittsburgh is one of the few American cities to be spelled with an
h at the end of a
burg suffix. While briefly referred to as "Pittsburg" during the late 19th century, in 1911 the
Pittsburgh spelling was officially restored.
Geography and climate
Pittsburgh is located at . According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.1 km² . 144.0 km² of it is land and 7.2 km² of it is water. The total area is 4.75% water.
The city is located on the
Allegheny Plateau, where the confluence of the
Allegheny River and
Monongahela River form the
Ohio River. The area between the rivers is known as the Golden Triangle, the extremity of which is The Point. Pittsburgh occupies the Golden Triangle as well as the slopes of the river valleys, and the ridges beyond. Many of the city's neighborhoods, particularly south of the Monongahela, are deeply sloped, making Pittsburgh one of the hilliest cities in America.
Pittsburgh has a continental climate, with four seasons, spring, summer,
autumn, and
winter.
Neighborhoods
The city can be broken down into four main areas which can then be subdivided into particular neighborhoods. These areas, relative to Downtown, are known as the North Side, South Side/South Hills, East End, and West End.
The North Side is home to a neighborhood known as Central Northside as well as many other neighborhoods including Allegheny West, Perry Hilltop, Brighton Heights, Spring Garden, Troy Hill, Observatory Hill, East Allegheny/Deutschtown, the Mexican War Streets, and Manchester. The North Side is primarly composed of residential neighborhoods and is noteworthy for well-constructed and architecturally interesting homes. Many buildings date from the 19th century and are constructed of brick or stone and adorned with decorative woodwork, ceramic tile, slate roofs and stained glass.
The South Side/South Hills neighborhoods include the Southside Flats and Southside Slopes as well as neighborhoods such as Brookline, Beechview, Overbrook, Carrick, Beltzhoover and Allentown. The South Side was once an area composed primarily of dense inexpensive housing for mill workers, but has in recent years become a trendy part of the city known for its clubs, cafes and restaurants.
The East End is home to the
University of Pittsburgh and
Carnegie Mellon University, and many of the most prominent city neighborhoods which include Oakland,
Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Friendship, Point Breeze, Bloomfield, Regent Square, Greenfield, Lawrenceville,
East Liberty, Homewood, Hazelwood, the Hill District, and many others.
The West End is perhaps the most overlooked part of the city, but it includes Mt. Washington, with its world-famous view of the Downtown skyline, as well as the West End neighborhood, Elliott, Sheraden, and Duquesne Heights.
Pittsburgh is a patchwork of neighborhoods, many of which still retain an ethnic character reflecting the city's immigrant history. This includes
African American ,
Jewish ,
Irish American,
Italian American ,
German American and
Eastern European such as
Polish . Other neighborhoods, such as Oakland, in which are located the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, are characterized by a more diverse, urban feel.
Several neighborhoods on the edges of the city are less intensely urban, with tree-lined streets, yards and garages giving a more characteristic suburban feel. These include the South Hills neighborhoods such as Brookline, Carrick, Beechview, and Overbrook as well as far North Side neighborhoods like Observatory Hill and Brighton Heights.
Demographics
According to the
2000 census there were 334,563 individuals, 143,739 households, and 74,169 families within the city limits. The population of the surrounding
metropolitan area was 2,358,695. The largest groups in terms of race were 67.63% White, 27.12%
African American, 2.75% Asian, and 1.32%
Hispanic. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,588, with 20.4% of the population living below the
poverty line.
Pittsburgh has the lowest property crime rate and a lower-than-average violent crime rate among cities of similar size.
Local dialect
The Pittsburgh English dialect, or "Pittsburghese," derives from influences from the
Scotch-Irish,
German,
Central European and
Eastern European immigrants. The dialect is somewhat similar in tone to other nearby regional dialects , but is noted for its somewhat staccato rhythms . The lexicon itself contains notable cognates borrowing from Croatian and other
Slavic and European languages. Examples include babushka,
pierogi, and halušky.
Emblematic of Pittsburghese is "yinz" as the plural of "you", with "yunz" as a variant.
Pittsburghese is distinctive in dropping the "to be" from sentences. For instance, "the brakes need to be replaced" is instead phrased "the brakes need replaced."
Speakers of the dialect also often compress the pronunciation of words and phrases. For example, "up there" becomes "up er." In Pittsburghese, one might "redd up" her room, which is an archaic English expression meaning "to set things in order." Speakers also often end a sentence with "and that", pronounced as, "n'at." For example, a Pittsburgher might say, "Yinz guys goin' dahntahn to get some pants n'at?"
Economy
Pittsburgh has adapted to the collapse of the region's steel industry. The primary industries have shifted more to high technology, such as
robotics, health care, tourism, biomedical technology, finance, and services. Pittsburgh is the fourth most financially headquartered city in the US. An example of such a shift is the emergence of such companies as Body Media, Inc. As a biomedical start-up, Body Media develops wearable body monitors and accompanying technologies. Other start-up companies over the years include design firms such as Wall to Wall Studios, Brett Yasko, and Gist Information and Interaction Design. Education is also a major employer, from primary through magnet schools, specialized professional institutes and highly-ranked universities. In 2006,
Expansion Magazine ranked Pittsburgh among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the nation for climates favorable to business expansion.
Major employers
Pittsburgh has grown its industry base in recent years to include technology, retail, finance and medicine. The largest employer in the city is the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, followed closely by the University of Pittsburgh.
Fortune 500 Corporations headquartered in Pittsburgh include:
Fortune 1000 Corporations headquartered in the Pittsburgh region include:
Other major employers in the Pittsburgh area include the North American headquarters for
Bayer,
GlaxoSmithKline and Lanxess. Northeast U.S. regional headquarters for
Nova Chemicals,
FedEx,
Ariba, Rand,
US Airways and National City.
Guru.com,
84 Lumber,
Giant Eagle,
Highmark, Rue 21, and GENCO are major non-public companies with headquarters in the region. Other major companies headquartered in Pittsburgh include Mylan Laboratories,
General Nutrition Center , and CNX Gas , a subsidiary of Consol Energy.
Cost of living
Pittsburgh has a low cost of living compared to other cities in the northeastern U.S. The average price for a 3- to 4-bedroom, 2-bath family home in Pittsburgh is $162,000, which is well below the national average of $264,540, as of October 2004, according to the Federal Housing Finance Board.
Government and politics
From the
American Civil War to the 1930s, Pittsburgh was a
Republican stronghold. Since the
Great Depression, Pittsburgh has been dominated by the
Democratic Party.
Most Pittsburghers tend to be Democrats, primarily due to the historical influence of
labor unions. Democratic candidates have been elected consecutively to either the mayor's office or city council since 1933, when David L. Lawrence led the party to power. Socially liberal, the city has an ordinance protecting
LGBT citizens from discrimination. As the only city within a 200 mile radius with such protections, it has become a beacon for those who identify themselves as LGBT. A majority of Pittsburghers in the inner-city are strongly democratic and pro-civil rights, while the suburbs tend to be Republican and conservative.
The mayor, like the nine-member council, serves a four-year term. Bob O'Connor, from
Squirrel Hill, replaced fellow Democrat Tom Murphy on January 3, 2006. Mr. O'Connor began treatment for a rare form of central nervous system lymphoma in July 2006, only months after being elected, and passed away on September 1, 2006. City Council President Luke Ravenstahl was sworn as the new mayor of Pittsburgh almost immediately following O'Connor's death. At 26, Mr. Ravenstahl is the youngest mayor of Pittsburgh. By law, he will serve this position until a new mayor can be elected in the earliest election allowed by law; there is some controversy over whether this election should be held in 2007 or in 2009. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine
districts. The
Pittsburgh Police Bureau is the law enforcement arm of the city while the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau is a major emergency response unit in Western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh EMS provides heavy rescue and river rescue services to the city.
Like many American cities, Pittsburgh has recently faced financial challenges and budget shortfalls. Although the cause of the city's budget shortfall is debated, many cite the success of the medical and academic sectors, since the nonprofits are tax-exempt. Despite the budget crisis, the city has continued to grow, as evidenced by the recent addition of the
American Eagle Outfitters corporate headquarters, renovation of the former Lazarus-Macy's department store into high-end retail, office, and condo space, and multiple mixed-use towers under construction downtown. As further evidence of recovery from these fiscal problems, Pittsburgh had a $15 million surplus in 2005.
Education
The Pittsburgh region is home to many
universities and research facilities, the most prominent of which are
Carnegie Mellon University and the
University of Pittsburgh.
Carnegie Mellon University houses one of the oldest computer science schools and the oldest
drama school in the United States, both of which are widely considered to be among the best in their fields. Other top ranking programs at Carnegie Mellon University include the Tepper School of Business, the School of Design , the School of Architecture, and the School of Art- considered by many as one of the most unique and interdisciplinary programs in the United States. Carnegie Mellon University also houses internationally renowned research centers including the world-famous Software Engineering Institute , the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, the Center for the Arts in Society, and the Robotics Institute, the first of its kind in the world and a leader in the field of robotics. It also houses a top ten engineering school, and its business school, The
Tepper School of Business, is consistently ranked among the best in the nation. Carnegie Mellon University is famous for its unique interdisciplinary environment and as an innovative leader in education.
The University of Pittsburgh is known for its respected programs in its departments of philosophy of science, Asian studies,
business, and
philosophy in its School of Arts and Sciences, and for its Schools of Law and Engineering. The university's Schools of the Health Sciences and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center operate some of the finest hospitals in the world, and an advanced medical research center that performs pioneering work in areas such as organ transplantation,
AIDS and
cancer research. University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine is ranked amongst the top 16 graduate medical programs nationally.
Pittsburgh Public School teachers are paid well relative to their peers, ranking 17th in 2000-2001 among the 100 largest cities by population for the highest minimum salary offered to teachers with a BA . Pittsburgh ranked fifth in the highest maximum salary offered to teachers with an MA . Local public schools include many charter and magnet schools, including City Charter High School , , , , , and several schools for blind, deaf, or otherwise challenged children.
Pittsburgh private schools include Central Catholic High School, which is run by the Christian order of St. John the Baptist De La Salle. Oakland Catholic High School, an all-girls high school, is located less than two blocks away from Central Catholic High School. Both high schools are located in Oakland. Independent schools in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood include Winchester Thurston School and
The Ellis School .
Shady Side Academy, whose main campuses are located in Fox Chapel has a junior high school in the neighborhood of Point Breeze.
Culture
In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy businessmen and nonprofit organizations donated millions of dollars to create educational and cultural institutions. As a result, Pittsburgh is rich in art and culture.
Among the professional music venues, the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs in Heinz Hall, and the Pittsburgh Opera performs in the Benedum Center. Both The Benedum Center and Heinz Hall provide venues for other groups, such as the
River City Brass Band and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. Pittsburgh has a long tradition of jazz, blues and bluegrass music. Pittsburgh also has a large indie and
punk rock scene. Additionally the National Negro Opera Company was founded in Pittsburgh, and was the first all African-American opera company in the United States. This led to the prominence of African-American singers like
Leontyne Price in the world of
opera.
Dance is very popular in the city as well, with a wide variety of events hosted by the Pittsburgh Dance Council and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Polka, folk, square and round dancing have a long history in the city and are celebrated by the internationally famous Duquesne University Tamburitzens, a multicultural academy dedicated to the preservation and presentation of folk songs and dance. The spirit of dance in Pittsburgh and, its dichotomy with the city's industrial image, was the subject of Adrian Lyne's Flashdance , starring Jennifer Beals.
In theater, the Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University has four resident companies of professional actors. Other companies include Attack Theatre, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Quantum Theater. The city's longest-running theatre show,
Friday Nite Improvs, is an improv jam that has been performed in the
Cathedral of Learning and other locations for 17 years.
Pittsburgh has long been a center of film culture as well. Pittsburgh Filmmakers, one of the oldest and largest media arts centers in the United States, runs a filmmaking school and three art film theaters. The Three Rivers Film Festival brings a venue of independent, documentary and international films each November. Pittsburgh is also a popular location for films, including not only Flashdance, but also The Silence of the Lambs, Lorenzo's Oil, Robocop, Wonder Boys, and Night of the Living Dead. Currently being filmed in the city is Rawson Thurber's
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.
The city has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the
University of Pittsburgh's University Library System.
Many notable individuals in the world of culture emerged out of Pittsburgh.
Andy Warhol and August Wilson were both born and raised in the Pittsburgh area.
Media
Pittsburgh is the home of the world's first commercial radio station , the world's first non-commercial television station, the first "networked" television station, and "mid-western" newspaper. It is one of the few mid-sized metropolitan areas in the U.S. with two major daily papers; both the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the
PG, is the largest daily newspaper [i] ...
and the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review have long histories of
Pulitzer Prizes and breaking in-depth investigative news stories on a national scale. The alternative papers in the region include the
Pittsburgh City Paper, the
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle,
The New People, published weekly by the , and the
Pittsburgh Courier, one of the larger ethnic publications in the region.
The Pitt News, a financially independent student-written and managed newspaper of the
University of Pittsburgh, is closing in on its 100th year of publication.
Television
The Pittsburgh TV market is served by:
Radio
Pittsburgh radio has long been dominated by KDKA 1020 AM. However, as of early 2006 the station is no longer #1 in the ratings.
KQV 1410 AM, now an all-news outlet, was Pittsburgh's dominant Top 40 station throughout the
1960s.
WEAE 1250 AM provides sports radio to the tri-state area. On the
FM dial, album-rock
WDVE , modern rock
WXDX , rock
WRKZ , adult contemporary
WZPT , pop and hip-hop WKST-FM and hip-hop and rap WAMO provide the foundation of the popular music scene. FM talk radio is available in the Pittsburgh market at
WPGB and the popular
Kidd Chris Show on rock
WRKZ . Pittsburgh is also home to three public radio stations: WDUQ, the local
NPR station;
WQED-FM, a listener supported commercial-free classical music station; and WYEP 91.3FM, the nation's third-largest independent "adult album alternative" station. The
Radio Information Service, broadcasting on a subcarrier of WDUQ provides special programming for the blind and print impaired. Additionally, Pittsburgh hosts the non-commercial radio stations
WRCT and
WPTS . In December 2005,
WRRK adopted the
Bob FM radio format that features a mix of classic and hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles.
Pittsburgh has a very active
Independent Media Center. The Pittsburgh IMC produces a weekly radio program called Rustbelt Radio that airs live on
WRCT and is syndicated on WARC,
WVJW, and
WPTS, as well as
podcast at . They have produced several documentry films about protests in Pittsburgh that are available from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, as well as maintaining the open publishing newswire and website at . In the near future, the group will begin Rustbelt TV, a weekly television news program to be aired on PCTV.
Outdoor advertising in the area is handled by Lamar Outdoor, who controls a majority of large posters and billboards in the region, while Clear Channel Outdoor concentrates on bus shelters and shopping centers in the area.
Sports
Pittsburgh's dedication to sports has a long history. Both its professional and collegiate teams have championship records. Three separate colleges have sent their football teams to major bowl games. The Pitt Panthers have won multiple national titles in both football and men's basketball. As home to two of the winningest teams in the former
Negro League, the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays, as well as the first
Major League Baseball team to field an all-black lineup, the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, "no city is more synonymous with black baseball than Pittsburgh."
The Pittsburgh region also has developed several
NFL quarterbacks and running backs including
Dan Marino 
