Greater Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Downtown Pittsburgh in November 2011 | |
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| Coordinates:40°26′15″N79°59′42″W / 40.4375°N 79.995°W /40.4375; -79.995 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| Largest city | Pittsburgh |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,457,000 |
| • Rank | 26th in the U.S. |
| GDP | |
| • MSA | $181.5 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern Daylight Time) |
Greater Pittsburgh is themetropolitan area surrounding the city ofPittsburgh inWestern Pennsylvania, United States.[4] The region includesAllegheny County, Pittsburgh's urban core county and economic hub, and seven adjacentPennsylvania counties:Armstrong,Beaver,Butler,Fayette,Lawrence,Washington, andWestmoreland in Western Pennsylvania, which constitutes thePittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical AreaMSA as defined by the U.S.Office of Management and Budget.[5]
As of the2020 census, the Greater Pittsburgh region had a population of over 2.45 million people. Pittsburgh, the region's core city, has a population of 302,971, the second-largest in the state afterPhiladelphia. Over half of the region's population resides within Allegheny County, which has a population of 1.24 million and is the state's second-largest county afterPhiladelphia County.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 13,829 | — | |
| 1860 | 178,831 | 1,193.2% | |
| 1870 | 262,204 | 46.6% | |
| 1880 | 355,869 | 35.7% | |
| 1890 | 664,778 | 86.8% | |
| 1900 | 1,083,846 | 63.0% | |
| 1910 | 1,471,800 | 35.8% | |
| 1920 | 1,759,989 | 19.6% | |
| 1930 | 2,023,269 | 15.0% | |
| 1940 | 2,062,556 | 1.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,213,236 | 7.3% | |
| 1960 | 2,768,938 | 25.1% | |
| 1970 | 2,759,443 | −0.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,648,991 | −4.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,468,289 | −6.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,431,087 | −1.5% | |
| 2010 | 2,356,285 | −3.1% | |
| 2020 | 2,370,930 | 0.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10][1] | |||
Garrett Nelson and Alasdair Rae's 2016 analysis of American commuter flows, "An Economic Geography of the United States: From Commutes to Megaregions", identified the Pittsburgh megaregion as a region encompassing the entirety or significant portions of 54 counties inWestern Pennsylvania, EasternOhio, NorthernWest Virginia, and WesternMaryland.[11] By this definition, the informal regional boundaries are similar to historical interpretations where the region is defined as the central portion of theAllegheny Plateau to the west and north of theAllegheny Front and south ofLake Erie and Pennsylvania'sNorthern Tier.[12] The hills and river valleys along the UpperOhio River and its many eastern tributaries, including theAllegheny andMonongahela rivers have historically been the major centers of population of the region.[12]
According to this research the US can be divided into 'mega regions' based on the most extreme commuting patterns within a geographical area (commutes within 100 miles from the core city). By this liberal definition, the Pittsburgh mega region consists of twenty-eightPennsylvania counties (Allegheny,Armstrong,Beaver,Bedford,Blair,Butler,Cambria,Cameron,Centre,Clarion,Clearfield,Crawford,Elk,Erie,Fayette,Forest,Greene,Huntingdon,Indiana,Jefferson,Lawrence,Mercer,Mifflin,Somerset,Venango,Warren,Washington, andWestmoreland), nineteenWest Virginia counties (Barbour,Brooke,Doddridge,Grant,Hancock,Harrison,Lewis,Marion,Marshall,Mineral,Monongalia,Ohio,Preston,Randolph,Taylor,Tucker,Tyler,Upshur, andWetzel), fiveOhio counties (Belmont,Columbiana,Harrison,Jefferson, andMonroe), and twoMaryland counties (Allegany andGarrett), and portions ofChautauqua, New York in and aroundRipley.[11] The combined population of the megaregion was over 4.9 million in 2016.[13]
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There are also several formal definitions of Greater Pittsburgh which are often used in media mentions of the region. These include theOffice of Management and Budget's Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) andPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV Combined Statistical Area (CSA).[15] TheNielsen Corporation'sPittsburgh Designated Market Area (DMA) is another commonly used formal definition of the region.[16] There are nineteen counties included in at least one of these definitions and their combined population was over 2.9 million in 2016.[13]
| County | State | Formal Definition | Population (2016)[13] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSA | CSA | DMA | |||
| Allegheny | PA |  | | | 1,225,365 |
| Armstrong | PA | | | | 66,486 |
| Beaver | PA | | | | 167,429 |
| Brooke | WV |  | | | 22,977 |
| Butler | PA | | | | 186,847 |
| Clarion | PA | | | | 38,513 |
| Fayette | PA | | | | 132,733 |
| Forest | PA | | | | 7,321 |
| Garrett | MD | | | | 29,425 |
| Greene | PA | | | | 37,197 |
| Hancock | WV | | | | 29,590 |
| Indiana | PA | | | | 86,364 |
| Jefferson | OH | | | | 66,704 |
| Lawrence | PA | | | | 87,294 |
| Mercer | PA | | | | 109,972 |
| Monongalia | WV | | | | 104,622 |
| Preston | WV | | | | 33,758 |
| Venango | PA | | | | 52,582 |
| Washington | PA | | | | 207,981 |
| Westmoreland | PA | | | | 355,458 |
| Total Population | 2,938,646 | ||||
Historically, Pittsburgh has been grouped in the "Rust Belt";[17] however, reflective of the rebound of the region within the last generation, the metro area has been included as a part of the "Great Lakes Basin" gaining representation in the Great Lakes Metro Chamber Coalition.[18][19]
Pittsburgh's association with theGreat Lakes region is due in part to its economic, demographic and commuter connections to Great Lakes cities likeCleveland,Erie,Toledo and evenDetroit.[20] Christopher Briem, an economist at theUniversity of Pittsburgh's University Center for Social and Urban Research, has argued that southwestern Pennsylvania is "far more interconnected" with northeastern Ohio than it is with the eastern half of Pennsylvania, and that the industries of Pittsburgh are primarily linked to Ohioan cities such asYoungstown,Akron, andCleveland, not to Pennsylvanian cities such asAllentown,Scranton, orPhiladelphia.[21] He notes that, conversely, the population centers of northeastern Ohio are primarily connected with Pittsburgh and only secondarily connected to the state capital ofColumbus. Briem argues that "In so many ways the state boundaries we think of as important are no more than lines on a map."[21] In recognizing their economic interdependence, Briem coined the term "Cleveburgh" to refer collectively to the cities of Cleveland and Pittsburgh, along with the smaller towns dotting the corridor ofI-76 between the cities.[21][22][23] Robert Lang and Arthur Nelson of the Metropolitan Institute atVirginia Tech also identify the region between Cleveland and Pittsburgh as being an interconnected "megapolitan area" and refer to it as the "Steel Corridor".[24]
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_seen_from_the_Cathedral_of_Learning_May_14%2c_2010.jpg)
The largest school district in the area is thePittsburgh Public Schools, with the school districts ofAllegheny County also boasting large student bodies. Manyprivate schools also serve the core county of Allegheny. More public districts are found throughoutBeaver,Westmoreland, andWashington counties, and private schools in each county.
Severalarea colleges and universities serve the region. Pittsburgh itself is home to many colleges, universities, and research facilities, the most well-known of which areCarnegie Mellon University, theUniversity of Pittsburgh, andDuquesne University. Also in the city areCarlow University,Chatham University,Point Park University, theCommunity College of Allegheny County,Pittsburgh Theological Seminary,Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and thePittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. Within the greater metropolitan area, universities includeClarion University of Pennsylvania,La Roche University,Slippery Rock University,Westminster College andGrove City College north of the city,Robert Morris University andGeneva College west of the city,Washington & Jefferson College,Pennsylvania Western University andWaynesburg University to the south, andSeton Hill University,Saint Vincent College,Westmoreland County Community College andIndiana University of Pennsylvania to the east.
Pittsburgh International Airport is located 17 mi (27 km) to the west ofdowntown Pittsburgh inFindlay.[25] The smaller but less crowdedArnold Palmer Regional Airport to the east of downtown inLatrobe provides commercial service to the metro area.
Pittsburgh International was thefortress hub ofUS Airways from 1952 to 2005 with over 500 daily departures to more than 110 destinations in 2000. By 2007, fewer than 70 departures to 21 destinations remained.[26] In 2007, US Airways did select the airport for its new $25 million, 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m2), 600-employees-strongGlobal Flight Operations Center. Since being de-hubbed the airport has seen expanded service fromJetBlue,Southwest Airlines andDelta Air Lines' direct trans-Atlantic service to Paris.
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport offers commercial service viaSpirit Airlines to Florida and South Carolina. Palmer has had commercially scheduled air service since the 1980s.
Allegheny County Airport in suburbanWest Mifflin, Pennsylvania, is the area's largest general aviation airport. The historic landmark, art deco terminal was the main passenger airport for the area until 1952. Allegheny opened in 1931 as the nation's third-largest and first with "hard surface" runways.
Smaller suburban airports serve as private plane and corporate jet bases include:
The Pittsburgh area is served by four main-line Interstates including thePennsylvania Turnpike (which is co-signed with I-76 and in the extreme eastern part of the region also co-signed with I-70):
It's also served by several Interstate spur routes:
US 22 serving west area commuters fromSteubenville, Ohio, throughWest Virginia and into the metro area ofWashington County, Pennsylvania, and into Allegheny merging into I-376.
US 30 in the Greensburg area and co-signed with I-376 through the city and western suburbs.
US 119
US 422
SR 7 along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio.
PA 28 serving the Allegheny Valley commuters in the Northeast and through suburban Armstrong County.
PA Turnpike 43 (Mon–Fayette Expressway) a 70 mile long interstate grade route between the south hills and West Virginia.
PA 65 serving commuters along theOhio River valley to the northwest of the city.
PA Turnpike 66 (Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass) as a partial east hills beltway for traffic from both Interstate 70 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 76.ThePort of Pittsburgh ranks as the 21st-largest port in the United States with almost 34 million short tons of river cargo in 2011. It is the 9th-largest in the U.S. when measured in domestic trade.[27]
ThePittsburgh Regional Transit agency (PRT) is the largest mass transit service in the metro area and includes a 26-milesubway/light rail system, all serving the central core. This system is complemented by theButler Transit Authority andTown & Country Transit to north destinations,Beaver County Transit Authority andNew Castle Area Transit Authority to northwest destinations,Westmoreland County Transit Authority andIndiGo to eastern destinations, andWashington City Transit,Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority andFayette Area Coordinated Transportation serving southern destinations. TheUniversity of Pittsburgh Transportation System also provides services in the eastern core of the metropolitan area whileMountain Line Transit serves the city, western suburbs and an express route south toMorgantown, West Virginia.
A metro map of all fixed route transit routes for Pennsylvania counties can be found here.[28]
Amtrak serves the region with stops atPenn Station inDowntown Pittsburgh,Connellsville to the southeast and bothGreensburg andLatrobe to the east.
Freight rail is a major industry for the area with thePittsburgh Line and theConway Yard among other infrastructure serving the region.
Both theGreyhound Lines andMegabus serve the area.
Pittsburgh and its surrounding area has a distinct regional identity and has historically been regarded as a transitional region within the Northeastern United States. The region's counties also fall within the borders ofAppalachia as defined by theAppalachian Regional Commission.[29] The City ofPittsburgh has been characterized as the "northern urban industrial anchor of Appalachia"[30]: which makes it an anomaly compared to much of Appalachia which has traditionally been characterized as southern, rural, and economically distressed.[30]
Joseph Scarpaci,professor emeritus of geography atVirginia Tech,[31] has described Pittsburgh as having "one foot in the East...and the other in the Midwest".[30]Barbara Johnstone, professor of rhetoric and linguistics atCarnegie Mellon University, ascribes this isolation and idiosyncratic cultural identity of the region to the difficulty of moving through theAllegheny Mountains and theAllegheny Plateau.
The Pittsburgh area was sort of isolated. It was very hard to get back and forth across the mountains. There's always been a sense that Pittsburgh was kind of a place unto itself—not really southern, not really Midwestern, not really part of Pennsylvania. People just didn't move very much.[32]
In his 2009 book,The Paris of Appalachia,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Brian O'Neill meditates on this aspect of Pittsburgh's regional and cultural ambiguity. The title of the book is intentionally provocative:
"The Paris of Appalachia" some have called Pittsburgh derisively, because it's still the largest city along this gorgeous mountain chain that needs a better press agent. I've long felt we should embrace that title, though few are with me. Several tried to talk me out of slapping it on the cover, but were we called "The Paris of the Rockies," we wouldn't run from it. Sometimes we're so afraid of what others think, we're afraid to say who we are. This city is not Midwestern. It's not East Coast. It's just Pittsburgh, and there's no place like it. That's both its blessing and its curse.[33]
Greater Pittsburgh is home to several museums, galleries, and organizations which promote appreciation for the visual arts. The largest art museum in the region is theCarnegie Museum of Art, founded in 1895 by industrialistAndrew Carnegie and located in Pittsburgh'sOakland neighborhood. It is renowned for its collections of19th and 20th century decorative art,Japanese prints, andold master prints.[34]Contemporary art museums include theMattress Factory and theAndy Warhol Museum, both located on Pittsburgh'sNorth Side.[35][36]
Other regional visual arts museums include:[37][38]
The Pittsburgh area served as a launchpad for the professionalization of bothAmerican football andice hockey in the 1890s and 1900s. The first professional player (William Heffelfinger) played for a Pittsburgh football team in 1892, which was followed by the first open professional (John Brallier), the first all-professional team (theLatrobe Athletic Association), and a participant in the first all-professional league (thePittsburgh Stars of thefirst National Football League). In the case of ice hockey, theWestern Pennsylvania Hockey League was the first hockey league to pay its players in 1901, eventually merging into the first fully pro league, theInternational Professional Hockey League, in 1904. Professional hockey in Pennsylvania predated the professionalization of the game in Canada (where it eventually came to dominate in the early 20th century) by four years.
Today, the region is home to three major league franchises in baseball, football, and hockey; several minor league teams in soccer, baseball, and hockey; and three major NCAA universities.
Golf in the metro area boasts such courses asOakmont Country Club, which has hosted the U.S. Open a record ten times.Foxburg Country Club is the oldest continuous club in the U.S. Such tournaments as the84 Lumber Classic, Pittsburgh Senior Open and the currentMylan Classic call the region home. Area courses have also hosted multiplePGA Championships,LPGA Championships,U.S. Women's Opens andRyder Cup matches.
Annual sporting events include theHead of the Ohio crew race,Three Rivers Regatta,Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, and thePittsburgh Marathon.
The regions rivers have hosted theBassmaster Classic and Forrest Wood Cup and the city has enjoyed having one of only two teams to host theMajor League Baseball All Star Game a record eight times. The area has also hosted theNHL All Star Game,NHL Winter Classic,Senior Olympics,NHL entry draft,AHL All Star Game,NCAA Tournament andFrozen Four.
Winter in the region sees sport continue at such rinks atPPG Place andNorth Park as well as area ski resorts likeBoyce Park,Seven Springs Mountain Resort,Hidden Valley,Laurel Mountain andWisp.
the Pittsburgh metro area now includes eight counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland
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Great Lakes megalopolis as defined by theRPA | ||
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Includes all metropolitan areas that have a population of 150,000 or greater according to the most recent national census. | ||
| Great Lakes region cities |  | |
| Surrounding cities |
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| Cities of states south of region | ||
| Other metro-regions | ||
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