Pittsburgh is known as "the Steel City" for its dominant role in thehistory of the U.S. steel industry.[8] It developed as a vital link of theAtlantic coast andMidwest, as the mineral-richAllegheny Mountains led to the region being contested by theFrench andBritish empires,Virginians,Whiskey Rebels, andCivil War raiders.[9] For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind onlyNew York City andChicago in corporate headquarters employment; it had the most U.S. stockholders per capita.[10]Deindustrialization in the late 20th century resulted in massive layoffs amongblue-collar workers as steel and other heavy industries declined, coinciding with several Pittsburgh-based corporations moving out of the city.[11] However, the city divested from steel and, since the 1990s, Pittsburgh has focused its energies on the healthcare, education, and technology industries.[12][13]
Pittsburgh was incorporated as aborough on April 22, 1794, with the following Act:[19]"Be it enacted by thePennsylvania State Senate andPennsylvania House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ... by the authority of the same, that the said town of Pittsburgh shall be ... erected into a borough, which shall be called the borough of Pittsburgh for ever."[20]
From 1891 to 1911, the city's name was federally recognized as "Pittsburg", though use of the finalh was retained during this period by the city government and other local organizations.[21][17] After a public campaign, the federal decision to drop theh was reversed.[17] ThePittsburg Press continued spelling the city without anh until 1921.[22]
The area of the Ohio headwaters was long inhabited by theShawnee and several other settled groups ofNative Americans.[23]Shannopin's Town was an 18th-centuryLenape (Delaware) town located roughly from wherePenn Avenue is today, below the mouth of Two Mile Run, from 30th Street to 39th Street. According toGeorge Croghan, the town was situated on the south bank of the Allegheny, nearly opposite what is now known as Washington's Landing, formerlyHerr's Island, in what is now theLawrenceville neighborhood.[24]: 289
Fort Pitt Block House, built by the British in 1764, is the oldest extant structure in Pittsburgh.
The first known European to enter the region was the French explorerRobert de La Salle fromQuebec during his 1669 expedition down theOhio River.[25][better source needed] European pioneers, primarily Dutch, followed in the early 18th century. Michael Bezallion was the first to describe the forks of the Ohio in a 1717 manuscript, and later that year Europeanfur traders established area posts and settlements.[26]
In 1749, French soldiers from Quebec launched an expedition to the forks to uniteCanada withFrench Louisiana via the rivers.[26] During 1753–1754, the British hastily builtFort Prince George before a larger French force drove them off. The French builtFort Duquesne based on LaSalle's 1669 claims. TheFrench and Indian War, the North American front of theSeven Years' War, began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British GeneralEdward Braddock was dispatched with MajorGeorge Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne.[27] The British and colonial force were defeated atBraddock's Field. General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758. He began construction onFort Pitt, named afterWilliam Pitt the Elder, while the settlement was named "Pittsborough".[28]
During this period, the powerful nations of theIroquois Confederacy, based in New York, had maintained control of much of the Ohio Valley as hunting grounds by right of conquest after defeating other tribes. By the terms of the 1768Treaty of Fort Stanwix, thePenns were allowed to purchase the modern region from theIroquois. A 1769 survey referenced the future city as the "Manor of Pittsburgh".[33] Both theColony of Virginia and theProvince of Pennsylvania claimed the region under their colonial charters until 1780, when they agreed under a federal initiative to extend theMason–Dixon line westward, placing Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. On March 8, 1771,Bedford County, Pennsylvania was created to govern the frontier.
On April 16, 1771, the city's first civilian local government was created asPitt Township.[34][35] William Teagarden was the first constable, and William Troop was the first clerk.[36]
Following theAmerican Revolution, the village of Pittsburgh continued to grow. One of its earliest industries was boat building for settlers of theOhio Country. In 1784, Thomas Vickroy completed a town plan which was approved by the Penn family attorney. Pittsburgh became a possession of Pennsylvania in 1785. The following year, thePittsburgh Post-Gazette was started, and in 1787, thePittsburgh Academy was chartered. Unrest during theWhiskey Rebellion of 1794 resulted in federal troops being sent to the area. By 1797, glass manufacture began, while the population grew to around 1,400. Settlers arrived after crossing theAppalachian Mountains or through theGreat Lakes.Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh) at the source of the Ohio River became the main base for settlers moving into theNorthwest Territory.
TheWar of 1812 cut off the supply of British goods, stimulating American industry. By 1815, Pittsburgh was producing significant quantities of iron, brass, tin, and glass. On March 18, 1816, the 46-year-old local government became a city. It was served by numerous river steamboats that increased trading traffic on the rivers.
In the 1830s, manyWelsh people from theMerthyr steelworks immigrated to the city following the aftermath of theMerthyr Rising. By the 1840s, Pittsburgh was one of the largest cities west of theAllegheny Mountains. TheGreat Fire of Pittsburgh destroyed over a thousand buildings in 1845. The city rebuilt with the aid of Irish immigrants who came to escape theGreat Famine. By 1857, Pittsburgh's 1,000 factories were consuming 22 million coal bushels yearly. Coal mining and iron manufacturing attracted waves of European immigrants to the area, with the most coming fromGermany.
Because Pennsylvania had been established as a free state after the Revolution, enslaved African Americans sought freedom here through escape as refugees from the South, or occasionally fleeing from travelers they were serving who stayed in the city. There were active stations of theUnderground Railroad in the city, and numerous refugees were documented as getting help from station agents and African-American workers in city hotels. The Drennen Slave Girl walked out of the Monongahela House in 1850, apparently to freedom.[39] The Merchant's Hotel was also a place where African-American workers would advise slaves the state was free and aid them in getting to nearby stations of the Underground Railroad.[40] Sometimes refugee slaves from the South stayed in Pittsburgh, but other times they continued North, including into Canada. Many slaves left the city and county for Canada after Congress passed the 1850Fugitive Slave Act, as it required cooperation from law enforcement even in free states and increased penalties. From 1850 to 1860, the black population in Allegheny County dropped from 3,431 to 2,725 as people headed to more safety in Canada.[39]
TheAmerican Civil War boosted the city's economy with increased iron and armament demand by the Union.Andrew Carnegie began steel production in 1875 at theEdgar Thomson Steel Works inNorth Braddock, Pennsylvania, which evolved into theCarnegie Steel Company. He adopted theBessemer process to increase production. Manufacturing was key to growth of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Railroad lines were built into the city along both rivers, increasing transportation access to important markets.
The city's population swelled to more than a half million, attracting numerous European immigrants to its industrial jobs. By 1940, non-Hispanic whites were 90.6% of the city's population.[43] Pittsburgh also became a main destination of the African-AmericanGreat Migration from the rural South during the first half of the 20th century.[44] Limited initially by discrimination, some 95% percent of the men became unskilled steel workers.[45]
DuringWorld War II, demand for steel increased and area mills operated 24 hours a day to produce 95 million tons of steel for the war effort.[28] This resulted in the highest levels of air pollution in the city's almost century of industry. The city's reputation as the "arsenal of democracy"[46][47] was being overshadowed byJames Parton's 1868 observation of Pittsburgh being "hell with the lid off."[48]
Following World War II, the city launched a clean air and civic revitalization project known as the "Renaissance," cleaning up the air and the rivers. The "Renaissance II" project followed in 1977, focused on cultural and neighborhood development. The industrial base continued to expand through the 1970s, but beginning in the early 1980s both the area's steel and electronics industries imploded during national industrial restructuring. There were massive layoffs from mill and plant closures.[11]
In the later 20th century, the area shifted its economic base to education, tourism, and services, largely based on healthcare/medicine, finance, and high technology such as robotics. Although Pittsburgh successfully shifted its economy and remained viable, the city's population has never rebounded to its industrial-era highs. While 680,000 people lived in the city proper in 1950, a combination of suburbanization and economic turbulence resulted in a decrease in city population, even as the metropolitan area population increased again.
During thelate 2000s recession, Pittsburgh was economically strong, adding jobs when most cities were losing them. It was one of the few cities in the United States to see housing property values rise. Between 2006 and 2011, thePittsburghmetropolitan statistical area (MSA) experienced over 10% appreciation in housing prices, the highest appreciation of the largest 25 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, with 22 of the largest 25 metropolitan statistical areas experiencing depreciations in housing values.[49]
Pittsburgh has an area of 58.3 square miles (151 km2), of which 55.6 square miles (144 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), or 4.75%, is water. The80th meridian west passes directly through the city's downtown.
ManyPittsburgh neighborhoods are steeply sloped with two-lane roads. More than a quarter of neighborhood names make reference to "hills," "heights," or similar features.[a]
Thesteps of Pittsburgh consist of 800 sets of outdoor public stairways with 44,645 treads and 24,090 vertical feet. They include hundreds of streets composed entirely of stairs, and many other steep streets with stairs for sidewalks.[52] Many provide vistas of the Pittsburgh area while attracting hikers and fitness walkers.[53]
Bike and walking trails have been built to border many of the city's rivers and hollows. TheGreat Allegheny Passage andChesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath connect the city directly to downtown Washington, D.C. (some 335 miles [539 km] away) with a continuous bike/running trail.
The city consists of the Downtown area, called the Golden Triangle,[54] and four main areas surrounding it—Central, North Side/North Hills, South Side/South Hills, East End, and West End. These areas are further divided into 90 neighborhoods.[55]
TheSouth Side, once home to railyards and mill workers, has seen revitalization with improvements to East Carson Street and new retail. It is now a vibrant neighborhood with diverse shopping and nightlife.[59] In the 1990s, theUrban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh purchased the South Side Works steel mill property and redeveloped it into theSouthSide Works mixed-use development.
TheWest End includesMt. Washington, with its famous view of the downtown skyline, and numerous other residential neighborhoods such asSheraden andElliott.
Pittsburgh falls within the borders ofAppalachia as defined by theAppalachian Regional Commission, and has long been characterized as the "northern urban industrial anchor of Appalachia."[64] In its post-industrial state, Pittsburgh has been characterized as the "Paris of Appalachia",[65][66][67][68] recognizing the city's cultural, educational, healthcare, and technological resources, and is the largest city in Appalachia.
Under theKöppen climate classification, Pittsburgh falls within either ahot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) if the 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm is used or ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) if the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm is used. Summers are hot and winters are moderately cold with wide variations in temperature. Despite this, it has one of the most pleasant summer climates between medium and large cities in the U.S.[69][70][71] The city lies in the USDA plant hardiness zone 6b except along the rivers where the zone is 7a.[72] The area has four distinct seasons: winters are cold and snowy, springs and falls are mild with moderate levels of sunshine, and summers are warm. As measured by percent possible sunshine, summer is by far the sunniest season, though annual sunshine is low among major US cities at well under 50%.[73]
The warmest month of the year in Pittsburgh is July, with a 24-hour average of 73.2 °F (22.9 °C). Conditions are often humid, and combined with highs reaching 90 °F (32 °C) on an average 9.5 days a year,[74] a considerableheat index arises. The coolest month is January, when the 24-hour average is 28.8 °F (−1.8 °C), and lows of 0 °F (−18 °C) or below can be expected on an average 2.6 nights per year.[74] Officially, record temperatures range from −22 °F (−30 °C), onJanuary 19, 1994 to 103 °F (39 °C), which occurred three times, most recently on July 16, 1988; the record cold daily maximum is −3 °F (−19 °C), which occurred three times, most recently the day of the all-time record low, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 82 °F (28 °C) on July 1, 1901.[74][b] Due to elevation and location on the windward side of the Appalachian Mountains, 100 °F (38 °C)+ readings are very rare, and were last seen on July 15, 1995.[74]
Average annual precipitation is 39.61 inches (1,006 mm) and precipitation is greatest in May while least in October; annual precipitation has historically ranged from 22.65 in (575 mm) in 1930 to 57.83 in (1,469 mm) in 2018.[75] On average, December and January have the greatest number of precipitation days. Snowfall averages 44.1 inches (112 cm) per season, but has historically ranged from 8.8 in (22 cm) in 1918–19 to 80 in (200 cm) in 1950–51.[76] There is an average of 59 clear days and 103 partly cloudy days per year, while 203 days are cloudy.[77] In terms of annual percent-average possible sunshine received, Pittsburgh (45%) is similar toSeattle (49%).
Despite improvements, studies suggest Pittsburgh's air quality still impacts health. A 2014 to 2016 study found that children near pollution sources like industrial sites had asthma rates nearly three times the national average.[83] It also revealed that 38% of students lived in areas exceeding EPA's particle pollution standards, and 70% in areas surpassing the WHO's standards.[83] Most affected communities were minority populations, leading some residents to believe that the continuing effects of air pollution are a case of environmental racism.[84]
As of 2005, Pittsburgh had 31,000 trees along 900 miles of streets. A 2011 analysis valued the annual benefits of the city'surban forest between $10 and $13 million, based on contributions to aesthetics, energy use, and air quality. The city invests $850,000 annually in tree planting and maintenance.[85]
Local rivers in Pittsburgh continue to exceed EPA pollution limits, primarily due tofrequently overflowing untreated sewage from the city's outdated infrastructure.[86] Pittsburgh's combined sewer system, built in the early 1900s, carries both stormwater and wastewater, with the treatment plant constructed in 1959.[87] Insufficient upgrades have led to public health concerns, as even a tenth of an inch of rain causes runoff to flow into rivers.[88][89] Nine billion gallons of untreated waste and stormwater flow into rivers per year, leading to health hazards and Clean Water Act violations.[90] TheAllegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) is under a Consent Decree from the EPA and proposed a $2 billion system upgrade in 2017, approved by the EPA in 2019.[91][92][93]
ThePittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), responsible for replacing pipes and setting water rates, has faced criticism for alleged mismanagement and for high lead levels in the city's drinking water, particularly in 2016.[94][95][96] While lead levels have risen for years, many residents blame PWSA's administrative changes for the spike.[97][98][99] In response, PWSA began adding orthophosphate to the water.[100] PWSA has also been working to replace lead pipes, and continuing to test water for lead.[100]
There remains concern among residents over the long-term effects of this lead, particularly for children.[101] Some people also believe that the high levels of lead reflect environmental racism, as black and Hispanic children in Pittsburgh experience elevated blood-lead levels at 4 times the rate of white children.[101][102]
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Ethnic origins in PittsburghMap of racial distribution in Pittsburgh, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Other
At the 2010 census, there were 305,704 people residing in Pittsburgh, a decrease of 8.6% since 2000; 66.0% of the population was White, 25.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.4% Asian, 0.3% Other, and 2.3% mixed; in 2020, 2.3% of Pittsburgh's population was of Hispanic or Latino American origin of any race.Non-Hispanic whites were 64.8% of the population in 2010,[106] compared to 78.7% in 1970.[107] By the2020 census, the population slightly declined further to 302,971.[105] Its racial and ethnic makeup in 2020 was 64.7% non-Hispanic white, 23.0% Black or African American, 5.8% Asian, and 3.2% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the five largest European ethnic groups in Pittsburgh were German (19.7%), Irish (15.8%), Italian (11.8%), Polish (8.4%), and English (4.6%), while the metropolitan area is approximately 22% German-American, 15.4% Italian American and 11.6% Irish American. Pittsburgh has one of the largest Italian-American communities in the nation,[113] and the fifth-largestUkrainian community per the 1990 census.[114] Pittsburgh has one of the most extensiveCroatian communities in the United States.[115] Overall, the Pittsburgh metro area has one of the largest populations of Slavic Americans in the country.
Pittsburgh has a sizable Black and African American population, concentrated in various neighborhoods especially in the East End. There is also a small Asian community consisting of Indian immigrants, and a small Hispanic community consisting of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.[116]
In 2010, there were 143,739 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
Themedian income for a household in the city was $28,588, and the median income for a family was $38,795. Males had a median income of $32,128 versus $25,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,816. About 15.0% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.5% of those under the age of 18 and 13.5% ages 65 or older. By the 2019American Community Survey, the median income for a household increased to $53,799.[117] Families had a median income of $68,922; married-couple families had a median income of $93,500; and non-family households had a median income of $34,448. Pittsburgh's wealthiest suburbs within city limits areSquirrel Hill andPoint Breeze, the only two areas of the city which have average household incomes over $100,000 a year.[118][119]
As of 2018, much of Pittsburgh's population density was concentrated in the central, southern, and eastern areas. The city limits itself have a population density of 5,513 people per square mile; its most densely populated parts areNorth Oakland (at 21,200 per square mile) andUptown Pittsburgh (at 19,869 per square mile). Outside of the city limits,Dormont andMount Oliver are Pittsburgh's most densely-populated neighborhoods, with 11,167 and 9,902 people per square mile respectively.[120]
Since the 1940s, city initiatives for redevelopment have driven demographic changes in Pittsburgh. In the 1950s, the LowerHill District underwent significant upheaval when 1,551 mostly Black residents and 413 businesses were displaced for the construction of theCivic Arena, which opened in 1961.[13] This project, part of Pittsburgh's revitalization efforts, led to the neighborhood's population dropping to an estimated 12,000 today.[122]
In the 1960s, theUrban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) aimed to revitalizeEast Liberty, resulting in the construction of Penn Center Mall and the displacement of about 3,800 people.[123] By the early 2000s, private developers catering to a wealthier demographic introduced businesses like Home Depot, Whole Foods, and Google. This redevelopment, supported by the URA, transformed East Liberty into a desirable area for millennials.[123]
These changes have sparked criticism, with some residents arguing that the government's actions were part of a strategy to disperse Black and low-income populations or facilitate gentrification of neighborhoods.[122][124] The demolition of housing units like the East Mall public housing complex in 2009, replaced by businesses like Target, is cited as evidence of this process.[125]
According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 78% of the population of the city identified themselves as Christians, with 42% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be consideredProtestant, and 32% professingCatholic beliefs. while 18% claim no religious affiliation. The same study says that other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively make up about 4% of the population.[126]
According to a 2010Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) study, residents include 773,341 "Catholics"; 326,125 "Mainline Protestants"; 174,119 "Evangelical Protestants;" 20,976 "Black Protestants;" and 16,405 "Orthodox Christians," with 996,826 listed as "unclaimed" and 16,405 as "other" in the metro area.[116] A 2017 study by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies atBrandeis University estimated theJewish population of Greater Pittsburgh was 49,200.[127] Pittsburgh is also cited as the location where the earliest precursor toJehovah's Witnesses was founded byCharles Taze Russell; today the denomination makes up approximately 1% of the population based on data from thePew Research Center.[128][129]
Pittsburgh has adapted since the collapse of its century-long steel and electronics industries. The region has shifted to high technology,robotics, health care, nuclear engineering, tourism,biomedical technology, finance, education, and services. Annual payroll of the region's technology industries, when taken in aggregate, exceeded $10.8 billion in 2007,[130] and in 2010 there were 1,600 technology companies.[131] ANational Bureau of Economic Research 2014 report named Pittsburgh the second-best U.S. city for intergenerational economic mobility[132] or theAmerican Dream.[133] Reflecting the citywide shift from industry to technology, former factories have been renovated as modern office space. Google has research and technology offices in a refurbished 1918–1998Nabisco factory, a complex known asBakery Square.[134] Some of the factory's original equipment, such as a large dough mixer, were left standing in homage to the site's industrial roots.[135] Pittsburgh's transition from itsindustrial heritage has earned it praise as "the poster child for managing industrial transition".[136] Other major cities in the northeast and mid-west have increasingly borrowed from Pittsburgh'smodel in order to renew their industries and economic base.[137]
The largest employer in the city is theUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center, with 48,000 employees. All hospitals, outpatient clinics, and doctor's office positions combine for 116,000 jobs, approximately 10% of the jobs in the region. An analyst recently observed of the city's medical sector: "That's both more jobs and a higher share of the region's total employment than the steel industry represented in the 1970s."[138]
Top publicly traded companies in the Pittsburgh region for 2022 (ranked by revenues) with metropolitan and U.S. ranks
Education is a major economic driver in the region. The largest single employer in education is theUniversity of Pittsburgh, with 10,700 employees.[139]
The nonprofit arts and cultural industry in Allegheny County generates $341 million in economic activity that supports over 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs with nearly $34 million in local and state taxes raised.[143]
Pittsburgh has hosted many conventions, includingINPEX, the world's largest invention trade show, since 1984;[146]Tekko, a four-day anime convention, since 2003;Anthrocon, a furry convention, since 2006; and theDUG East energy trade show since 2009.
Pittsburgh hostsAnthrocon, the world's largest furry convention, which has been held annually at theDavid L. Lawrence Convention Center since 2006. In 2024, the event attracted over 17,000 visitors and has generated a cumulative economic impact of $53 million over 11 years.[149] Additionally, the reality showDance Moms is filmed at Pittsburgh's Abby Lee Dance Company.
Pittsburgh has a long tradition ofjazz,blues, andbluegrass music. TheNational Negro Opera Company was founded in the city as the first all-African American opera company in the U.S., helping launch the careers of African-American opera stars likeLeontyne Price. Pittsburgh also shaped 20th-century music with influential figures likeBilly Strayhorn, who grew up in the city, and pianist-composerMary Lou Williams, who honored her hometown with a 1966 album featuringLeon Thomas.[150][151]
Pittsburgh also had an influentialelectronic musicsubculture in the 1990s, with origins similar to internetchatroom-based movements across the United States.[156][157][158] Pittsburghpromoters andDJs organizedraves in warehouses,ice rinks, barns, and fields which eventually attracted thousands of attendees.[157][159][160] DJsAdam Beyer andRichie Hawtin played at local raves.[157] One notable figure, drum and bass DJDieselboy, emerged from this scene.[156][161] Since 2012, theHot Mass after-hours electronic musicdance party has been a key part of Pittsburgh's electronic music scene, noted for its European nightclub vibe.[162][163] Electronic artistYaeji has credited Hot Mass as a formative influence during her time at Carnegie Mellon University.[164][165]
Pittsburgh is well known for being home to the late playwright August Wilson.[168] The August Wilson House now remains in Pittsburgh to celebrate the life and work of August Wilson, continue to produce his plays, and serve as an arts center for the Hill District, where Wilson was from.[168]
Award-winning authorJohn Edgar Wideman, who grew up in Pittsburgh, has based several books in the city, includingBrothers and Keepers. PoetTerrance Hayes, winner of the 2010 National Book Award and a 2014 MacArthur Foundation Fellow, earned his MFA at the University of Pittsburgh and was a faculty member there. Other local poets includeMichael Simms, founder ofAutumn House Press, andSamuel John Hazo, Pennsylvania's first poet laureate. Contemporary writers likeKathleen Tessaro, author of novels such asElegance,The Perfume Collector, andRare Objects, and new authors includingChris Kuzneski and Brian Celio, who captures Pittsburgh's "Yinzer" dialect, contribute to the city's vibrant literary tradition. Pittsburgh's unique literary style extends to playwrights,[172] as well as local graffiti and hip hop artists.
The Pittsburgh English dialect, commonly calledPittsburghese, was influenced byScots-Irish, German, andEastern European immigrants and African Americans.[185] Locals who speak the dialect are sometimes referred to as "Yinzers" (from the local word "yinz" [var.yunz], a blended form of "you ones", similar to "y'all" and "you all" in the South). Common Pittsburghese terms are: "slippy" (slippery), "redd up" (clean up), "jagger bush" (thorn bush), and "gum bands" (rubber bands). The dialect is also notable for dropping the verb "to be". In Pittsburghese one would say "the car needs washed" instead of "needs to be washed", "needs washing", or "needs a wash." The dialect has some tonal similarities to other nearby regional dialects of Erie and Baltimore but is noted for its somewhatstaccato rhythms. The staccato qualities of the dialect are thought to originate either from Welsh or other European languages. The many local peculiarities have promptedThe New York Times to describe Pittsburgh as "theGalapagos Islands of American dialect".[186] The lexicon itself contains notable loans fromPolish and other European languages; examples includebabushka,pierogi, andhalušky.[187]
Pittsburgh has five city parks and several parks managed by theNature Conservancy. The largest,Frick Park, provides 664 acres (269 ha) of woodland park with extensive hiking and biking trails throughout steep valleys and wooded slopes. Birding enthusiasts visit the Clayton Hill area of Frick Park, where over 100 species of birds have been recorded.[188]
Residents living in extremely low-lying areas near the rivers or one of the 1,400 creeks and streams may have occasional floods,[189] such as those caused when the remnants ofHurricane Ivan hit rainfall records in 2004.[190] River flooding is relatively rare due to federal flood control efforts extensively managing locks, dams, and reservoirs.[189][191][192] Residents living near smaller tributary streams are less protected from occasional flooding. The cost of a comprehensive flood control program for the region has been estimated at a prohibitive $50 billion.[189]
Pittsburgh has the greatest number of bars per capita in the nation.[16]
Pittsburgh hosted thefirst professional football game and thefirst World Series. College sports also have large followings with the University of Pittsburgh in football and sharing Division I basketball fans with Robert Morris and Duquesne.
[t]his is the perfect blend of location, history, design, comfort and baseball ... The best stadium in baseball is in Pittsburgh.
ESPN
ThePittsburgh Pirates baseball team, often referred to as the Bucs or the Buccos (derived frombuccaneer), is the city's oldest professional sports franchise, having been founded in 1881, and plays in theCentral Division of theNational League. The Pirates are nine-time Pennant winners and five-timeWorld Series Champions, were in the firstWorld Series (1903) and claim two pre-World Series titles in 1901 and 1902. The Pirates play inPNC Park.
Pittsburgh also has a richNegro league history, with the formerPittsburgh Crawfords and theHomestead Grays credited with as many as 14 league titles and 11 Hall of Famers between them in the 1930s and 1940s, while theKeystones fielded teams in the 1920s. In addition, in 1971 the Pirates were the first Major League team to field an all-minority lineup. One sportswriter claimed, "No city is more synonymous with black baseball than Pittsburgh."[198]
Since the late 20th century, the Pirates had three consecutiveNational League Championship Series appearances (1990–92) (going 6, 7 and 7 games each), followed by setting the MLB record for most consecutive losing seasons, with 20 from 1993 until 2012. This era was followed by three consecutive postseason appearances: the 2013National League Division Series and the 2014–2015 Wild Card games. TheirSeptember pennant race in 1997 featured the franchises' last no-hitter and last award forSporting News' Executive of the Year.[199]
The city's professional team,NFL'sPittsburgh Steelers, is named after the distribution company the Pittsburgh Steeling company established in 1927. News of the team has preempted news of elections and other events and are important to the region and itsdiaspora. The Steelers have been owned by theRooney family since the team's founding in 1933, show consistency in coaching (only three coaches since the 1960s all with the same basic philosophy) and are noted as one of sports' most respectable franchises.[200] The Steelers have a long waiting list for season tickets, and have sold out every home game since 1972.[201] The team won fourSuper Bowls in a six-year span in the 1970s, afifth Super Bowl in 2006, and a league recordsixth Super Bowl in 2009.
Acrisure Stadium serves as home for the Steelers, Panthers, and both the suburban and city high school championships. Playoff franchisesPittsburgh Power and Pittsburgh Gladiators competed in theArena Football League in the 1980s and 2010s respectively. The Gladiators hostedArenaBowl I in the city, competing in two, but losing both before moving toTampa, Florida and becoming theStorm.[204] ThePittsburgh Passion has been the city's professional women's football team since 2002 and plays its home games atHighmark Stadium. TheEd Debartolo ownedPittsburgh Maulers featured aHeisman Trophy winner in the mid-1980s, former superstar University of Nebraska running backMike Rozier.
The NHL'sPittsburgh Penguins have played in Pittsburgh since the team's founding in 1967. The team has won 6Eastern Conference titles (1991, 1992, 2008, 2009, 2016 and 2017) and 5Stanley Cup championships (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016 and 2017). Since 1999, Hall of Famer and back-to-back playoff MVPMario Lemieux has served as Penguins owner. Until moving into thePPG Paints Arena in 2010 (when it was known as Consol Energy Center), the team played their home games at the world's first retractable domed stadium, theCivic Arena, or in local parlance "The Igloo".[205]
Ice hockey has had a regional fan base since the 1890s semi-proKeystones. The city's first ice rink dates back to 1889, when there was an ice rink at the Casino inSchenley Park. From 1896 to 1956, the Exposition Building on the Allegheny River near The Point and Duquesne Gardens in Oakland offered indoor skating.[206]
The NHL awarded one of its first franchises to the city in 1924 on the strength of the back-to-back USAHA championship-winningPittsburgh Yellow Jackets. The NHL'sPittsburgh Pirates made several Stanley Cup playoff runs before folding fromGreat Depression financial pressures. Hockey survived with thePittsburgh Hornets farm team (1936–1967) and their seven finals appearances and three championships in 18 playoff seasons.
Three Pittsburgh universities, theUniversity of Pittsburgh,Duquesne University, andRobert Morris University, compete in NCAA Division I basketball. Pitt and Duquesne are the traditional basketball powers in the city, but all three universities have made multiple appearances in theNational Invitation Tournament andNCAA tournament. Pitt won two pre-NCAA tournament National Championships in 1928 and 1930[208] while Duquesne won the NIT title in 1955, its second straight trip to the NIT title game. Both Pitt and Duquesne have reached the NCAA tournament Final Four once, Duquesne in 1940 and Pitt in 1941.
Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball has qualified for 14 post season tournaments (including 4 NCAA tournaments) and boasts of 5 All-Americans selected 6 times with 3 WNBA players. Pitt women began play in 1914 before being reintroduced in 1970. Both Duquesne and Robert Morris also have competitive Division I women's basketball programs.
In 2006, Council PresidentLuke Ravenstahl was sworn in as mayor at age 26, becoming the youngest mayor in the history of any major American city. His successor,Bill Peduto, was sworn in on January 6, 2014. In November 2021, Pittsburgh elected its first African-American mayor,Ed Gainey.
Prior to theAmerican Civil War, Pittsburgh was strongly abolitionist. It is considered thebirthplace of the national Republican Party,[214] as the party held its first convention here in February 1856. From the Civil War to the 1930s, Pittsburgh was aRepublican stronghold. The effects of theGreat Depression, combined with entrenched local GOP scandals, resulted in a shift among voters to the Democratic Party. With the exceptions of the1973 and1977 elections (where lifelong Democrats ran off the party ticket), Democrats have been elected consecutively to the mayor's office since the1933 election. The city's ratio of party registration is 5 to 1 Democrat.[215]
The area's largest law enforcement agency is thePittsburgh Bureau of Police, with close to 850 sworn officers. The city also has separate housing and school police departments. Other agencies also provide police protection within the city because of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries. TheAllegheny County Sheriff focuses on jail andcourthouse security. TheAllegheny County Police primarily patrols county-owned parks and airports, while providing detective/investigatory functions for smaller suburbs and thePort Authority police patrols rapid transit.Pennsylvania State Police Troop B provides patrols for the city and immediate suburbs.
Pittsburgh annually ranks as one of America's safest big cities, in 2013 being named the 3rd "most secure" big city by Farmers Insurance.[216] Amongcrime rates of the 60 largest U.S. cities, 43 had more instances of property crime while 16 had less when compared to Pittsburgh. More instances of violent crime were reported in 21 of the largest cities while 37 had less. The FBI recommends against using data for ranking.[217][218]Per 100,000 persons stats (2012):
At the end of 2019, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police reported 37 murders in the city that year.[219]
In Pittsburgh, the homicide rate for African Americans is seven times the national average.[220] Some people believe that over-reliance on law enforcement exacerbates homicide rates.[220] There is also concern regarding the effectiveness of law enforcement in solving these cases, as 97% of unsolved cases involved a black victim.[221] This has led certain residents to believe law enforcement to be ineffective or apathetic.[221] This is despite an increasing police budget. In 2023, members of the Pittsburgh City Council approved an increase to the police budget by $6 million.[222] About 6% of this money is expected to go to the Stop the Violence trust fund. This fund goes to improving parks and recreation, various non-profits, and to the office of Community Health and Safety, in effort to holistically improve the social pressures supposedly causing violence in Pittsburgh.[223]
Some people do not believe these efforts to be adequate. Certain studies, such as conducted by the Police Scorecard, rate the Pittsburgh Police Department at 37% quality (with 100% being the best). They rated Pittsburgh below the 50th percentile in the categories "police budget cost per person," "fines / forefeitures," "Police Presence/Over-Policing (Officers per Population)," "Force Used per Arrest," "Racial Disparities in Deadly Force," "Excessive Force Complaints Upheld," "Discrimination Complaints Upheld," "Criminal Misconduct Complaints Upheld," "Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses," and "Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests." This is 10 out of 15 categories.[224]
Carlow University is a small private Catholic university that while coeducational, has traditionally educated women.Chatham University, a liberal arts college that was founded as a woman's college but became fully coeducational in 2015,[230] is in the Shadyside neighborhood, but also maintains a 388-acre (157 ha) Eden Hall Farm campus in theNorth Hills.Duquesne University, a private Catholic university in theBluff neighborhood and is noted for its song and dance troupe, theDuquesne University Tamburitzans, as well as programs in law, business, and pharmacy.Point Park University was founded in 1961 and is well known for its Conservatory of Performing Arts and itsPittsburgh Playhouse.
Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers are paid well relative to their peers, ranking 17th in 2000 among the 100 largest cities by population for the highest minimum salary. In 2018, the starting teacher salary offered to teachers with a BA was $46,920. The maximum annual salary for a teacher with a master's degree was $95,254.[231]
The city also has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are theCarnegie Library of Pittsburgh and theUniversity of Pittsburgh's University Library System, which rank as the ninth-largest public and 18th-largest academic libraries in the nation, respectively.[232][233]
WQED 13 is the localPBS member station in Pittsburgh. It was established on April 1, 1954, and was the first community-sponsored television station and the fifth public station in the United States. The station has produced much original content for PBS, includingMr. Rogers' Neighborhood, severalNational Geographic specials, andWhere in the World is Carmen Sandiego?[236]
Film production in Pittsburgh has notably impacted the region's economy and job creation, largely due to the 25% tax credit incentive established in 2007.[244][245] The Pittsburgh Film Office states that the film and television industry provides employment to over 10,000 people and pays over $500 million in wages in southwestern Pennsylvania.[246] Furthermore, the industry supports over 345,000 local businesses and contributes over $41 billion to them.[245]
Pittsburgh is home to several film festivals, film schools, and organizations that encourage and promote independent and diverse filmmakers. Notable film festivals include theThree Rivers Film Festival, the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival, the JFilm Festival, the ReelAbilities Film Festival, and the Black Bottom Film Festival.[247][248] The local film schools includePittsburgh Filmmakers,Point Park University - Cinema & Digital Arts, andUniversity of Pittsburgh - Film Studies.[249][250]
Moreover, Pittsburgh is developing a robust film studio infrastructure, with several sound stages and production facilities available for hire. Prominent film studios in Pittsburgh are 3 Rivers Studios, Cinelease Studios, Post Script Films, Deeplocal, and The Videohouse.[251][252][253][254][255] There are also plans in the pipeline to develop a new film studio complex at theCarrie Furnace site inRankin andSwissvale.[256]
The first military hospital in U.S. history and the first west of the Atlantic Plain—General Edward Hand Hospital—served the area from 1777 to 1845.[260] Since 1847, Pittsburgh has hosted the world's first "Mercy Hospital".[261] This was followed by West Penn hospital in 1848, Passavant Hospital in 1849,[26] theUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1883, Children's Hospital in 1887, andMagee Womens Hospital in 1911. In 1954, Allegheny General (AGH) was among the first to administerCobalt therapy.[262]
In 1980, UPMC announced a $250 million ($1.08 billion today) expansion and also hired transplant pioneerThomas Starzl.[263] In 1984, Allegheny General surgeons pioneered modern brain surgery. Starzl arranged the 1985 liver transplant of 5-year-old Amie Garrison as a UPMC surgery team flew toBaylor University, starting its transplant program.[264] Also in 1985, UPMC surgeons Drs. Griffith, Hardesty, and Trento revealed a new device after a heart-lung transplant. In 1986, UPMC announced a $230 million ($660 million today) modernization. In 1996, UPMC's planned SicilyISMETT branch was approved by the Italian government as transplant surgeons to supervise and deliver the world's third (both earlier ones done at UPMC)--and first public—cross species marrow transplant atUniversity of California, San Francisco.[265] UPMC's Thomas Detre founded theInternational Society for Bipolar Disorders at a world medical conference in Pittsburgh in 1999.[266]
The $80 million ($146 million today)UPMC Sports Performance Complex for thePittsburgh Panthers &Pittsburgh Steelers opened in 2000. In 2002, AGH opened its $30 million ($53.3 million today), 5-floor, 100,000 sq. ft., cancer center. The $130 million ($227 million today) 350,000 sq. ft.Hillman Cancer Center opened in 2003 as UPMC entered into an 8-year, $420 million ($699 million today) agreement withIBM to upgrade medical technologies & health information systems.[citation needed]
UPMC has pioneered several world firsts including the first known cystic fibrosis heart-lung transplant (1983), the world's first simultaneous liver and heart transplant operation on a child (6-year-oldStormie Jones in 1984), the youngest heart-lung transplant (9 years old in 1985), the world's first heart-liver-kidney transplant (1989), the world's first heart-liver transplant on an infant (1997),[270] the first pediatric heart-double lung-liver transplant (1998), the nation's first double hand transplant (2009), and the first total forearm and hand transplant (2010), as well as the state's first heart transplant (1968).[271][272]
The Lancet published a 2012 UPMC study of two 9-year quadriplegics being able to move a robotic arm by thought, to pick up objects, shake hands, and even eat. Wiring the brain around spine damage to restore arm and leg muscle function was successful using robotic arms controlled via an embedded computer to translate signals near a small group of neurons with 200 needles.[273]
Pittsburgh is served byPittsburgh Regional Transit, the 26th-largest transit agency in the country prior to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Pittsburgh, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 73 minutes, while 23% of public transit riders ride for more than two hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 17 minutes, while 33% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 3.9 mi (6.3 km), while 11% travel for over 7.5 mi (12 km) in a single direction.[277]
Pittsburgh Regional Transit, formerly known as the Port Authority of Allegheny County, is the region's mass transit system. While serving only a portion of the Pittsburgh area, the nation's 20th-largest metropolitan area, it is the 11th-largest transit agency in the United States.[279] Pittsburgh Regional Transit runs a network of intracity and intercity bus routes, theMonongahela InclineFunicular railway (more commonly known as an "incline") on Mount Washington, alight rail system that runs mostly above-ground in the suburbs and underground as a subway in the city, and one of the nation's largestbusway systems.[280] Pittsburgh Regional Transit owns theDuquesne Incline but it is operated by a non-profit preservation trust,[281] but accepts Pittsburgh Regional Transit passes and charges PRT fares.
Pittsburgh is home to one ofNorfolk Southern Railway's busiest freight corridors, thePittsburgh Line, and operates up to 70 trains per day through the city. The suburbanConway Rail Yard, built in 1889, was the largest freight rail center in the world from 1956 until 1980 and is today the nation's second-largest.CSX, the other major freight railroad in the eastern U.S., also hasmajor operations around Pittsburgh.
ThePort of Pittsburgh ranks as the20th-largest port in the United States with almost 34 million short tons of river cargo for 2011. The port ranked ninth-largest in the U.S. when measured in domestic trade.[282]
^The warmest daily minimum at the current observation location, Pittsburgh Int'l, is only 77 °F (25 °C) on July 23, 2010, and July 16, 1980.[74]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Records kept September 1874 to June 1935 at the Weather Bureau Office across the Allegheny River fromdowntown, atAllegheny County Airport from July 1935 to 14 September 1952, and at Pittsburgh Int'l (KPIT) since 15 September 1952. Due to its river valley and urban location as well as elevation, many of the summertime warm minima temperature records set at the WBO have not even come close to being matched at KPIT, which is at-elevation and located in the western suburbs. For more information, seeThreadex
^Deto, Ryan (August 8, 2023)."Lawrence County added to Pittsburgh metro area".TribLIVE.com. Archived fromthe original on August 11, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 4, 2024.the Pittsburgh metro area now includes eight counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland
^PRECLÍK, Vratislav. Masaryk a legie (Masaryk and legions), váz. kniha, 219 str., vydalo nakladatelství Paris Karviná, Žižkova 2379 (734 01 Karviná) ve spolupráci s Masarykovým demokratickým hnutím (Masaryk democratic movement, Prague), 2019,ISBN978-80-87173-47-3, s. 8 - 48, s. 84 - 124, s. 125 - 148, s. 157, s. 164 - 169, s. 170 - 194
^"Statistics". www.niaf.org. March 29, 2009. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. RetrievedApril 12, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Widdersheim, Michael M.Circulation of Power: The Development of Public Library Infrastructure in Greater Pittsburgh, 1924-2016. Berlin: De Gruyter Saur, 2023.
^"Bridges of Venice". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. RetrievedApril 6, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). abridgetovenezia.com
^Gray, Richard; Greene, Brian; Fandray, Ryan; Turka, Robert (2015).Geology of Pittsburgh(PDF). Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists. p. 44. RetrievedApril 5, 2024.
Allen Dieterich-Ward,Beyond Rust: Metropolitan Pittsburgh and the Fate of Industrial America (U of Pennsylvania Press, 2016). viii, 347 pp.
Kenneth J. Kobus,City of Steel: How Pittsburgh Became the World's Steelmaking Capital During the Carnegie Era. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2015.
Charles McCollester,The Point of Pittsburgh: Production and Struggle at the Forks of the Ohio. Pittsburgh, PA: Battle of Homestead Foundation, 2008.
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