Pittsburgh
In 1758, Scottish General John Forbes named the settlement Pittsburgh after British statesman William Pitt. The name honors the Earl of Chatham and reflects Forbes' own Scottish heritage in pronunciation. Before this moment, French soldiers had built Fort Duquesne at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. British forces under Major George Washington attempted to seize the fort but were defeated at Braddock's Field. The French held control until 1758 when Forbes finally took the forks. He began construction on Fort Pitt that same year while naming the growing town Pittsborough. During Pontiac's War in 1763, Native American tribes laid siege to Fort Pitt. Colonel Henry Bouquet lifted the siege by defeating a portion of the besieging force at the Battle of Bushy Run. The British strengthened defenses the following year. By 1794, the area was incorporated as a borough with an official Act passed by the Pennsylvania State Senate. The population reached around 1,400 by 1797. Glass manufacture began that year as settlers arrived from across the Appalachian Mountains.
Andrew Carnegie started steel production in 1875 at the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. This facility evolved into the Carnegie Steel Company using the Bessemer process to increase output. By 1910, Pittsburgh accounted for between one-third and one-half of national steel output. In 1901, J.P. Morgan merged Carnegie Steel with other companies to form U.S. Steel. The city became the nation's eighth-largest city during this period. World War II saw mills operate twenty-four hours daily to produce ninety-five million tons of steel. This effort created the highest levels of air pollution recorded in nearly a century of industry. James Parton had described the city as hell with the lid off back in 1868. The Great Fire of 1845 destroyed over a thousand buildings before Irish immigrants helped rebuild. Welsh people from Merthyr steelworks immigrated to the city in the 1830s following the aftermath of the Merthyr Rising. German immigrants formed the largest wave arriving for coal mining and iron manufacturing jobs. By 1857, one thousand factories consumed twenty-two million coal bushels yearly.
Deindustrialization in the late twentieth century resulted in massive layoffs among blue-collar workers. Steel and electronics industries imploded during national industrial restructuring beginning in the early 1980s. The population dropped from 680,000 in 1950 due to suburbanization and economic turbulence. Pittsburgh shifted its economic base to education, tourism, and services by the later part of the century. Healthcare and medicine now form the foundation of the new economy. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center employs forty-eight thousand people today. All hospitals, outpatient clinics, and doctor's offices combined create one hundred sixteen thousand jobs. This represents approximately ten percent of total regional employment. A National Bureau of Economic Research report named Pittsburgh the second-best U.S. city for intergenerational economic mobility in 2014. Between 2006 and 2011, housing prices appreciated over ten percent in the metropolitan area. This was the highest appreciation among the largest twenty-five metropolitan statistical areas. The city divested from steel and focused energies on healthcare, technology, and education since the nineteen nineties.
The Allegheny River flows from the northeast while the Monongahela comes from the southeast to form the Ohio River at Point State Park. More than a quarter of neighborhood names reference hills or heights within the city limits. Eight hundred sets of outdoor public stairways contain forty-four thousand six hundred forty-five treads. These stairs provide vertical feet totaling twenty-four thousand ninety feet across the urban landscape. Many streets are composed entirely of stairs with sidewalks built into steep inclines. Downtown sits where rivers converge and is called the Golden Triangle. It contains thirty skyscrapers including the U.S. Steel Tower which stands tallest at eight hundred fifty-six feet. The Cultural District spans fourteen blocks along the Allegheny River hosting theaters and arts venues. The North Side originally existed as independent Allegheny City until annexation in 1907. Squirrel Hill serves as the hub for Jewish life with approximately twenty synagogues located there. Bloomfield functions as Pittsburgh's Little Italy known for Italian restaurants and grocers. Lawrenceville has become a revitalizing rowhouse neighborhood popular with artists and designers.
Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts was commissioned by nineteenth-century industrialists who donated public works. The Benedum Center houses both the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Opera. George A. Romero released Night of the Living Dead in 1968 establishing the modern zombie film genre. The Andy Warhol Museum operates alongside the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens remain over one century old today. Kennywood amusement park sits in West Mifflin while Rivers Casino occupies the North Shore. Anthrocon attracts over seventeen thousand visitors annually to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center since 2006. Billy Strayhorn grew up in the city shaping twentieth-century music history. Mary Lou Williams honored her hometown with a 1966 album featuring Leon Thomas. Wiz Khalifa reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2011 with Black and Yellow. Mac Miller named his debut album Blue Slide Park after Frick Park. Code Orange received Grammy nominations representing the heavy metal scene. The National Negro Opera Company launched careers like Leontyne Price as the first all-African American opera company.
The Pittsburgh Pirates founded their franchise in 1881 making them the oldest professional sports team in the city. They play at PNC Park and have won five World Series championships. The Steelers joined the NFL in 1933 under ownership by the Rooney family. They sold out every home game since 1972 and won six Super Bowls total. The Penguins began NHL play in 1967 and captured five Stanley Cup titles including years 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017. All three major teams share black and gold colors unique to this single U.S. city. Mario Lemieux has served as Penguins owner since 1999 holding Hall of Fame status. The Terrible Towel tradition dates back to 1975 and personifies the city's spirit. The Riverhounds wear matching kits playing soccer in the USL Championship division. The Pirates fielded an all-minority lineup in 1971 becoming the first Major League team to do so. Negro league history credits the Crawfords and Grays with fourteen league titles between the thirties and forties.
Common questions
When was the city of Pittsburgh named and by whom?
Scottish General John Forbes named the settlement Pittsburgh in 1758 after British statesman William Pitt. The name honors the Earl of Chatham and reflects Forbes own Scottish heritage in pronunciation.
What year did Andrew Carnegie start steel production at the Edgar Thomson Steel Works?
Andrew Carnegie started steel production in 1875 at the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. This facility evolved into the Carnegie Steel Company using the Bessemer process to increase output.
How many outdoor public stairways are located within the city limits of Pittsburgh?
Eight hundred sets of outdoor public stairways contain forty-four thousand six hundred forty-five treads. These stairs provide vertical feet totaling twenty-four thousand ninety feet across the urban landscape.
Which year did the Pittsburgh Pirates found their franchise as the oldest professional sports team in the city?
The Pittsburgh Pirates founded their franchise in 1881 making them the oldest professional sports team in the city. They play at PNC Park and have won five World Series championships.
In what year did the population of Pittsburgh drop from 680,000 due to suburbanization and economic turbulence?
The population dropped from 680,000 in 1950 due to suburbanization and economic turbulence. Deindustrialization in the late twentieth century resulted in massive layoffs among blue-collar workers.