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Pittsburgh

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Pittsburgh, the county seat of Allegheny County in the western part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, had a total population of 334,563 (metropolitan area 2,358,695) as of the 2000 census.

File:Pittsburgh skyline daytime.jpg
The Pittsburgh Skyline

History

The first European settlements in the Pittsburgh area were French forts and trading posts. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the British colonies captured Fort Duquesne, which sat at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, at the part of downtown Pittsburgh now known as "the Point". The British built a larger fort on the same site and named it Fort Pitt in honor of the British statesman William Pitt the Elder.

Beginning in the early 19th century, Pittsburgh's proximity to large coal deposits and excellent positioning along major trade routes made it one of the world's leading industrial powerhouses. Steel production was a major industry for many years, earning the city its nickname, "The Steel City". Pittsburgh lies at the confluence of the Monongahela River and Allegheny River, which merge to form the Ohio River, ultimately draining into the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. As an industrial city, Pittsburgh was also a major hub of early railroad activity. Millions of European immigrants settled in and around Pittsburgh in the 19th and early 20th centuries to seek employment in the steel mills, coal mines, railroads, or numerous associated industries.

On July 21, 1877, a day after bloody rioting in Baltimore from Baltimore and Ohio Railroad workers and the deaths of nine rail workers at the hands of the Maryland militia, workers in Pittsburgh staged a sympathy strike that was met with an assault by the state militia — Pittsburgh then erupted into widespread rioting.

With the recessions of the 1970s and the advent of cheap foreign labor, Pittsburgh's steel mills found themselves unable to compete with foreign steel mills, and most closed down. This created a ripple effect that decimated the local economy, as railroads, mines, and factories across the region shut down, one by one.

Thanks to the presence of the nearby Bettis Laboratory and the Shippingport power plant, Pittsburgh became the world's first nuclear powered city in 1960.

The collapse of the US steel industry in the 1970s marked a major turning point for the city of Pittsburgh, and brought with it an unexpected renaissance as the mills closed and Pittsburgh shed its image of a dirty, smoky place. Pittsburgh was spared the fate of other postindustrial rust belt cities as the basis of the economy dramatically shifted from heavy industry to services and high technology. Pittsburgh is also home to various new skyscrapers, the tallest being the U.S. Steel Tower, famous for having only three sides. Also notable on the city skyline is the futuristic PPG Plaza.

Pittsburgh's population decline during the last half century is remarkable:


Geography

File:Pittsburgh skyline nighttime 2.jpg
Pittsburgh skyline at night

Pittsburgh is located at 40°26'29" North, 79°58'38" West (40.441419, -79.977292)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.1 km² (58.3 mi²). 144.0 km² (55.6 mi²) of it is land and 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.75% water.

Pittsburgh is located at the center of a fairly expansive set of river valleys, and much of the city's residential population is situated on or near the slopes of those valleys, with certain neighborhoods (particularly south of the Monongahela) nigh inaccessible by car during the winter. As a result, Pittsburgh is widely believed to be right behind San Francisco as the "steepest" city in the United States. A pair of "inclines", or small trains intended to ascend slopes, assist in local public transportation; several tunnels are major access routes through the slopes.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 334,563 people, 143,739 households, and 74,169 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,324.1/km² (6,019.0/mi²). There are 163,366 housing units at an average density of 1,134.9/km² (2,939.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.63% White, 27.12% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.75% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 1.32% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 143,739 households out of which 21.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.2% are married couples living together, 16.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% are non-families. 39.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.17 and the average family size is 2.95.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $28,588, and the median income for a family is $38,795. Males have a median income of $32,128 versus $25,500 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,816. 20.4% of the population and 15.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 27.5% are under the age of 18 and 13.5% are 65 or older.

Pittsburgh generally has among the lowest, if not the lowest crime rates of any comparably sized city in the United States. However, this is slightly deceptive since some of the most blighted and dangerous areas of the city are actually in adjacent suburbs such as Wilkinsburg, Rankin, and McKees Rocks.

Politics

Pittsburgh is an overwhelmingly Democratic city, owing to its large union and Catholic population. The mayor and all members of city council belonging to that party. The Democratic mayoral primary election generate more excitement than the general election. The mayor serves a four year term and will face election next in 2005. County council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts.

Economy

Pittsburgh has exhibited amazing adaptability in the wake of the steel industry's collapse. The primary industries have shifted from steel manufacture and heavy industry to high technology, biomedics, banking, and service based fields.

Major corporations

Note that this list is incomplete.


Culture

Wealthy area businessmen of the 19th century, including Andrew Carnegie, the Heinz family and Henry Clay Frick, donated large sums of money to local educational and cultural institutions. As a result, Pittsburgh is rich in art and culture. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is world-class. It owns and performs at Heinz Hall, which also plays host to a number of other events throughout the year. The Benedum Center and Heinz Hall provide venues for numerous musicals, lectures, speeches, and other performances. There is a large museum dedicated to the works of Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol. The collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art is home to works by such luminaries as Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and many others, along with galleries of sculpture, modern art, the Heinz Architectural Center, a large film and video collection, and various travelling exhibits. Pittsburgh Filmmakers teaches media arts and runs three "art house" movie theaters. The Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park College has four resident companies of professional actors. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has extensive dinosaur collections on display, including the complete first Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever discovered, and an Egyptian wing. Kennywood Park is widely regarded by rollercoaster connoisseurs to have one of the best collections of functional rollercoasters in the world, including several early 20th century wooden coasters: the Racer, the Thunderbolt, and the Jack Rabbit.

The television shows The Guardian, Queer as Folk, and My So-Called Life took place in Pittsburgh.

See also: Pittsburgh accent, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (a popular children's television program produced by local celebrity Fred Rogers)

Education

Pittsburgh is home to many universities and research facilities. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has over 2.1 million cataloged items available for circulation. The Health Sciences Department at the University of Pittsburgh 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 organ transplantation, AIDS and cancer research, and many other fields. Carnegie Mellon University is a leading computer science research center, and also has renowned theater and music programs.

See also: Duquesne University, Point Park University, Robert Morris University

Transportation

Pittsburgh is connected to other urban centers by the Pennsylvania Turnpike and railroad tracks. The main artery connecting Pittsburgh to the turnpike on the east is I-376, locally known as "Parkway East", while I-279 (referred to as either "Parkway North" or "Parkway West" depending on the particular stretch of road's location with respect to downtown) connects the city with points west (including the airport) and north. Pittsburgh is also served by the Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township, Pennsylvania.

Local public transportation is coordinated by the Allegheny County Port Authority, which maintains a bus service and a small train service called "the T", which is subterranean downtown. Pittsburgh has a high number of freeze/thaw cycles in the winter which is sometimes blamed for the difficulty of maintaining local roads. The hills and rivers of Pittsburgh form many barriers to transportation within the city. Bridges are ubiquitous around town, as they connect the neighborhoods separated by rivers and valleys. The southern and eastern entrances to the city are through tunnels.

Sports

Outlying areas

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