Pittsburgh Pennsylvania History

In the 1700s the French were the first European settlers to come to the Pittsburgh area. When the British learned that the French had settled in the area young Major George Washington was sent to demand their withdrawal. When the French refused to leave, Washington returned with troops to evict them; however, the British garrison was defeated. It was not until the French and Indian War that the British managed to capture Fort Duquesne and construct a larger fort on the same site. They named the new “burgh” Fort Pitt after William Pitt the Elder, a famous British statesman.

Large coal deposits were discovered in the early 19th century. Pittsburgh’s central location along trade routes helped make the city an industrial center. When steel, iron and glass production began, thousands of immigrants poured into Pittsburgh to work in the mills and coal mines. From 1870 through 1970, Pittsburgh led the U.S. in the production of iron, steel, glass and coal mining. Unfortunately the industrial success was a mixed blessing to Pittsburgh. Through the centuries the city’s environment began to suffer. The air was filled with soot. Buildings were covered with grime and the rivers were polluted. World War I and World War II brought an increased need for the very products that were destroying quality of life in Pittsburgh. By the 1970s the Pittsburgh mills lost ground to foreign steel mills and many closed. The impact of massive unemployment coupled with the recession were devastating to Pittsburgh’s economy.

In the late 1970s revitalization and the “greening of Pittsburgh” became priorities for city leaders and marked the beginning of the Pittsburgh Renaissance. Gradually the economy shifted to education, medicine, technology, and tourism. As the Renaissance continued modern skyscrapers replaced slums. Today, Pittsburgh is home of The Carnegie Mellon University Robotic Institute and is one of the top robotic cities in the world. The University of Pittsburgh is a recognized organ transplant center and top medical school. The Pittsburgh Renaissance has paid off. Pittsburgh prospers and is cited as one of the “Most Livable” cities in the United States.