The History of the Economy of Pittsburgh

• 1. Pittsburgh is located at the confluenceof the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers. This site was first settled as Fort Duquesne by the French, but captured by the British in 1758. In the early years it was the gateway to the frontier of the Ohio River Valley. The Ohio River starts at Pittsburgh.
• 2. Boat building and metal industries were later the economic base of the region. When coke from coal began to replace charcoal from wood in iron and steel making Pittsburgh grew up as the heart of the industry. A plentiful supply of bituminous coal underlies the Pittsburgh area.
• 3. By the 1920's Pittsburgh produced one third of the national output of finished and rolled steel. It had the world's largest tube and pipe mill, structural steel plant, rail mill, wire manufacturing plant, bridge and construction fabricating plant. Pittsburgh also led in the manufacture of electrical machinery, railroad cars, tin plate, glass, fire brick and aluminum finishing. Forty percent of the nation's coal came from within 100 miles of Pittsburgh.
• 4. The heavy reliance on the metals industries resulted in economic stagnation and decline in the Pittsburgh economy when these industries experienced decreased demand and increased competition from foreign producers.
• 5. In recent years Pittsburgh has shifted from reliance on heavy manufacturing industries. The "Golden Triangle" of the downtown has been renovated. Pittsburgh is the headquarters of many major corporations; e.g. U.S. Steel, Gulf Oil, Westinghouse Electric, Rockwell International, Alcoa, National Steel, PPG Industries, H.J. Heinz. Next to New York and Chicago, Pittsburgh is the most important city for corporate headquarters.