Pittsburgh occupies a land area of 55.5 sq mi. Over the years it has grown primarily by annexation. Between 1868 and 1900, for example, the city increased its land area nearly 16 fold to 28 sq mi. In 1907 it annexed the neighboring industrial city of Allegheny, increasing its land area by 8 sq mi and its population by 150,000. Average elevation of the city is 743 ft.

Pittsburgh is the center of a metropolitan area covering Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington, Beaver, Butler, and Fayette counties, a region of 4,624 sq mi. The metropolitan area has several small cities and substantial towns, including Butler, Greensburg, McKeesport, Uniontown, and Washington. Among Pittsburgh’s suburbs are Bethel Park, Fox Chapel, McCandless, Monroeville, Mount Lebanon, Penn Hills, and Sewickly. Pittsburgh has many distinct neighborhoods; 90 are officially recognized.

The city is remarkable for its grand entrances, especially if approached from the west through the Fort Pitt tunnel and bridge or from the north on Interstate 279 and the Fort Duquesne or Veterans bridges. The city’s core remains hidden by hills until travelers come upon its central business district, the Golden Triangle, centered where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio River. Greeting visitors is Point State Park, with its tall lighted fountain at the triangle’s tip, and a number of uniquely designed skyscrapers.

Notable among Pittsburgh’s buildings are the Gateway Center Complex (1950-1953), the Gothic towers of the PPG World Headquarters (1984), One Mellon Bank Center (1983), One Oxford Centre (1983), the Columbia Natural Gas Building (1987), Fifth Avenue Place (1987), and the USX Tower (1971), at 64 stories the tallest building between New York and Chicago. Other architectural landmarks within the Golden Triangle include the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail (1888), designed by the noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson; the Trinity Cathedral (1872); the First Presbyterian Church (1905); and the Union Trust Building (today Two Mellon Bank Center, 1916).

Pittsburgh is home to many professional and college sports teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball play in PNC Park, which opened in 2001. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League are scheduled to move into a new stadium of their own for the 2001 season. The Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League play in Mellon Arena (1962). All three professional teams have won world championships.

The city possesses a number of large parks. Ball fields and trails can be found in Frick and Highland parks; Riverview Park contains an observatory; and Schenley contains a golf course as well as hiking trails.

Use of the rivers for recreational purposes has increased in recent years, and the city has improved river access by building marinas and boat launching sites, converting former railroad lines to trails, and sponsoring riverfront housing. Notable among the developments is Washington’s Landing on a former industrial island in the Allegheny River about 2 mi from the Point. Marinas, the Three Rivers Rowing Club, tennis courts, and housing have been developed on the island as well as light industry, in addition to the preservation of large natural public areas for hiking and jogging.

The Pittsburgh Zoo was rebuilt in the early 1990s and offers a wide variety of animals in natural habitats. The National Aviary, located on the city’s North Side, has major bird collections in natural settings.

The South Side, a former steelmaking area, boasts a shopping area for arts and crafts and has many restaurants. Station Square, a rehabilitated railroad station and freight center, offers numerous restaurants and shops set on the river across from downtown. Visitors to Station Square can take one of the city’s two inclined plane railroads to the top of a bluff, called Mount Washington, that provides dramatic views of the Golden Triangle.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette