McKeesport, Pennsylvania
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| McKeesport | |
| City | |
 McKeesport City Hall, formerly McKeesport National Bank, built circa 1890
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| Official name: City of McKeesport | |
| Named for: John McKee | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Allegheny County |
| Coordinates | 40°20′38″N 79°50′56″W / 40.34389°N 79.84889°W |
| Area | 13.9 sq mi (36 km2) |
| - land | 12.9 sq mi (33 km2) |
| - water | 1 sq mi (3 km2) |
| Population | 19,731 (2010) |
| Density | 1,529.5 / sq mi (591 / km2) |
| Founded | 1795 |
| - Incorporated (borough) | September 3, 1842 |
| Mayor | Michael Cherepko |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-4) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 412 |
  Location of McKeesport within Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website: www.mckeesport-pa.gov | |
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania; it is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census.[1] It is the second-largest city (not including townships, boroughs, and Home Rule Municipalities) in the county after Pittsburgh.
Settled in 1795 and named in honor of John McKee, its founder, McKeesport remained a village until 1830 when coal mining began in the region. Large deposits of bituminous coal existed.
McKeesport was incorporated as a borough in 1842 and as a city in 1891. Its population grew steadily until the mid-20th century, when it peaked in the 1940s. The city's population in 1900 was 34,227; in 1910, 42,694; in 1920, 45,975; and in 1940, 55,355. The decrease in the population since the 1940s is attributable to the general economic malaise that descended upon the region when the steelmaking industry moved elsewhere. The major employer was the National Tube Works, a manufacturer of iron pipes, which once employed 10,000 men. McKeesport was the site of the first G. C. Murphy five-and-ten-cent store.
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History [edit]
John McKee, an original settler of Philadelphia and son of David McKee, built a log cabin near the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers, the site of present-day McKeesport. After taking over his father's local river ferry business, he devised a plan for a city to be called McKee's Port. John set out his proposal in the Pittsburgh Gazette, as part of a program under which new residents could purchase plots of land for $20.00 (a lottery was the means to distribute the plots to avoid complaints from new land owners concerning "inferior" locations).
Around the time of the French and Indian Wars, George Washington often came to McKeesport to visit his friend, Queen Alliquippa, a Seneca Indian ruler. After being settled by the McKee family in 1795, McKeesport began to grow in 1830 when coal mining began. The first schoolhouse was built in 1832, with James E. Huey as its schoolmaster (Huey Street in McKeesport is named for him). The city's first steel mill was established in 1851.
The National Tube Company opened in 1872 and became part of U.S. Steel. In the years directly following the opening of the National Tube Company, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, McKeesport was the fastest growing municipality in the nation.[2] The city's population reached a peak of 55,355 in 1940. Families arrived from other parts of the eastern United States, Italy, Germany, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, with most working at the National Tube Company. National Tube closed in the 1980s, along with other U.S. Steel plants in the Mon Valley.
Kennedy-Nixon debate [edit]
Thirteen years before both faced off in some of the most memorable televised Presidential debates, future presidents (and contemporary Senators) Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy met in McKeesport for their first of five debates on April 22, 1947, to debate labor issues. [3]
Emergency Services [edit]
Police and Law Enforcement [edit]
Crime Rate [edit]
McKeesport has been a high crime area for the last decade. Lack of viable employment, coupled with low-income housing have made it a hot-bed for drugs and murder.
McKeesport Police Dept, [edit]
The McKeesport Police Department (McKPD) has 55 full time and 10 part time Officers. It is one of the few departments in Allegheny County with its own Detective Bureau and Traffic Division. The McKeesport Detective Bureau consists of 4 investigative divisions: Juvenille, Narcotics, Computer Crimes, and Criminal. It operates closely with the Allegheny County Police Department who has a station in nearby White Oak. Clicking on THIS will take you to their official website.
Crime Prevention and Special Units [edit]
The department has a very active Crime Prevention Program including D.A.R.E., River Rescue, C.O.P.S., D.O.T., and Bike Patrol.
It also has several special unit including Detectives, Traffic and K-9.
Staff [edit]
McKPD has a total of 65 peace officers broken down to 55 full time and 10 part time officers plus a number of civilian support staff and clerks. At any given time, the patrol division has 6 to 10 officers on duty in cars throughout the City with a Lieutenant and Sergeant in charge.
Transport [edit]
McKPD operates a large fleet of Ford Crown Victoria's, F-550s, Chevrolet Impalas and SUVs for patrol duties. McKPD also operates a police boat for river rescue and patrol duties.
Fire Department [edit]
McKeesport Fire Department [edit]
The McKeesport Fire Department has the following stations and equipment:
•Station No. 1 •About: Station #1 is located in the Public Safety Building (formerly the City Hall building) at 201 Lysle Blvd next to the Downtown business district. This station also serves as the administrative headquarters for the Fire Department. The minimum staffing for Station #1 on standby is three (3) firefighters, however it is often staffed by four (4) firefighters. •Ladder: E-One HP75 Sidestacker Aerial Quint - Ladder 190 •Deputy Chief's SUV: 1998 Ford Expedition - Command 190 •Water Rescue Trailer
•Station #2 •About: Station No. 2 is located at the intersection of Eden Park Blvd. and Tulip Drive in Renziehausen Park. The minimum staffing for Station #2 on standby is two (2) firefighters, however this station is sometimes staffed with three (3) firefighters. A 1998 Ford Cargo Van (MAC 190) is housed at Station #2. This unit is equipped with a mobile cascade system in order to refill SCBA air cylinders for our firefighters when operating at a building fire. MAC 190 is placed into service when off-duty personnel are called in for building fires and other major incidents. It is not staffed on a regular daily basis. •Engine: 2009 Seagrave Pumper - Engine 190 •Engine: 1997 KME Pumpe - Engine 190-X •Air Support Van: 1998 Ford Cargo Van - MAC 190 •Safety Promotions Trailer
In 2011, several members of the department completed training to become certified at the Technician Level for water rescue. The Fire Department also became a participating member of the Allegheny County Swiftwater/Flood Response Team. The water rescue trailer is currently based at Station No. 1 with the water rescue and ffire fighting boat moored at the McKeesport Marina.
Major Fires in McKeesport History [edit]
Date, Details, Dead and/or Injured, Cost of Damage
- Jan. 24, 1917, 5th and Sinclair St. - Normandie Bldg., $ 50,000
- Feb. 8, 1920, Fifth & Strawberry St. - Crown Chocolate Co. and Famous Dept. Store, $ 1,000,000
- Jan. 21, 1954, 551 Fifth Ave. - Monterey Inn & Ace Wall Paper Co., $150,000
- May 8, 2006, Multiple suspicious fires in Lower 10th Ward dispatched in less than one hour. One commercial and 2 residential buildings within a 2-3 block radius were set on fire during the overnight.
- July 11, 2008, Hi-view Gardens 520 Coursin St. Early morning fire in which an estimated 30 trapped occupants were rescued (with no significant injuries) from the building due to the combined efforts of the on-duty crew plus McKeesport Police and EMS personnel on scene.
EMS [edit]
Ambulances and EMS services in McKeesport are provided by the McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service which operates five ambulances. They are based at 1604 Evans Avenue. The McKeesport hospital; UPMC MCkeesport does not operate any ambulances of its own.
UPMC McKeesport [edit]
UPMC McKeesport is located at 1500 Fifth Ave.
History [edit]
Founded in 1894, UPMC McKeesport is a nonprofit acute care community hospital that serves the 200,000 residents of McKeesport and the surrounding area.
Services [edit]
The hospital offers 216 beds for acute care patients and 56 beds for patients who need skilled nursing care. Besides a separate Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Care Unit, the hospital offers ongoing rehabilitation and educational programs to patients with cardiac, neurologic, and orthopaedic diagnoses. A new, state-of-the-art emergency room opened in December of 1999. The hospital’s merger with UPMC in April 1998 provides access to UPMC’s state-of-the-art diagnostic and interventional capabilities and its extensive roster of specialists. The resources of UPMC have allowed UPMC McKeesport to enhance its services.
Geography [edit]
McKeesport is located at 40°20′38″N 79°50′56″W / 40.34389°N 79.84889°W (40.343919, -79.848844).[4] McKeesport is about 12 miles (19 km) upstream from (south of) Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km2), of which 5.0 square miles (13 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2), or 7.06%, is water.
Surrounding and adjacent communities [edit]
- Dravosburg (across the Monongahela River, via W.D. Mansfield Memorial Bridge)
- Duquesne (across the Monongahela River, via McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge)
- Versailles
- Port Vue
- White Oak
- North Versailles (borders McKeesport's Highland Grove section to the north)
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 1,392 |
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| 1860 | 2,166 | 55.6% | |
| 1870 | 2,523 | 16.5% | |
| 1880 | 8,212 | 225.5% | |
| 1890 | 20,741 | 152.6% | |
| 1900 | 34,227 | 65.0% | |
| 1910 | 42,694 | 24.7% | |
| 1920 | 46,781 | 9.6% | |
| 1930 | 54,632 | 16.8% | |
| 1940 | 55,355 | 1.3% | |
| 1950 | 51,502 | −7.0% | |
| 1960 | 45,489 | −11.7% | |
| 1970 | 37,977 | −16.5% | |
| 1980 | 31,012 | −18.3% | |
| 1990 | 26,016 | −16.1% | |
| 2000 | 24,040 | −7.6% | |
| 2010 | 19,731 | −17.9% | |
The population has fallen to less than half of its war-time high. In 2008 the U.S. Census estimated that only 22,130 people remained.[8]
As of the 2010 census,[9] there were 19,731 people residing in the city. The population density was 3,653.4 people per square mile. There were 11,124 housing units at an average density of 2,224.3 per square mile (859.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.03% (11,845)White, 36.50% (7,201)African American, 0.61% (118)Asian, 0.01% (2)Pacific Islander, 0.58% (114) from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.29% (451) of the population.
As of the 2000 census,[9] there were 24,040 people, 9,655 households, and 5,976 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,806.9 people per square mile (1,856.4/km²). There were 11,124 housing units at an average density of 2,224.3 per square mile (859.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.40% White, 24.46% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.
Households: There were 9,655 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01.
Age Distribution: The population was well distributed by age, with 25.4% under 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
Income: The median income for a household in the city was $23,715, and the median income for a family was $31,577. Males had a median income of $27,412 versus $21,977 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,242. About 18.1% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
Points of interest [edit]
- Renziehausen Park Rose Garden and Arboretum
- Penn State University - Greater Allegheny Campus
- McKeesport Area High School
- Great Allegheny Passage Trail
- Steel Valley Trail
- McKeesport Marina CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
Notable people [edit]
Actors and broadcasters [edit]
- Grover Dale, actor, dancer, choreographer, director
- Aline MacMahon, Oscar-nominated actress
- Tamara Tunie, actress
Musicians and artists [edit]
- Byron Janis, pianist
- Henrietta Leaver, Miss America 1935
- Duane Michals, photographer
- Sam Sneed, music producer and rapper
- Jerry Tachoir, jazz vibraphone and marimba player
Writers [edit]
- Bob Carroll, Jr., television screenwriter noted for his work on I Love Lucy
- Marc Connelly, playwright
- John Hoerr, journalist and author of And the Wolf Finally Came: The Decline of the American Steel Industry
- David Kalstone, writer and literary critic
- Robert M. McBride, writer and publisher
Academia [edit]
- George Marcus, anthropologist
- Merrill Singer, anthropologist
- Herbert Spiegel, psychiatrist, "father of hypnosis"[10]
- Michael Farrell[disambiguation needed], sociologist
Sports [edit]
Baseball [edit]
- Tim Conroy, former major league pitcher
- Brian Holton, former MLB relief pitcher
- Rick Krivda, MLB pitcher and 2000 Olympic gold medalist
- Tom Qualters, former MLB pitcher
- Bill Robinson, former MLB outfielder and coach
- Gary Ross, former MLB pitcher
Basketball [edit]
Bullfighting [edit]
- Bette Ford, first American bullfighter to fight in the Plaza Mexico
Football [edit]
- Jim Beirne, former AFL/NFL wide receiver~Houston Oilers (1968-1973,1976)~San Diego Chargers (1974-1975)
- Maurice Leggett, former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback
- Mike Logan, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety
- Bob Long, former NFL wide receiver~Green Bay Packers (1964-1967)~Atlanta Falcons (1968)~Washington Redskins (1969)~Los Angeles Rams (1970)
- Bill Miller, former AFL wide receiver~[Dallas Texans (1962)~Buffalo Bills (1963)~Oakland Raiders (1964-1968)
- George Mrkonic, football player for the University of Kansas
- Brandon Short, former NFL linebacker~New York Giants (2000-2003,2006)~Carolina Panthers (2004-2005)
- Jim Trimble, former NFL and CFL head football coach
Politicians and governmental leaders [edit]
- Queen Alliquippa, leader of the Seneca tribe of American Indians during the early part of the 18th century
- Frank Buchanan, former mayor of McKeesport and member of the United States House of Representatives, husband of Vera Buchanan
- Vera Buchanan, former member of the United States House of Representatives, wife of Frank Buchanan
- William Henry Coleman, former member of the United States House of Representatives
- Marc Gergely, Pennsylvania state representative
- John E. McLaughlin, former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
- Bill Shuster, member of the United States House of Representatives
Military heroes [edit]
- Donald M. Carpenter, aviator in the U.S. Navy
- Franklin J. Phillips, also known as Harry Fisher, United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient
Business and industry [edit]
- Helen Richey, first woman pilot of a commercial airliner
- Robert J. Stevens, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin
Gallery [edit]
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CarnegieFreeLibraryofMcKeesport.jpg
The Carnegie Free Library of McKeesport, built in 1902
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The Jerome Street Bridge (aka Lysle Blvd or 5th Avenue Bridge)
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Hitzrot House, built in 1892
See also [edit]
Notes and references [edit]
- ^ "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), McKeesport city, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder 2. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
- ^ "History". mckeesport.org. Archived from the original on 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_611870.html
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/1940.html
- ^ http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/1960cenpopv1.html
- ^ http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-1-1.pdf
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder, retrieved 2009-10-23
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Obituaries, The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2010
External links [edit]
- City of McKeesport official website
- Historic Pittsburgh Map Collections
- 1876, G.M. Hopkins Map, Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Adjoining Boroughs: Plate 69 - Borough of McKeesport
- 1900, G.M. Hopkins Map, South Eastern Vicinity of Pittsburgh
- 1914, Warrantee Atlas of Allegheny County, Plate 14: North and South Versailles Townships
- McKeesport Police Dept. Website
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