- Oakland (Pittsburgh)
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This article is about the neighborhood in Pittsburgh. For other uses, see Oakland (disambiguation).
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". [1] Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland. The neighborhood is urban and diverse and is home to several universities, museums, and hospitals, as well as an abundance of shopping, restaurants, and students. Oakland is home to the Schenley Farms National Historic District[2] which encompasses two city designated historic districts: the mostly residential Schenley Farms Historic District [3] and the predominantly institutional Oakland Civic Center Historic District.[4] The Pittsburgh Fire Bureau has Fire Station No. 14 on McKee Place and Fire Station No. 10 on Allequippa Street in Oakland.
Contents
Neighborhoods
Oakland is officially divided into four neighborhoods: North Oakland, West Oakland, Central Oakland, and South Oakland. Each section has a unique identity, and offers its own flavor of venues and housing. Oakland is Pittsburgh's second most populous neighborhood with 22,210 residents, the majority being college students.
North Oakland 
Looking east over the University of Pittsburgh and Schenley Farms Historic District
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPopulation (2000): 9857[1] Area: 0.499 sq mi (1.29 km2)[1] - North Oakland can be loosely defined as the area of Oakland between Neville and Bouquet Streets, encompassing all of Craig Street and running north to Polish Hill. The Cathedral of Learning, the engineering or mid-section of the University of Pittsburgh campus, and the Craig Street business district are in North Oakland.
Central Oakland 
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPopulation (2000): 5281[1] Area: 0.281 sq mi (0.73 km2)[1] - Central Oakland is bordered by Schenley Park, the Boulevard of the Allies, Fifth Avenue, and Halket Street. This is where the majority of non-dormitory students reside, though as noted below, those between Forbes Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies almost universally believe that they live in South Oakland. 74.1% of the population of Central Oakland is between the ages of 18 and 24.[2] It is home to many of their favorite eateries, fraternity houses and club houses. It is also the location of the relatively isolated neighborhood of Panther Hollow which runs along Boundary Street in Junction Hollow. Although it is formally designated as a separate section, Central Oakland is commonly grouped together with South Oakland, and the "central" name is rarely used by residents.
South Oakland 
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPopulation (2000): 3007[1] Area: 0.508 sq mi (1.32 km2)[1] - South Oakland runs along the Monongahela River and forms a triangular shape between the Monongahela River, the Boulevard of the Allies, and the western bank of Junction Hollow. Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is a major landmark of this neighborhood. The neighborhood is split between a riverfront flood plain to the southwest and a plateau to the northeast. The plateau is divided into two primarily residential areas which are separated from one another by Bates Street, which runs up a valley from the flood plain to the plateau. The flood plain was previously packed with industrial sites such as the Pittsburgh Works Consolidated Gas Co. and the Jones & Laughlin Steel Co.,[3] but presently, it hosts facilities such as the Entertainment Technology Center of Carnegie Mellon University.
- It is important to note that residents of Central Oakland often misidentify that neighborhood as being part of South Oakland. In other words, the border between Central Oakland and South Oakland is much further south than is commonly believed by residents. The area between Forbes Avenue and Boulevard of the Allies, almost universally referred to as South Oakland by its residents, is officially part of Central Oakland. (For example, an entry for "South Oakland" in the Urban Dictionary lists its boundaries as Forbes Avenue, the Boulevard of the Allies, and Schenley Park—an area which actually lies entirely within Central Oakland and which includes none of South Oakland.[4]) South Oakland is referred to by some as being an example of a student ghetto, but in fact, only 36.9% of its population is between the ages of 18 and 24, compared to Central Oakland's figure of 74.1%.[2] This discrepancy is largely due to the fact mentioned above that the area between Forbes Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies—which primarily houses undergraduate students—is commonly misidentified as being in South Oakland, when in fact it constitutes the heart of Central Oakland.
- South Oakland was the childhood home of Andy Warhol, and later the residence of fellow pop artist Keith Haring. Haring had his first art show while living in Oakland. NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino was also born in Oakland, not far from Warhol's home. Warhol and Marino actually grew up on the same block and their former houses are merely a few doors down from each other.
West Oakland 
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has numerous hospitals adding to Oakland's skyline
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPopulation (2000): 2272[1] Area: 0.215 sq mi (0.56 km2)[1] - West Oakland, the smallest of the four districts, is bordered by Fifth Avenue in the south, DeSoto Street in the east, the Birmingham Bridge to the west, and Allequippa Street to the north. Carlow University and most of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center can be found there.
It should be noted that although the campus of Carnegie Mellon University and parts of Schenley Park, including Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens and Flagstaff Hill, are often popularly referred to as being located in Oakland, they are technically located in the adjacent neighborhood of Squirrel Hill North.
Oakland facts
- The neighborhood is the location of the massive Carnegie culture complex, originally funded by Andrew Carnegie, which includes the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Music Hall.
- Oakland is home to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, sponsor of the annual Greek Food Festival, as well as St. Paul Cathedral, mother church of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
- Oakland was, at various points, the home of many professional Pittsburgh sports team, including the hockey Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers and the baseball Pittsburgh Pirates. They played at now-defunct venues such as the Duquesne Gardens, Pitt Stadium, and Forbes Field. The Pittsburgh Symphony and many touring plays and musical acts performed at the also now-defunct Syria Mosque. The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera also called the neighborhood home preforming until 1961 at Pitt Stadium.
- WQED, Pittsburgh's PBS station and the first community-sponsored television station in the United States, has been located in Oakland since 1954, although it moved from its original building to a new, larger one in 1970. WQED's first building, which had originally been the manse of a neighboring church, is now the Music Building of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus. Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, the nationally syndicated children's show, was taped at WQED's studios in Oakland.
- KDKA-TV, the regions first television station, went on the air at the Syria Mosque in January, 1949. The event was not only memorable locally but was also a world first as the station was the first to "network" East-coast and Midwest feeds into a modern "television network".
- Oakland is less than 3 miles (4.8 km) from Downtown Pittsburgh, and as a whole is bordered by Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, the Hill District, Greenfield, Bloomfield, and Bluff.
Former Oakland train station
The former Oakland train station in the 3800 block of Forbes Street, Oakland, was later used as a camera store.[5]
Oakland attractions
Gallery
The skyline of West, Central, and North Oakland as viewed from Flagstaff Hill
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North Oakland seen from near the top of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning.
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Hamerschlag Hall at Carnegie Mellon University[6]
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The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning viewed from the William Pitt Union
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The Pittsburgh Public Schools' Board of Education administration building
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Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park[6]
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Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon Institute
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Aerial view of Pittsburgh Public Schools' historic Schenley High School
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Soldier and Sailors' Memorial on 5th Avenue in North Oakland.
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Pittsburgh Athletic Association, built 1909-1911, at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard.
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View of the main branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh from Schenley Plaza
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"Interpretations of Oakland," a mural by John Laidacker on Forbes Avenue depicting scenes from Oakland, including Mr. Rogers
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The Stephen Foster Memorial at the University of Pittsburgh
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The former Y.M.H.A., is now Pitt's Bellefield Hall
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The former Schenley Apartments, now Schenley Quadrangle residences at the University of Pittsburgh
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The former Schenley Hotel, now the University of Pittsburgh's William Pitt Union.
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Former Mellon Institute building, now the University of Pittsburgh's Allen Hall
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The former Central Turnverein, now the Gardner Steel Conference Center at the University of Pittsburgh
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The former Ruskin Apartments, now the University of Pittsburgh's Ruskin Hall
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The former National Union Fire Insurance Company building, now the University of Pittsburgh's Thackeray Hall
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The Frick Fine Arts Building at the University of Pittsburgh
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The former William Jacob Holland residence, now the Music Building at the University of Pittsburgh
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The University Club, now a building on Pitt's campus
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The Twentieth Century Club
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Bellefield Presbyterian Church
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e f g h Census: Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Department of City Planning. January 2006. http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/assets/census/2000_census_pgh_jan06.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ a b CITY OF PITTSBURGH NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILES AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY FIVE‐YEAR ESTIMATES 2005‐2009 DATA. PROGRAM IN URBAN AND REGIONAL ANALYSIS, UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR SOCIAL AND URBAN RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH. June 2011. http://www.ucsur.pitt.edu/files/frp/City%20of%20Pittsburgh%20Neighborhood%20Profiles%20-%20ACS%202005-2009.pdf. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- ^ "Real estate plat-book of the city of Pittsburgh : from official records, private plans and actual surveys, Volume 1. Plate 15.". G. M. Hopkins & Co.. 1904. http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?view=entry;cc=maps;entryid=x-04v01p15. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ KJ the Gonzoid (2007). "South Oakland". Urban Dictionary. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=South%20Oakland&defid=2181036. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Former Oakland Station Rates Cup". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 17, 1954. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9pVRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nWoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2739,695052&dq=frank-sklar&hl=en. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Although adjacent to Oakland, these attractions are technically just within the official border of Squirrel Hill North although they are almost always popularly considered to be located in Oakland.
- Toker, Franklin (1986, 1994). Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.
External links
- Interactive Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Map
- University of Pittsburgh
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Carlow University
See also
Categories:- Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Academic enclaves
- Economy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks
- Central business districts in the United States
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