How the city of Pittsburgh evolved from the steel mill industry to a flourishing city today 

The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is defined by hard work and resilience by its people. Pittsburgh proudly dons the nick name the “steel city,” because of its golden era during the steel industry, allowing them to be a world leader in the industry. However, all great things must come to an end, and unfortunately for Pittsburgh it did. When the industry declined in the 70s so did the city. The economy took a massive hit and there was major job loss and population decline. When your city is full of hardworking and prideful people you can make a recovery and reinvent yourself. That’s what the city of Pittsburgh did.  Today, Pittsburgh stands as a perfect example of how cities can adapt after major economic shifts. The way that Pittsburgh transformed itself from the golden era of steel city to a doom’s day city struggling economically, and finally returning to its glory as a current day landmark for education, medicine, and tech, shows us how the people of a city can reinvent their lives through hard work and pride. Someone could argue that the universities are the ones that brought the city back and investments from businesspeople. However, this paper argues it was the installment of major tech companies and the advancement of medicine in the area as well as the Steelers winning Superbowls that brought the city back to life. It also takes a certain type of community to hang in and fight for their city and keep it alive.  

Personal Narrative  

 I have been surrounded by the culture of Pittsburgh my whole life as my dad was born and raised in Pittsburgh. Having my dad’s side of the family also being from their made it so that even though I have lived in north Vancouver my entire life, I have been taught the traditions and cultures as if I have been in Pittsburgh my whole life. Some of the culture that is talked about by the people of Pittsburgh is hard work and discipline and taking pride in what you believe in. The people of Pittsburgh are considered lunch pail and hard hat type of people and of course they love their Steelers football. There is one thing that is always associated with the city of Pittsburgh and that is the steel industry. No matter what you google about the city or if you watch their sports teams play or if you travel to the city the history of their steel industry is always on display. I have watched the Steelers play every game since I have been alive and even the name of the football team reminds you of the steel industry. However, so did the way the team played they were always tough and physical just like the people of the city.

Jack Lambert is one of the best linebackers to ever play the game and the most feared player ever; I am also named after him.  

I have travelled to Pittsburgh many times for Steelers games and each time I have been fascinated by the history and the old architecture. One of my favourite things to do there is go up the Duquesne incline where there is a stunning view of the city and a great view of the confluence of the three rivers. Also at the top is a little museum of the old city and the steel industry that used to be in the area.  It has been around since 1854 and was used to bring down people and workers from Mt. Washington into the city (Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline, n.d.). Many of the hard-working people of Pittsburgh would take this trolley up and down the mountain. There is also a cool bar across the street from the museum that is called the Steel Tavern, which is made completely of steel. Stuff like this is all over Pittsburgh, steel related things to remind you of the city and of course the mom-and-pop restaurants that have been around forever with the best food you can imagine. I personally don’t think the people of Pittsburgh see the steel industry era as a bad thing or a stain on the history. The people wear it on their sleeves and are proud of what it once was. Everywhere you go the history of the steel industry is there, but I do think they are prouder of the current city and what they have become.  

The Duquesne incline was used to take people and workers form the top of Mt. Washington down to the city and back up.

The is a tavern made entirely of steel that can be found at the top of Mt. Washington right across the street from the Incline. 

That is where the purpose of this paper comes in: what played into the city of Pittsburgh being able to turn it around? They struggled after the steel industry left and yet, they have reinvented themselves and are one of the best places to live. To gain a better understanding of what Pittsburgh was like during the downfall of the steel industry and the recovery of the city, I chose to interview my dad as my expert. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh and lived there until he was 18 years old. He was there during the steel industry and when the steel industry left the city. He can provide a first-hand account of what it was like to live there through the depressing times when there were no jobs, and the economy was declining.  He has also been back many times over the recent years and can provide a good comparison of the city from back then and now. Throughout this paper the interview questions and response will be used to support claims and generate a better understanding of what the climate was like from a first-hand experience. This paper will also draw from museum archives and articles about Pittsburgh by people from Pittsburgh to help support the story of the city.

The Golden Era  

During the year 1875, a Scottish immigrant by the name of Andrew Carnegie became the richest man in the world when steel production began in the Pittsburgh area. He would join forces with Henry Clay Frick, a man who used beehive coking ovens to turn coal into coke which was a necessary material for the making of steel. In 1901, they would eventually come together and create Carnegie steel Co. They would also merge multiple companies into the United States Steel Corp (VisitPittsburgh, n.d.). Carrying on into the 1950s, Pittsburgh would be inside the top 10 for biggest city in America and would have half a million people residing in it. During this time Pittsburgh would become the biggest industrial powerhouse in the world (Foster, n.d.). Geographically, Pittsburgh was in a prime spot for the transportation of goods. The city is situated on the confluence of three rivers: the Ohio, Allegheny, and the Monongahela rivers.  

This provided the ability for people to travel to the city by boat from many parts of the country such as the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans and out east to Philadelphia and New York (Foster, n.d.). This ability to travel the country through the city by these rivers allowed the trade and transportation of goods to skyrocket the city’s economy and when the steam engine was invented that only helped their ability to trade using the rivers. The city was able to profit even more when the railroad system was built.  Pittsburgh would become the biggest producer of steel in the world. During World War Two Pittsburgh was deemed the arsenal of democracy as they produced 95 million tons of steel for the military (WQED, 2012). During this time Pittsburgh had more millionaires living in it than New York City.  

This is a steel football that was given to the owner of the steelers MR. Rooney, also known as the “Chief,” by the US steel corporation in 1982.  

The Collapse  

The 1970s for the industrial steel workers started off hot as they got a new contract that would ultimately make them the highest paid industrial workers in the world. But soon after this record-breaking deal, majority of them would be out of work. Beginning in the 1980s many people would lose their jobs to the steel industry collapsing. In Pittsburgh alone 95,000 jobs were lost when mills went out of business (Dutzikl., 2024). But where did all this start. First came the developing nations such as Japan, Brazil, and South Korea (Dutzikl, 2024). They would take advantage of the low labour costs in their own countries and slowly take away from the steel workers in America. The 1980s also saw a boom in automobiles that required steel, but China would be all over that. The last domino to fall in the steel industry was the fact that steel was just being recycled and used again for something else, up to 30% of the steel being recycled or just used for something else (Dutzikl, 2024). This would ultimately take away from the people that are gathering the raw materials to make the steel such as the people in Pittsburgh. On October 6th, 1977, is when the first big layoffs started to happen. On this day 4,500 workers were laid off starting the domino effect over the next few years (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). Soon after the next roll of lays off started on November 27, 1979. This day saw 1800 people lose their jobs and be unemployed (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). Workers were going to the extent of taking pay cuts just to keep the steel mills open and try to earn a living.  

US steel would soon start to see the financial hits from the industry as they would lose $239 million in 1980 which would be their highest quarterly loss in history (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). Two years later after the financial loss they would see 40% of their workers laid off (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). During this time of uncertainty in the economy and the job world, Pittsburgh could see record high unemployment as well as massive hits to the population. Over this time the city of Pittsburgh would lose 9% of its population.  During this time, Pittsburgh also had to deal with the black smog that filled up the sky. On sunny days you would not be able to see the sun, just black smoke and ash. My dad was able to attest to this in our interview regarding the smoke he said that, “I remember not being able to see as far as one wanted due to the smog and the air was not clean but depending on where you lived, one could escape to the rural areas where the forest and lakes were not as affected by the pollution. There are stories in the earlier days of the steel mills of being gorgeous sunny days and the skies of Pittsburgh being pure black with no sign of the sun” (Jeff Ferguson, Personal Communication, 2025). We also talked about how impactful the industry was in the community. “The steel mills were the major employers in the city. The success of the mills was crucial to the well-being of the community. Of course, there was shift work which created 24/7 feeling.” The industry was felt 24/7 and had a huge impact on the communities and their families. Another interesting point was raised in our interview, “Basically, the whole community worked in the steel industry. Status was determined by your position in the steel mills.” It was very interesting to hear that your status in the steel industry was your hierarchy in society. That’s how important and powerful the industry was it controlled everyone’s daily life regardless of if you worked there or not.  

The Recovery  

Pittsburgh has been able to make a full 180-degree recovery from the fall of the steel industry. Today Pittsburgh is a vibrant fun and overall great city to go to with world class universitas and medical and robotics programs as well as a hub for head offices. But how did they get to this. During the fall of the industry the mayor of the city made some key moves that allowed the people and the economy to stay afloat long enough so it can rebuild. On November 14, 1977, Mayor Caligiuri implemented a no tax hike to the budget that allowed the city to revitalize itself 

(Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). This was a good move by the mayor to help the people in a time of need. The city of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County would also be allocated $23.9 million and $27.19 million to start a Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). This Act would allow for low-income people and people that are on long term unemployment as well as low-income students to get a job (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). This is a big move in helping the city and its economy. Another move was made by the government on March 1st, 1983, this move saw them spend $1.7million on creating short term jobs for people that were unemployed (chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024).  These moves early on by the mayor and the government during the loss of the steel industry helped the city and its people keep their heads up and stay afloat.  

During this time there was also big help from the universities. The two major universities in the city of Pittsburgh that played a major role in the rebuild are the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University. Today both these universities are very important to the city as they are world leaders in medicine, technology, and robotics. But this all started right at the fall of the steel industry. November 14th, 1984, Carnegie Mellon University would be awarded a five-year $103 million Defence Department contract for a new institute for software engineering (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). This contract would create 250 new jobs and open the door for more. Soon after the University of Pittsburgh would receive a donation of a new research and development centre from the Gulf Oil Corporation.  

This would provide 2,000 new jobs to scientist and technicians (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). Today the University of Pittsburgh is a prominent player in the cancer research world and considered one of the best research centers in the world. December 30th, 1986, the University of Pittsburgh’s presbyterian hospital would receive a $230 million renovation that would allow for their transplant centre and cancer institute to expand so it could have more space and the ability to grow (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). That investment has paid off and it came at the right time as that’s when the city needed its help the most. During this time the University of Pittsburgh would also make a breakthrough in research. On December 11, 1986, they would be researching OK-432, which is a Japanese drug that is able to shrink tumors and lengthen the lives of cancer patients. In the modern day today the University of Pittsburgh medical centre has an annual revenue of $7 billion and has 50,000 employees (Chronology of Pittsburgh, 2024). The expert interview also uncovered an opinion on what runs the economy for Pittsburgh today “Pittsburgh is no longer driven by the steel industry, and it seems the city has become a good investment for head offices to plant tier roots like Minneapolis. What I can tell it appears the industries that are key to the Pittsburgh economy are banking, medical research, universities, pharmaceutical and finally tourism” (Jeff Ferguson, Personal Communication, 2025). 

Of course, most people will look at the business and the government spending that took place to save or revitalize the city but one thing for sure that saved the city was the Pittsburgh Steelers. During this dark and depressing time of no work and no money the Pittsburgh Steelers went on to win four super bowls in the seventies. Every person that I have talked to when I have travelled back to the city always talks about the team and how they helped the people keep their hopes up and brought joy to the city. I asked my dad about that in our interview. He was specifically asked “When the steel industry eventually started to decline what was it like? And how did people overcome this?” his response to the question had multiple avenues to discuss. Of course, he stated “It was depressing for many families as there was not much hope of resurgence of the industry,” this alludes to the depressing times the people faced but found hope in the steelers. “Even though Monday to Friday was an uncertain, Sunday brought joy to the hard-working people of Pittsburgh as the steelers won four super bowls across the Seventies.”

Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline. (n.d.). About The Incline. The Duquesne Incline. Retrieved April 1, 2025, http://www.duquesneincline.org/index8656.html?page=about-the-incline 

VisitPittsburgh. (n.d.). Pittsburgh history. https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/things-to-do/arts-culture/history/ 

Foster, S. (n.d.). Pittsburgh becomes the city of steel. PBS: American Experience. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/foster-pittsburgh-becomes-city-steel/ 

WQED. (2012, January 2). America’s arsenal: How Pittsburgh powered WWII [Video]. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/americas-arsenal-how-pittsburgh-powered-wwii-nykjzz/ 

Dutzik, T. (2024, November 12). Beyond the politics of nostalgia: What the fall of the steel industry can tell us about the future of America. Frontier Group. https://frontiergroup.org/articles/beyond-the-politics-of-nostalgia-the-fall-of-the-steel-industry-and-the-future-of-america/  

Chronology of Pittsburgh. Historic Pittsburgh . (n.d.). http://exhibit.library.pitt.edu/chronology/  

Deborah L. Wince-smith (2014, August 15). How Pittsburgh shed its rust belt. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2014/08/pittsburgh-rust-steel-city/#:~:text=While%20still%20employing%20100%2C000%20manufacturers,in%20robotics%20and%20advanced%20manufacturing. 

William s. Dietrich. (Fall, 2008) A very short history of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh quarterly. https://pittsburghquarterly.com/articles/a-very-brief-history-of-pittsburgh/ 

This is a modern day look at all the people of Pittsburgh heading to a Steelers game on Christmas day in head-to-toe gear, proudly representing their team and city.  

Conclusion  

Pittsburgh’s life has been full of ups and downs and remarkable turnarounds. They have gone from a world leader in steel to a failing economy and now a perfect example of hard work and pride. The decline of the steel industry brought on many challenges to the city, but they were met with innovations in medicine, education, and small start-up companies as well as culture and natural beauty. Pittsburgh has now become a tourist destination and a prime spot for companies to move to.  From the interview on how Pittsburgh compares now to back then, “Night and day. The city is vibrant, modern, and growing. The city offers so much entertainment with respect to art, sports, culture and truly is a tourist or vacation destination. Not to mention the beauty of the surrounding rural areas” (Jeff Ferguson, Personal Commination, 2025).  Pittsburgh is the definition of hard-working people and pride for one’s city and culture.  This turn around that the city of Pittsburgh would not be possible if it was not for the modern-day advances in technology medicine and business. They were able to capitalize on the new prominent job holders just like how they capitalized on the steel industry. There is so many more job opportunities in today’s world than ever before without the available jobs and businesses to go into this turn around would not have happened. The endless number of possibilities for advancements in these fields made it possible for the city to make a turn around like they did. But of course, no city can make the turn around if they don’t have a team like the Six-time world champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  

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