Pittsburgh in 50 Maps

by Stentor Danielson

Overview

Pittsburgh in 50 Maps offers unique new views of a city at a crossroads—culturally, economically, and demographically.

There are countless ways to map a city. Roads, bridges, and waterways help you navigate the twists and turns; topography gives you the lay of the land; population trends show you a region’s changing fortunes. But the best maps let you feel what a city’s really like. Whether you call it the Steel City, the City of Bridges, City of Champions, Hell with the Lid Off, or even the Paris of Appalachia, Pittsburgh’s distinctive character is undeniable. Pittsburgh in 50 Maps considers the boundaries of the city’s 90 distinct neighborhoods (plus Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood), the legacy of the steel industry, and how immigration continues to shape the city. You’ll also find the areas with the highest concentrations of bike lanes, supermarkets, tree cover, and fiberglass dinosaurs. Each colorful map offers a new perspective on one of America’s most consistently surprising cities and the people who live here.

Sure to be a conversation starter for Pittsburgh locals, transplants, and expats, Pittsburgh in 50 Maps is for anyone keen to understand the city in new and unexpected ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781953368850
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	03/18/2025
Series:	50 Maps
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Stentor Danielson has been a map nerd since reading The Lord of the Rings in third grade. After spending their childhood in both western and eastern Pennsylvania, they earned a BA in Geography from Colgate University and a PhD in Geography from Clark University. Since 2009 they have lived in (or just outside) Pittsburgh while teaching geography and environmental studies at Slippery Rock University. Since 2015, they have run Mapsburgh, an online shop making paper cutout street maps and fantasy-style maps of real places. They currently share a house with one human partner, two feline bosses, and a classic mid-century Pittsburgh pink tile bathroom.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Editor’s Note

Introduction

Section One: Situating the City

The Center of It All

City of Hills

City of Four Rivers?

Jaödeogë’: A City on Indigenous Land

A Growing City

City Boundaries

Shrinking and Sprawling

Coal City

Sister Cities

Postal Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh with an H

Famous Firsts

Section Two: Getting around the City

Avenues, Streets, Boulevards, and Roads

Highways, Tunnels, and Belts

Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Watersheds

Islands of Pittsburgh

City of Bridges

The Pittsburgh Left

Underground Railroad

Pittsburgh Steps

Ride the Trolley

Bike Lanes

Pittsburgh Marathon

The Parking Spot Outside the Evergreen Cafe on Penn Avenue

Section Three: Communities and Neighborhoods

A City of Neighborhoods

Mount Oliver

Gentrification

Housing Age

Children and Elderly

Race and Ethnicity

Tree Cover

Supermarkets and Food Deserts

Chinatown

Immigrant Population

LGBTQ+Burgh

Jewish Pittsburgh

Catholic Pittsburgh

Mexican War Streets

Section Four: Places in the City

The Cathedral of Learning

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

City of Dinosaurs

Carnegie’s Legacy

Steel City

Eds and Meds

Petsburgh

Air Quality

Fracking and Sunning

Rachel Carson

August Wilson

The Sporting Life

The Immaculate Reception

Sources

Editorial Reviews

"By turns fascinating, amusing, and revealing, showing off our city’s evolution from an indigenous hunting and trading hub to a meds-and-eds metropolis." —Colin Williams, Pittsburgh City Paper

"Pittsburgh in 50 Maps' gets up close and personal with the city" —Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

From the Publisher