The Changing South
Andrew Carnegie born in 1835 in Scotland soon immigranted the the U.S and lived in Pittsburgh. He worked in a cotton factory in town and always had a fancy for the railroads and steel. He made his fortune being a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and in 1870 he broke away and formed his own company. He founded his first steel company near Pittsburgh and thus created a steel company, The Carnegie Steel Company. John Pierpont Morgan bought the company in 1901 and was then soon incorporated it into the U.S Steel corporation. The Pittsburgh U.S Steel Company was in direct competition with steel mills in the South. To decrease the competition and make them more supreme c the Pittsburgh Plus was created, which was an extra tax for consumers of steel in Alabama. Firms in the South found it cheaper to get steel from Pittsburgh than from Alabama. The policy was eventually ruled illegal but it left damage to the Alabama steel economy. This Pittsburgh Plus contributed to the South's slower economy. 


Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/andrew-carnegie
http://explorepahistory.com/kora/files/1/2/1-2-1317-25-ExplorePAHistory-a0k9q9-a_349.jpg

Appalachia
With Pittsburgh being on the outskirts of the Appalachia region, coal is found in the foothills near the city. Coal is what put the city on the map and made it an important part of U.S history. Coal seems were discovered in the plateaus, and were exposed by the rivers and stream's erosive powers. These seems of coal are what powered Pittsburgh steel mills. According to William Edmund, from his book, Coal in Pennsylvania, " The earliest record of actual coal mining in Pennsylvania is shown on a “Plan of Fort Pitt and Parts Adjacent” in 1761. Fort Pitt was located in what is now downtown Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio River. The mine was located across the Monongahela River near the top of Coal Hill (now called Duquesne Heights). These early miners removed the first few tons of coal from the fabulous Pittsburgh seam, which has been called, with considerable justice, the world’s most valuable single mineral deposit." With the rich deposit of coal, mining became a major industry in Western Pennsylvania. The mines gave new job opportunities to immigrants and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh began to swell in the 1800's and 1900's. The immigrants brought with them their rich culture and religions.Today many of the mines have been closed since the 1980's. When the mines closed the ethnic culture began to leave Pittsburgh since people had to search for new job opportunities else where.

Sources:
http://pittsburgh.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcnr.state.pa.us%2Ftopogeo%2Feducation%2Fcoal%2Fes7.pdf
http://www.coalcampusa.com/westpa/index.html
http://images.asc.ohio-state.edu/is/image/eHistory/mmh/doc_humanmachinery/coalminers.jpg

The Bypassed East
Since Pittsburgh is located near three rivers, fishing is easily accessible. After the closer of the mills and steel plants, the rivers became less polluted and fish began to live in the waters again. Fish found in the rivers are, smallmouth bass, walleyes and saugers and rainbow trout. The best places to fish are off bridges and near the cement barriers of the rivers. Also old docks and boat ramps have been found to have large sources of fish near them. Even though Pittsburg is a large city, there are still opportunities to fish and make you feel as if you have left the city behind you for a moment. The Allegheny  Monongahela and Ohio Rivers are excellent places to go fishing while in the Pittsburgh area.

Sources:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/hunting-fishing/city-fishing-lots-of-action-for-anglers-who-know-where-to-go-347446/
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/fishing-pittsburgh-pennsylvania-5008.html

Manufacturing Core
As mentioned perviously, Pittsburgh was a part of the Eastern manufacturing core in the U.S. Its location near three major rivers for access to other markets and transportation, and a supply of bituminous coal made in to a central player in the Steel Rail- Epoch from 1870 -1920. During this time steel began to replace the iron used in making railroads. The development of the city of Pittsburgh began through the United States Steel Corporation and became a steel producing center. Plants were created near Pittsburgh to take advantage of the low coast water transportation and the steel being created there. As the steel industry grew so did the city and an urban center was thus formed. AndrewCarnegie can be attributed to the reason Pittsburgh became a major steel town. In 1875 he opened the largest steel plant, the Edgar Thompson, in the Pittsburg area. And in 1899 he created the Carnegie Steel Company which soon became a major leader in the Steel and Railroad industry.

Sources:
http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/famous/p/andrew_carnegie.htm
http://steelcityartist.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/young.jpg

Megalopolis
Pittsburgh has a population of 350, 363, with a median age of 33 years. Population density is 5500 people per square mile. The top three races that make up Pittsburgh are,White, Black and Asian with a per capita income of $18,000. The unemployment rate is currently at 4.25 %. It is the 13th largest city in the U.S and is 500 miles from the cities that are a part of Megalopolis, with its neighbor being Philadelphia. The major religions are, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. "The Pittsburgh area is at the center of an extensive highway system focused around Interstates 70, 80 and 76/376 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) which run east and west, and Interstate 79/279 that runs north and south."Being a part of Allegheny County, there more than 1,700 bridges and 720 are within the Pittsburgh city limits. Because its location near the Allegheny and Ohio River  bridges are necessary for transportion. Pittsburgh is the largest inland port in the U.S., providing access to the nation's 9,000 mile inland waterway system.


Sources:
http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/aboutpittsburgh/a/facts.htm
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Pittsburgh-Population-Profile.html
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Pittsburgh-Transportation.html
http://pittsburgh.net/about_pittsburgh.cfm
http://pghbridges.com/articles/p1969.JPG

Foundations of Human Activity
The first people to inhabit the Pittsburgh area were from the Iroquois tribe. they originally came to the area after crossing the Bering Straight and settled the Pittsburgh area due to the proximity of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. These river also attracted British and French traders in the 1700's. General George Washington travelled to the area and found it a a good place to make a fort for the impending war against the British. Both the British and French made Forts along the rivers. The British named their fort, Fort Pitt. A small village named Pittsborough  developed around the Fort. The British settlers soon began to mine for coal in the hillsides.Before Pittsburgh became a manufacturing town it was a largely agriculture area. The major crop being grain, whiskey was a main by product. And in 1790 the Whiskey rebellion occurred in Pittsburg. Coal was first found in modern day Mt. Washington in 1762. During the war of 1812 many farmers turned to away from their farms and went into the  manufacturing of iron, ropes and boats. In the Civil War years the Pittsburgh factories aided the Union army through the manufacturing of warships and armor plate.


Sources:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Fort_Pitt_1795_large.jpg
http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/history/a/Three-Centuries-Of-Pittsburgh-History.htm
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Pittsburgh-History.html

Geographic Patterns of the Physical Environment
Pittsburgh is located in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, at the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio. It is considered to be a part of the Appalachian Highlands. The climate is mostly humid and is located near the Atlantic ocean and the Great Lakes. Temperatures range from 90*F - zero allowing the city to experience all four seasons to their extremes. There is a consistent amount of rain fall  through out the year and a good amount of snow in the winter.
Area: 58.35 square miles
Elevation: 696 feet above sea level at river base; 1,223 feet above sea level at highest point
The natural resources found are coal and the rivers. With these Pittsburgh had a natural deposit of coal used in manufacturing and rivers for transportation.

Sources:
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Pittsburgh-Geography-and-Climate.html
http://www.siahq.org/conference/pittsburgh/images/birdeye.gif

Regions and Themes
Pittsburgh is part of a three different regions, perceived and ones that are grouped by themes. First,  Pittsburgh is located in the East Coast and is considered to be a part of the Northeast. The other regions it is a part of are the Appalachia and the manufacturing core. It is a part of the manufacturing core because of it's past part in the steel and railroad industry.  "Andrew Carnegie opened the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock in 1875 and brought inexpensive, mass-produced steel to the Pittsburgh area. He hired engineers to further streamline and mechanize the steel making process so as to maximize the profits of mass production." Through Carnegie Pittsburgh became a major Steel Town on the East Coast. Through the steel industry many were given jobs and new opportunities which led to the build up of the city. 



Sources: 
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Pittsburgh-History.html
http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/createPostcard.php?cardNum=2599613

The wonderful city of Pittsburgh is located in southwestern Pennsylvania. Once a major steel town, it is now  a modern city with skyscrapers and a center for technology. Home to the football team, the Steelers, this city founded in 1758 and has played a major role the United States economy over the years. Because of it's location,waterways and natural resources brought this city to life. Join me on a geographical journey through this fascinating city and see it's role in U.S History!

Sources:
http://www.chriswpage.com/tag/pittsburgh/
http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/aboutpittsburgh/a/facts.htm
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Pittsburgh-Geography-and-Climate.html