Etna, PA an Ode to the fiery furnaces of Mt. Etna Italy

I excluded most of the undeveloped and industrial areas from my evaluation area when assessing Etna. Etna was named after the volcano Mount Etna, an allusion to the blast furnaces, steel mills, galvanized-pipe works, and other manufacturers located there.

Etna is another example of the many steel towns in the Pittsburgh metro hugging either the Monongahela, Allegheny, or Ohio Rivers. Etna’s population peaked in 1930 near 7,500 souls. But like most steel towns, it now has less than half of that at 3,300. Yet there is much hope for this community’s rejuvenation and much progress has already been made. Etna boasts a mostly in-tact main street where more and more businesses are opening up. It’s housing market has stabilized with plenty of attractive product selling in the 100Ks and low 200Ks. It has convenient access to Downtown Pittsburgh and boasts decent density allowing many activities to be walk.

There are several areas were Etna could improve helping solidify itself as a viable urban community… bike infrastructure is sorely needed and more recreation space and parks (this may be changing soon with plans for a riverfront park). There is also need for a walkable school to locate within the borough limits. One day, hopefully the market will be strong enough to support tasteful in-fill construction.

Click here to view the full Etna album on my Flickr Page

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* ADA infrastructure is great in the downtown Etna along Butler Street. Sidewalks are consistent in the residential streets but ADA curbs are limited.
* Easy access to dwtn via the automobile. Ok access via public transit.
* Great economic diversity. Good generational diversity as 50% of households are family households.
* Nice diversity of for-sale housing ranging from 50K-250K depending on condition and size. Rentals are pretty limited but inexpensive.
* Great tree canopy due to the hill sides and creeks.
* Etna has two medium sized parks (Shaler Crest Park & Dougherty) but not much else. There are plans for a sizable riverfront park. Hopefully these come to fruition!
* Cultural amenities include several restaurants & bars, and cafes, and a couple art galleries.
* Some neighborhood retail (i.e. hardware store, candy shop, boutiques, game store, etc.), post office and an Aldi’s and shop & save on the edge of town.
* Good historic architecture especially in the urban biz district.
* Etna’s urban form is solid and the streetscape is generally good until you go north of the downtown area.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* No bike infrastructure in Etna
* Poor racial diversity as Etna is more than 90% White.
* Some grit remains but overall a safe community.
* Sadly no schools within the Etna limits. But it is in a the solid Shaler School Districts with drivable options.
* Really no urban in-fill here.

Elizabeth, PA- an attractive historic Mon Valley Town

This is an old town for Mon Valley standards. It was incorporated in 1834 as a borough and had a population of 1,120 in 1850. Elizabeth maxed its population in 1940 at just under 3,000. Currently the Borough retains about half of its population, not terrible for a Mon Valley community as most have lost 66%. Early Elizabeth specialized in glass making, steamboat building, and ship building.

The center of Elizabeth has seen a fair amount of reinvestment with repurposed buildings and an attractive streetscape on 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Also some nicely preserved mid-late 19th century housing just SW of Dwtn. To become a viable urban place Elizabeth needs more stores and revitalized buildings, bike infrastructure, at least a couple walkable schools within the borough limits, and better parks.

Click here to view the entire Elizabeth album on Flickr.

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Great tree cover and a fair amount of street trees as well.
* Good connectivity with gridded streets.
* Good economic diversity here with a slightly above average poverty rate.
* Population skews old but high percentage of family households (60%).
* Decent mix of for-sale housing 30K and the upper 100Ks, but certainly skews lower market.
* Pretty good neighborhood amenities including a post office, a drug store, dollar general, bakery, florist, a supermarket on the edge of town, and some nice boutiques and local stores.
* While there is some blight in the industrial waterfront and residential areas, not bad for the Mon valley. This seems like a pretty safe place.
* Excellent streetscape in Elizabeth’s modest dwtn. Good urban form as well helped by its mid-late 19th century fabric.
* Attractive historic buildings especially in the center of town.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Low density.
* No bike infrastructure.
* Decent access to Oakland & Downtown Pittsburgh as they are only a 30-40 minute drive. But public transit access is pretty limited.
* Not very racially diverse at the population is about 90% White.
* Rentals are limited but inexpensive.
* 3 modest parks exist in Elizabeth. None of them are spectacular.
* Cultural amenities include two community theaters and a handful of restaurants, cafes, and bars.
* No schools located within the borough all out in the outskirts.
* Really no modern in-fill here.

Donora, PA home to Baseball Legends and the Smog of 48′

Donora was incorporated in 1901 and gets its name from the combination of William Donner and Nora Mellon, banker Andrew W. Mellon’s wife. The City of was a US Steel town and quickly grew to 14K residents by 1920. The borough’s nickname is “The Home of Champions”, because of all the famous athletes that originate from here including Ken Griffy Sr & Jr and Stan Musial. Sadly the town was made more famous as the scene of the infamous Donora Smog of 1948. An air inversion incident trapped air pollution from the American Steel and Wire plant and Donora Zinc Works causing almost 100 deaths of thousands of injuries. Donora also has an interesting historic district called Cement City. The homes were built completely out of pre-formed and poured concrete.

Similar To Charleroi, Donora has seen about a 2/3 drop in its population. It was at 14K in 1920 and now around 4,500 souls reside here. But Donora has not seem the same level and revitalization in its main street as Charleroi even with having higher overall incomes in the borough. The historic main street McKean Ave has changed much since the 60s & 70s other than deteriorating. Surprisingly most of the historic building are still in-tact, leaving a decent urban form in place, but most are empty. Residential streets are a mix of blight and stable areas. Housing is also cheaper here than Charleroi as the vast majority of homes are selling below 50K. Sadly I don’t see Donora revitalizing anytime soon and becoming a viable urban place. But at least money can be spent to stabilizing the town through an aggressive clean and green program. Commercial buildings can be mothballed or demolished when appropriate and hopefully some concerted effort can be placed into bring more live into the main street.

Click here to view my entire Donora album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Good street grid and connectivity.
* Poverty is still pretty high (around 20%) but income seem to be raising and is now 45K.
* Large percentage of family households around 60%.
* Attractive but blighted commercial architecture.
* High level of “city imageability” with a well defined main street, iconic historic buildings, and strong street grid.
* Most of the historic form and fabric of the business district remains, even if much of it is blighted.
* Good tree cover helped by all the undeveloped hills and ridges. Limited street trees on the main street.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Poor public transit and access to major employment center in the Pittsburgh Metro.
* Some racial diversity. Around 78% of population is White, 15% Black, and some Hispanic.
* Rentals are limited but inexpensive. For sale housing is cheap. Most homes selling below 50K. Limited between 50-100K. And a select few in the 100Ks. These are mostly newer suburban homes on the edges of Donora.
* No bike infrastructure.
* Cultural amenities are very limited to only a couple bars, restaurants, and the Smog Museum.
* Some neighborhood retail along McKean Ave… a pharmacy, several banks, the post office, public library, a florist and some antiques. But no supermarket or any boutiques or creative retail.
* Really no modern infill here.
* Park amenities include several ballfields (one call Ken Griffey Field) medium size wooded park called Cascade Park, and the extensive multi-purpose Palmer park.
* No supermarkets, larger retailers, or hospitals within the borough limits.
* Lots of blight throughout most of the Borough. The main street feels stuck in time since the 60s and has received very little investment.
* Sadly no significant schools within the Donora borders. They are all in neighboring, mostly suburban municipalities.

Charleroi, PA- A Mon Valley town, with a Strong Historic Heart

Charleroi got its name from the Belgian city of Charleroi an ode to the many Belgian immigrants in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, many of whom were glass makers. The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, today PPG Industries, had a large manufacturing plant in the borough at one point employing around a thousand employees. This made it one of the largest glass factories in the world . Today the borough is home to Corelle Brands, which makes Pyrex. Charleroi has seen significant population decline and is currently reduced to 1/3 of its maximum population of 11,500 in 1920. Keep in mind that the town was founded around 1900!

Charleroi has not declined as drastically as other Mon Valley communities (e.g. Duquesne, Clairton, McKeesport, or Glassport). Part of this is likely due to its racial make up (90% white). But it is also apparent that there has been a concerted effort to stabilize the borough, especially its main street heart spanning 7 blocks along both McKean and Fallowfield Avenues. Not surprisingly this is oversized for its currently population which is why significant vacancy co-exists with many stores. My hope is that more buildings can transition to residential use, work/live space, co-working offices, or other creative uses. Other areas Charleroi can improve to become a more viable urban area include moving its schools into the borough, installing bike lanes, attracting a supermarket, and continuing to mediate blight and attract immigrants.

Click here to view my entire Charleroi album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Great street grid and connectivity.
* Large percentage of family households around 50%.
* Great historic commercial architecture.
* ADA and sidewalk infrastructure is great in the businesses district including some thought newer streetscaping. The residential areas up the hill has decent ADA infrastructure.
* The urban business district hosts a nice array of neighborhood amenities including about 10 restaurants, a cafe, several bars & a brewery, a post office, library, drug store, and good array of boutiques/specialty stores and general retail.
* Other than restaurants & bars cultural amenities are limited to an escape room and a couple art galleries.
* High level of “city imageability” with a well defined main street, iconic historic buildings, and strong street grid.
* Most of the historic form and fabric of the business district remains, even if much of it is blighted.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Poor public transit and access to major employment center in the Pittsburgh Metro.
* High poverty city with about 25% below the poverty line. But incomes seem to be rising. Median household income was around 23K in 2000 and now is closer to 40K.
* Limited racial diversity. Around 90% of population is White. The rest is a mix of Asians, Blacks, and Hispanics.
* Rentals are limited but inexpensive. For sale housing is cheap. Most homes selling below 50K. Some between 50-100K. And a few in the 100Ks.
* No bike infrastructure.
* Really no modern infill here.
* Park amenities include several ballfields by the river and a couple smaller neighborhood parks in the residential areas.
* No supermarkets, larger retailers, or hospitals within the borough limits.
* Still lots of blight in the commercial district even with many occupied businesses. Some blight in residential areas, especially near town. The residential area up the hill is actually pretty stable.
* Sadly no significant schools within the Charleroi borders. They are north of borough in the outskirts.

Carrick- another gritty Pittsburgh neighborhood with good urban bones

Carrick was named in honor of the hometown of an Irish immigrant living in Pittsburgh in the mid-1800s. This is another hilly pre-WWII south hills Pittsburgh neighborhood. Developed originally as a bedroom community but tied in via streetcar service, Carrick has convenient access to Downtown and some assemblance of a historic main street on Brownsville. Brownsville has certainly seen better days, but the urban form and streetscape are largely in-tact with some neighborhood retail.

Carrick fell on pretty hard times in the 80s, 90s, 2000s but seems to be stabilizing and has a strong residential market for SF detached 3 & 4 bedrooms homes with a nice backyard selling in the 100ks and low 200ks. What is needed to bring vitality to Carrick is much more than pizza joints and bars! Plenty of empty stores could be filled with unique and creative start up businesses. This, in my opinion, would make Carrick a more desirable place and result in renovations of its more unsavory housing stock. I’d also like to see in-fill housing where it makes sense. The density here is pretty low.

Click here to view my full Carrick Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Carrick has very convenient access to downtown coupled with decent
overall transit access. One can drive to dwtn in 15 minutes or get there in 30 via the bus.
* This is a pretty diverse community, at least for Pittsburgh standards. 70% White, 15% Black, and a nice mix of Latinos and Asians. Also excellent generational and economic diversity.
* Carrick hosts 3 cemeteries, which may be the most of any Pittsburgh Neighborhood. Phillips Park is a great amenity with lots of woods, sport fields, a pool, and recreational center. Several other ballparks nearby.
* Some neighborhood retail amenities including a couple drug stores, a PA wine & spirits store, local hardware store, a dance center, a candy store, a discount grocery store, and several ethnic groceries.
* Solid urban form and streetscape along Brownsville Road.
* Great Tree Canopy

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* No bike infrastructure in Carrick
* The for sale market for Carrick is a bit soft and crummy with around 60% of its housing stocks selling for under 100K, but plenty of solid 3 & 4 bedrooms SF homes with large back yards selling in the 100Ks. Even some product selling in the 200Ks. Some rentals as well. All are pretty affordable.
* Pizza and bars is about all the Carrick has culturally. Very Pittsburgh! Carrick probably has the best concentration of dive bars in town.
* Limited specialty stores.
* Carrick is sketchy in spots and certainly plenty of blight here. But the housing market seems to be slowly stabilizing. The commercial district on Brownsville, however, seems to be stagnant.
* Schools include an elementary (well ranked) and High school (not well ranked) Also several pre-K schools.
* ADA infrastructure is high quality along Brownsville (the commercial corridor) but hit or miss in the neighborhood.
* Modern in-fill is pretty much non-existent.
* Density is pretty low for a Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Carnegie, PA a historic Steele town names in honor of Andrea himself

Carnegie Borough is named after Andrew Carnegie, who donated one of his libraries for the gesture. It was incorporated in the late 1800s. The main employers in the turn of the century were several steel mills such as Superior Steel and Union Electric Steel. Like many Steel towns, Carnegie saw significant decline in the 1970s, but it didn’t decline as much as other steel towns and has seen a stabilization of its housing and main street. Main Street is now bustling with many new restaurants and small businesses.

Carnegie also has convenient access to Downtown Pittsburgh, quality public schools, and a good cultural scene with lots of live music, and community theaters. Areas that Carnegie can improve include dedicated bike lanes, more neighborhood parks and plazas, and better ADA and sidewalk infrastructure. I would also love for urban infill to start to line the largely auto centric Mainfield Avenue.

Click here to view the full Carnegie album on my Flickr page

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Carnegie has very convenient access to downtown couple with decent
overall transit access. One can drive to dwtn in 10 minutes or get there in 20 via the bus.
* Great economic and generational diversity with over 50% of households being family households.
* Nice array of for-sale housing ranging between 50K-200K. Some housing selling for over 200K. Decent amount of rentals going for middle of the market rate.
* Culturally a good amount restaurants, bars, and cafes, a surprising large number small theater community and local stages, a couple art galleries.
* Nice neighborhood amenities including several banks, a couple drugstores, a Carnegie library, post office, many boutiques, a ,much more. There is also an Aldi grocery on the southern edge of the Borough.
* Carnegie hosts a decent Elementary and High school that are very walkable.
* Great streetscape along the main street but a bit dated so ADA infrastructure is old. Mainfield is a pretty crummy auto centric street only a couple blocks away from Main Street.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* No bike infrastructure in Carnegie.
* Carnegie Park is high quality multi-faceted recreational space but located on the suburban edge of Carnegie. No other parks in the borough.
* Carnegie certainly has its grit and some vacancy, but this is a pretty safe community.
* Sidewalks and ADA infrastructure is hit or miss in the residential streets.
* Not much modern in-fill but does exist is generally auto centric.

Brownsville, PA a Monongahela River town known for Producing some of the First Steamboats

Brownsville was originally founded as a British Fort securing the Monongahela River. Eventually entrepreneur Thomas Brown helped opened pass through the Cumberland Narrows and helped make Brownsville was a natural springboard for settlers traveling to points west, such as Kentucky. Eventually the settlement became known as “Brownsville” after him. A large flatboat building industry developed in Brownsville in the early 19th century. It also produced the first steamboat powerful enough to travel down the Mississippi River. In the ate 19th century Brownsville transitioned into a steel and manufacturing hub. By 1940, 8,000 people lived in Brownsville. But like many other industrial towns in Western PA the mid-1970s triggered a recession and Brownsville suffered a major decline. From a high of 8,000 residents in 1940, Brownsville has sunk to just over 2,000 residents. However this is not the worst population lost in the Pittsburgh Region. Braddock once boosted over 20,000 souls and now has 2,000.

From an urban perspective Brownsville has two hubs. The first was built up in the early to mid 1800s along Market and 4th Avenue. There is some assemblance of a main street here but not many stores lefts. A couple blocks off are some lovely maintained historic homes from this era. The larger main street was developed further down Market Street near the river. Some lovely historic buildings here, but many of them are in disrepair. Yet some retail presence remains bolstered by those who have not given up on the City. To urbanize Brownsville more investment and obviously more residents are needed. Hopefully civic leaders and businesses leaders will step in to preserve and renovate what historic and urban fabric remains in Brownsville. There is still a demand for well maintained historic homes reflected in prices in the 100Ks.

Click here to view my Brownsville photos on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Lots of families living here.
* Some assemblance of urban form in the two downtown nodes. One is the original downtown from the early to mid 1800s and the other is closer to riverfront and came to life in the turn of the 20th century.
* Some neighborhood amenities including a local drug store, cigar store, antiques, and a dwtn library and post office.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Poor public transit and access to major employment center in the Pittsburgh Metro.
* High poverty city with about 1/3 below the poverty line.
* ADA and sidewalk infrastructure is a mixed bag. Some areas don’t really have them or are in terrible shape, but other portions of Brownsville have updated ADA curb cuts.
* Rental housing is very limited but cheap. Plenty of run down housing but some nice historic gems. The well maintained housing is selling in the 100ks.
* Park and recreational space is limited to a ballfield, a small wharf Park, and Dwtn plaza with an outdoor amphitheater.
* Cultural amenities limited to a couple restaurants & bars and some nice historic sites.
* Several schools more on the outskirts of the town. Not rated well.
* In fill is very limited but there is a half decent affordable housing building downtown.

Butler, PA Historic Producer of the Pullman Steel Rail Cars

It’s hard to define the exact limits of Dwtn Butler. I included areas that were mostly commercial in character with some residential only areas. I used Washington and Franklin Street as the western and eastern borders, respectively. Penn St as the northern border and the railroad as the southern. By 1817, the community was incorporated as a borough with the first settlers being Irish or Scottish descent. In its heyday, the city of Butler was another steel producing hub in Western PA remains home to an AK Steel factory. In the early 20th century the City produced all-steel rail cars for Pullman-Standard.

Downtown Butler’s strength is it mostly in-tact 10 block historic main street and county court house. Lots of great shops fill these historic buildings. There are all a fair amount of cultural amenities with a unique art museum dedicated to Chinese & Japanese art, historic house museums and nice array of restaurants, bars and Cafes. Many of the City’s schools are also located downtown. Yet there is still a fair amount of blight and disinvestment surrounding the Butler main Street due to the economic decline of the City. Major areas for Butler to improve from an urban perspective include dedicated bike lanes, new parks, and mixed-use infill construction.

Click here to view the entire Butler, PA album on my Flickr page

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* High quality sidewalk and ADA infrastructure.
* Great connectivity with Dwtn Butler’s street grid.
* Over half of all households are family households.
* Fair amount of cultural amenities including a couple historic house museums, restaurants, bars & cafes, a community theater, several art galleries and the unique Maridon Museum- dedicated Chinese and Japanese art.
* Nice array of shops running down Butler’s quaint main street… a drug store, post office, library, a butcher shop, a couple book stores, and nice array of boutiques, specialty shops, and antique stores.
* Very nice historic commercial running down Main Street along with a wonderful County Courthouse. Several historic mid-sized bldgs as well.
* High quality urban form and streetscape along Main Street but this quickly falls apart as one travels away from Main Street. Lots of surface parking lots here.
* Nice array quality schools in and near Downtown Butler. 4 schools within the Dwtn area.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Over 50 minute drive to downtown Pittsburgh, bus access is pretty much non-existent.
* Bike infrastructure is non-existent.
* Some economic diversity but generally Butler is pretty poor. 27% of the population lives in poverty. Limited Racial diversity as well.
* Fair amount of for-sale housing in the Dwtn area but not much diversity in price point. Most homes sell btwn 50K-100K. Some nicer historic homes sell for more than 100K. Rentals are very limited but inexpensive.
* Recreation and Park amenities are limited to a dwtn YMCA and the plaza outside of the Butler County.
* Not much modern in-fill and what exists is generally unattractive.
* Some street trees but not great tree canopy.

Pittsburgh’s Brookline, another solid Urban Neighborhood in the South Hills

Brookline was linked by streetcar to downtown Pittsburgh in 1905 by Pittsburgh Railways who built a single line south along West Liberty Avenue (the district western edge). The neighborhood continued developing and mostly filled in by WWII. The soul of the Brookline is built around its main street on Brookline Blvd. The community has successfully stabilized its main street through a streetscaping program and incentives to bring many new businesses. Brookline also has a stable housing stock but moderately priced making it an ideal place for young families to settle. With a light rail line and decent bus service, Brookline is also served by good public transit. Areas Brookline could improve include doubling down on sidewalks, ADA modernizations, and bring bike lanes and bike stations to the community. It would also be nice to see more apartments in the neighborhood.

Click here to view the entire Brookline Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid public transit access including a light rail line running along the eastern edge of the neighborhood.
* Only about a 10-20 minute drive to dwtn and a 30-45 min commute via public transit.
* Excellent economic and generational diversity and decent racially diversity.
* Nice array of 2 & 3 bedroom rentals at reasonable rates. Limited 1-bedrooms. Stable for-sale housing generally ranging btwn 130-280K depending on size and condition.
* Good array of neighborhood amenities mostly focused along Brookline Ave including several ethnic grocers, a drug store, public library, post office, a florist, and much more. Other retail amenities along Liberty Avenue but this is very auto centric.
* This is a very safe community overall.
* 3 solid elementary schools within Brookline and a Catholic High School just south of the neighborhoods.
* Good urban form & streetscape along Brookline, terrible along Liberty.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* No bike infrastructure in Brookline.
* Only two parks in Brookline, but what exist have strong amenities including a recreational center, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and recreational fields.
* Culturally Brookline includes a nice array of restaurants & bars and a local theater.
* ADA infrastructure is hit or miss due to the neighborhood’s terrain. Sometimes its completely missing but along Brookline and other flatter streets its very good.

Blawnox, another Pittsburgh Rivertown built on Steel.

The town was founded in the late 18th century, with the name Hoboken. Steel was the community’s major industry, with the area being home to the Blaw Steel Co., Knox Welded, and Pressed Steel Co. The City changed its name in the early 20th century to Blawnox Borough to reflect the Blaw Steek Co. The town peaked at around 2,200 people in 1950. Now the population is down to around 1,400. Not a terrible population loss for an old Pittsburgh steel towns. Part of the reason is likely because the steel mill is still open along with Blawnox being in the coveted Fox Chapel School District.

Urban wise Blawnox’s strengths include a nice main street with several restaurants, bars, and shops along with a strong for-sale housing market. Blawnox is also only a 20 minutes drive to Downtown and a 30 minute bus ride. To improve from an urban perspective it would be great to see better sidewalk and bike infrastructure, and urban infill along with a supermarket and drug store. Hopefully Freeport will see more new businesses and eventually new urban infill to bolster its urban form.

Click here to view my full Blawnox Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Good access to downtown via both private car and public transit. Public transit to other parts of the region are pretty limited.
* Very good middle class neighborhood with goo economic diversity.
* Blaxnox has a surprisingly strong housing market. Plenty of for-sale homes selling in the 100Ks and 200Ks. Some more rundown homes sell below 100K.
* Decent neighborhood retail including several vintage & antiques, shops, a bank, and hair salons.
* Generally a pretty safe community but a bit gritty.
* Some nice historic buildings especially along the historic main street on Freeport. Also good urban fabric and streetscape.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Outside of the main street of Freeport sidewalks are pretty hit and miss. Also no bike infrastructure in the Borough.
* Not a very diverse community. Over 90% of the population is White.
* Rental houses are pretty inexpensive but limited.
* Park spaces are limited to really just a ballfield.
* Cultural amenities are limited to some restaurant, bars, and cafe.
* No supermarket, drug stores, or larger retail.
* Blawnox does not have any schools within the Blawnox Borough limits but it is in the coveted Fox Chapel School District.