Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, located in the United States, is the second-largest city in the state and is the county seat of Allegheny County. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2009, it was estimated to have fallen to 311,647. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area was 2,354,957 in 2009. Downtown Pittsburgh retains substantial economic influence, ranking at 25th in the nation for jobs within the urban core (and is 6th in job density). Pittsburgh is the largest city located in Appalachia. The characteristic shape of the city's downtown is a triangular tract carved by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, where the Ohio River forms. The city features 151 high-rise buildings, 446 bridges, two inclined railways, and a pre-revolutionary fortification. Pittsburgh is known colloquially as "The City of Bridges" and "The Steel City" for its many bridges and former steel manufacturing base.

While the city is historically known for its steel industry, today its economy is largely based on healthcare, education, technology, robotics, and financial services. The region is also becoming a hub for oil and natural gas companies' Marcellus Shale production. The city has made great strides in redeveloping abandoned industrial sites with new housing, shopping and offices, such as the Waterfront and the SouthSide Works. While Pittsburgh faced economic troubles in the mid 1980s as the steel industry waned, modern Pittsburgh is economically strong. The housing market is relatively stable despite a national subprime mortgage crisis, and Pittsburgh added jobs in 2008 even as the national economy entered a significant jobs recession. This positive economic news is in contrast to the 1980s, when Pittsburgh lost its manufacturing base in steel and electronics and corporate jobs in the oil (Gulf Oil), electronics (Westinghouse), chemical (Koppers) and defense (Rockwell International) industries because of corporate raiders (Carl Icahn, T. Boone Pickens, Brian Beazer) and cheaper imports (Plaza Accord). The city is also headquarters to major global financial institutions PNC Financial Services (the nation's fifth largest bank), Federated Investors and the regional headquarters of The Bank of New York Mellon, itself partially descended from Mellon Financial and once had strong ties to the Mellon family.

In recent years, Pittsburgh has ranked high on livability surveys. In 2007, Pittsburgh was named "America's Most Livable City" by Places Rated Almanac. In 2009, Pittsburgh was named most livable city in the United States and 29th-most-livable city worldwide by The Economist. Most recently, in 2010, Forbes and Yahoo! listed Pittsburgh as the most livable city in the United States. Also in 2010, the city was named the 7th best place to have a family. In 2007, Forbes magazine named Pittsburgh, in an eight-way tie, the 10th cleanest city, and in 2008 Forbes listed Pittsburgh as the 13th best city for young professionals to live. Pittsburgh was also ranked Best Sports City by the Sporting News. On May 28, 2010, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Pittsburgh will be the host city for the 2011 NHL Winter Classic.