(Final) suburb of the week: Wilmerding (Pittsburgh, McKeesport: townhouse, neighborhoods, construction)

[eschaton]

Wilmerding is a small borough to the east of Pittsburgh. One of many small old industrial communities strung along Turtle Creek, it borders Turtle Creek, Monroeville, East McKeesport, and North Versailles. It is only 0.43 square miles in land area, and has roughly 2,100 people today.

Wilmerding is one of the best-preserved examples of a planned mill town in the Pittsburgh area. The land on which it now sits was purchased by George Westinghouse in 1877-1888 as a site for the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. A decade later, in 1889, the mill began construction. The following year the mill was completed and the community was incorporated as a borough, with a population of around 400. By 1900 the population had increased almost tenfold, with almost all land south of Turtle Creek having been built out. By 1920 the borough population hit its all-time peak of 6,400. Ever since then the borough has been in decline. First the decline was slow, driven by the opening up of newer suburbs surrounding Wilmerding (which was actually the first municipality to be built out in the Turtle Creek valley). This was followed by a period of rapid decline from the 1950s to the 1970s, and a period of more slow decline ever since.

Unlike many of the mill towns in the Pittsburgh area, the "mill" in Wilmerding still exists - although the successor company, Wabtec, only has its corporate offices here and a plant which employs about 200, this is a shadow of the 3,000+ which worked here at its height, and few of the workers today live within borough limits. You can see if you look through the residential streets that the housing was originally designed to be a cut above average for a mill town of its time period (though frame housing still predominates). Some portions of the northern borough contain brick semi-attached housing and even two-flat rowhouses - a rarity outside of Pittsburgh proper in the region. The old commercial core of the borough hasn't fared as well. Originally there was a thriving commercial district around the intersection of Commerce Street and Westinghouse Ave, between the old railway station and the town green (now Westinghouse Park). Much of the old town center was knocked down to construct newer townhouse-style developments in the mid 20th century, though a few remaining buildings give you a hint of the density that used to be in the area. Unfortunately, even this lesser commercial footprint is far too much for Wilmerding in its declined state - where at one time people from adjoining communities came into Wilmerding to shop, now its few remaining businesses are generally only trafficked by those walking there on foot - and there just aren't enough feet (or $$$) left to go around.

Although Wilmerding is still a relatively safe community with good housing stock for an old working-class mill town, its future looks a bit dim. The one substantial advantage that the borough still has - like much of the Turtle Creek Valley - is transit access, including via the P-69, which utilizes the East Busway and cuts down rush-hour commutes to around 30 minutes. This has played a big role in the slowdown in Wilmerding's population decline in recent years. The borough actually gained 45 people between 2000 and 2010, and is projected to have not lost much over the decade to date. Like much of the rest of the Turtle Creek valley however, it has also led to a demographic shift, as lower-income black residents of Pittsburgh move to "suburbs" where they still can get by on bus access alone. Wilmerding was only 6% black in 2000, which climbed to 18% in 2010, and is projected at 28% today. The transition to a majority-black borough is likely still 2-3 decades away, but given the steady "inversion" happening in Pittsburgh, it's likely inevitable. Personally, I think this outcome is better than the alternative, which would involve the continued decline of the historic population due to death and out-migration, with no one new replacing them at all.

[SteelCityRising]

Well done, Eschaton! I've consistently looked forward to your very informative essays on our local neighborhoods and suburbs. You rock!



^ The East Enders agree with me!

[jay5835]

I had anticipated your ending with Zelienople. A suburb too far, I guess.

Much applause from this East Ender, too.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by jay5835

I had anticipated your ending with Zelienople. A suburb too far, I guess.

I made the tactical decision at the start to limit myself to Allegheny County. After all, if I included every county in the MSA, I'd have to do this for several more years, have lots of weeks with random-ass rural townships where no one had anything of substance to say, or have to make subjective decisions about which of the communities was meritorious of inclusion.

[Copanut]

Moderator cut: copyright protection. Please provide a link to the original source

[trotter_rej]

It took you over two hours Copanut, I was beginning to get worried.

Thank you Eschaton for doing this, it's been fun and educational reading about the suburbs and neighborhoods!

[norcider]

Next up; Eschaton tackles the history of neighborhoods that no longer exist...

[zip95]

Absolutely Awesome!!!

How about just a few towns outside the county lines? Washington, Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Cranberry, Greensburg, Aliquipa.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I made the tactical decision at the start to limit myself to Allegheny County. After all, if I included every county in the MSA, I'd have to do this for several more years, have lots of weeks with random-ass rural townships where no one had anything of substance to say, or have to make subjective decisions about which of the communities was meritorious of inclusion.

Ha! And I wanted to see how you'd write up Beaver Falls.

[Catia]

Showin your age with that Winky's comment Copanut.


The poor millennials don't know about it, they grew up in a world without.


You see, youngsters:
"Winky's makes you happy to be hungry, Winkie's has a little bit more...."


here's a youtube link to some of their commercials from 1976

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW5dE7t7IIw
you can also google "WINKYS CLASSIC TV COMMERCIALS FROM 1976" if the link gets removed.