Duquesne ( ) is a city along the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...
in
Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States, within the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Greater Pittsburgh is a populous region centered around its largest city and economic hub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The region encompasses Pittsburgh's urban core county, Allegheny, and six adjacent Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, ...
. The population was 5,254 at the
2020 census.
History
The city of Duquesne was settled in 1789
and incorporated in 1891. The city derives its name from
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort French colonization of the Americas, established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny River, Allegheny and Monongahela River, Monongahela rivers. It was lat ...
.
Duquesne Works, a productive
steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...
that was part of
Carnegie Steel Corporation
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel-producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. The company was forme ...
and later part of
U.S. Steel
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...
, was the heart and soul of Duquesne during its brightest moments in the early 20th century. Duquesne was home to the largest
blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...
in the world, named the "Dorothy Six".
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
´s song ''
Duquesne Whistle'' (
''Tempest'', 2012) is dedicated to it.
The city's population peaked in 1930, then declined with
deindustrialization beginning in the 1960s. Today a stark post-industrial landscape, Duquesne has fewer total residents (5,565 at the 2010 U.S. census) than were the city's mill workers in 1948. According to the ''
McKeesport Daily News'', Duquesne has the worst performing schools in the state of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Duquesne was designated a
financially distressed municipality in 1991 by the state.
Geography
Duquesne is located along the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...
, approximately south of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 10.84%, is water.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 7,332 people, 3,179 households, and 1,853 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 4,035.0 people per square mile (1,555.4/km). There were 3,768 housing units at an average density of 2,073.7 per square mile (799.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 38.92%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 57.75%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.15%
Native American, 0.14%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.74% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.29% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 3,179 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.8% were
married couples living together, 27.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,766, and the median income for a family was $25,898. Males had a median income of $25,046 versus $22,272 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $12,067. About 31.3% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 52.9% of those under age 18 and 19.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Nickole Nesby, Duquesne’s first Black female mayor, took office in January 2018.
Education
Duquesne City School District operates a public elementary school.
Duquesne High School closed in 2007. Beginning with the 2007–08 school year, Duquesne students have reported to
West Mifflin Area High School, or
East Allegheny High School. Since July 2007, the
Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) has managed all academic and business operations of the Duquesne's K-8 school district.
Notable people
*
Daniel Ford
Daniel Ford (born 1931 in Arlington, Massachusetts) is an American journalist, novelist, and historian. The son of Patrick and Anne Ford, he attended public schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, graduating in 1950 from Brewster Academy in ...
, musician
*
Gene Gedman, running back for two-time NFL champion
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
*
Martha Farkas Glaser, civil rights activist and manager of Jazz musician
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first r ...
*
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...
, jazz pianist
*
Ed Karpowich
Edwin Walter Karpowich (September 28, 1912 – November 26, 2005) was an American football tackle who played for five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round ...
, NFL player
*
George Little, NFL player
*
Dave Maurer, head football coach at Wittenberg University and
College Football Hall of Fame inductee
*
Frederick J. Osterling
Frederick John Osterling (October 4, 1865, Duquesne, Pennsylvania – July 5, 1934, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American architect, practicing in Pittsburgh from 1888.
Frederick J. Osterling was born to Philip and Bertha Osterling in Dra ...
, architect
*
Dave Pilipovich
David Gabe Pilipovich (born January 28, 1964) is an American basketball coach. Pilipovich is an assistant coach at The University of New Mexico He played college basketball at Thiel and has been a basketball coach since 1988. After five years a ...
, basketball head coach and Air Force Academy
*
Lafayette Pitts, cornerback for the
Atlanta Falcons
*
Alex Shigo
Alex L. Shigo (May 8, 1930 – October 6, 2006) was a biologist, plant pathologist with the United States Forest Service whose studies of tree decay resulted in many improvements to standard arboricultural practices. He travelled and lect ...
, horticulturist
*
Johnny Stevens
John William Stevens (May 14, 1912 – September 9, 1981) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1948 to 1971. He umpired in four World Series and five All-Star Games. Stevens also refereed college ...
, MLB umpire
*
Donald Soffer
Donald Soffer (born September 20, 1932) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a real estate developer who developed Florida swampland into what was to become the city of Aventura, Florida.
Early life and education
Soffe ...
, businessman, investor and philanthropist
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Populated places established in 1789
Pennsylvania populated places on the Monongahela River
1789 establishments in Pennsylvania
Cities in Pennsylvania