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Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County,
Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
, United States, located in
southeast Kansas Southeast Kansas is a region of the U.S. state of Kansas. It can be roughly defined by Woodson County in the northwest, Bourbon County in the northeast, Cherokee County in the southeast, and Montgomery County in the southwest. Geographically i ...
near the
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 20,646. It is home of
Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History ...
.


History

On October 23, 1864, a wagon train of refugees had come from
Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
, and was escorted by troops from the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the command of Col. William Campbell. These were local men from Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon counties. Their enlistment was over, and they were on their way to
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...
to be dismissed from service. They ran into the 1st Indian Brigade led by Maj. Andrew Jackson Piercy near the current Pittsburg Waste Water Treatment Plant. They continued to the north when a small group of wagons broke away in an unsuccessful rush to safety. The Confederate troops caught up with them and burned the wagons. The death toll was three Union soldiers and 13 civilian men who had been with the wagon train. It was likely that one of the Confederates had also been killed. A granite marker memorial for the "Cow Creek Skirmish" was placed near the Crawford County Historical Museum on October 30, 2011. Pittsburg sprang up in the fall of 1876 on a railroad line being built through the neighborhood. It was named after
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 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 ...
, and maps of the time give the town's name as "New Pittsburgh". George Hobson and Franklin Playter are credited with being the city's founders, establishing a government after its beginnings as a coal mining camp in the 1870s. The city was incorporated in 1879. The “New” was dropped upon incorporation of the City as a third class city on June 21, 1880, with M. M. Snow as its first Mayor. In 1892 it was advanced to a city of the second class, in 1905 Pittsburg attained the rank of first class. The first dwelling was built by J. T. Roach in July 1876. The first post office in Pittsburg was established in August, 1876. The post office's name was shortened from "New Pittsburgh" to "Pittsburgh" in 1881 and to "Pittsburg" in 1894. The latter renaming came after the United States Board on Geographic Names, in the interest of standardization, recommended that the 'h' be dropped from place names ending in "burgh". Pittsburg is the home to
Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History ...
, founded in 1903 as a normal training institution. Through the years the College became more diversified in its aims and goals, so that it became a multi-purpose institution. It has always had a strong manual and industrial arts program and has trained many of the area's public and private school teachers. In 1879, two miners from Joplin began the first commercial attempts at mining in close proximity of Broadway Street. A relic of the city's coal mining days was the Pittsburg & Midway Coal Company, founded in 1885, and one of the oldest continuously running coal companies in the United States (even though its headquarters moved several years ago to
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
after the Kansas mines closed). In September 2007,
Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock la ...
which owned the company, merged it with its Molycorp Inc. coal mining division to form Chevron Mining, thus ending the Pittsburg corporate name. Midway referred to a coal camp in eastern
Crawford County, Kansas Crawford County (county code CR) is a county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 38,972. Its county seat is Girard, and its most populous city is Pittsburg. The county was named in honor of Samuel J ...
that was "midway" between
Baxter Springs, Kansas Baxter Springs is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, and located along Spring River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,888. History For thousands of years, indigenous peoples had lived along the wate ...
and
Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmat ...
. Kenneth A. Spencer, whose father was among the founders of the company was to play an important role in Kansas and Missouri philanthropy. Pittsburg was also the most heavily unionized city in Kansas at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to some coal mining, the economic base of the City now rests on industry. The city has a rich cultural heritage from many Southern and Eastern European mine workers who settled in and around Pittsburg and Southeastern Kansas. It is situated in a once productive coal field. It now relies heavily on education and government-related employment.


Accolades

*The City of Pittsburg and Pittsburg State University received a University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Award of Excellence for the Block 22 project (2018) *The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the City of Pittsburg a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (2017) *Pittsburg ranked 4th in the State for Number of Business Openings in a year by LendEDU (2015-2016)


Geography

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 th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Pittsburg sits in the Ozark Highlands region, a mix of prairie and forests. It lies west of
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...
, south of
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
, and northeast of
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
.


Climate

Pittsburg has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
( Köppen ''Cfa'') bordering on a hot-summer
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
(''Dfa''). Summers are hot and humid, with as many as 73 mornings per year staying above and eight mornings remaining above – indeed in July 2012 the temperature did not fall below . The hottest morning, however, was on August 10, 2006 when the temperature did not fall below , and the hottest temperature has been on July 13 and 14, 1954. Heavy thunderstorm rains often punctuate the heat with heavy rainfall: fell on July 30, 2013. Periods of hot weather without much rain are not uncommon: only trace precipitation fell between July 28 and September 10, 2000, and only between July 7 and August 20, 1984. During the fall season, temperatures cool off fairly rapidly: the last temperature can be expected on September 22, and by the end of October temperatures have usually fallen to a comfortable level. Heavy rainfall from frontal systems or remnant tropical storms are common during this period: the wettest day with was on September 25, 1993, a year which saw between April and September as against only during the same period in 1980. September 1993 was also the wettest month on record with , while the wettest calendar year overall has been 1985 with and the driest 1963 with only . As with all of Kansas, winter weather is extremely variable, although extreme maxima are not as hot as in the southwest of the state as Pittsburg is far from the influence of hot
chinook wind Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...
s. Arctic outbreaks bring temperatures to or below on average once per winter, while maxima over can be expected four times between December and February. Winter weather is less dry than in most of Kansas since moist Gulf air often penetrates without reaching most of the state: December 2015 saw of rain, and the very cold January 1979 saw sixteen days with at least of measurable precipitation. Because the moister air masses are warm, heavy snowfall is uncommon in Pittsburg: the mean is and only twelve months have seen more than , with the most in a month being in January 1979. The most snow in a day has been on December 13, 2000, and the most snow on the ground on February 4 and 5, 2011 and March 17, 1970. Spring weather is changeable and often suspect to severe storms: Pittsburg lies in the heart of “
Tornado Alley Tornado Alley is a loosely defined area of the central United States where tornadoes are most frequent. The term was first used in 1952 as the title of a research project to study severe weather in areas of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, ...
”. The changeable weather from hot to cold can be accompanied by frequent heavy precipitation: Pittsburg can expect of precipitation between March and June, approximately what Dodge City or Liberal further west receive in a whole year. Temperatures warm up during the spring: the first temperature of can be expected on March 27, but the first of does not normally occur until May 28.


Demographics


2020 census

Population estimates from the US Census Bureau place Pittsburg’s current population at 20,738 for 2021. As of the 2020 decennial census, there were 20,646 people, up from 20,233 in 2010. This increase of roughly 2% reflects the steady population growth Pittsburg has experienced over the last decade, due to the continued investments from private industry and multiple new housing developments. As of the 2020 census, there were 8,047 households in the city and the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $86,800. The percent of persons age 25 years or older with a high school diploma was 90.8% and the percent of persons in the same demographic with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 29.9%.


Arts and culture


Events

Little Balkans Days is a three-day festival celebrating the community's European ethnic heritage, held on the
Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
weekend. It features games, entertainment, competitions, and arts and crafts. The Pittsburg Art Walk takes features vendors, artists, and musicians; it occurs multiple times per year on Broadway Street in Pittsburg's downtown district.


Points of interest

* The Bicknell Family Center for the Arts houses multiple performance halls. * Memorial Auditorium opened in 1925, and features Egyptian Revival Style architecture. It hosts concerts and performances. * Pittsburg Aquatic Center is a community swimming pool. * Carnie Smith Stadium is a Classical Revival style stadium opened in 1924, and is Pittsburg State University’s home football field and outdoor track facility. * Jaycee Ballpark. * Veteran's Memorial features a 250-seat amphitheater, a Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall replica, a reflecting pool, and plaza with over 2,000 engraved paving stones. * Robert W. Plaster Center is a track-and-field facility. * Block 22 is a commercial district. * Crawford County Historical Museum and Green Elm School. * Miners' Memorial and Immigrant Park. *
Kansas Crossing Casino The Kansas Crossing Casino + Hotel is a casino and hotel in Pittsburg, Kansas. Owned by Equity Ventures, JNB Gaming, and Laham Development, the property is operated by JNB Gaming and was built for US$80 million. Opened in 2017, it is located at t ...


Library

* Pittsburg Public Library * Leonard H. Axe Library at
Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History ...


Parks and recreation

Pittsburg hosts a multitude o
parks
inside it’s city limits * 23rd Street Bike Park - single track mountain biking park, a skills area, pump track, and dirt jump area * Countryside Park - playground and pavilion * Deramus Park - basketball court, playground, small sports field * Europe Park - unique water features and a seating area * Kiwanis Park - playground and pavilion * Lakeside Park - lake, accessible fishing dock and parking area, playground, two pavilions, tennis courts * Lincoln Park - J.J. Richards Band Dome, Kiddieland Amusement Park, Pittsburg Aquatic Center, Don Gutteridge Sports Complex, two bocce courts, nine-hole disc, golf course, fishing, playground, restrooms, and three pavilions * Paul B. Leffler Rotary Park - basketball court, grill, playground, and a small sports fields * Schlanger Park - Katherine’s playground (ADA accessible), Ronald O. Thomas Dog Park, basketball court,
pickleball Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where two players (singles), or four players (doubles), hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a net using solid-faced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and ...
court, sensory garden, two pavilions, skate park, sand volleyball, 18-hole disc golf course, and a splashpad * Sunflower Kiwanis Park - playground and pavilion * Trail Head Park/Watco Trail - pergola, benches, 1.5-mile paved walking and biking trail * Wilderness Park - four miles of trail and four pits for fishing. (Most of the trail is ADA accessible)


Government

Pittsburg is a charter city of the first class with a commission/manager form of government. The City Manager oversees all City operations and is responsible for all City departments and employees. City Hall is located at 201 West 4th Street. Offices are open from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, but are closed on most holidays. The responsibilities of the City Commission are to pass ordinances and resolutions, establish policies for the City, approve the annual budget, appoint members of citizen advisory boards and committees, and appoint the City Manager. Elections for the City Commission are held every other year. In each election, three seats are vacant on the City Commission. The two candidates acquiring the most votes receive four-year terms, while the candidate obtaining the third most votes secures a two-year term. The City Commission annually elects the Mayor and President of the Board. The Mayor, who has the same authority as the other commissioners, presides over the commission meetings, provides the official signature on documents, represents the City at official and ceremonial functions and presents the annual State of the City address. In the absence of the Mayor, the President of the Board fulfills the duties of the Mayor.Pittsburg - Directory of Public Officials
/ref>Pittsburg - Government
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Education


Primary and secondary education

The city is served by Pittsburg USD 250 public school district, which operates the following schools: * Pittsburg High School * Pittsburg Community Middle School * George Nettels Elementary School * Lakeside Elementary School * Meadowlark Elementary School * Westside Elementary School


Private schools

* St. Mary's-Colgan High School, Parochial Catholic School
Countryside Christian School
Private Christian School (K-8) * Covenant Harvest, Christian School


College

*
Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History ...
* Fort Scott Community College, School of cosmetology * Labette Community College, Cherokee Center


Media

The '' Pittsburg Morning Sun'' is the main newspaper in the city, published five days a week.(24 March 2017)
Morning Sun to move to five day schedule
''Morning Sun''
In addition, Pittsburg State University publishes a weekly student newspaper, the ''Collegio''. Pittsburg is a center of broadcast media for southeastern Kansas. Two AM and five FM radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city, and it is the second principal city of the Joplin-Pittsburg television market. The market's CBS and Fox network affiliates both broadcast from the city along with an
independent station An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, marke ...
.


Infrastructure


Public transportation

* Bus System, Pittsburg Area Community Transportation (P.A.C.T) * Taxi services


Airport

* Atkinson Municipal Airport, Aircraft based on the field 41


Medical

* Via Christi Hospital (formerly Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center) serves the area with services such as Regional Cancer and Heart Centers.


Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Pittsburg include actor
Roy Glenn Roy Edwin Glenn, Sr. (June 3, 1914 – March 12, 1971) was an American character actor. Early life Glenn was born in Pittsburg, Kansas on June 3, 1914. Career In 1949, Glenn's radio career started in Rocky Jordan – The Adventures of Rock ...
, chemical entrepreneur Kenneth A. Spencer, and broadcast journalism pioneer Paul White.


In popular culture

In late 2012, NBC
news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for '' NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
, who started his career in Pittsburg as a
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
at KOAM-TV, covered the local story of a
fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating o ...
war between Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's on the Travel Channel. The competition began in 1941 when Chicken Mary's opened across the street from Chicken Annie’s (founded 1934). The friendly rivalry continues, with members of each restaurant's founding family who married running a third restaurant.


References


Further reading


External links


City of Pittsburg

Pittsburg - Directory of Public Officials

Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce

Pittsburg City Map
KDOT * * * {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Crawford County, Kansas Micropolitan areas of Kansas Populated places established in 1876 1876 establishments in Kansas