Polish Hill ( pl, Polskie Wzgórze) is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

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 ...

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, ...

. Primarily a residential area, it is home to Pittsburgh's

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Roman Catholic devotional name used to refer to the Catholic view of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love ...

church.

History

Large numbers of Polish immigrants settled the neighborhood after the mid 1800s. They were attracted to the many jobs in Pittsburgh's burgeoning

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...

industry, which immigrants could perform even before learning much English. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, construction of highways were supported by the federal government, and new residential areas were developed in the suburbs. Polish Hill and other neighborhoods began to lose population as some of its more established residents joined the suburban and

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

movement, a process seen in many established cities in the US. At the same time, Polish Hill has many residents who are the descendants of non-Polish immigrants and is attracting new residents who value its scale, walkability, and proximity to jobs and amenities.

Surrounding Pittsburgh neighborhoods

Polish Hill has five borders with the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Lower Lawrenceville to the north, North Oakland to the southeast, Upper Hill District to the south,

Bedford Dwellings The Hill District is a grouping of historically African American neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, "the Hill" was the cultural center of black life in the city and a major cent ...

to the southwest and the Strip District to the west and northwest. Polish Hill also runs catty-corner (without a direct border) with Bloomfield to the east with its meeting point at the center of the Bloomfield Bridge.

Government

Polish Hill has representation on the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts. The city operates under a mayor-council syst ...

by the council member for District 7. It is within Pittsburgh's 6th ward.

City Steps

The Polish Hill neighborhood has 16 distinct flights of city steps, many of which are open and in a safe condition. In Polish Hill, the steps quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation and provide an easy way to travel through this densely populated area.

Gallery

File:Pitttsburgh Polish Hill autumn 2012 01.JPG File:Polish Hill from Herr’s Island Railroad Bridge, 2015-06-28, 01.jpg File:Polish Hill, Pittsburgh PA.jpg File:3120 Brereton Street, Polish Hill, 2022-03-24, 01.jpg File:Pitttsburgh Polish Hill autumn 2012 06.JPG File:Downing street steps (2620902449).jpg File:Pitttsburgh Polish Hill autumn 2012 02.JPG

References

External links

Polish Hill Civic AssociationPolish Hill Community BlogPittsburghCityLiving — Polish Hill
{{Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Polish communities in the United States Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh Polish-American culture in Pittsburgh