Swissvale, Pennsylvania
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Swissvale is a borough in
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, state's second-most populous county, after Philadelp ...
, United States, east of downtown
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. Named for a farmstead owned by James Swisshelm, during the
industrial age The Industrial Age is a period of history that encompasses the changes in economic and social organization that began around 1760 in Great Britain and later in other countries, characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools with power-d ...
it was the site of the
Union Switch and Signal Company Union Switch & Signal (commonly referred to as US&S) was an American company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which focused on railway signaling equipment, systems and services. The company was acquired by Ansaldo STS (from 2015, Hitachi Rail ...
of
George Westinghouse George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was a prolific American inventor, engineer, and entrepreneurial industrialist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his creation of the railway air brake and for bei ...
. The population was 8,624 at the 2020 census.


History

Swissvale is named after the Swisshelm family. John Swisshelm (1752–1838), who owned a farm where the town is located. John Swisshelm served under General
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
in the Revolutionary War, and camped at
Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...
. Swisshelm married Mary Elizabeth Miller, and they had many children. Their son, James Swisshelm, married Jane Grey Cannon, noted abolitionist and political activist, Jane Swisshelm named the town Swissvale as the town overlooked the Monongahela River Valley. The Pittsburgh neighborhood of Swisshelm Park, adjacent to Swissvale, is named after John Swisshelm. Since 1874, the Allegheny Car & Transportation Shops had provided well-paying jobs to local citizens and were later purchased by
George Westinghouse George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was a prolific American inventor, engineer, and entrepreneurial industrialist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his creation of the railway air brake and for bei ...
, the President of
Westinghouse Air Brake Company The Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (WABCO) was an American company founded on September 28, 1869 by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Earlier in the year he had invented the railway air brake in New York state. A ...
, who formed the
Union Switch & Signal Union Switch & Signal (commonly referred to as US&S) was an American company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which focused on railway signaling equipment, systems and services. The company was acquired by Ansaldo STS (from 2015, Hitachi Rail ...
company and maintained that facility in Swissvale.


Geography

Swissvale is located at (40.422304, −79.886185). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.76%, is water.


Surrounding and adjacent communities

Swissvale has six land borders, including Edgewood to the north, Braddock Hills to the east, North Braddock to the southeast, Rankin to the south, and the
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
neighborhoods of Regent Square and Swisshelm Park to the west. (The area known as Regent Square also encompasses portions of Pittsburgh,
Wilkinsburg Wilkinsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough has a population of 14,349 as of the 2020 census. Wilkinsburg is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The borough was named for John Wilkins Jr., a Unit ...
, Edgewood, and Swissvale.) Directly across the
Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes 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 nor ...
to the southwest is the borough of Munhall.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,624 people, 4,456 households, and 2,390 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 5,097 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 74.45% White, 22.14% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population. There were 4,456 households, out of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.0% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.85. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $31,523, and the median income for a family was $35,929. Males had a median income of $29,333 versus $25,184 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the borough was $19,216. About 14.1% of families and 15.3% 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 ...
, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.


Government and politics


Federal elections

Swissvale has voted for the Democratic party nominee overwhelmingly in the previous three general elections.


Federal representation

*
Bob Casey Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Casey is ...
, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (since 2007) *
John Fetterman John Karl Fetterman ( ; born August 15, 1969) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2006 to 2019 as the mayor o ...
, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (since 2023) * Summer Lee, U.S. House of Representative from Pennsylvania's
12th Twelfth can mean: *The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution *The Twelfth, a Protestant celebration originating in Ireland In mathematics: * 12th, an ordinal number; as in the item in an order twelve places from the beginning, follo ...
district *
Chris Deluzio Christopher Raphael Deluzio (born July 13, 1984) is an American politician, attorney, and former U.S. Navy officer serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, ...
, U.S. House of Representative from Pennsylvania's 17th district


Local government

The borough has a mayoral local government. Deneen Swartzwelder ( D) of the Democratic Party is the current mayor and has been since 2005; she is currently serving her fifth term. Borough of Swissvale Council is made up of seven elected members, with each member serving a four-year term. Council elections are held in November every other year with newly elected officials sworn in the following January. Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis represents Swissvale as a member of the Allegheny County Council from the 8th district.


Statewide representation

* Abigail Salisbury, Member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...
from the 34th district *
Jay Costa Jay Costa (born November 17, 1957) is an American politician, currently serving as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 43rd District since 1996. On November 17, 2010, Senate Democrats elected Costa as their new fl ...
, Member of the
Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...
from the 43rd district ''Source'':


Education

Swissvale is served by the Woodland Hills School District.


Transportation

Swissvale is served by the Roslyn and
Swissvale Swissvale is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, east of downtown Pittsburgh. Named for a farmstead owned by James Swisshelm, during the industrial age it was the site of the Union Switch and Signal Company of George We ...
stations on the
Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is a two-lane bus rapid transit, bus-only highway serving the city of Pittsburgh and many of its eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. It was named after Martin Luther King Jr. in recognition of the eastern ...
.


Notable people

*
Shirley Burkovich Shirley Burkovich (February 4, 1933 – March 31, 2022) was an American professional baseball infielder, outfielder and pitcher who played from 1949 through 1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at and , she batted ...
, woman's professional baseball player in
AAGPBL The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Un ...
, birthplace (1933–2022) *
David Conrad David Conrad is an American actor. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the television series ''Ghost Whisperer'' alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt. Early life Conrad is the youngest of three sons born to James Watson Conrad, an engineer, and Margare ...
, actor *
Frank Conrad Frank Conrad (May 4, 1874 – December 10, 1941) was an American electrical engineer, best known for radio development, including his work as a pioneer broadcaster. He worked for the Westinghouse Electric (1886), Westinghouse Electrical and Manuf ...
, creator of KDKA Radio (
KDKA-AM KDKA () is a list of North American broadcast station classes, class A, clear channel, AM radio station, licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. Its radio studios are located at the combined Audacy Pittsburgh fac ...
&
KDKA-FM KDKA-FM (93.7 MHz, "93.7 The Fan") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC and broadcasts a sports radio format. Studios are loca ...
); lived In Swissvale borough 1910-15 conducting transmission experiments * William B. Dickson, steel industry executive and labor policy reformer * Michael F. Doyle, congressman * Bobby Epps, NFL player for the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
*
Billy Gardell William Gardell Jr. (born August 20, 1969) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on ''Mike & Molly.'' He also had a recurring role as Billy Colivida on ''Yes, Dear'', and appeared in a dozen ...
, actor *
Dick Groat Richard Morrow Groat (November 4, 1930 – April 27, 2023) was an American professional baseball and basketball player who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in Major League Baseball. He rates as one of the ...
, baseball player for
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
and All-American college basketball player *
Agnes Christine Johnston Agnes Christine Johnston was an American screenwriter who wrote for more than 80 films between 1915 and 1948. Biography Early life Johnston was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, to John Johnston and Isabel McElhany. She attended the Horace Man ...
, screenwriter * Summer Lee, politician * Esther Silveus, radiologist *
Vladimir K. Zworykin Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (1888/1889July 29, 1982) was a Russian-American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology. Zworykin invented a television transmitting and receiving system employing cathode-ray tubes. He played a role in t ...
, television inventor


References

{{S-end Populated places established in 1898 Pittsburgh metropolitan area Boroughs in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania populated places on the Monongahela River 1898 establishments in Pennsylvania