Vu+... There’s More to Mt. Washington

What do you do the first time you visit Pittsburgh? Long-time residents and visitors alike will tell you to hop on one of the inclines to see the view from Mt. Washington. Rated second most beautiful vista in America by USA Weekend Magazine, over one million people a year come to see it. While the panorama is certainly worth the trip, the dynamic neighborhood behind the view should not be overlooked. A variety of restaurants and shops mingled with historical architecture blur the lines between past and future to create a one-of-a-kind experience.

From its earliest days as a coal-mining site and rock quarry, Mt. Washington’s location, just three vertical miles from downtown Pittsburgh ha s made it an ideal place to live. With its plentiful raw materials and natural channels for transportation, the city of Pittsburgh was at the center of the Industrial Revolution. German and Eastern European immigrants moved here en masse in the 1870’s for jobs in the glass and steel industries and as industry continued to expand and occupy most of the land near the rivers, housing became scarce. Instead of moving out, Pittsburgh’s ingenious new residents moved up. Two of the four cable cars (inclines) they constructed to transport goods and people to-and-from Mt. Washington still remain today.

The Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines located near Station Square and off of West Carson Street respectively, take passengers on a 635-foot ascent to the bustling Mt. Washington business district. Passengers stepping out of the century old cable cars are greeted with a diverse and vibrant business district.

Classic diners, intimate family-owned restaurants, casual outdoor dining, coffee shops, and an ice cream parlor as well as pharmacies, gas stations, and a neighborhood grocery store offer something for everyone. The area has recently become the focus of a preservation-based commercial district revitalization supported by Mainstreets Pittsburgh. Mainstreets Pittsburgh provides neighborhood business organizations with a range of technical assistance and financial incentives in a manner based upon the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s four-point “Main Street” approach. Mt. Washington’s Community Development Corporation is generating interest and new activity in the commercial district by using financial incentives to improve storefronts and help existing businesses expand.

In addition to supporting the creation of a vital commercial district, Mt. Washington residents have taken steps to ensure that green space is not sacrificed for urban living. The Grandview Scenic Byway Park located on 280 acres encircling Mt. Washington and adjacent neighborhoods is the fifth in the city’s network of regional parks. Until consolidated, this land was an assortment of smaller parks, greenways, forested hillsides, playing fields, and neglected land parcels. Now hiking and biking trails will connect three city parks with wooded areas to add outdoor recreation to the list of Mt. Washington’s amenities. It seems fitting that the natural beauty of the rivers and Pittsburgh skyline extend to the neighborhood that overlooks it all.

Editorial provided by Mt. Washington Community Development Corporation.