Homewood (Pittsburgh)

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Homewood
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Coordinates: 40°27′25″N 79°53′42″W / 40.457°N 79.895°W / 40.457; -79.895
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyAllegheny County
CityPittsburgh
Area
[1]
 • Total1.03 sq mi (2.7 km2)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total6,442
 • Density6,300/sq mi (2,400/km2)
Homewood North
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Baxter High School
Baxter High School
Coordinates: 40°27′36″N 79°54′00″W / 40.460°N 79.900°W / 40.460; -79.900
Area
[1]
 • Total0.434 sq mi (1.12 km2)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total3,280
 • Density7,600/sq mi (2,900/km2)
Homewood South
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
East End Brewing Company
East End Brewing Company
Coordinates: 40°27′18″N 79°54′00″W / 40.455°N 79.900°W / 40.455; -79.900
Area
[1]
 • Total0.398 sq mi (1.03 km2)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total2,344
 • Density5,900/sq mi (2,300/km2)
Homewood West
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Westinghouse High School
Westinghouse High School
Coordinates: 40°27′36″N 79°54′18″W / 40.460°N 79.905°W / 40.460; -79.905
Area
[1]
 • Total0.199 sq mi (0.52 km2)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total818
 • Density4,100/sq mi (1,600/km2)
ZIP Code
15206, 15208

Homewood is a predominantly African-American neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, officially divided into three neighborhoods: Homewood North, Homewood South and Homewood West.

Homewood is bordered on the southwest by the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway which follows the old Pennsylvania Railroad line toward downtown Pittsburgh.

Geography[edit]

Homewood is located in the easternmost part of Pittsburgh. Parts of Homewood's Northern and Eastern border are shared with Penn Hills Township. Within the city of Pittsburgh, Homewood is bordered by the following neighborhoods: on the east by East Hills; on the west by Larimer; on the North by Lincoln-Lemington Belmar;[2] and on the south by North Point Breeze.[3]

History[edit]

Homewood was founded in 1832 by Judge William Wilkins.[4] The earliest black residents moved into the sparsely-populated area in the aftermath of the Civil War.[5] Homewood was annexed by the city of Pittsburgh on December 1, 1884[4] and held in those years mainly estates for the wealthy, being the Pittsburgh residence of industrialists Andrew Carnegie and Thomas M. Carnegie until the late 1880s. Starting in the 1910s, Irish, Italian, German, and upper middle class black families started moving into Homewood due to the low cost of housing. This caused Homewood to become more diverse. At first relations between the white and black residents of Homewood were quite good, it was not until later that tensions between the different ethnic groups became more strained.

In the 1950s the city claimed land in the Lower Hill District for the Civic Arena, and in the process, displaced 8,000 people. Most of them were less affluent blacks who then settled in rental apartments in Homewood, creating a large disparity in the number of blacks to whites in the region. This sudden influx of black residents caused a lot of the white middle class to move away from Homewood, creating a population shift from 22% black in 1950 to 66% black in 1960.[6] As a result of the area being predominantly African-American, it was greatly affected by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on 4 April 1968, whose murder caused riots in Homewood. The riots caused great damage to local businesses, severely crippling the business district there.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Homewood's identity and reputation were further degraded by the proliferation of gangs dealing in illegal drugs. The Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and the Development Corporation put together a strong effort to rebuild the area, it accomplished this by building homes and helping to open new businesses.[6]

Demographics[edit]

The 2000 Census demographics of the neighborhood are 98.3% African American, 0.6% White, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% American Indian, and 0.8% from 2 or more races. [1] The 2010 Census demographics of Homewood are 97.8% African American, 1.2% White, 0.3% American Indian, 0.15% Asian, 0.04% Native Hawaiian, and 0.37% other.[7]

Neighborhoods[edit]

Homewood is officially divided into three neighborhoods: Homewood North, Homewood South and Homewood West.

Education[edit]

Homewood is located in the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. The area offers a mix of neighborhood schools as well as specialized magnet schools. The public schools are Pittsburgh Lincoln School (K-5), Pittsburgh Faison School (K-5), and Westinghouse High School (6-12). Higher education includes the Community College of Allegheny County's Homewood Brushton Center.

Employment[edit]

Homewood's unemployment rate is higher than in most other parts of Pittsburgh.[8] Consequently, Homewood's income per capita and median household income are lower than both the Pittsburgh average as well as the Pennsylvania average. Of the employed population, men earn more per person on average than women; however, there are more employed women in Homewood than men.[9]

Transportation[edit]

Homewood is served by the Homewood station on the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.

City Steps[edit]

The Homewood neighborhood has 8 distinct flights of city steps - many of which are open and in a safe condition. In Homewood, the Steps of Pittsburgh quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation and provide an easy way to travel through this hilly area.[10]

Points of interest[edit]

Notable people[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • John Edgar Wideman talks about growing up in Homewood in his book Brothers and Keepers, in the section entitled "Our Time". His widely celebrated[12][13] "Homewood Trilogy" features the neighborhood as a main setting and includes the story collection Damballah and the novels Hiding Place and Sent for You Yesterday.
  • Toker, Franklin (1994) [1986]. Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.
  • Kenneth Roland Williams Jr (K. Roland Williams) Urban Literature author and book publisher. Attended Westinghouse High School and graduated in 1986. Notable novels include: Cut Throat, Rekindled, Reigning Queen, and critically acclaimed Anthology: Romance For The Streets.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "PGHSNAP 2010 Raw Census Data by Neighborhood". Pittsburgh Department of City Planning. 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  2. ^ Skinner, Calvin. "Penn Hills Township GIS Boundary Map". pennhills.org. Municipality of Penn Hills. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Pittsburgh Neighborhood Map". Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Neighborhood Festivals - Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon - UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon - FedEx Ground Pittsburgh Marathon Relay". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  5. ^ Byerman, Keith (2013). The Life and Work of John Edgar Wideman. Santa Barbara: Praeger. p. 1. ISBN 9780313366338. OCLC 867141160.
  6. ^ a b Community_Profile (October 2009). "Homewood: A Community Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Pittsburgh City Planning". Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  8. ^ "AreaVibes: Homewood". AreaVibes. 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  9. ^ Community_Profile (October 2009). "Homewood: A Community Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-02. there are more employed women (approx. 15%) than there are men in the Homewood communities
  10. ^ Regan, Bob (2015). Pittsburgh Steps, The Story of the City's Public Stairways. Globe Pequot. ISBN 978-1-4930-1384-5.
  11. ^ "Costa aide, lifelong Homewood resident Martell Covington to run for Gainey's state House seat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  12. ^ "Books | Featured Author: John Edgar Wideman". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  13. ^ Miller, D. Quentin (2018). Understanding John Edgar Wideman. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781611178241. OCLC 985079951.

External links[edit]

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