Allegheny City, Pennsylvania

City: Allegheny City

County: Allegheny

State: Pennsylvania

Lat/Long: 40.451993, -80.015763

Located across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Allegheny City, Pennsylvania was an independent municipality from its establishment until Pittsburgh annexed it in 1907. Known in modern times as the North Side of Pittsburgh, Allegheny City had its origins in the Reserve Tract created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in the 1780s to promote development in the area around Pittsburgh and to assist Revolutionary War veterans. David Redick laid out the town of Allegheny in 1788, and its population grew slowly, reaching 450 residents by 1810. Between 1826 and 1830, the population quadrupled, and in 1828, the Pennsylvania General Assembly incorporated the town as a borough. Completion of the Pennsylvania Canal furthered Allegheny Borough's development, and it teemed with cotton mills, paper mills, tanneries, foundries, and sawmills. In April 1840, Allegheny Borough became Allegheny City. Allegheny's growth and expansion prior to the Civil War allowed the city to incorporate Manchester, Spring Garden, Duquesne, and other municipalities. Thanks to extensive road building and industry, Allegheny City experienced continued growth and prosperity during and beyond the Civil War, rising in population from 4,420 in 1830 to 28,702 in 1860. By 1870, the population had doubled to over 58,000 residents.

Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson, Allegheny City: A History of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013), 2, 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, 22, 30, 31; History of Allegheny County Pennsylvania (Chicago: A. Warner, 1889), 1:519, 621.