Pitcairn, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pitcairn, Pennsylvania
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Borough
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Broadway Boulevard
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Location in Allegheny County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Allegheny |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.51 sq mi (1.31 km2) |
| • Land | 0.51 sq mi (1.31 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,101 |
| • Density | 6,128.46/sq mi (2,368.28/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
15140
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| FIPS code | 42-60712 |
Pitcairn is a small town, called a borough, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It's located about 12 miles east of Pittsburgh. The town was named after Robert Pitcairn, an important official of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
In the early 1900s, Pitcairn was a busy place with huge railroad yards and shops. Nearly ten thousand people worked there. The population grew from 2,601 in 1900 to 6,310 in 1940. Since then, the number of people living there has slowly gone down. In 2020, about 3,101 people lived in Pitcairn.
Contents
History of Pitcairn
The area that became Pitcairn started to grow in 1841. A farmer named John McGinnis began selling his land to other settlers near Turtle Creek.
Railroad's Arrival
In 1850, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought some land from McGinnis. Later, in 1874, Robert Pitcairn of the Pennsylvania Railroad bought even more land. He bought 215 acres to build a new, bigger hub for the Pittsburgh railyard. The old railyard was too small for all the trains.
Becoming a Borough
In the late 1800s, people living in the growing settlement called it "Wallurba." In 1894, the settlement officially separated from what is now Monroeville. It then became its own town, known as the borough of Pitcairn.
Growth and Decline
The Pitcairn Rail Yard, run by the Pennsylvania Railroad, helped the town grow a lot. It became a strong industrial community in the first half of the 1900s. However, in 1950, the Pennsylvania Railroad decided to expand another large rail yard north of Pittsburgh. This caused the Pitcairn Rail Yard to become less important over time. As a result, the town's population also started to decrease.
Modern Rail Yard
In 1996, the Pitcairn Rail Yard was reopened. Today, it's an "intermodal facility," which means it handles containers that can be moved between trains and trucks. Since 2012, Norfolk Southern has been operating it.
Population Changes
The population of Pitcairn has changed quite a bit over the years. It grew a lot in the early 1900s because of the railroad. Then, it slowly started to decline.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 2,601 | — | |
| 1910 | 4,975 | 91.3% | |
| 1920 | 5,738 | 15.3% | |
| 1930 | 6,317 | 10.1% | |
| 1940 | 6,310 | −0.1% | |
| 1950 | 5,857 | −7.2% | |
| 1960 | 5,383 | −8.1% | |
| 1970 | 4,741 | −11.9% | |
| 1980 | 4,175 | −11.9% | |
| 1990 | 4,087 | −2.1% | |
| 2000 | 3,689 | −9.7% | |
| 2010 | 3,294 | −10.7% | |
| 2020 | 3,101 | −5.9% | |
| Sources: | |||
Famous People from Pitcairn
Pitcairn has been the birthplace of several notable people:
- Ted Weems was a famous bandleader.
- Carl Thompson is known for making musical instruments, especially guitars.
- Harry Robb was an early player in the National Football League (NFL).
- Robert Dewees "Cutty" Cutshall was a talented trombonist. He played with many famous bands, including those of Benny Goodman and Eddie Condon. He was also a founding member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band.
What Pitcairn Does
Pitcairn has always been closely linked to the railroad.
Pitcairn Rail Yard
The Pitcairn Yard opened in 1892. For many decades, it was a very important switching yard for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Later, it was used by other big railroad companies like Penn Central Railroad and Conrail. Since the 1990s, it has been an intermodal freight transport yard for the Norfolk Southern Railway. This means that large shipping containers are moved from trains to trucks for delivery, or from trucks back onto trains.
Local Businesses and Services
In 1971, the very first Fox's Pizza Den opened on Broadway Boulevard in Pitcairn. It's still open today! Pitcairn also has its own system for distributing electricity. Plus, it has a local Government-access television (GATV) cable television system for its residents.
Schools in Pitcairn
Students from kindergarten through 12th grade in Pitcairn attend schools in the Gateway School District. This public school district has about 4,300 students.
Propel Charter School
In 2012, the Gateway School Board approved a plan for a Propel charter school. This new school opened in the old Pitcairn Elementary Building, which had closed in 2011. The Propel charter school welcomed about 300 students from kindergarten to sixth grade in August 2012. It planned to expand to include seventh and eighth grades in the following years.
Law Enforcement
The town is protected by the local Pitcairn Police Department. As of 2022, the Chief of Police is Scott Farally. The department is responsible for keeping the peace in both Pitcairn and Wilmerding. They also work with other police groups nearby, like the Allegheny County Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police.
See also
In Spanish: Pitcairn (Pensilvania) para niños
