Geography of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

55.6 square miles of Pittsburgh's 58.3 square miles are land, while 2.8 square miles, or 4.75 percent, are water. The 80th meridian west runs directly through the city's central business district.

The city is located on the Allegheny Plateau, within the Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion. The Downtown district, also known as the Golden Triangle, is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, from which the Ohio River is formed. Convergence occurs in Point State Park and is known as "the Point." The city extends east to include the Oakland and Shadyside neighborhoods, which are home to numerous educational, medical, and cultural institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham University, Carnegie Museum and Library, and Carnegie Museum and Library. The city's southern, western, and northern regions are predominantly residential.

Multiple Pittsburgh neighborhoods feature two-lane roads on steep inclines. More than a quarter of neighborhood names refer to "hills," "heights," or other similar topographical features.

800 sets of outdoor public stairways with 44,645 treads and 24,010 vertical feet make up Pittsburgh's steps. There are hundreds of staircase-only streets and numerous steep streets with staircases for sidewalks. In addition to attracting hikers and fitness walkers, many of these trails offer scenic views of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

Many of the city's rivers and hollows have been surrounded by bike and walking trails. With a continuous bike/running trail, the Great Allegheny Passage and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath connect the city to downtown Washington, D.C., some 335 miles away.

Population of Pittsburgh PA

At the 2010 census, there were 305,704 people living in Pittsburgh, a decline of 8.6% since 2000

In 2010, there were 143,739 households, 21.9% of which included children under the age of 18, 31.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder without a husband present, and 48.4% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were comprised of individuals, and 13.7% of those had at least one senior citizen living alone. The average size of a household was 2.17, while the average size of a family was 2.95.