Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a in the southwestern part of the  of. As of the, the population was 1,281,666. The is. The county forms the nucleus of the, and  Area.

History
Prior to it being settled by Europeans, the county was mostly wilderness and uninhabited except for wandering such as the, who were the largest  in the area. The, , and County obtained their name from an ancient tribe, the. They were the Indians who inhabited the region before the.

The first ans to enter the area were the in. Captain claimed the  and all of Western Pennsylvania for. The captain traveled along the and Allegheny Rivers inserting lead plates in the ground to mark the land for.

Since most of the towns during that era were developed along, both the French and the British desired control over the local rivers. Therefore, the British sent Major to try to compel the French to leave their posts, with no success. Having failed in his mission, he returned and nearly drowned crossing the ice-filled Allegheny River. In, the English tried again to enter the area. This time, they sent 41 Virginians to build. The French got news of the plan and sent an army to take over the fort, which they then resumed building with increased fortification, renaming it.

The loss of the fort cost the English dearly because became one of the focal points of the. The first attempt to retake the fort, by General, failed miserably. It was not until General attacked in, four years after they had lost the original fort, that they recaptured and destroyed it. They subsequently built a new fort on the site, including a moat, and named it. The site is now Pittsburgh's.

Both Pennsylvania and claimed the region that is now Allegheny County. Pennsylvania administered most of the region as part. Virginia considered everything south of the and east of the  to be part of its  and governed it from. The overlapping boundaries, dual governments, and multiple deed claims soon proved unworkable. In, the two states agreed to extend the westward and the region became part of Pennsylvania. From until, much of what had been claimed as part of Yohogania County, Virginia, was administered as a part of the newly created.

Allegheny County was officially created on, from parts of  and  counties. It was formed due to pressure from settlers living in the area around, which became the in. The county originally extended all the way north to the shores of and became the "mother county" for most of what is now northwestern Pennsylvania. By, the county's current borders were set.

In the 1790s, a excise tax was imposed by the. This started the so-called when the farmers who depended on whiskey income refused to pay and drove off a local town's marshal. After a series of demonstrations by farmers, President arrived with troops to stop the rebellion.

The area developed rapidly throughout the to become the center of steel production in the nation. would later be labeled as the "Steel Capital of the World."

Law and government
For most of the, until , Allegheny County was governed exclusively under the state's Second Class County Code. Under this code, the county handled everything: elections, prisons, airports, public health and city planning. Unlike the rest of the state, where certain public offices are combined and held by one person, in Allegheny County all public offices are held by elected individuals.

Before, , there were three county s. These were replaced with an elected chief officer (the county executive), a county council with 15 members (13 elected by district, two elected county-wide), and an appointed county manager. The changes were intended to maintain a separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches while providing the citizens with greater control over the government.

The county has 130 municipalities, each with its own governmental setup; no other county in Pennsylvania has nearly as many, with Luzerne County's 76 being second. The county has one  and three  (,, and ).

A 2004 study by the stated that Allegheny County would be better served by consolidating the southeastern portion of the county (which includes many small, poor communities) into one large municipality, called "," which would have a combined population of approximately 250,000. 

Geography
Allegheny County is known for the three major rivers that flow through it: the and the  converge at  to form the  river. An additional river, the, meets the Monongahela at , 10 miles south. Despite its industrial growth, much of Allegheny County is covered with forests.

According to the, the county has a total area of 1,929 (745 ). 1,891 km² (730 sq mi) of it is land and 38 km² (15 sq mi) of it (1.95%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (southwest)
 * (northwest)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 1,281,666 people, 537,150 households, and 332,495 families residing in the county. The was 678/km² (1,755/sq mi). There were 583,646 housing units at an average density of 309/km² (799/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 84.33%, 12.41% or , 0.12% , 1.69% , 0.03% , 0.34% from , and 1.07% from two or more races. About 0.87% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 537,150 households out of which 26.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.10% were living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.10% were non-families. Some 32.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.

The population was spread out with 21.90% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females, there were 90.00 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.20 males.

Economy
In the late farming played a critical role in the growth of the area. There was a surplus of grain due to transportation difficulties in linking with the eastern portion of the state. As a result, the farmers distilled the grain into, which significantly helped the farmers financially.

The area quickly became one of the key manufacturing areas in the young nation. quickly became the largest inland port in the nation, which it remains today. Coupled with deposits of iron and coal, and the easy access to waterways for barge traffic, the city quickly became one of the most important steel producing areas in the world.

With the decline of the steel industry in the U.S., the area shifted to other industries. Today, it is known for its hospitals, universities, and industrial centers. Despite the decline of heavy industry, Pittsburgh is home to a number of major companies and is ranked in the top ten among U.S. cities hosting headquarters of Fortune 500 corporations. These include Corporation,  Group,, and.

Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:, , townships, and, in at most two cases,. The following cities, boroughs and townships are in Allegheny County:

Census-designated places
s are geographical areas designated by the for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Colleges and universities

 * Byzantine Catholic Seminary
 * Byzantine Catholic Seminary

Community, Junior and Technical Colleges

 * Bidwell Training Center
 * Career Training Academy
 * Dean Institute of Technology
 * ICM School of Business and Medical Careers
 * Median School of Allied Health Careers
 * Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
 * Pittsburgh Beauty Academy
 * Rosedale Technical Institute
 * Western School of Health and Business Careers
 * Median School of Allied Health Careers
 * Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
 * Pittsburgh Beauty Academy
 * Rosedale Technical Institute
 * Western School of Health and Business Careers
 * Rosedale Technical Institute
 * Western School of Health and Business Careers
 * Western School of Health and Business Careers
 * Western School of Health and Business Careers

Transportation
Allegheny County's provider is the.

For information about roads, see and.

Recreation
There are two in Allegheny County:
 * is in the in Harmar Township and is undeveloped.
 * at the of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in downtown Pittsburgh.

Notable Natives and Residents

 * , born in Allegheny County, member of from, railroad president, and governor of  territory
 * James Bowman, (1793-1842), born in Allegheny County, noted portrait artist
 * , NFL Football Player, was born in Pittsburgh in 1961, then played for the University of Pittsburgh and professionally for the Miami Dolphins. Widely considered one of the greatest all-time NFL quarterbacks. His records include: passing totals of 61,361 yards, 8,358 attempts, 4,967 completions, 420 touchdowns and 13 seasons in which he threw for at least 3,000 yards.
 * (1928-1987), was raised in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County and is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. A museum on the city's North Side that bears his name exhibits many of his works.
 * , born on what is now Pittsburgh's North Side, studied art in Europe. She lived in Paris, befriended by the Impressionist painter . She was an innovative painter, printmaker, and etcher and is noted for her works depicting women and children.
 * (1826-1864), known as the "father of American music," was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States during the 19th century. He was born in Lawrenceville, which is now a part of Pittsburgh.
 * (1862-1901), pianist and composer. Born in Edgeworth, he debuted in Pittsburgh in 1886. His musical education in Boston and Germany led him to spend most of his time in composition for the piano.
 * Actor, ("Beetlejuice," "Batman") was born Michael John Douglas on Sept. 5, 1951, in Coraopolis.
 * Actor, ("The Big Chill," "The Fly") was born Oct. 22, 1952 in Whitaker, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
 * Director, ("Night of the Living Dead") grew up in the Bronx but moved to Pittsburgh after high school to attend the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) where he studied art, design and theater. His 1968 zombie film, made for $114,000, is a cult classic.

Major League Sports Teams

 * Team
 * Team
 * Team