Brookline (Pittsburgh)

Infobox Pittsburgh neighborhood
name = Brookline

---

caption = Along Pioneer Avenue in Brookline
locator_

---

population1990 = 15488
population2000 = 14318
latd = 40.397
longd = 80.014
area_sqmi = 2.082

Brookline is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the South Hills section (4th City Council District, 19th and 32nd Ward). Today, Brookline is Pittsburgh's second largest neighborhood. Throughout its long history, the community has retained a certain character and charm that have enriched its citizens. It has built up a heritage that spans over two centuries, dating back to the days when taxes were paid to the King of England. A notable memorial in Brookline is a retired World War II era cannon.

History

The first settlers in the area were farmers, miners and traders that fed the needs of the French, then British, garrisons stationed in the neighboring outposts. In the early colonial days, this region was considered wild country, inhabited only by the heartiest of settlers and the soldiers that protected them. The borough of Pittsburgh was chartered in 1759. Native American resentment of the invaders from the east led to hostilities, and many of the earliest settlers were wiped out during the Indian Uprising in 1763.

After the American Revolution, the borough began to expand rapidly. Land grants were issued to veterans of the war. Those who settled here were mostly from the area near Brookline, Massachusetts. They named the area after their prior home due to the abundance of small streams, which was similar to the landscape they left behind. Known as the "Gateway to the West", Pittsburgh soon became a vital port-of-call for the multitude of adventurers seeking passage to the vast western territories of the fledgling United States of America. Industry and commerce flourished.

The terrain south of Coal Hill (Mount Washington) was prime farmland and for much of the 19th century the area was dotted with small farms that helped feed the growing population of the city. Coal mines were another familiar site, with several local mines feeding the city's industrial base and it's growing residential heating needs. Family-owned mines were popular at the time.

The 20th century saw the advent of the automobile, and the addition of trolley service in 1904 led to the rapid residential development of the South Hills, including the Brookline community, then referred to as West Liberty Borough. Annexed into the city of Pittsburgh in 1908, Brookline grew quickly throughout the 1920s, as did the entire South Hills area.

Brookline Boulevard, the community's main artery and home of the commercial district, was the central hub around which the neighborhood grew. It was similar to today's suburban malls, where most of the community's needs could be satisfied. There were food stores, hardware stores, doctor's offices, soda shops, shoe stores, repair stores, dance halls, night clubs, and even a movie theatre. For those who needed to travel, the public transportation network could get a person anywhere in the city.

The post-war years saw another spurt in the growth of Brookline. The country was growing rapidly and Pittsburgh's steel mills fed that growth. During Pittsburgh's Renaissance I in the 1950s, when the area of the Lower Hill District was demolished, many displaced city residents migrated to the area around lower Pioneer Avenue, spurring the last big population surge. Brookline's census numbers eventually peaked at nearly 30,000 residents in the early 1970s.

The mid-1970s were a time of change for the city of Pittsburgh and the community of Brookline. The decline of the steel industry and the resulting loss in jobs caused the population to decrease for the first time since the Great Depression. In addition, the rise in popularity of the suburban mall brought many adjustments to the business community. Vacant homes and empty storefronts threatened to undermine the spirit of many Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Through the efforts of many concerned Brookliners, and with the help of the city and local community groups, Brookline survived the hard times and grew stronger as a result. By the dawn of the 21st century. Brookline Boulevard had come back to life, and the bonds that tie the community together as neighbors had never been stronger.

The community of Brookline will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its annexation into the city of Pittsburgh on January 4, 2008.

urrounding communities

Baldwin (a neighboring township), Beechview, Dormont (a neighboring borough), Mt. Lebanon (a neighboring municipality), Overbrook, Carrick, Bon Air

References

Further reading

*cite book | author=Toker, Franklin | title=Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait | location=Pittsburgh | publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press | year=1986, 1994 | id=ISBN 0-8229-5434-6

ee also

* List of Pittsburgh neighborhoods

External links

* [http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/maps/flash.html Interactive Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Map]
* [http://www.spdconline.org/history/index.html Brookline History (SPDC)]