Knoxville (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Knoxville is a south neighborhood on Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
. It has a zip code of 15210, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3 (Central South Neighborhoods).
adjoining Beltzhoover
and Allentown
. Jeremiah Knox resided there in the early part of the nineteenth century, and established a fruit farm on the site. Strawberries
grown at the farm were particularly well known. The location of Knoxville, on the second ridge from the Monongahela River
, was a desirable location because it was shielded from the smoke emanating from the factories and mills of the South Side
. Knox began to subdivide his farm for residential development in 1872. Knoxville became accessible from the South Side in the 1870s with the opening of an incline
, the Mount Oliver Incline
, and then by an electric railway, the Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad
, in 1888. Because of its desirable location and easy access to the South Side, Knoxville attracted many middle managers of the South Side mills as residents. Knoxville Borough was annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in 1920.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It has a zip code of 15210, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3 (Central South Neighborhoods).
History
Knoxville Borough was incorporated on September 7, 1877, from that part of Lower St. Clair TownshipLower St. Clair Township
Lower St. Clair Township was a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The township was created by a division of St. Clair Township into Lower St. Clair and Upper St. Clair townships. St. Clair Township was named after Arthur St. Clair, an American Revolutionary War general and president of the...
adjoining Beltzhoover
Beltzhoover (Pittsburgh)
Beltzhoover is a neighborhood in southern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in an area known as the South Hills.The area is named for George Beltzhoover who was a farmer there in the early portion of the 19th century. The community contains a park called McKinley Park...
and Allentown
Allentown (Pittsburgh)
Allentown is a south neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The zip code used by residents is 15210, and has representation on the Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3 .-History:...
. Jeremiah Knox resided there in the early part of the nineteenth century, and established a fruit farm on the site. Strawberries
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
grown at the farm were particularly well known. The location of Knoxville, on the second ridge from the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, was a desirable location because it was shielded from the smoke emanating from the factories and mills of the South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
. Knox began to subdivide his farm for residential development in 1872. Knoxville became accessible from the South Side in the 1870s with the opening of an incline
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
, the Mount Oliver Incline
Mount Oliver Incline
The Mount Oliver Incline was a funicular in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It was designed in 1871 by the Prussian engineer John Endres and his daughter Caroline Endres. Its track was 1600 feet long, and rose to an elevation of 377 feet. It ran from South Twelfth Street at Bardford at its lower...
, and then by an electric railway, the Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad
Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad
Pittsburgh, Knoxville & St. Clair Electric Railroad was one of the earliest electric street railways. A licensee of the Daft System, the line struggled with difficult terrain, required expensive bridges, and failed financially within just 3 years of opening....
, in 1888. Because of its desirable location and easy access to the South Side, Knoxville attracted many middle managers of the South Side mills as residents. Knoxville Borough was annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in 1920.
Surrounding Pittsburgh neighborhoods
Carrick, Bon Air, Beltzhoover, Allentown. Knoxville also borders the borough of Mt. OliverSites of interest
- McKinley Park - a very green city park with a baseball diamond, sports fields, and a skateboard park.
See also
- List of Pittsburgh neighborhoods
- Mount Oliver InclineMount Oliver InclineThe Mount Oliver Incline was a funicular in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It was designed in 1871 by the Prussian engineer John Endres and his daughter Caroline Endres. Its track was 1600 feet long, and rose to an elevation of 377 feet. It ran from South Twelfth Street at Bardford at its lower...
- Knoxville InclineKnoxville InclineThe Knoxville Incline was an inclined railway that ran between Pittsburgh's South Side and Knoxville neighborhoods. The incline was constructed in 1890, and was demolished in 1960. It was designed by John H. McRoberts, with a length of 2644 feet. The Knoxville Incline was operated by the...