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City Cast Pittsburgh

People, places, and scenes from Pittsburgh's past.

Francesca Dabecco

This neighborhood has a popular overlook perched more than 700 feet above the Ohio River, offering a unique view of Downtown.

Pittsburgh's only public indoor pool, Oliver Bath House, just reopened after years of renovations. Where can you find it?

Famous actor Jeff Goldblum grew up in this Pittsburgh neighborhood.

This neighborhood has a ceramics studio located inside of an old church

Which Pittsburgh neighborhood has the steepest street in the U.S.?

This borough is surrounded on all sides by city neighborhoods

What do you know about Pittsburgh neighborhoods and surrounding areas?

Pop Quiz: Fun Facts About Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

Think You Know Pittsburgh Neighborhoods? Take This Quiz

Pittsburgh History

Ten famous Pittsburghers were honored with bronze stars on the Walk of Fame in the Strip District last fall.

Test your knowledge on these famous locals, then 

Ten famous Pittsburghers were honored with bronze stars on the Walk of Fame in the Strip District last fall.

Test your knowledge on these famous locals, then send in your nominations for the next round of inductees.

How Well Do You Know Pittsburgh’s Walk of Fame Inductees?

Kevin Gavin

Megan Harris

We’re wrapping up 2025 with some local holiday trivia. See how well you know this merry time of year — and then share these fun facts at your next festive gathering!

 There are two quizzes, so double the fun! Take one, then scroll for the second.

See how well you know this merry time of year in Pittsburgh!

How Well Do You Know Pittsburgh Holiday History? Take This Quiz!

Ho Ho Ho-w Well Do You Know Pittsburgh Holiday History?

It’s freezing outside — snowy, slushy, and even a little icy — and it made us wonder: 

How often does the city deal with winter weather like this?

And when has it been bad enough to break records or shut down the city?

Here are a few of Pittsburgh’s worst snowstorms and cold snaps, plus a look at how we started measuring inclement weather in the first place.

Our city was at the forefront of what eventually became the National Weather Service.

In 1870, Congress ordered the first official meteorological observations, starting with military stations assigned to the U.S. Army Signal Office, or Signal Corps. Pittsburgh was part of this network. That November, a city worker recorded our first temperature reading by 

leaning out of a 5th Avenue window in Downtown

Modern weather stations followed in the 1930s at our airports and elsewhere. Today, our main NWS station is in Coraopolis near 

January is by far the coldest month in Pittsburgh, when the average high is 39°F and the average low is 23°F. (Scroll down for the coldest temperature ever recorded here!) It usually rains or snows (or both) 

But there have been lots of heavy snowfalls and frigid cold spells all throughout the winter months ⬇️ 

Let us know if yinz remember these frosty events

Right after Thanksgiving in 1950, Southwestern PA got more than 27 inches of snow. The “Great Appalachian Storm” was 

, the average temp that season hovered just below 21°F. January was especially brutal, with an average of 11°F. We even had 

The “Storm of the Century” dropped 23.6 inches of snow on March 13, 1993. That’s 

! Major highways shut down, flights were canceled or delayed, and in typical Pittsburgh fashion, the city still held its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade; 117 marching bands and groups braved the storm and swept through Downtown.

Pittsburgh’s coldest recorded temperature of -22°F happened 

. The high that day only got up to -3°F. It was a part of a blistering stretch when then-Gov. Bob Casey declared a state of emergency and the rivers fully froze. Temperatures stayed below zero for 

A snowstorm dropped 21.9 inches on a Friday in February 2010, and school was cancelled 

 for then-Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who’d traveled to Seven Springs to celebrate his 30th birthday and was not around to help the city in crisis.

In early January 2014, the city recorded temps as low as -9°F. Meteorologists told everyone to stay indoors to avoid near-instantaneous frostbite, so of course videos were all over social media of folks throwing pans of water in the air to watch them freeze. Then-newly elected Mayor Bill Peduto 

❄️ Snow Safety Tips In Pittsburgh ❄️

Look back at Pittsburgh's coldest recorded temperatures, deepest snowfall, and historic winter weather.

Historic Snowstorms and Winter Weather in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The Worst Snowstorms and Coldest Days in Pittsburgh History

 Do you know where famous Pittsburghers are buried?

Test your knowledge of well-known Pittsburghers and their final resting places at local cemeteries.

Do You Know This Pittsburgh Cemetery History?

Where Are Famous People Buried in Pittsburgh?

Contrary to popular belief, Pittsburgh doesn't have 

You might be wary about crossing one of them, but don’t hesitate to take our bridge quiz! Hopefully, it will keep your attention 

Pittsburgh is home to hundreds of bridges. Take our bridge quiz to test your bridge knowledge.

How Well Do You Know Pittsburgh's Bridges?

What Do You Know About Pittsburgh’s Bridges?

When exploring Pittsburgh, you might notice a few odd signs that leave off the “H”: the 1900s terracotta sculpture at Pennsylvania Station, the castle-like entrance to Lost Kennywood, and the historic leather-bound book in the Frick family’s Clayton mansion, pictured above.

That’s because, for nearly two decades at the turn of the 20th century, our city name was written without its last letter. But why?

Pittsburgh was given its name by General John Forbes in 1758 in honor of British Earl and Prime Minister William Pitt. Because Forbes was Scottish, the pronunciation was likely intended to be “Pitts-burra” like Edinburgh’s “Eddin-burra.”

📜 The History Behind the Missing Letter

In 1891, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names wanted to standardize spellings across the country and ruled that Pittsburgh (along with many other cities) should drop the “H.”

Historian and author Virginia Montanez tells City Cast Pittsburgh that 

our “H” wasn’t necessarily “taken away.”

 The federal government wanted to streamline the spelling for things like maps and train stations — but that didn’t mean we had to comply.

📣 The Return of Our Silent (Yet Mighty) ‘H’

In true Pittsburgh fashion, some residents were resistant to change, and a mix of both “Pittsburgh” and “Pittsburg” was used, even in newspapers and official city documents.

Some thought the “H” should be left to history. Montanez found a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Press that said the “H” spelling was “passé” and “wears the whiskers of time.”

The campaign to bring back the “H” began in 1905 with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Montanez says. The Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce joined in, and U.S. Senator George T. Oliver 

 for the change. On July 19, 1911 — 114 years ago this week! — the U.S. Board on Geographic Names reversed its original decision and restored the “H.”

💛 Pittsburgh Now Has an ‘H’ Identity

It’s hard to imagine the Burgh or PGH without the “H.” It’s just one letter, but it packs a punch. We’ve always been a city that calls (and pronounces) things whatever (and however) we want, and today, it sets us apart. There are Pittsburgs all across the country — from Illinois to Texas to California — but we’re the only ones that rallied to keep the “H.”

In 1891, Pittsburgh lost its “H,” sending locals on a campaign to restore the silent (yet mighty) letter.

Why Pittsburgh Wasn’t Always Spelled With An ‘H’

How Pittsburgh Got Its ‘H’ Back

Mary Cassatt was an outspoken suffragist and painter known for her endearing portraits of everyday women and mothers tending to their children — a radical display of familial moments for the time. She spent her adult life in France, but her roots were laid right here.

She was born 180 years ago today in Allegheny City, which eventually annexed into the North Side of Pittsburgh. She grew up in an upper-middle-class family; her father was a stockbroker, and her brother Alexander later became president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Cassatt began studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at just 15, but in 1866, she was so piqued by the attitude of male students and teachers (women weren’t even allowed to use live models!) that she decided to study on her own. Her mother and family friends accompanied her to Paris where she studied privately with artists and attained a permit to be a “copyist” at the Louvre. By 1877, she was invited by Edgar Degas to show her work with the Impressionists, or “Independents,” whose work was “

You can see a historical marker honoring her 

 on the North Side, but it's unfortunately not very accessible to get to.

Luckily, you can easily browse some of her most famous pieces in the Carnegie Museum of Art’s 

. Take a moment to appreciate her painting “

” alongside a composition from the Pittsburgh Symphony and Orchestra, or find a moment of stillness with “

Mary Cassatt traveled from Pittsburgh to Paris in the 1800s to study and hone her skills as an impressionist painter.

Who Was Pittsburgh Impressionist Painter Mary Cassatt?

Impressionist Painter Mary Cassatt Was a Suffragist From Pittsburgh

Daisy Lampkin once said that, “nothing is done unless women do it,” and throughout her life, she was a woman who did it all.

Born in 1883 in Washington, D.C., Lampkin moved to Pittsburgh in 1909, where she spent decades tirelessly crusading for civil and women’s rights through a variety of local and national organizations.

Though she is best known as a widely respected NAACP organizer, Lampkin did much more. She joined the Lucy Stone Woman Suffrage League, later leading it as president from 1915 to 1955. Lampkin purchased stock in the Pittsburgh Courier and increased her shares until she became vice president of the company in 1929; she 

Politically active, she served as an alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention and was vice chair for the Colored Voters Division of the Republican Party. As an NAACP organizer, Lampkin dramatically increased membership and fundraising, earning her a position as national field secretary in 1935 and the title of NAACP’s Woman of the Year in 1945.

Despite stepping down as secretary due to health issues in 1947, Lampkin continued serving on the NAACP's national board until 1965 when she passed away after a stroke. Throughout her life, Lampkin was involved with numerous other organizations, including the National Association of Colored Women, the Urban League of Pittsburgh, and Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Daisy Lampkin impacted the politics of the state as suffragette, civil rights activist, organization executive, business woman, orator, and community leader.

Who was Pittsburgh's Daisy Lampkin?

Pittsburgher Daisy Lampkin’s Impact on Civil and Women’s Rights

🎶 It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? 🎶

Mister Rogers walks through the door singing that familiar tune, trading his sport coat for a cozy sweater and dress shoes for sneakers — setting the warm, inviting tone for viewers to enter his home, his neighborhood.

The routine made the iconic sweaters synonymous with Mister Rogers himself. In honor of his birthday, March 20, here are some fun facts:

Mister Rogers’ Mom Knitted His Sweaters

Up until Nancy McFeely Rogers died in 1981, she knitted all of Fred’s cardigans seen in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Every Christmas, she’d give each of her children a hand-knit sweater.

, Rogers said that during WWII, his mom was a volunteer nurse aide and was in charge of making surgical dressings for the troops — but she also knitted sweaters for them too.

His Famous Red Cardigan Sits in the Smithsonian

 to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in D.C. He wore this very cardigan when he 

Congress on the importance of public television.

He Actually Wore Green More Than the Iconic Red

Data writer Owen Phillips used info from 

 to create a chronological chart tracking the color of every sweater Rogers wore from 1969 until the show’s final episode in 2001.

The chart reveals trends, like how harvest gold was in regular rotation, some colors (like neon blue) were worn once and never again, and how he swapped pastels for darker tones over time. Perhaps the most surprising takeaway is that the iconic red cardigan wasn’t actually Rogers’ most frequently worn — 

. But Phillips notes that Rogers was actually red-green colorblind, so they were truly just different shades of brown to him.

After Nancy died, art director Kathy Borland was tasked with finding replacements that had the same kind of cozy, vibrant feel — and a smooth zip that wouldn’t snag on camera. Borland eventually found a suitable sweater when she saw a 

. She got a supply of white sweaters from the postal service and dyed them — a fun connection when you think about the show’s mail carrier character, Mr. McFeely.

What you didn't know about the iconic cardigans seen in "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," filmed in Pittsburgh.