History of McKeesport

Today, the City of McKeesport has a population of 24,021 and is leading the Mon Valley Region in providing its diverse population with a number of businesses, services and programs that meet the community’s cultural, social, medical, educational, safety and spiritual needs. Revitalizing opportunities for economic development and growth are attributed to preserving its distinctive historical features, many of which have been irreplaceable to this unique City for more than one hundred years.

Settled in 1795 by its founder John McKee as a village producing large deposits of bituminous coal, the City of McKeesport was incorporated as a borough in 1842 and later, as a city in 1891. Located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, the City of McKeesport is second to Pittsburgh as the largest city in Allegheny County. The City of McKeesport is one of few cities in the United States with a direct connection to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from the Monongahela to the Ohio, to the Mississippi, to the Gulf of Mexico, to the Atlantic Ocean, and to the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal.

For decades, the City’s leading manufacturer of iron pipes called National Tube Works once employed 10,000 men, and the City flourished with over 55,000 residents by 1940. Known nationally for its steel-making efforts, the City of McKeesport’s leading manufacturer contributed significantly toward the victory in World War II. The City of McKeesport is also the site of the first G. C. Murphy 5- and 10-cent store. While both are no longer in existence, the pride and spirit of the City of McKeesport carries on by offering its residents a multitude of services that are remnants of what once was and not lost through transition.

Through the years, McKeesport refurbished its first schoolhouse that is located within the City’s 258-acre Renziehausen Park Rose Garden and Arboretum and within walking distance from its local high school and university. The City of McKeesport’s Heritage Center, Little Theater, Symphony, Palisades Performing Arts Center, McKees Point Marina, Carnegie Library, Daily Newspaper, local hospital and skilled-nursing care facilities, to name a few, are symbols of tradition and commitment known throughout Allegheny County.

Through revitalization impacting business investments, development opportunities and economic growth, Mayor James R. Brewster and the City’s local government officials welcome new companies and industries with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in manufacturing, commercial sales and distribution, and entrepreneurial joint ventures. Land developments are ready and available to new businesses in a City where “community” is the number one priority for a prosperous future for all.