South Side (Pittsburgh)

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Southside Flats
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Southside Slopes
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

South Side (two words) is an area of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The South Side is traditionally divided into two neighborhoods, Southside Flats and Southside Slopes. The population of the Flats was 5726 in the 2000 census.[1] The population of the Slopes was 5007[2]. The business district stretches along East Carson Street, home to many small shops, restaurants and bars. In 2006, more than 80 bars and pubs operated in the Southside Flats. The neighborhood has an urban fabric with rowhouses.

The South Side was settled primarily by Eastern European immigrants who came to Pittsburgh to work in heavy industry such as the mills. Today some of the ethnic clubs and bars still exist. It is not uncommon to still find a South Side family still tied to their Eastern European heritage. Many have moved out as the South Side has redeveloped throughout the years and many of the families have found the South suburbs of Pittsburgh as home.

Since 1990 and in more recent years, the South Side has become home to a larger student population. A walk over the South Tenth Street Bridge that crosses the Monongahela River takes students to Duquesne University. Other university students mingle with residents on the streets of the South Side too.

The South Side is well-connected with public transit. Its proximity and public transit connections also have attracted professionals who work downtown.

The neighborhood is home to one of the largest Victorian main streets in the United States. The entire length of East Carson Street is designated as a historic district. Strict rules dictate what the exterior of the buildings can look like. This neighborhood is a prime national example of adaptive reuse of historic structures to spur community revitalization. One of the famous steel mills of Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company was located on the South Side but closed in the 1980s and today the land is home to the Southside Works shopping and entertainment complex. The neighborhood was on rapid decline but its stance on historic preservation propelled it to a new and bright future. Today's South Side is one of the most desirable city neighborhoods and is known for its multitude of bars and restaurants.

The popularity of the neighborhood doesn't come without costs. The older life-long residents often clash with the values of the young urban professionals and students moving in. Parking in the South Side is some of the toughest in the city. Very narrow streets and high density of buildings leaves little room for parking. One of the local traditions is to save a parking spot on the street in front of one's house by placing an item such as a chair in the space. Common tradition says you don't move the chair and you don't park there.

The Southside Slopes is the very steep neighborhood located just south of what is traditionally thought of as the South Side but is more appropriately the Southside Flats. The Slopes are so steep that special fire trucks have to be used to navigate the zigzagging maze of steep narrow streets. Some spots are so steep that public staircases actually act as the street. These public steps actually have street signs and houses located along them. Public steps are not rare in this extremely hilly city of Pittsburgh. The city has over 700 sets of steps providing access to otherwise unreachable neighborhoods. The trek up these steps is often well worth it as you are rewarded with yet another of Pittsburgh's stunning hillside views.