Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". [1] Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland. The neighborhood is urban and diverse and is home to several universities, museums, and hospitals, as well as an abundance of shopping, restaurants, and students. Oakland is home to the Schenley Farms National Historic District[2] which encompasses two city designated historic districts: the mostly residential Schenley Farms Historic District [3] and the predominantly institutional Oakland Civic Center Historic District.[4] The Pittsburgh Fire Bureau has Fire Station No. 14 on McKee Place and Fire Station No. 10 on Allequippa Street in Oakland.
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Oakland is officially divided into four neighborhoods: North Oakland, West Oakland, Central Oakland, and South Oakland. Each section has a unique identity, and offers its own flavor of venues and housing. Oakland is Pittsburgh's second most populous neighborhood with 22,210 residents, the majority being college students.
| North Oakland |
Looking east over the University of Pittsburgh and Schenley Farms Historic District |
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Population (2000): 9857[1] |
| Area: 0.499 sq mi (1.29 km2)[1] |
North Oakland can be loosely defined as the area of Oakland between Neville and Bouquet Streets, encompassing all of Craig Street and running north to Polish Hill. The Cathedral of Learning, the engineering or mid-section of the University of Pittsburgh campus, and the Craig Street business district are in North Oakland.
| Central Oakland |
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Population (2000): 5281[1] |
| Area: 0.281 sq mi (0.73 km2)[1] |
Central Oakland is bordered by Schenley Park, the Boulevard of the Allies, Fifth Avenue, and Halket Street. This is where the majority of non-dormitory students reside, though as noted below, those between Forbes Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies almost universally believe that they live in South Oakland. 74.1% of the population of Central Oakland is between the ages of 18 and 24.[2] It is home to many of their favorite eateries, fraternity houses and club houses. It is also the location of the relatively isolated neighborhood of Panther Hollow which runs along Boundary Street in Junction Hollow. Although it is formally designated as a separate section, Central Oakland is commonly grouped together with South Oakland, and the "central" name is rarely used by residents.
| South Oakland |
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Population (2000): 3007[1] |
| Area: 0.508 sq mi (1.32 km2)[1] |
South Oakland runs along the Monongahela River and forms a triangular shape between the Monongahela River, the Boulevard of the Allies, and the western bank of Junction Hollow. Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is a major landmark of this neighborhood. The neighborhood is split between a riverfront flood plain to the southwest and a plateau to the northeast. The plateau is divided into two primarily residential areas which are separated from one another by Bates Street, which runs up a valley from the flood plain to the plateau. The flood plain was previously packed with industrial sites such as the Pittsburgh Works Consolidated Gas Co. and the Jones & Laughlin Steel Co.,[3] but presently, it hosts facilities such as the Entertainment Technology Center of Carnegie Mellon University.
It is important to note that residents of Central Oakland often misidentify that neighborhood as being part of South Oakland. In other words, the border between Central Oakland and South Oakland is much further south than is commonly believed by residents. The area between Forbes Avenue and Boulevard of the Allies, almost universally referred to as South Oakland by its residents, is officially part of Central Oakland. For example, an entry for "South Oakland" in the Urban Dictionary lists its boundaries as Forbes Avenue, the Boulevard of the Allies, and Schenley Park—an area which actually lies entirely within Central Oakland and which includes none of South Oakland.[4] Articles in news media also make this error; for example, a column about street cleanliness near the University of Pittsburgh used the term "South Oakland" to describe an area entirely within the boundaries of Central Oakland.[5]
South Oakland is referred to by some as being an example of a student ghetto, but in fact, only 36.9% of its population is between the ages of 18 and 24, compared to Central Oakland's figure of 74.1%.[2] This discrepancy is largely due to the fact mentioned above that the area between Forbes Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies—which primarily houses undergraduate students—is commonly misidentified as being in South Oakland, when in fact it constitutes the heart of Central Oakland.
South Oakland was the childhood home of Andy Warhol, and later the residence of fellow pop artist Keith Haring. Haring had his first art show while living in Oakland. NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino was also born in Oakland, not far from Warhol's home. Warhol and Marino actually grew up on the same block and their former houses are merely a few doors down from each other.
| West Oakland |
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has numerous hospitals adding to Oakland's skyline |
Neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Population (2000): 2272[1] |
| Area: 0.215 sq mi (0.56 km2)[1] |
West Oakland, the smallest of the four districts, is bordered by Fifth Avenue in the south, DeSoto Street in the east, the Birmingham Bridge to the west, and Allequippa Street to the north. Carlow University and most of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center can be found there.
It should be noted that although the campus of Carnegie Mellon University and parts of Schenley Park, including Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens and Flagstaff Hill, are often popularly referred to as being located in Oakland, they are technically located in the adjacent neighborhood of Squirrel Hill North.
The former Oakland train station in the 3800 block of Forbes Street, Oakland, was later used as a camera store.[6]