Monroeville, Pennsylvania

Monroeville, Pennsylvania
City
Monroeville Historical Society, a former church
Flag Seal
Location of Monroeville in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Coordinates: 40°25′52″N 79°45′55″W / 40.43111°N 79.76528°W / 40.43111; -79.76528Coordinates: 40°25′52″N 79°45′55″W / 40.43111°N 79.76528°W / 40.43111; -79.76528
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny
Incorporated	January 25, 1951
Government
• Mayor	Gregory Erosenko
Area[1]
• Total	19.72 sq mi (51.08 km2)
• Land	19.71 sq mi (51.06 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	735-1,320 ft (224-402 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	28,386
• Estimate (2016)[2]	27,953
• Density	1,417.85/sq mi (547.43/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code	42-50528
Website	www.monroeville.pa.us

Monroeville is a city with home rule status in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located about 15 miles (24 km) east of downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville is a suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments. As of the 2010 census, Monroeville was home to 28,386 people.^[3]

History

Named for Joel Monroe, the area's first postmaster, Monroeville was settled in the mid to late 18th century. The area was incorporated as Patton Township in 1849 before becoming the borough of Monroeville on January 25, 1951.^[4] Monroeville became a Home Rule Charter Municipality on May 21, 1974.^[5]

Geography

A suburb of Pittsburgh, Monroeville is located at 40°25′52″N 79°45′55″W / 40.43111°N 79.76528°W / 40.43111; -79.76528.^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 square miles (51 km²), of which 0.05% is water.

Neighboring communities

Allegheny County

• Pitcairn (surrounded by Monroeville)
• North Versailles Township (southwest)
• Wilmerding (southwest)
• Turtle Creek (west)
• Wilkins Township (west)
• Penn Hills Township (northwest)
• Plum (north)

Westmoreland County

• Murrysville (east)
• Penn Township (southeast)
• Trafford (south)

Demographics

As of the census of 2010 there were 28,386 people in Monroeville. The racial makeup of the city was 79.51% White, 12.58% African American, 6.07% Asian, 0.42% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population. Monroeville is one of the most racially diverse places in the Pittsburgh area.

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 29,349 people, 12,376 households, and 8,044 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,483.0 people per square mile (572.6/km²). There were 13,159 housing units at an average density of 664.9 per square mile (256.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.58% White, 8.29% African American, 0.14% Native American, 4.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 12,376 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $44,653, and the median income for a family was $53,474. Males had a median income of $41,100 versus $30,232 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,031. About 4.9% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

U.S. Route 22 ran through Monroeville as a substantial business route. When the Parkway East (I-376) was extended east to connect to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, U.S. 22 was shifted to that road, and the original U.S. 22 stretch of William Penn Highway became Business U.S. 22. Today, U.S. Route 22 runs through the municipality, serving as its main business district. This highway, along with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76), the eastern portion of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway (Interstate 376 concurrent with U.S. 22), U.S. Route 22 Business, and PA Route 48 intersect, forming the 3rd busiest intersection in the commonwealth. Exit 57 (old Exit 6) of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is in Monroeville, with its interchange to Interstate 376. U.S. Route 22 also has an interchange with PA Route 286, which serves the northeastern part of the municipality.

Pittsburgh-Monroeville Airport, also called Harold W. Brown Memorial Field, is a private airport at 40°27′08″N 79°46′29″W / 40.452290°N 79.774768°W / 40.452290; -79.774768. The airport has a single paved runway of 2,280 feet (690 m).

Two bus lines of the Port Authority of Allegheny County offer service to downtown Pittsburgh, and the Port Authority also has several park-and-ride lots located in Monroeville for bus commuters to Pittsburgh.

Rail service is served by Amtrak's Pennsylvanian and freight trains are handled by the Norfolk Southern and Union Railroad

Elected officials

• Mayor — Gregory Erosenko^[11]
• Ward 1 Council — Linda Gaydos
• Ward 2 Council — Nick Gresock
• Ward 3 Council — Ron Harvey
• Ward 4 Council — Jim Johns
• Ward 5 Council — Paul Caliari
• Ward 6 Council — Steve Duncan
• Ward 7 Council — Tom Wilson
• Tax Collector — Pat Fulkerson

Education

K-12 students in Monroeville are served by the Gateway School District, a public school district with a student population of 3,800. Higher education is accessible via the Community College of Allegheny County's Boyce Campus^[12] and Indiana University of Pennsylvania's satellite facility in Penn Center East.^[13] The Monroeville Convention Center ^[14] and The Western School of Health and Business - Monroeville^[15] are located in Monroeville.

The ExpoMart is now called the Monroeville Convention Center.^[14]

Economy

Monroeville is home to the Monroeville Mall as well as several office parks,^[16] and since the 1960s has featured high rise hotels.^[17] At its height in 1979, U.S. Steel's research laboratory in Monroeville employed nearly 1,800 people. ^[18]

References by media and the arts

• In the NBC television show Scrubs, Dr. Robert 'Bob' Kelso claims that his family, then named Kelsonovich, settled in Monroeville.
• Much of the George A. Romero horror classic Dawn of the Dead was filmed at Monroeville Mall.
• The lyrics to My Chemical Romance's song "Early Sunsets over Monroeville" are based on the 1978 film Dawn of the Dead.
• The 2008 movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno, directed by Kevin Smith, is set in Monroeville. Filming was done at the Monroeville Mall and Monroeville Municipal Building.^[19] The film features a fictional recreational hockey team named the Monroeville Zombies, a reference to the Romero film.^[20]
• Monroeville is briefly seen in the Greg Mottola film Adventureland.
• Monroeville is the city upon which one of two maps is based in the game Urban Dead. This map was released as part of the promotional campaign for the UK release of George A. Romero's 2008 film, Diary of the Dead. The virtual version of the city bears close resemblance to its real-world counterpart.
• Stephen King's 1983 novel Christine takes place in the fictional suburb of Libertyville, Pennsylvania, which is adjacent to Monroeville. The Monroeville Mall is mentioned repeatedly.
• Fallout 3s second add-on, which is the Pitt, references Monroeville when Everett mentions the Mauler, a unique auto-axe in the game, saying that he mauled trogs and ghouls from the Pitt to Monroeville, Pennsylvania.^[21]

Notable people

• Andy Dick, comedian, resided in Monroeville in his teenage years.^[22]
• Cameron Heyward, defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers; grew up in Monroeville for eight years of his childhood
• Mortty Ivy, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker
• Roger Kingdom, Olympic gold medalist ^[23]
• Gene Ludwig, jazz organist^[24]
• Ken Macha, Major League Baseball manager
• Lieutenant General John F. Sattler, U.S. representative to the Military Staff Committee of the United Nations
• Mike Hranica, lead singer of Christian metalcore band, The Devil Wears Prada.
• Paul Graham, prominent venture capitalist and computer programmer, alumnus of Gateway High School.
• Marilyn Suzanne Miller, writer for Saturday Night Live, as well as The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Maude, and Barney Miller

References

Further reading

• Getting Around: A History of Travel in Monroeville, by Louis Chandler

External links

• Municipality of Monroeville official website
• Monroeville Public Library
• Monroeville Municipal Authority
• Monroeville Historical Society