The Mon Valley Region

Exploring the Mon Valley and SPC's vision for creating a positive impact with the Complete Trip - ITS4US Deployment Program Grant.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

Overview

The Mon Valley is a diverse group of towns and municipalities that border the Monongahela River. For the purpose of this map, we'll consider the Mon Valley from "Point to Point"; from Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh to Point Marion near the West Virginia border. This region includes Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.

Mon Valley Municipalities

Population Trends

The Mon Valley was once a bustling region that produced steel that helped drive the American Industrial Revolution. Many of the mills were located along the Monongahela River. At its peak, the Mon Valley boasted a population of up to 160,000. However, as the steel and mining industry began to collapse and the job market dried up, thousands of residents left the region, and the decline is still occurring today. The graphs below illustrate how the population has changed since 1940.

1940-1960

At this time, the Mon Valley was still experiencing some of the "boom" of the steel industry. The City of Pittsburgh's population peaked in the 1950s, and steel-driven communities along the river weren't yet showing drastic losses in business and population.

Note the development in the eastern and southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, but stagnant or decreasing numbers in areas closer to the river.

1960-1980

In these years, the impact of rapidly dwindling employment opportunities in the steel mills became apparent. Homestead Steel Works was once the largest steel plant in the United States, and was located along the Monongahela River in Homestead, near the city of Pittsburgh border. However, the mill closed in 1986 due to the declining interest in steel production.

Many communities faced similar fates during this time period. Donora, Monongahela, Monessen, and many others faced population declines greater than 25%.

The former site of Homestead Steel Works is one of the few mills that have been redeveloped, and is now home to a large shopping complex called "The Waterfront." The revitalization of this former mill site can be seen as a positive example for similar vacant industrial sites in the Mon Valley.

1980-2010

The trend of population decline continues today. Since 1990, the Mon Valley region's population has decreased at a rate of about 1% per year.

On top of the stark decline in population, the Mon Valley has experienced high levels of poverty in addition to dealing with the ongoing opioid crisis. The chart below highlights a handful of municipalities that suffer from notably high rates of poverty.

The following graph shows that the high poverty levels seem to follow the Monongahela River valley. Every municipality displayed in red below has a poverty level of greater than 20%.

Mon Valley Poverty

The region's challenges with poverty and unemployment only increase the pressing need for frequent transit service and multimodal connections to other regions in the Mon Valley. Transit and other non-single occupancy vehicle methods of transportation ensure that the Mon Valley residents can get to their jobs, take care of their medical needs, and provide for themselves and their families, even if they do not personally own a car.

Current Conditions

While the Mon Valley faces a host of unique challenges and a declining population, there is much potential for growth and improvement for its residents. The following map offers a closer look at the transportation amenities and points of interest that already exist. Note the variety in transit agencies that operate across the five-county region. Frequent collaboration and communication is necessary to ensure that the Mon Valley residents have proper access to transit and transportation connections throughout the region, and SPC plays a large role in ensuring that the collaboration continues to grow.

As you zoom in on the map, more icons will appear. Click on them for more information, and scroll down to see closer-up views of the Mon Valley region.

This view highlights the Mon Valley region from Pittsburgh to the southern Allegheny County border.

Washington, Westmoreland, and Fayette counties are shown in this view.

Here, the Monongahela River borders Greene and Fayette counties to the southern PA border.

Looking Ahead

SPC is working diligently to help make the communities in the Mon Valley more connected to employment, education, and healthcare systems so the region can expand and thrive. One example of these efforts is the publication of SmartMoves Connections: A Regional Vision for Public Transit.

The SmartMoves Plan has four main goals:

  • Identify Locations for Multimodal Transit Hubs
  • Identify Corridors for Multimodal Improvements
  • Improve Regional Transportation Coordination
  • Involve Riders and Stakeholders in Planning

Multimodal transit hubs are centralized facilities that are well-connected to local roadways, trails, and communities. They enable coordinated and interconnected transit service.

McKeesport as a Hub?

McKeesport, a Mon Valley municipality in Allegheny county, is one of the locations under consideration to be a pilot hub location for the SmartMoves Connections Plan. Port Authority of Allegheny County already operates the McKeesport Transportation Center, but there is potential for further development of this site to be an even greater multimodal hub.

McKeesport

Conclusion

Evidently, the Mon Valley has faced many hardships and planning barriers since the decline of the steel industry. The Complete Trip - ITS4US Deployment Program grant will allow SPC to put forth a greater targeted effort into improving transportation connections in the region, as collaboration between multiple counties and agencies is essential to the future growth of the region.

Additional Sources:

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

GIS Team

The Mon Valley Region

August 2020

Mon Valley Municipalities