Greensburg, Pennsylvania
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Greensburg is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 364,663. The county seat is Greensburg. Formed from, successively, Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford co ...
, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the
Laurel Highlands The Laurel Highlands is a region in southwestern Pennsylvania made up of Fayette County, Somerset County and Westmoreland County. It has a population of about 600,000 people. The region is approximately fifty-five miles southeast of Pit ...
and the
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
of the Western Allegheny Plateau. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
of the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. The population was 14,976 at the 2020 census. Located southeast of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Greensburg is a major business, academic, tourism, and cultural center in Western Pennsylvania. It is evident as the city's population doubles during work hours. In 2007, Greensburg was ranked as one of the "Best Places to Retire" in Pennsylvania by '' U.S. News & World Report''.


History

After the end of the Revolutionary War, an inn was built along a wagon trail that stretched from
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
west over the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...
to Fort Pitt, now the city of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. A tiny settlement known as Newtown grew around the inn, today the center of Greensburg's Business District at the intersection of Pittsburgh and Main Streets. At Pittsburgh, the wagon trail became Penn Avenue. Hannastown was the original Westmoreland County seat. According to historian John Boucher, after Hannastown was attacked and burned by "Indians and Tories" in 1782, efforts began to relocate the county seat. On December 10, 1785, county officials contracted with Christopher Truby and William Jack to purchase two acres of land in Newtown on which to erect public buildings. Ludwick Otterman later subscribed to the agreement. Boucher therefore designates December 10, 1785 as the date on which Newtown became the Westmoreland County seat. The first courthouse and jail were a single building, built of logs and heavy plank. The jail portion had a heavy stone wall that extended some distance above the ground, "perhaps to keep prisoners from cutting their way out". Court was first held in this structure on January 7, 1787. The Westmoreland County Courthouse, in its various incarnations, has stood on this site ever since. The area surrounding the courthouse became Greensburg ("Greenesburgh", as some documents referred to it at the time). It was named for
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
General Nathanael Greene. Greensburg was formally incorporated as a borough on February 9, 1799, making it the first borough in the county. In the early 19th century, Greensburg had very little growth in population (see population data table in this article). After 1850, Greensburg became a growing county seat with inns and small businesses. A railroad stop and the discovery of large areas of soft coal nearby made it the center of a vigorous
mining industry Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Seton Hill College, formerly St. Joseph's Academy, became a four-year women's institution in 1918. Greensburg became a City of the Third Class on January 2, 1928. After World War II, more residential areas were developed in various sections of town. Greensburg's cultural status grew as the Westmoreland County Museum of Art opened in 1959 and the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
founded the branch campus, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, in 1963, now located in Hempfield Township. The opening of Greengate Mall and
Westmoreland Mall Westmoreland Mall is a two-level, enclosed super-regional shopping and casino complex in the municipality of Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh, and owned and operated by CBL Properties. It was completed in 1977 and was e ...
in 1965 and 1977, respectively, marked a new era for retail shopping in the area but negatively impacted retail businesses in Downtown Greensburg's shopping district. Changes in local shopping habits had already taken their toll by the late 1970s when Troutman's Department Store closed. By the mid-1990s, city officials shifted their revitalization plans on the cultural aspects of Downtown Greensburg, such as the restorations of the Palace Theater and the historic Train Station, as well as a new, recently opened
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...
center for Seton Hill University. Also, in July 2009, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the largest medical school in the country, opened a satellite campus at Seton Hill University. Now over 200 students study at LECOM at Seton Hill every year. As part of this ongoing transition, an expansion of the
Westmoreland Museum of American Art The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is an art museum in Greensburg, Pennsylvania devoted to American art, with a particular concentration on the art of southwestern Pennsylvania. Art lover Mary Marchand Woods bequeathed her entire estate to e ...
was completed in 2015. The city is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg.


Historical facts

*Greensburg's first log schoolhouse was located at the site of St. Clair Park. *St. Clair Park was originally a cemetery. When the borough banned cemeteries, St. Clair cemetery was moved to its current location, just east of town. *Mid Town Plaza was also originally a cemetery. Most, but not all, of the graves were moved to other area cemeteries upon its redevelopment. *Mt. Odin Park was originally the estate of Dr. Frank Cowan, attorney, physician, author, and former Secretary to President
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a De ...
. Dr. Cowan willed his land to Greensburg to be used for recreational purposes.


Neighborhoods and wards

The city of Greensburg is currently composed of eight wards, most of which were formerly boroughs and are divided into several neighborhoods. Bunker Hill, now Fifth Ward, was merged into Greensburg in 1894. The name originated because of fights at the rowdy Bushfield Tavern in the early 1840s to mid-19th century that were compared to the
Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...
. In 1905, Greensburg absorbed three adjacent boroughs, including Ludwick, now Sixth Ward, which was named for Ludwick Otterman, an early settler for whom the street is also named, as well as East Greensburg, now Seventh Ward, and Southeast Greensburg, unofficially known as Paradise (Eighth Ward). South Maple Avenue was originally named Kinderhook (Third Ward). Second Ward, located north of Downtown Greensburg, is the largest ward and includes the neighborhoods of Saybrook Village, Evergreen Hill, New Salem Acres, Country Club Meadows, Northmont, Devonshire Heights, Rose Fountain Farms, and Academy Hill. Hilltop, a neighborhood in Eighth Ward, was originally settled by Italian immigrants and borders South Greensburg and Underwood on either side. First Ward features Chestnut Hill and Shuey Plan and is also home to Seton Hill University. Other Greensburg neighborhoods include Eastern Estates, Underwood, Shogan, and Hillcrest. Eighth Ward was originally home to many Italian immigrants from Cercemaggiore, Italy. Today, the original Our Lady of Grace Church, built by the masons from Italy, still stands although used as a residence. The Hilltop Social Club, founded by a few families who lived in the areas of Bierer, Margaret, White, and Catherine Streets, is also located here. Every year it has become a tradition for the firehall in the Eighth Ward to throw a carnival which includes bingo, amusement rides, and of course the famous Shuey Burgers. Two neighborhoods have been designated as U.S. historic districts, the Greensburg Downtown Historic District and the Academy Hill Historic District. Also listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
are the Greensburg Railroad Station and Westmoreland County Courthouse.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,889 people, 7,144 households, and 3,922 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,746.1 people per square mile (1,446.9/km2). There were 7,734 housing units at an average density of 1,823.4 per square mile (704.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.43%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 3.91%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.09% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.38% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population. There were 7,144 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.1% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11, and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 20.2% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males. The
median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...
for a household in the city was $30,324, and the median income for a family was $41,112. Males had a median income of $33,306 versus $24,246 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $18,312. About 10.8% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.


Government and politics

Greensburg is an incorporated city governed by Democratic mayor Robert L. Bell and a four-member
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...
. The mayor and the City Council members serve four-year terms. The
seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
is the Greensburg City Hall. The small size of Greensburg has not deterred it from being a player on the political scene. Greensburg has hosted its share of prominent politicians over the years, including a July 1994 visit from then-President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
, former Democratic candidate
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
and his
running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a p ...
John Edwards in July 2004 and Democratic candidates
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
and
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
in March 2008 and Joe Biden in September 2020. According to local historians, it was also the site of the 1854 National Republican Party convention – the first convention of the Grand Old Republican Party, despite Pittsburgh's claims.


Military

Greensburg is home to the
14th Quartermaster Detachment The 14th Quartermaster Detachment, is a United States Army Reserve water purification unit stationed in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. During Operation Desert Storm the Detachment lost 13 soldiers killed and 43 wounded in an Iraqi Al Hussein ballistic ...
, a
United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 20 ...
unit. During the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, the unit took the heaviest casualties of any Coalition unit during the war when an Iraqi missile hit a US Army barracks in Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
, on February 25, 1991. The 69-member unit suffered a casualty rate of 81%, including 13 killed. Greensburg's community was heavily affected by these losses. A memorial to the 14th's personnel was constructed at the city's US Army Reserve Center. There is also a
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...
Armory just outside the main City.


Economy

Originally a railroad stop on the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
, Greensburg quickly became the center of the coal mining industry in the region by the late 19th century when large areas of soft coal were discovered nearby. This contributed to the growth and development of the growing county seat. Many businesses and inns flourished within Downtown Greensburg for many years and once boasted four major department stores –
JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gi ...
, Royers,
Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
and its largest department store, Troutman's. In August 1965, Greengate Mall opened west of the city in Hempfield Township. Greengate was part of the first wave of indoor shopping malls in the country. The mall's opening marked a new era for retail shopping in the area. However, it negatively impacted stand-alone businesses in Greensburg's downtown corridor. By the late 1970s, several local stores, including Troutman's, the city's major department store, closed. The downtown area eventually rebounded as the city became a center for service industries, professional offices, and banking. Today, small downtown shops and a growing number of restaurants are reviving downtown as a mercantile center.
Westmoreland Mall Westmoreland Mall is a two-level, enclosed super-regional shopping and casino complex in the municipality of Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh, and owned and operated by CBL Properties. It was completed in 1977 and was e ...
is currently the largest shopping complex in the Greensburg area and Westmoreland County. Greengate Mall suffered losses in the 1990s when anchor store
JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gi ...
relocated to Westmoreland Mall. As the mall continued on its irreversible decline, the nationally based
Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curr ...
and the regional chain Horne's also closed. The building was eventually razed in 2003, and a new shopping center called
Greengate Centre Greengate Centre is an open-air power center in Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 30. The center opened in 2005 on the site of the defunct Greengate Mall, which was demolished in 2003. Greengate Centre c ...
, anchored by a
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, was subsequently built. Numerous shopping plazas and dining establishments also line the Route 30 corridor east and west of the city. With over of retail space and growing, Greensburg is considered the commercial center of the
Laurel Highlands The Laurel Highlands is a region in southwestern Pennsylvania made up of Fayette County, Somerset County and Westmoreland County. It has a population of about 600,000 people. The region is approximately fifty-five miles southeast of Pit ...
region of Pennsylvania as well as one of the largest retail markets in Western Pennsylvania. Light to moderate industry and service industries thrive in the Greater Greensburg area. Several industrial parks are primarily located outside the city limits. In addition, the area is home to two large prisons, the Westmoreland County Prison and the State Correctional Institution at Greensburg, both in Hempfield Township. Housing growth continues on the city's northern end, with the Saybrook Village and Evergreen Hill plans. The opening of the seven-story State Office Building on North Main Street, the completion of the four-story addition to the Courthouse Square Extension, and the Performing Arts Center of Seton Hill University are expected to add new jobs to the city and attract more visitors.


Major employers

Two major corporations are headquartered in the Greensburg area: Excela Health and the ''
Tribune-Review The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rema ...
''.


Education


Public schools

The Greater Greensburg area contains two public school districts. The larger of the two is the
Hempfield Area School District Hempfield Area School District is a large school district in western Pennsylvania. It is the largest in Westmoreland County with a resident population of over 50,000 and covers approximately and lies southeast of Pittsburgh. The school dis ...
. The school district has a resident population of over 50,000, spans approximately ninety-five square miles, and lies thirty miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Comprising Hempfield Township, and the communities of Adamsburg, Armbrust, Bovard, Grapeville, Hannastown, Hunker,
Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...
, Manor,
New Stanton New Stanton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census. New Stanton is often used as a control city in western parts of Pennsylvania, as I-70 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-7 ...
, and Youngwood, the school district completely surrounds the city of Greensburg. Hempfield is also the largest school district in Westmoreland County, with approximately 7,000 enrolled students and one of Western Pennsylvania's largest. The second school district servicing Greensburg is the Greensburg Salem School District. The school district covers an area of fifty-one square miles. With an enrollment of 3,600 students, Greensburg Salem serves the City of Greensburg,
South Greensburg South Greensburg is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,117 at the 2010 census. History Early history In 1780, Michael Rugh acquired title to , which he operated as a farm. The land was passed ...
, Southwest Greensburg and Salem Township. Detailed information, including enrollment figures and test scores about Greensburg Salem, can be foun
on this website.


Private schools

Greensburg is home to Greensburg Central Catholic High School and Aquinas Academy
www.aquinasacademy.org
, both private Catholic schools.


Colleges and universities

The immediate vicinity of Greensburg contains two universities – Seton Hill University and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Seton Hill University was founded in 1885 by the Sisters of Charity on a bluff overlooking the City of Greensburg. Formerly a women's college, Seton Hill became a coeducational university in 2002. In recent years, Seton Hill has begun to expand into the downtown area by constructing several academic buildings and a performing arts center. The Greensburg campus of the University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1963 in Downtown Greensburg. It would later grow into a large campus in nearby Hempfield Township. It was voted "Best University in the Region" for eight straight years (1999–2007) by the ''Tribune-Review''. In addition, the branches of Carlow University, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and Triangle Tech are located within the Greater Greensburg area. The campuses of Saint Vincent College and
Westmoreland County Community College Westmoreland County Community College is a public community college in Youngwood, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1970 during an era of community college proliferation within the state. Its location on the suburban fringe was designed to attract ...
are also located in the nearby communities of Latrobe and Youngwood, respectively.


Libraries

The Greensburg Hempfield Area Library serves the City of Greensburg and Hempfield Township.


Arts and culture

Greensburg is a major cultural center in Western Pennsylvania. It is the home of the
Westmoreland Museum of American Art The Westmoreland Museum of American Art is an art museum in Greensburg, Pennsylvania devoted to American art, with a particular concentration on the art of southwestern Pennsylvania. Art lover Mary Marchand Woods bequeathed her entire estate to e ...
, which specializes in American Art circa 1750–1950. In the heart of the city's emerging cultural district, the Palace Theatre is the site for various performances throughout the year. Additionally, it is the home of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and th
Summer Sounds
Concert Series at the Robertshaw Amphitheater in St. Clair Park. The Westmoreland Cultural Trust has played a major role in the revitalization of Downtown Greensburg in recent years. Its accomplishments include the ongoing renovation of the Palace Theatre and th
Before/After Pictures
of the circa 1910 Train Station. They are also responsible for renovating several commercial buildings in the downtown area.
Stage Right! Stage Right! is a professional theatre company and performing arts school located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Established in 1998 as an organization for young people to take classes in musical theatre by Chris Rizk, Stage Right! also became a p ...
also contributes to the region's culture, offering classes in musical theatre for young people and staging professional productions at the Palace Theater and Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. Greensburg Civic Theatre, one of the few long-established volunteer-based community theatre organizations in Westmoreland County, has been presenting both adult and children's theater productions for over 60 years. Founded in 1951, they are the resident theatre company at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. Th
Performance Arts Center
of Seton Hill University opened its doors to the public in September 2009. This multimillion-dollar complex, located in the city's Cultural District, is expected to serve as an additional catalyst for the future growth of the downtown core. A hands-on science center, to feature a wide range of interactive exhibits, was proposed for the former Mellon Bank building downtown. However, it has since been put on hold indefinitely. The Discovery & Interactive Science Center (DISC) would have been a regional attraction for Westmoreland, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, and Bedford counties. It would have also been the only interactive science center between the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh and the Harsco Science Center in Harrisburg.


Cultural facts

*Just north of Greensburg is Old Hanna's Town, the first county seat west of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...
. *Greensburg is home to a great deal of interesting architecture, including many historic and large homes and many old churches and cathedrals. The inner city has many small 1950s-style shops and restaurants. *The World Conference Center for The Church of Jesus Christ is located west of Greensburg on PA Route 136. It is the third-largest branch of the
Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...
. *The national headquarters of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity is in Greensburg. *The Saint Emma Monastery (founded 1931) is a Roman Catholic retreat house and monastery for the Sisters of Saint Benedict located in Greensburg. *Greensburg is host to the annual White Out Bar Crawl held every August.


Media

Greensburg, the county seat of Westmoreland County, is located close (approximately 30 miles southeast) to the city of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
in Allegheny County and receives radio and television stations that are based out of the larger city, Pittsburgh. Locally though, Greensburg and its surrounding area are served by several local radio stations licensed to various nearby Westmoreland County communities. *Most of the local Westmoreland County radio stations serving the Greensburg area are owned by Broadcast Communications, Inc.(BCI). BCI is locally owned and operated by Greensburg, PA residents, Robert & Ashley Stevens. These local BCI stations include: 103.1 WKVE (album-oriented rock), 103.9 WKHB-FM (adult contemporary), 97.5 770 WKFB (oldies), and 92.3 620 WKHB (variety-including: talk, classic hits, ethnic, and ministry), which originally was WHJB commencing broadcasting on October 28 in 1934 as Westmoreland County's first radio station, broadcasting and actually transmitting (during its early years) with a roof-mounted antenna system from the Penn Albert Hotel in downtown Greensburg but modifying the call sign to WKHB circa 2000 when the station upgraded its facilities to cover a much broader regional southwestern Pennsylvania area. *Renda Broadcasting also serves the Greensburg area with 107.1 WHJB (classic hits). Originally a sister station to 620 WKHB when 620 was WHJB. The 107.1 frequency has had various call signs and formats over several years. Originally under the ownership of Mel Goldberg, the station was WHJB-FM briefly in the mid-1960s, then becoming WOKU for many years until it became WSSZ (Z107) in the early 1980s with a Top 40 format and then briefly WPNT in the mid-1980s for less than a year before reverting to WSSZ which would become a classic hits format by the early 1990s that ended abruptly when Mel Goldberg sold the station to Sheridan Broadcasting out of Pittsburgh which began a simulcast of the urban contemporary format of 106.7 WAMO, which also included another call sign change to WJJJ in 2004 that would last until 2006 when the station sold to Renda Broadcasting and was reintroduced locally as WGSM (Sam FM). The station finally adopted the call sign WHJB circa 2010. *To a much lesser degree, the translator 98.7 W254CR, which rebroadcasts the programming of 910 WXJX-AM Apollo, Armstrong County, also provides radio service with an adult hits music format known as "Jack FM", which was launched on December 31, 2018. *Greensburg's major newspaper is the ''Tribune-Review'', owned by the Tribune-Review Publishing Company. In 1992, this company founded the '' Pittsburgh Tribune Review'', a competitor to the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
''. This occurred immediately following the demise of the '' Pittsburgh Press''. The Tribune-Review Publishing Company was owned by a noted philanthropist and conservative figure Richard Mellon Scaife. Since starting the '' Pittsburgh Tribune Review'', the original ''Tribune-Review'' that circulates in and around Greensburg has upgraded its national and international news coverage but continues to maintain a robust local news section. The Pittsburgh edition closed in 2016. The Greensburg edition remains. *LCS Hockey, a newsletter turned internationally renowned website, was founded in Greensburg. *In 2004, Greensburg attorney P. Louis DeRose published the book, Greensburg through the Arcadia Publishing Images of America Series. *In 2006, Greensburg resident Rachel E. Smith published the book, Greensburg through the Arcadia Publishing Postcard History Series.


Greensburg in fiction

* Mystery novel writer K. C. Constantine has used various elements of Greensburg as a basis for the fictional town of Rocksburg in his novels.


Professional sports


American football

From 1890 until 1900, Greensburg was the home of the
Greensburg Athletic Association The Greensburg Athletic Association was an early organized football team, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that played in the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit from 1890 until 1900. At times referred to as the Greens ...
, one of the earliest professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
teams. The team began as an amateur football club in 1890 and was composed primarily of locals before several paid players were added for 1895. In 1894 it was discovered that the team had secretly paid formerly Indiana Normal (now
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The uni ...
) player, Lawson Fiscus, to play football and retained his services on salary. The team was the chief rival of another early professional football team, the
Latrobe Athletic Association The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. A member of the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, the team is best known for being the first f ...
. On December 3, 1898, two players from the Greensburg Athletic Association joined with the Latrobe Athletic Association to form the very first professional football all-star team for a game against the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club, to be played at Pittsburgh's Exposition Park. Duquesne went on to win the game 16–0. Aside from Fiscus, the Greensburg Athletic Association included several of the era's top players, such as:
Charlie Atherton Charles Morgan Herbert Atherton (November 19, 1874 – December 17, 1935) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. Nicknamed "Prexy", he batted and threw right-handed, was tall and weighed 160 pounds. He was an accomplished musici ...
, George Barclay, Ross Fiscus,
Jack Gass John "Jack" Gass was an early professional football player. He played mostly with the Latrobe Athletic Association from 1895 until 1899. In 1898, he was a member of the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars, which was a team put together by Latrobe ma ...
, Arthur McFarland,
Charles Rinehart Charles Ramsay Rinehart (December 31, 1875 – October 30, 1933) was an American football player, engineer and businessman. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964. He played high school football at Phillipsburg High School ...
,
Isaac Seneca Isaac Seneca, Jr. (October 7, 1874 – 1945) was an All-American football player for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. He was selected as an All-American halfback on the 1899 College Football All-America Team. He was the first Carlis ...
and
Adam Martin Wyant Adam Martin Wyant (September 15, 1869 – January 5, 1935) was an American politician who served as Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He served six terms, a total of twelve years, in the House. Wya ...
. Several of these players revolutionized the game during their playing careers. Charlie Atherton is credited with inventing the place kick, and George Barclay invented the first-ever football helmet. Meanwhile, Isaac Seneca became the first Native-American to earn All-American honors and Adam Wyant made history by becoming the first professional football player to be elected to the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
.


Baseball

In 1907, Greensburg fielded the Greensburg Red Sox, a Minor League Baseball team in the Class D
Western Pennsylvania League The Western Pennsylvania League was a Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league consisting of teams based in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland that played during the 1907 season. History The Class D level Western Penn ...
that played for one season in 1907. Then from 1934 until 1939, Greensburg was also the home of the Greensburg Red Wings, a Class D Minor League Baseball team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals,
Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...
and Washington Senators. The team's name changed several times over the years. In 1934, the team was founded as the Greensburg Trojans. A year later, they took on the Red Wings moniker. By 1937, the team was renamed the Greensburg Green Sox and finally the Greensburg Senators in 1939.


Transportation


Highways

The east-west U.S. Route 30 expressway bypasses Greensburg to the south, as does the north–south Pennsylvania Turnpike 66 to the west. A proposed highway called the Laurel Valley Expressway was initially planned to be built to the east of Greensburg, primarily in Unity, Derry, and Mount Pleasant townships, but that project has never materialized. The Pennsylvania Turnpike's
New Stanton New Stanton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,173 at the 2010 census. New Stanton is often used as a control city in western parts of Pennsylvania, as I-70 joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-7 ...
exit is about six miles (9 km) south of Greensburg on U.S. Route 119 where
Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...
splits from Interstate 76. The Turnpike's Irwin exit is located about seven miles west of the city on U.S. Route 30. PA Routes 66 and 136 begin in Greensburg. PA Routes 130, 819, and U.S. Route 119 pass through the city. U.S. Route 22, a major connector from Central to Southwestern Pennsylvania, runs approximately seven miles north of the city through Salem Township, accessible by routes 66, 819, and 119.


Public transportation

Westmoreland Transit is the mass transit system of Greensburg and Westmoreland County. It operates bus routes seven days a week throughout the city, the county, and to Pittsburgh.
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and ...
runs regularly scheduled bus service to and from Greensburg from many hubs, including
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Chicago, and New York City.


Airports

Air service is available at the Pittsburgh International Airport and the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport east of Greensburg in nearby Latrobe.


Rail

The city has
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
rail service Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
at the restored
Train Station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing ...
, as well as freight rail operator Norfolk Southern and an independent shortline railroad connecting coal mines and businesses located south of the city to the Norfolk Southern line just west of Greensburg.


Bicycling

Greensburg is bike-friendly as it offers the Five Star Trail, which begins at Lynch Field and ends south of the city in Armbrust.


Infrastructure


Utilities

Electricity for Greensburg and a large portion of Westmoreland County is supplied by West Penn Power, a division of
FirstEnergy FirstEnergy Corp is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison acquired Centerior Energy in 1997. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electri ...
. In addition, natural gas is widely used in the area due to large reserves existing throughout the region. Service is provided by Peoples Natural Gas Company and Columbia Natural Gas Company. Water utility service is provided by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC). Waste collection and sewage utilities are provided by Advanced Disposal and the Greater Greensburg Sewage Authority, respectively.


Medical facilities

The Greater Greensburg area is home to several
medical facilities A health facility is, in general, any location where healthcare is provided. Health facilities range from small clinics and doctor's offices to urgent care centers and large hospitals with elaborate emergency rooms and trauma centers. The nu ...
, ranging from independent clinics and urgent care centers to full-service hospitals. The following listing is not exhaustive. * Aestique Medical Center * AHN Hempfield Hospital * Bio-Medical Applications of Greensburg * Excela Westmoreland Hospital * Greensburg Care Center * Innovative Health Services * Laurel Surgical Center * MedExpress Urgent Care Center * West Place


Telecommunications

Greensburg is located within the 724 area code, which surrounds the 412 area code assigned to the city of Pittsburgh and most of Allegheny County, along with small portions of Washington and Westmoreland counties. In 2013, the overlay code 878 was approved for use in the area.


Notable people

*
Karen Angle Karen Jarrett (' Smedley and formerly Angle, born October 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestling valet and personality. She was formerly the senior vice president of the Impact Knockouts Division. She is the former wife of professional ...
 – ex-wife of professional
wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
; current
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the prom ...
performer * Carroll Baker - actress; attended Greensburg Salem High School *
Paul Bartholomew Paul Amos Batholomew (1883–1973) was an architect in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. From the beginning of his practice, he received a variety of high-profile commissions for both residential and non-residential structures, mainly in Westmoreland C ...
 – architect of various Greensburg landmarks and designer of Norvelt, Pennsylvania *
Randy Bish Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form ( hypocorism) of th ...
 – editorial cartoonist * Scott G. Bullock – public interest lawyer who focuses on property rights issues such as eminent domain and civil forfeiture * James Clarke – third Governor of Iowa Territory * K.C. Constantine –
mystery fiction Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...
author * Stephen Dau – author *
Brett Detar Brett Detar is an American singer, songwriter, film composer, and music producer. He is perhaps best known as frontman for the band The Juliana Theory and as former guitarist in Zao. Detar launched a career as a singer/songwriter in the America ...
 – songwriter, musician, and record producer * Rebecca Franklin – food writer * Todd Gallagher – social scientist, author, filmmaker, and comedian *
Doc Gessler Henry Homer "Doc" Gessler (December 23, 1880 – December 27, 1924) was a Major League Baseball player born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, who began his eight-season career, at the age of 22, with the Detroit Tigers in . He played mainly as a right fie ...
 -
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
outfielder *
Paul Gilbert Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which h ...
 – guitarist for the bands Racer X and Mr. Big * Ikki Twins, models *
Jesse Root Grant Jesse Root Grant  (January 23, 1794 – June 29, 1873) was an American farmer, tanner and successful leather merchant who owned tanneries and leather goods shops in several different states throughout his adult life. He is best known as the ...
 – father of Union general and 18th President,
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
* Zach Jackson –
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...
* Greg Jones – highly accomplished collegiate wrestler at
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
* Sheila Kelley – actress * Peggy King – 1950s and 1960s pop singer and television personality * John Latta (1836-1913) - First Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania *
Rocco Mediate Rocco Anthony Mediate (born December 17, 1962) is an American professional golfer who has won six times on the PGA Tour and three times on the PGA Tour Champions. In the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines South Course, he finished runner-up after l ...
 – professional golfer *
Vic Mignogna Victor Joseph Mignogna (); born August 27, 1962)Birthday tweet: * is an American voice actor and musician known for his voice-over work in the English dubs of Japanese anime shows, such as Edward Elric from the '' Fullmetal Alchemist'' series ...
 – voice actor * Rikki & Vikki Mongeon, reality TV personalities better known as the Ikki Twins *
Arthur St. Clair Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...
(1737-1818), Major General and Patriot in the revolutionary war, 9th President of the Continental Congress (see also Fort Ligonier) * Jacob Turney (1825-1891), U.S. Congressman * Bruce Weber – fashion photographer * James C. White – radio personality * Cyrus E. Woods – lawyer and politician * Jacob Zimmerman – Illinois politician, newspaper editor, newspaper owner, and businessman


Sister cities

* –
Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, wh ...
, Belize * – Cercemaggiore,
Molise it, Molisano (man) it, Molisana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 ...


See also

* Academy Hill Historic District * Arnold Palmer Regional Airport * Greensburg Downtown Historic District * Kecksburg UFO Incident * Seton Hill University * University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg


References


External links


City websiteGreensburg's Main Street Memories
{{authority control Cities in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania County seats in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1782 Pittsburgh metropolitan area Academic enclaves Cities in Pennsylvania 1782 establishments in Pennsylvania