McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census. It is Allegheny County's second biggest city after

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 ...

History

Early history

David McKee emigrated from Scotland and was the first permanent white settler at the forks of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers, the site of present-day McKeesport, in 1755. Around the time of the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

often came to McKeesport to visit his friend, Queen Alliquippa, a Seneca Indian ruler. The Colonial Government granted David McKee exclusive right of ferrage over those rivers on April 3, 1769, called "McKee's Port". His son, John McKee, an original settler of

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 ...

, built a log cabin at this location. After taking over his father's local river

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

business, he devised a plan for a city to be called McKee's Port in 1795. John set out his proposal in the '' Pittsburgh Gazette'', as part of a program under which new residents could purchase plots of land for $20.00. A lottery was used to distribute the plots to avoid complaints from new land owners concerning "inferior" locations.

1800s

McKeesport, then part of Versailles Township, began to grow in 1830 when

mining 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 econom ...

of the large deposits of bituminous coal in the region began. The first schoolhouse was built in 1832, with James E. Huey as its schoolmaster. National Tube Works Company, McKeesport, 1888

National Tube Works Company, McKeesport, 1888

McKeesport was incorporated as a borough in 1842, and the city's first steel mill was established in 1851. The National Tube Works opened in 1872, and in the years directly following, according to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, McKeesport was the fastest growing municipality in the nation. Families arrived from other parts of the eastern United States, Italy, Germany, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, with most working at the National Tube Works.

1900s

McKeesport rose to national importance during the 1900s as a center for manufacturing steel. In 1899, the National Tube Works Company was consolidated with twenty other pipemaking firms in the northeastern United States to form the National Tube Company. In 1901, the National Tube Company and nine other major American steel companies merged to form U.S. Steel. The city's population continued to grow steadily, reaching a peak of 55,355 in 1940. The subsequent decline since then is attributable to the general economic malaise that descended upon the region when the steelmaking industry moved elsewhere.

Tornado

On June 23, 1944, an F4 tornado struck the southern part of McKeesport, killing 17 people. Many multiple-story residences collapsed. In all, 88 homes in the city were destroyed, 306 were damaged, and 400 other buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Kennedy-Nixon debate

Thirteen years before both faced off in some of the most memorable televised Presidential debates, future presidents (and contemporary U.S. Representatives) Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy met in McKeesport for their first of five debates on April 22, 1947, to debate labor issues related to the Taft-Hartley Act.

Famous Fire

On May 21, 1976, downtown McKeesport experienced the largest fire in the city's history, referred to as the "Famous Fire", due to the fire beginning in the "Famous Department Store" on Market and Fifth Streets. The fire destroyed seven downtown structures, heavily damaged more than 12 others, and started fires in at least 10 homes due to hot embers blowing more than a half mile due to heavy gusting winds. Around 1,000 firefighters from more than 40 neighboring fire companies responded to assist, and a contingent of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard were deployed. The McKeesport Daily News reported the next day that "only shells and piles of rubble" remained "where city landmarks once stood."

Closure of steel mills

National Tube closed in the 1980s, along with other U.S. Steel plants in the Mon Valley. The city, with the help of regional development agencies, has conducted efforts to revitalize the former mill sites.

Geography

McKeesport has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.06%, is water. McKeesport is located about upstream, and south, from

, at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. The city is on the Allegheny Plateau, within 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 downtown area is located to the northwest, while the southern and eastern areas of the city are primarily residential.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, McKeesport has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

The population has fallen to little more than a third of its wartime high, with the 2010 census recording fewer than twenty thousand residents in contrast to the fifty-five thousand of 1940. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 24,040 people, 9,655 households, and 5,976 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 4,806.9 people per square mile (1,856.4/km²). There were 11,124 housing units at an average density of 2,224.3 per square mile (859.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.40%

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 ...

, 24.46%

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.12% 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 ...

, 0.59% from other races, and 2.14% 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 1.50% of the population. There were 9,655 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,715, and the median income for a family was $31,577. Males had a median income of $27,412 versus $21,977 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 $13,242. About 18.1% of families and 23.0% 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 35.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

McKeesport's population is a diverse mix of races and nationalities. As a celebration of these heritages, McKeesport hosts an annual ethnic food festival and community celebration referred to as International Village. Started in 1960, the three-day festival is one of the Pittsburgh-area's largest and oldest ethnic festivals and features traditional cuisines from Africa, China, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, the Mediterranean, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Vietnam.

Health care

Founded in 1894, UPMC McKeesport offers 216 beds for acute care patients and 56 beds for patients who need skilled nursing care. Located at 1500 Fifth Ave, the hospital joined the UPMC network in April 1998. In addition to an Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Care Unit, the hospital offers ongoing rehabilitation and educational programs to patients with cardiac, neurologic, and orthopaedic diagnoses. A new, state-of-the-art emergency room opened in December 1999.

Law, government and politics

Government

McKeesport operates under a home rule charter based on a “Strong Mayor”/Council form of government, adopted in 1974.

Mayor

Under the Home Rule Charter, the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

is elected at large and cannot be a member of the City Council. The Mayor serves as the leader of the City government, and is vested exclusive executive and administrative authority. Under the Home Rule Charter, the Mayor may appoint a Deputy Mayor from among the department executives. The current Mayor of McKeesport is Democrat Michael Cherepko, a former City Councilman and McKeesport Area School District teacher, He was elected in 2011, defeating

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

candidate Raymond Malinchak and was re-elected for a second and third term, commencing in January 2016 and January 2020 respectively. Mayors assume office in the January following election.

Mayor's Committees

Mayor's Committees were first developed in their current form by Michael Cherepko and serve as advisory bodies with no formal powers. The Select Committee on Crime and Violence was formed in 2012, responsible for addressing the problems of crime and violence by utilizing resources and seeking funding for youth and adult initiatives. The McKeesport Message Committee was subsequently developed as a subgroup to promote the city's message of "Respect, Dignity, Hope, and Love" which encourages residents' pride in the city. This subgroup promotes this through community and school engagement and creative marketing. The Mayor's Committee on Community Issues was formed in 2014, responsible for providing dialogue between McKeesport residents, the Mayor's Office and other city departments.

City Council

The McKeesport

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 ...

consists of seven individuals elected “at large” for staggered four‐ year terms. A President and Vice President is elected among themselves. The Council acts as the legislative body and is responsible for establishing policy through the adoption of ordinances, resolutions, or motions. Most government action and legislative authority in City government rests with the City Council, as well as the confirmation of certain appointments by the Mayor.

Politics

Law enforcement

The McKeesport Police Department is one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in the region, presently employing 52 sworn officers, and is one of the few departments in

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia C ...

with its own detective bureau and traffic division. It operates closely with the

Allegheny County Police Department The Allegheny County Police Department is a law enforcement agency in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The department provides law enforcement services to County property, including the Pittsburgh International Airport, the Allegheny County Airp ...

, which provides investigative and forensic services for serious crimes such as homicide and the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, which provides transport and detention services. Other agencies also provide law enforcement within the city due to overlapping jurisdictions, such as the Port Authority Police Department, McKeesport Area School District, and

Penn State Greater Allegheny Penn State Greater Allegheny (PSUGA) is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University that sits on the border of McKeesport and White Oak The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, ...

Police & Public Safety.

Transport

Road

Pennsylvania Route 148 Pennsylvania Route 148 (PA 148) is a , north–south state highway located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 48 in McKeesport. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in East McKeesport. Route des ...

runs through downtown Mckeesport, ending in south McKeesport at the junction of Route 48. The

Yellow Belt Yellow Belt may refer to the following: * A level in the Japanese system of classification known as Kyū. * A road in the Allegheny County belt system The Allegheny County Belt System color codes miscellaneous county roads to form a unique system ...

follows Route 148 from the east, to the Jerome Street Bridge. Route 148 Truck runs exclusively within McKeesport, following Market Street three blocks to the west of the narrower mainline Route 148. McKeesport is also connected to Route 837 by the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge, the terminus of the

Green Belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which h ...

, providing a direct link to Pittsburgh.

Rail

McKeesport is the beginning of the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

Pittsburgh Subdivision, where it meets the

Mon Subdivision The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio in the ...

. It is also served by the Transtar Union Railroad, which absorbed the McKeesport Connecting Railroad in 2013. The city was formerly served by the

PATrain The PATrain, also known as Mon Valley Commuter Rail, was a commuter rail service owned by the Port Authority of Allegheny County in the Monongahela Valley in the US state of Pennsylvania. Service began in 1975 when the Port Authority assumed ow ...

commuter service, known as the "Mckeesporter", until 1989.

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. ...

also provided intercity rail service via the '' Capitol Limited'' between Chicago and Washington D.C. from 1982 to 1990.

Public transport

The city is served by the

Pittsburgh Regional Transit Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT, formerly Port Authority of Allegheny County) is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 20th-largest in the United States. The state-funded agency is based in Pittsburgh and is overseen ...

intracity and intercity bus network, and Heritage Community Transportation. The

McKeesport Transportation Center The McKeesport Transportation Center is a bus, and formerly train, station located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. History The station was served by the PATrain commuter rail service between Versailles and Pittsburgh, and its predecessor, the Bal ...

serves as the primary transit hub of the city, and underwent a $1 million redevelopment in 2017.

Surrounding and adjacent communities

McKeesport has five land borders, including the Township of North Versailles to the north-northeast, the Borough of White Oak to the east, and Borough of Versailles to the south. The section of the city west of the Monongahela River and Youghiogheny River confluence is bordered by the Borough of Port Vue to the south and the Borough of Glassport to the southwest. The City of Duquesne is located north across the Monongahela River, connected by the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge, as is Dravosburg and West Mifflin, connected by the W.D. Mansfield Memorial Bridge. Port Vue, the Borough of Liberty and Elizabeth Township are located across the Youghiogheny River to the west, connected by the 15th Street Bridge.

Landmarks

* Renziehausen Park Rose Garden and Arboretum * Penn State University - Greater Allegheny Campus *

McKeesport Area High School McKeesport Area High School is a public high school located in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States. The school, which is located at 1960 Eden Park Boulevard, serves students from Dravosburg, McKeesport, South Versailles, Versailles, and Whit ...

* Great Allegheny Passage Trail * Steel Valley Trail * Youghiogheny River Trail * St Mary's German Church * First Methodist Episcopal Church of McKeesport * Carnegie Free Library * Jerome Street Bridge * McKeesport Marina * McKeesport National Bank * Dead Man's Hollow

Notable people

Academia

* George Marcus, anthropologist * Sherman Mellinkoff, second dean of the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles * Merrill Singer, anthropologist *

Herbert Spiegel Herbert Spiegel (June 29, 1914 – December 15, 2009) was an American psychiatrist who popularized therapeutic hypnosis as a mainstream medical treatment for patients experiencing pain, anxiety, and addictions. He also is known for his treatment o ...

, psychiatrist, "father of hypnosis"

Actors and broadcasters

* Grover Dale, actor, dancer, choreographer, director *

Aline MacMahon Aline Laveen MacMahon (May 3, 1899 – October 12, 1991) was an American actress. Her Broadway stage career began under producer Edgar Selwyn in ''The Mirage'' during 1920. She made her screen debut in 1931 and worked extensively in film, thea ...

, Oscar-nominated actress *

Tamara Tunie Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1987–1995, 2000–2007, 2009 ...

, actress, singer * Richard Wilson, screenwriter and director

Business and industry

* Raymond J. Lane, managing partner of GreatPoint Ventures, former partner at Kleiner Perkins, former president and chief operating officer of

Oracle Corporation Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas. In 2020, Oracle was the third-largest software company in the world by revenue and market capitalization. The company sells da ...

* Helen Richey, first woman pilot of a commercial airliner * Robert J. Stevens, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin

Military

* Donald M. Carpenter, aviator in the U.S. Navy * Franklin J. Phillips, also known as Harry Fisher,

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient

Musicians and artists

* Sheila Butler, visual artist * Byron Janis, pianist *

Henrietta Leaver Henrietta Leaver (March 28, 1916 – September 18, 1993), Miss Pittsburgh, was crowned Miss America on September 7, 1935, at Atlantic City in New Jersey. She was 19 years old. Early life Leaver was born to George and Celia Applegate. She ne ...

, Miss America 1935 * Duane Michals, photographer * Sam Sneed, music producer and rapper * Jerry Tachoir, jazz vibraphone and

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

player * Mort Weiss, jazz

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

player

Sports

Auto racing

* Tommy Gale,

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Winston Cup driver in the 1970s and 1980s

Baseball

Tim Conroy Timothy James Conroy (born April 3, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics (1978 and 1982–85) and St. Louis Cardinals (1986–87 ...

, former major league pitcher * Brian Holton, former MLB relief pitcher * Rick Krivda, MLB pitcher and 2000 Olympic gold medalist * Tom Qualters, former MLB pitcher * Bill Robinson, former MLB outfielder and coach * Gary Ross, former MLB pitcher

Basketball

* Swin Cash, WNBA player, 2000 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist

Bullfighting

Bette Ford Bette Ford (born Harriet Elizabeth Dingeldein; June 24, 1927) is an American actress and model turned professional bullfighter. She was the first American woman to fight on foot in the Plaza México, the world's largest bullfight arena. Personal ...

, first American bullfighter to fight in the

Plaza Mexico A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

Football

Jim Beirne James Patrick Beirne (October 15, 1946 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played college football at Purdue University, where he was an All-American. He played professionally for the Hous ...

, former AFL/NFL wide receiver,

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

(1968–1973, 1976), San Diego Chargers (1974–1975) * Ron Crosby, NFL and USFL player * Dave Gasser, former Canadian Football League linebacker for the Edmonton Eskimos (1967–1972) *

Khaleke Hudson Khaleke Hudson (born December 6, 1997) is an American football linebacker for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan and was drafted by Washington in the fifth round of the 2020 NF ...

, NFL Linebacker, Washington Commanders (2020– ) * Branden Jackson, NFL Defensive End,

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

(2016),

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

(2017– )The Raging Bull. Toms River North Mariners. 1990–1992 * Jim Kelly, former Notre Dame and NFL tight end *

Maurice Leggett Maurice Lamar Leggett (also known as Moe Leggett) (born October 2, 1986) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was previously a member of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League and the Winnipeg Bl ...

, former

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

cornerback * Mike Logan, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety * Bob Long, former NFL wide receiver,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

(1964–1967), Atlanta Falcons (1968),

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

(1969), Los Angeles Rams (1970) * Bill Miller, former AFL wide receiver, Dallas Texans (1962),

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

(1963),

(1964–1968); two TD catches in Super Bowl II * George Mrkonic, football player for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

Greg Paterra Gregory Richard Paterra (born May 12, 1967) is a former American football running back who played one season with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Falcons in the eleventh round of the 1989 NFL Draft. ...

, NFL player * Brandon Short, former NFL linebacker,

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

(2000–2003, 2006),

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

(2004–2005) *

Jim Trimble James William Trimble (May 29, 1918 – May 23, 2006) was an American gridiron football coach who served as head coach in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) In the NFL, he spent four years leading the Ph ...

, former NFL and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

head football coach

Politicians and governmental leaders

* Queen Alliquippa, leader of the Seneca tribe of American Indians during the early part of the 18th century * Frank Buchanan, former mayor of McKeesport and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, husband of Vera Buchanan *

Vera Buchanan Vera Daerr Buchanan (July 20, 1902 – November 26, 1955) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. She was the first female member of the U.S. Congress to ever die while holding office ...

, former member of the

, wife of Frank Buchanan * William Henry Coleman, former member of the

* Marc Gergely, Pennsylvania state representative *

John E. McLaughlin John Edward McLaughlin (born June 15, 1942) is an American intelligence official who served as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and briefly as acting Director of Central Intelligence. He currently serves as a Senior Fellow and Distinguishe ...

, former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence * Emil Mrkonic, former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives * Bill Shuster, member of the

Al Benedict Al Benedict (c. 1929 – August 31, 2003) was an American politician who served as Pennsylvania Auditor General from 1977 to 1985. He was convicted on federal racketeering and tax fraud charges in 1988 and sentenced to six years in prison. Li ...

, Pennsylvania Auditor General from 1977 to 1985 * Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor-elect (2023 to 2027)

Writers

Bob Carroll, Jr. Robert Gordon Carroll Jr. (August 12, 1918 – January 27, 2007) was an American television writer notable for his creative role in the series '' I Love Lucy'', the first four seasons of which he wrote with his professional partner Madelyn Pugh, a ...

, television screenwriter noted for his work on '' I Love Lucy'' * Marc Connelly, playwright * John Hoerr, journalist and author of ''And the Wolf Finally Came: The Decline of the American Steel Industry'' * David Kalstone, writer and literary critic * Robert M. McBride, writer and publisher

In popular culture

McKeesport appears briefly in the Marvel comic Dark Reign: Zodiac#1. The 2009 novel ''Monongahela Dusk'', by John Hoerr, is set in 1940s McKeesport. The

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series '' Mindhunter'' used downtown McKeesport as 1977

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. In season four of the Classic Cartoon Rocky & Bullwinkle, McKeesport is featured in two episodes "Goof Gas Attack" & "McKeesport on the Prod or The Pennsylvania Poker". In the film Tommy Boy, Chris Farley remarks "I don't see any McKeesport" when looking for the city on a road map.

Gallery

File:Carnegie Library McKeesport 2018a.jpg, The Carnegie Free Library of McKeesport, built in 1902 File:JeromeStreetBridge.jpg, The Jerome Street Bridge (aka Lysle Blvd or 5th Avenue Bridge) File:Mckeesport riverfront trail.jpg, Sign along Youghiogheny River Trail

References

External links

City of McKeesport official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKeesport, Pennsylvania Cities in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1795 Pittsburgh metropolitan area Cities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania populated places on the Monongahela River 1795 establishments in Pennsylvania