PITTSBURGH — 262 years young and she looks as fresh and fit as ever! On this date in 1758, Pittsburgh was named by General John Forbes in honor of William Pitt.
William Pitt served as Prime Minister of Great Britain in the mid-18th century and is well-known for leading the British against France in the Seven Years’ War. Pitt was also a supporter of the American position before the outbreak of the American Revolution.
The region was first inhabited by Native Americans, followed by French explorers and traders. Dutch pioneers followed in the early 1700s and fur traders soon established outposts and settlements.
The British soon followed and the small village at the forks of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers continued to grow after the American Revolution. The region became home to boat building, distilling, smelting, mining, and a number of steel mills which contributed to winning wars and building some of the great architectural achievements of the 20th century.
The area is now a hub for education, tourism, healthcare, medicine, research, finance, robotics and more. Eight Fortune 500 companies and six of the top 300 U.S. law firms have their global headquarters in the Pittsburgh area.
As of 2019, Pittsburgh was the 66th-largest city in the U.S. and the second-largest in Pennsylvania. The city ranks near the top of the list for cities with the most bridges in the world.
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