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EPP GRADUATE FAQ - The Pittsburgh Setting

Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, once the home of much of the United States' heaviest industry. Over the past half century, the city has undergone a remarkable transformation. Once highly polluted, it led the nation in pollution clean-up and control, well before the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Today, it is a clean, modern city, in a dramatic natural setting, with a vital central core. Its economy has successfully negotiated the transition from heavy industry to high-tech and service industries.

The city itself has a population of about 350,000. The population of the greater metropolitan area is a bit under two million. Because of its industrial past, for many years Pittsburgh was the nation's third largest corporate headquarters city. Mergers and moves have changed that, but the long-established wealth of the region provides the underpinnings for a remarkable diversity of cultural, educational, medical, and other facilities. The Pittsburgh Symphony is one of the finest in the world. There are also excellent resident ballet and opera companies, and a rich diversity of other cultural offerings ranging from theater to modern dance, jazz, and folk arts. The downtown cultural district houses two large theaters and two smaller theaters, all excellently equipped. There are a number of superb museums, a good modern zoo and aviary, a large arboretum, many fine restaurants, and similar amenities usually found only in much larger cities.

Because of its long industrial past, Pittsburgh offers a rich mixture of local communities, built up through successive waves of immigration. These have retained much of their traditional character and offer a rich array of ethnic cuisines, folk arts, and cultural activities. Neighborhoods such as the Strip District, with its wonderful wholesale food markets, add interesting variety not found in many younger U.S. cities. There are strong professional sports teams in football (Steelers), baseball (Pirates), and hockey (Penguins). Two new stadiums are being built.

Although it is only 300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Pittsburgh is midwestern in its character. People are friendly, unpretentious, and hardworking. Drivers are among the most courteous in the nation. Crime rates are low. Travel from Pittsburgh is easy. Washington, D.C., New York, Toronto, and Chicago are all within a day's drive. Pittsburgh's international airport is a major hub city for US Airways.

For more information on Pittsburgh, please feel free to visit the following websites:

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