Hill District (Pittsburgh)

Bedford Dwellings
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny County
City	Pittsburgh
Area
• Total	0.179 sq mi (0.46 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,202
• Density	6,700/sq mi (2,600/km2)

Upper Hill
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny County
City	Pittsburgh
Area
• Total	0.313 sq mi (0.81 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,057
• Density	6,600/sq mi (2,500/km2)

The Hill District is a historic African-American collection of neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I "the Hill" was the cultural center of African-American life in the city and a major center of jazz. Despite its cultural and economic vibrancy, in the mid-1950s a substantial area was slated for redevelopment, displacing about 8000 individuals and leading to the neighborhood's dramatic economic decline.

The Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as of 2010 the area comprises Census Tracts 305 (Crawford Roberts, "Lower Hill"), 501 (Crawford-Roberts, "Middle Hill), 506 (Upper Hill), 509 (Bedford Dwellings), 510 and 511 (Terrace Village). It is bordered by the Downtown on the west, the Strip District next to the Allegheny River and Polish Hill to the north, the Bluff (Uptown) on the southwest, and Oakland on the east and southeast.

The census tract/neighborhoods noted in the Hill District are represented on the Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 (Downtown neighborhoods). Part of the Upper Hill is also represented under District 7. The 15219 ZIP code covers all five neighborhoods, and the 15213 ZIP code covers part of Terrace Village and the Upper Hill.

Following the rebellion by slaves and gaining of independence of Haiti in 1804, the free African-American community of the Hill District, Pittsburgh's oldest black community, was called "Little Haiti." The early residents of the Hill District were middle-class free blacks. In 2004 the Pittsburgh City Council announced commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Haiti's independence.

Beginning in the 1910s, the Hill attracted migrants from elsewhere in the United States (particularly from the rural American South in the Great Migration) and from abroad, creating a vibrant and diverse social landscape. Jazz musicians thrived here and the neighborhood was considered "the crossroads of the world." That phrase, attributed to Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay, was popularized by radio DJ Mary Dee (Mary Dee Dudley), of WHOD Radio, Pittsburgh's only black radio station.

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Wikipedia