Southside (Pittsburgh)

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Southside is a neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, USA. It has a population of approximately 10,000 people. The primary business district of this neighborhood is Carson Street, home to many small shops, restaurants and bars. It has been said that there are more than 80 bars along Carson Street between 10th and 25th Streets. The neighborhood is a tight urban fabric of rowhouses, and it was settled primarily by Eastern European immigrants who came to Pittsburgh to work in the mills. In recent years it has become home to a large student population because it is across the Monongahela River from three large universities and is well-connected to them via public transit. Its proximity and public transit connections also have attracted many professionals who work downtown.

The neighborhood is home to one of the largest Victorian main streets in the United States. The entire length of East Carson Street is designated as a historic district. Strict rules dictate what the exterior of the buildings can look like. This neighborhood is a prime national example of adaptive reuse of historic structures to spur community revitalization. One of the famous steel mills of Pittsburgh was located on the South Side but closed in the 1980s. The neighborhood was on rapid decline but its stance on historic preservation propelled it to a new and bright future. Today's South Side is one of the most desirable city neighborhoods and is known for its multitude of bars and restaurants.

The popularity of the neighborhood doesn't come without costs. The older life-long residents often clash with the values of the young urban professionals and students moving in. Parking in the South Side is some of the toughest in the city. Very narrow streets and high density of buildings leaves little room for parking. One of the local traditions is to save a parking spot on the street in front of one's house by placing an item such as a chair in the space. Common tradition says you don't move the chair and you don't park there.

The South Side Slopes is the very steep neighborhood located just south of what is traditionally thought of as the South Side but is more appropriately the South Side Flats. The Slopes are so steep that special fire trucks have to be used to navigate the zigzagging maze of steep narrow streets. Some spots are so steep that public staircases actually act as the street. These public steps actually have street signs and houses located along them. Public steps are not rare in this extremely hilly city of Pittsburgh. The city has over 700 sets of steps providing access to otherwise unreachable neighborhoods. The trek up these steps is often well worth it as you are rewarded with yet another of Pittsburgh's stunning hillside views.

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