Pittsburgh has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) on the Koppen climate classification, because the average January temperature downtown just exceeds the 26.6°F (-3°C) threshold for inclusion in this category.[30] This climate zone is very broad and quite diverse, Pittsburgh features long, cold and snowy winters compared with cities such as Orlando, which only occasionally experiences even frost. Since Pittsburgh is at the northern extreme of the humid subtropical zone in the United States, its climate can be thought of as transitional between humid subtropical (Cfa) and humid continental (Dfa). The city's climate features abundant precipitation throughout the year and four defined seasons. While there are wide variations in seasonal temperature common to temperate climates, winters are somewhat moderated by both proximity to the Atlantic Ocean[citation needed] and low mountains that to some degree block the advance of cold air from the north. However, Pittsburgh's average winter temperatures are notably lower than that of Philadelphia. Overall, the city's climate features cold winters with snow, and warm, humid summers with frequent clouds and precipitation.
The climate of Pittsburgh has a direct correlation with households structure and maintaince of a house. It is seen as a higher priority compared to luxury household items. For example the roofing undergoes constant maintance from snow weather.
2. National Negro League
The Pittsburgh Crawfords baseball team also played here. The team, which played in the Negro National League, featured players such as Satchel Paige, Earl Hord, Josh Gibson, Jimmie Crutchfield and Cool Papa Bell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_District_(Pittsburgh)
African Americans play a signifcant role in revolutionizing sports. They went as far as breaking racial barriers of the Major Leagues.
3. Jazz
The Hill became a cultural hotspot. The Crawford Grill, still known for its outstanding jazz, has heard the music of greats like Lena Horne and George Benson.[2] Ramsey Lewis, Oscar Peterson, Cannonball Adderley and others often played at a jazz club called the old Hurricane Lounge.[3] According to WQED, "It was thriving, bustling, and safe--a center for music, art and literature."[1] The area housed jazz legends such as Stanley Turrentine and Art Blakey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_District_(Pittsburgh)
Music is an integral part of the culture within the Hills. It allows people to express how they feel about the times and even provides an escape.
4. Urban Renewal Projects
One of the reasons for the decline of the Hill was an urban renewal project which tore down homes and businesses to make room for the Civic Arena. Public housing projects in the mid-1950s were intended to improve housing but became the centers of poor populations on welfare. Over 8,000 residents were displaced by the urban renewal project. Shifts in the steel and related industries caused a massive loss of industrial jobs in Pittsburgh. The decline of the steelmaking industry affected the entire region around Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania, and Eastern Ohio. The Hill district is merely a small part of the region; i. e., it followed the pattern that happened across the rust belt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_District_(Pittsburgh)
A lot of pride and history is found within the buildings and houses of the Hills District. Remodeling and changing affected the culture of the Hills district.
5. Pittsburgh Courier
a small neighborhood weekly newspaper and quickly became an important, nationally known paper. Self-taught photographer Teeny Harris took more than 80,000 pictures of black life in Pittsburgh.
http://www.wqed.org/education/pghist/logs/wylie.shtml
This newspaper kept the community up to date on events and proved the Hills to be a self-sufficent.
6. Churches/ Religion
The church was the real center of social life in the Hill. There was Ebenezer Baptist Church, John Wesley M. E. Zion, and Mother Bethel, the oldest congregation of color west of Alleghenies, and the site of many civil rights demonstrations, Warren United Methodist, Central, Monumental Baptist, St. Benedict the Moor, the first black catholic church in Pittsburgh. The priest says, "You came to the Church for everything–prayers on Sunday, dancing on Saturday, education, it was where you met your future spouse; picked the children that your kids played with, that's where you got guidance and advice; material help.
http://www.wqed.org/education/pghist/logs/wylie.shtml
The Hills has a strong influences from the Church.
7. Black Owned Businesses
Black businesses flourished on Wylie Avenue, partly because Blacks were often not welcome outside of the Hill.
http://www.wqed.org/education/pghist/logs/wylie.shtml
As a result, there is an attitude of individualism within the community which didn't call for assistance from non-colored businesses.
8. Numbers
Numbers were the unofficial lottery and bank system. Men who wrote the numbers became the Hills financial tycoons and folk heroes.
http://www.wqed.org/education/pghist/logs/wylie.shtml
Many unemployed African Americans sought out get rich quick schemes including playing at the lottery.
9. Economy
The Hill had to recover from the collapse of the steel industry which resulted in the renewal neighborhood program.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh#Economy
Many jobs were lost from the collapse of the steel industy. Workers had to find other means to provide for their families which was already difficult to do.
10. Geography
Pittsburgh occupies the slopes of the river valley on the opposite side of the Monongahela and the ridges beyond. Many of the city's neighborhoods, particularly the city's North Side and those areas south of the Bungalow, are steeply sloped.This topography is often utilized for physical activity. The city has some 712 sets of stairs, comprising 44,645 treads and 24,090 vertical feet (more than San Francisco, Cincinnati, and Portland, Oregon combined) for pedestrians to traverse its many hills. With the drop of pedestrian traffic across much of the city, and the fact that many of these stairs are outside nuclear neighborhoods, many have fallen into disrepair, covered with vines and weeds. There are hundreds of 'paper streets' composed entirely of stairs and many other steep streets with stairs for sidewalks provide views of the Pittsburgh area.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh#Geography
The layout of houses are greatly effected by the topography of Pittsburgh, the Hills District.
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