Exurb of the Week: Jeannette (Pittsburgh, Johnstown: crime rate, shop, authority)

[runpens1]

Jeannette is medium-sized (2.39 sq. mil.) industrial city located in Westmoreland County about 25 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, 10 miles from the Allegheny County line, and about 4 miles west of the county seat of Greensburg off of U.S. Route 30.

Jeannette area's history dates back to the 18th Century with the fighting of the French and Indian War nearby. It was first incorporated as a borough in 1889 and gradually grew with the active industrial sector. It was nicknamed the "glass city" due to the numerous glass plants that began to dominate the city's economy. It was the first large manufacturing town in Westmoreland County. The impact of the glass industry was very significant for the area's economy. There were a total of 7 glass plants in the city and it was even named for Jeannette E. Hartupee McKee, the wife of H. Sellers McKee, a local industrialist who cofounded the Chambers and McKee Glass Works and was a active member of the elite Johnstown area fishing and hunting club. Mckee and his partner J.A. Chambers also have the distinction of naming Jeannette's main street, Clay Avenue after their financial backer, Richard W. Clay. They laid out its main street to include many stores for Jeannette residents to shop at. In its thriving age, Jeannette was incorporated as a third-class city in 1938. It was estimated to have produced about 70 and 85% of the world's glass. Jeannette's growth continued until it reached its peak population of near 17,000 in 1960. Then, the city began to slowly but steadily decline with the loss of jobs.

Today, Jeannette is estimated to have about 9,000 residents. Though possibly to a lesser extent of some formerly thriving industrial cities, Jeannette has dealt with issues of abandoned factories as well as buildings in the downtown portion, deteriorating housing, and crime rate rising over time. When driving through the main part of the city, one can see its coming of age. In the northern part of the city, near route 130, which seems to be the healthier portion of the city with still some active businesses, lies the operational facility of Elliott Turbo-machinery Company, which also has a significant history in the city's industrial economy and still is the city's as well as one of Westmoreland County's largest employers. It has been working on building another manufacturing facility of the site of a former glass factory. Overall, the manufacturing sector is no where near was it once was in Jeannette during its heyday of glass producing. There is an active redevelopment authority in the city that is working to restore its glory days as an industrial powerhouse in the area.

[Wells5]

Elliott Turbine is owned by Ebara Company, which is Japanese. It used to be American owned.

[Charley Barker]

I hope they can do some good for Jeanette. It is a very depressed-looking town, ironically surrounded by some growing/stable communities like North Huntington, Penn Twp., and Irwin.