TOWNSHIP OF MCCANDLESS – McCandless Township, originally founded in 1851 and called Taylor, was incorporated in 1857 as a Second Class Township and renamed McCandless in honor of District Judge Wilson McCandless. McCandless Township became home to Allegheny County’s North Park, an approximately 1,600-acre, 2.5 square mile recreational area that is open to the public. The area represents approximately 15.2% of the township.
Between 1930 and 1950, the Town more than doubled its population, doubling it again by 1960. It has since doubled in size once more and as of the 2000 Census, the number of households in the Township is near 12,000. Expanding population and traffic brought more diversified development into the area. McKnight Road was built in the mid-1950s and became the primary access to the northern suburban markets from downtown Pittsburgh. Retail and office developments occupy a considerable portion of the McCandless segment of the McKnight Corridor, but new developments aim to combine office, retail, housing and entertainment opportunities.
The Town of McCandless is located in the center of the “North Hills” area of Allegheny County. McCandless’s 16.4 square miles are occupied by more than 29,000 residents. Neighboring communities include Ross Township to the south, Shaler Township to the east, Pine Township to the north and Franklin Township to the west.
Pittsburgh’s northern submarkets are the fastest growing in the region. With several award-winning school districts and a successful mix of residential and commercial development, the North Hills is synonymous with quality spaces to work, live and play.
PITTSBURGH REGION – Strategically located in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic states, Pittsburgh is only a short flight or a day's drive from many of the world's busiest commercial centers, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto, Canada. These lucrative markets encompass more than 50 percent of the populations of both the United States and Canada, and account for 53 percent of the American buying income. Utilizing a transportation system that takes advantage of all modes of travel including highways, waterways, rail lines and one of the nation's most modern aviation facilities, the Pittsburgh region is uniquely positioned to deliver its world class high-tech, bio-medical, manufacturing and communication products to markets throughout the world.
Pittsburgh-area residents and visitors experience a unique local atmosphere, enjoying all the "big city" amenities without many of the big city problems. These features blend with a special small town warmth and charm, to give a quality of life envied throughout the nation. The cost of quality housing in Western Pennsylvania ranks among the most affordable in the nation, based on figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Our costs are well below the national average, easily beating out cities including Baltimore, Atlanta, Seattle or Chicago.
Pittsburgh has been a center for business and commerce throughout history. Easy access to all the nation's major transportation facilities, an abundance of natural resources, and a plentiful and dedicated workforce fueled the area's growth and early ascension in industry, as reflected by corporate institutions such as US Steel, PPG and Westinghouse.
More recently, the region’s workforce has been transformed from one focused primarily on heavy industry to one relying on more specialized industries and services providers, including high technology, health care, education and finance. Roughly 42% of the region's workforce is employed in the service sector, while about 20% is employed in the manufacturing sector.
Sustainable economic growth, which reaches every corner of the county, remains the highest priority of local leadership. Groundbreaking public-private partnerships have resulted in projects and initiatives that will energize the regional economy and change the face of the community. New building projects, which include the construction of Consol Energy Center, an indoor arena that will be the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, Three PNC Plaza, the Westinghouse Energy campus in Cranberry Township, the new 675,000-square-foot Dick’s Sporting Goods headquarters, and the redevelopment of the Downtown Pittsburgh central shopping district including the renovations to Market Square, promise to reinvigorate the regional hub, the Golden Triangle and its adjoining riverfronts.
