Pittsburg once enjoyed a rather unsavory reputation as one of the most polluted cities in the US, a reputation which led writer Lincoln Steffens to comment that the city was 'hell with lid the off.' However, the city once known for its industrial steel factories and acrid smoke is now a model of cleanliness after aggressive beautification and revitalization efforts by the city government. Now the city is known as a center of health care, high technology and education.

Pittsburgh sits right on the intersection of the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers, among the forested hills of Pennsylvania, the home of Native American tribes which were later pushed west by European settlers. The city experienced a surge in growth in the 1800s and even more when coal was discovered. The city eventually developed a reputation for heavy smoke and soot coming from its numerous industrial plants and was known as the Rustbelt during WWII.

After WWII the city implemented revitalization programs which included cleaning up of the city's air and the building of several skyscrapers that now define the city skyline, as well as the resurrection of the city's cultural centers, theaters and museums. The city is rich in art and culture, being the home of Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art.