District 7 is comprised of very unique and vibrant neighborhoods in the East End of Pittsburgh, nestled comfortably in the Allegheny River valley. Highland Park, Lawrenceville, Morningside, Polish Hill, Stanton Heights and parts of Bloomfield, East Liberty and Garfield are within the boundaries of District 7. Each has its own character, priorities and issues. They unify, however, to create one of the most interesting areas in the City of Pittsburgh.

BLOOMFIELD

Some Areas of Bloomfield are in Council District 7, and other areas are in Council District 8.  View the map of districts for a delineation.

Bloomfield is located just east of Downtown, and is surrounded by Shadyside, Friendship, Garfield, Lawrenceville, and Oakland. It is easily accessible via Liberty Avenue, Penn Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard.  Bloomfield's name was derived from the many wildflowers that bloomed  here years ago.

Bloomfield is home to one of the City's largest, and most active, business districts along Liberty Avenue.  Card shops, shoe stores, Italian restaurants, and groceries abound, attracting shoppers not only from nearby neighborhoods but from the whole Pittsburgh region.

In the late 1800s, millworkers in nearby Lawrenceville constructed small row houses designed for single families and businesses in the style of their homeland.  Today, well-maintained rowhomes along quaint, narrow streets characterize Bloomfield.  Here homes are often passed down through families, and grandchildren usually live just a few blocks from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Bloomfield residents are deeply rooted in the community and are proud of their recreational and youth programs. 

EAST LIBERTY

East Liberty is located east of Downtown and is surrounded by Highland Park, Garfield, Larimer, Shadyside and Friendship. Once known as Pittsburgh's second downtown, East Liberty has experienced some of the problems besetting every urban community, but recently, East Liberty has seen the rehabilitation of key structures in Penn Circle which create a feeling of a promising future.

The success of the Penn-Highland Building project, which created a new commercial/office building along with 125 jobs in the heart of the business district, is a milepost on the road to recovery.  The facade improvement work has done much to encourage optimism, and the rehabilitation of the Regent Theater is also a move to improve East Liberty's image.

Homes in East Liberty range from highrise apartments to townhomes to century-old Victorians.

East Liberty aims at retaining and developing its business concerns in a safe and profitable environment.  The Penn Avenue business district is like a gemstone with many facets.  Whether it be footwear, automotive supplies, hair styling, or ethnic foods that you are looking for, you can find it in East Liberty. 

GARFIELD

Garfield is located in the famed East End of Pittsburgh, and is surrounded by East Liberty, Friendship, Bloomfield and Lawrenceville.  The neighborhood was first developed by John Winebiddle in 1771 and was sold to the City in 1867.  It is named after President James Garfield.    A diverse number of restaurants and shops lines Penn Avenue, which runs through a large part of this area.  Garfield has open spaces, trees, and clean air.  There's plenty of room for playing ball and for gardening.  There are hills for sled riding and parks for picnicking.  The view is breathtaking:  from the crest of Fern Street, one can see all across the city.

You can still borrow a cup of sugar from your next door neighbor in Garfield.  Friends stop to chat along the sidewalks and to lend a hand with snow shoveling or hedge trimming.  Garfield is a community filled with real old-fashioned neighborly neighbors.

Because of its convenient location, Garfield offers its residents a choice of cultural and recreational amenities.  Highland Park (home to the Pittsburgh Zoo), as well as tennis courts and ballfields nearby.  In addition, Garfield is the home of the Upstairs Theater, an intimate theater that features local performers. Fort Pitt Elementary School and Rogers School for the Creative and Performing Arts are both located here.  Rogers students have given their artistic talent to the neighborhood by creating murals that beautify the sides of several buildings.

Garfield is brimming with stately old "Pittsburgh Boxes," frame and brick rowhomes, and new homes in Mossfield Court.  The neighborhood's residents are served by active community groups that provide youth programming, rehabilitate houses and address issues that affect the quality of life in Garfield. 

HIGHLAND PARK

Highland Park sits on the corner of the city, northeast of Downtown, and is surrounded by East Liberty,Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, Larimer, and Morningside.   Highland Park was settled  by Alexander Negley in 1778 and annexed to the city in 1868.  Tree-lined streets full of Victorian, Tudor, and Colonial homes--from modest to grand--characterize this family-oriented neighborhood.

If your favorite pastime is talking to elephants, then Highland Park is the neighborhood for you. This neighborhood is home to the Pittsburgh Zoo, situated among the hills and greenery of the Park for which the neighborhood is named.   

Highland Park is a sprawling, 500-acre park with tennis courts, a public swimming pool, and picnic areas.   Edward Bigelow, the park's founder, called it "the finest breathing room in the city," and people come from all over the city to enjoy it.  The park's 100-year history is still alive today in its many historic monuments, hand-crafted sculptures, and ornate entryways.  Also preserved are the wooded trails and secluded greenery that make Highland Park an ideal getaway for joggers, walkers, roller bladers, cyclists, picnickers and nature enthusiasts.  Just for the kids there is the Super Playground, a community designed and built playground that sparks the imagination of children of all ages.  Annual events in Highland Park include the Walking Tour of historically and architecturally significant homes and the Highland Fling, which features live music, crafts,and food.

LAWRENCEVILLE

One of the city's largest neighborhoods, Lawrenceville stretches from the eastern edge of the Strip District, barely a mile from downtown, along the banks of the Allegheny River, almost to the western border of Highland Park.  Penn Avenue and Butler Street provide convenient access to the neighborhood.  It is also surrounded by Polish Hill, Bloomfield, Garfield, and Stanton Heights

Lawrenceville bills itself as a "back to the basics" neighborhood.  What it offers is affordable housing, the convenient Butler Street business district, and easy access to work, shop and play in Downtown, Shadyside and Oakland.

This neighborhood has a house to fit almost any taste.  Large single family brick homes dominate the eastern part of Lawrenceville, while residents closer to Downtown enjoy the urban character of the streets lined with turn-of-the-century rowhouses alongside newly constructed townhomes in Doughboy Square.

Lawrenceville's more than 11,000 residents represent a changing mix of established families, whose parents and grandparents moved to Pittsburgh in the late 1800s to work in the factories, and young professionals, artists, and musicians attracted by the architectural gems and affordable homes.

MORNINGSIDE

Morningside is located east of Downtown and is surrounded by the Allegheny River, Stanton Heights, Highland Park and East Liberty.

The neighborhood of Morningside, distinguished by its tree-lined streets and two-story brick homes with porches, used to be a farm community until 1905, when the Chislett Street trolley line came.  Major residental development followed several years later.  Morningside is a quiet residential community, less than two square miles in area, where people tend to know one another.  A featured annual event here is the St. Rocco Festival, which takes place for two days in August and consists of an Italian mass followed by singing, dancing, and a fireworks display.

Morningside abounds with well-kept brick homes, matching side by side down pleasant, tree-lined streets with plenty of ballfields and playgrounds for youngsters.  It is within walking distance of Highland Park and the Pittsburgh Zoo, and is just a short drive to the Waterworks Mall.

Morningside remains a stable, prosperous community for its hard-working residents.  The neighborhood has strong ethnic roots, with local churches playing an active role in community programs.

POLISH HILL

Polish Hill is located east of Downtown and is surrounded by Bedford Dwellings, the Hill District , Lawrenceville , the Strip District, and Bloomfield.

Recognizing that this hillside area overlooking the Allegheny River was within walking distance of the mills, Polish immigrants settled its winding streets and steep slopes in the late 1800s.  In 1905, those same early settlers finished construction work on the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chruch, which has since been designated a Pittsburgh landmark and remains the centerpeice of the neighborhood.  Polish Hill is a close-knit neighborhood and has been home to many generations of the same families.  Many of today's residents are the great-grandchildren of the original settlers.

Polish Hill residents do most of their shopping in Downtown Bloomfield, or the nearby Strip District. The refurbished West Penn Recreation Center, with its wide range of indoor and outdoor facilities, serves the neighborhood's leisure-time needs.

Polish Hill homes are a varied lot, including frame rowhouses, detached brick homes, suburban-style ranches, and brand new townhouses, all nestled into the hillside terrain of the neighborhood.

STANTON HEIGHTS

Stanton Heights is located east of Downtown , with convenient access toHighland Park and Liberty Avenue and Butler Street shopping districts.  It is surrounded by Lawrenceville , Morningside, East Liberty and Garfield.

The area now known as Stanton Heights wasn't even a  city neighborhood just over fifty years ago.  Back then, it was a private country club.  The result is that this neighborhood set at the top of  Stanton Avenue, with the character of a suburb, has new homes, quiet streets with little to no traffic, and no commercial area at all.  Before people lived in Stanton Heights, they farmed and golfed there.  Until the mid-1950s, a large portion of the neighborhood was part of the Stanton Heights Golf Course, the largest private course in the city. 

While Stanton Heights does not have its own neighborhood business district, residents have plenty of shopping choices nearby.  Grocery stores, dry cleaners, hardware stores, and pharmacies can be found in East Liberty,Bloomfield, and Squirrel Hill.  A featured event is the Fun Festival held each summer. 

Map of District 7

Located in the East End of Pittsburgh, District 7 runs along the Allegheny River from the Strip District (27th Street) to the City neighborhood of Lincoln-Lemington. Click on a neighborhood below to learn more about its unique characteristics, people who live there and projects we're involved in.