View source for Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania

{{Short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{about|the borough adjacent to Pittsburgh|the neighborhood of Pittsburgh with the same name|Mount Oliver (Pittsburgh)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania
| official_name      = 
| settlement_type    = [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|Borough]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Brownsville Road, Mount Oliver, 2023-02-09.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = [[Brownsville Road]] commercial district in Mount Oliver
| image_flag         = Flag of Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania.svg
| image_seal         = 
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo

<!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = Allegheny County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas Mount Oliver highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]] and the U.S. state of [[Pennsylvania]].

<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Pennsylvania]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny]]
| named_for          = [[Oliver Ormsby]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 1769
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1  = November 9, 1892

<!-- Area -->
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web |title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory |url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='42'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=October 12, 2022 }}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 0.34
| area_land_sq_mi    = 0.34
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
| population_total   = 3394
| population_density_sq_mi = 10011.80

<!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_ft       = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|24|41|N|79|59|12|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 15210<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/15210|title=Mount Oliver PA ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2023|access-date=May 13, 2023}}</ref>
| area_code          = [[Area code 412|412]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 42-51744
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 
| website            = {{URL|www.mountoliver.us}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_total_km2     = 0.88
| area_land_km2      = 0.88
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| population_density_km2 = 3860.12
}}

'''Mount Oliver''' is a [[borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]], United States. The population was 3,394 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Mount+Oliver+borough,+Pennsylvania |title=Explore Census Data }}</ref> It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about {{convert|3|mi|0}} west of the [[Monongahela River]]. The borough is [[Enclave and exclave|surrounded entirely]] by the city of [[Pittsburgh]], having resisted [[municipal annexation|annexation]] attempts by the city.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Flohr |first1=Jeffrey |title=Why Is Mt. Oliver Not Part of the City of Pittsburgh |journal=Western Pennsylvania History |date=1999 |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=143 |url=https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/4667/4470 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612234600/http://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/4667/4470 |archive-date=2015-06-12 |access-date=2017-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Mount Oliver Municipal Building, 2024-12-04.jpg|thumb|Municipal building]]
Mount Oliver was first settled by [[John Ormsby (Pittsburgh)|John Ormsby]], an officer in the command of [[John Forbes (British Army officer)|General Forbes]], who was granted 249 acres of land along the banks of the [[Monongahela River]]. In 1788 Allegheny County was divided into townships, with Ormsby's plot being part of [[St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|St. Clair Township]]. In 1800 Ormsby began selling parcels of land, while retaining rent and property taxes from residents. Ormsby named his growing settlement Mount Oliver, after his son, [[Oliver Ormsby]]. Later that year St. Clair Township would be divided with residents attempting to incorporate as a borough, however, the state ruled against the effort stating that the property owner quota was not sufficient to award incorporation, and Mount Oliver would become part of [[Lower St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Lower St. Clair Township]].<ref name="HISTORY">{{cite web |title=History of Mt. Oliver |url=https://mtoliver.com/about/ |website=mtoliver.com |access-date=18 March 2024}}</ref>

In 1872 [[Pittsburgh]] began expanding southward, annexing the boroughs of [[South Side (Pittsburgh)|South Pittsburgh]], [[Monongahela, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Monongahela]], [[Allentown, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], [[Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh)|Lawrenceville]], [[West End (Pittsburgh)|Temperanceville]], [[Birmingham, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Birmingham]], [[Mount Washington, Pittsburgh (neighborhood)|Mt. Washington]], [[West Pittsburgh Pennsylvania|West Pittsburgh]], [[Pittsburgh Borough]], [[East Birmingham, Pennsylvania|East Birmingham]], [[St. Clair (Pittsburgh)|St. Clair Borough]] and [[Ormsby, Pennsylvania|Ormsby]]. Local residents began to feel threatened by this expansion, as well as feeling that Lower St. Clair Township was not properly dealing with their road improvements and public safety. As a result, in 1892 a petition circulated to incorporate Mount Oliver as a borough, which passed the courts on November 9, 1892.<ref name="HISTORY" />

In 1927 Pittsburgh began another expansion effort, annexing the boroughs of [[Knoxville (Pittsburgh)|Knoxville]] and [[Carrick (Pittsburgh)|Carrick]], completely surrounding Mount Oliver. The city of Pittsburgh attempted to force annexation through a lengthy legal battle, however, the borough ultimately prevailed due to its population being too high to annex the municipality without a referendum approved by its residents.<ref name="HISTORY" />

To this day residents of Mount Oliver fiercely defend their independence from Pittsburgh, seeing it as a point of local pride, which is helped by how approachable the local government is, and the rapid allocation of municipal services. However, there has been a noted decline from the 1980s, when the Borough was a local commercial hub.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blackley |first1=Katie |title=How Mt. Oliver Borough eluded City of Pittsburgh annexation |url=https://www.wesa.fm/arts-sports-culture/2017-03-13/how-mt-oliver-borough-eluded-city-of-pittsburgh-annexation |website=[[WESA (FM)]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=18 March 2024}}</ref>

==Geography==
Mount Oliver is located at {{coord|40|24|41|N|79|59|12|W|region:US_type:city}} (40.411319, −79.986571).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of 0.3&nbsp;square miles (0.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all land.

===Surrounding neighborhoods===
Mount Oliver is completely surrounded by six Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including the [[South Side Slopes]] to the north, [[Arlington (Pittsburgh)|Arlington]] to the northeast, [[Mt. Oliver (Pittsburgh)|Mt. Oliver]] to the southeast, [[Carrick (Pittsburgh)|Carrick]] to the south, [[Knoxville (Pittsburgh)|Knoxville]] to the west, and [[Allentown (Pittsburgh)|Allentown]] in the northwest corner.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%; margin-left: 1rem;"
|+ Presidential election results<ref>{{cite web|last1=EL|title=2012 Allegheny County election|url=http://triblive.com/politics/2907065-74/pittsburgh-ward-hills-west-borough-braddock-east-elizabeth-north-park|website=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=EL|title=2016 Pennsylvania general election...|url=http://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/electionresultsgen2016/|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/PA/Allegheny/106267/web.264614/#/detail/0004 | title=Election Night Reporting }}</ref>
|-
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Third party (U.S. politics)|Third parties]]
|-
| '''[[2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2020]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} | ''29%'' ''391''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} | ''69%'' ''924''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" | ''1%'' ''17''
|-
| '''[[2016 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2016]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} | ''26%'' ''342''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} | ''72%'' ''946''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" | ''2%'' ''21''
|-
| '''[[2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2012]]'''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} | ''22%'' ''298''
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} | ''77%'' ''1,044''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" | ''1%'' ''18''
|}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 1883
|1900= 2295
|1910= 4241
|1920= 5575
|1930= 7071
|1940= 6981
|1950= 6646
|1960= 5980
|1970= 5509
|1980= 4576
|1990= 4160
|2000= 3970
|2010= 3403
|2020= 3394
|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{cite web|title=Population-Pennsylvania|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/36894832v3ch4.pdf|work=U.S. Census 1910|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Number and Distribution of Inhabitants:Pennsylvania-Tennessee|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch09.pdf|work=Fifteenth Census|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/17216604v1p40ch02.pdf|work=18th Census of the United States|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-40.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131120100311/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|archive-date=November 20, 2013}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR2" /> there were 3,970 people, 1,681 households, and 983 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|11,720.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,864 housing units at an average density of {{convert|5,502.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial makeup]] of the borough was 83.75% White, 11.74% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.

There were 1,681 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $27,990, and the median income for a family was $32,388. Males had a median income of $30,394 versus $25,255 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $15,104. About 14.7% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Taxation==
Residents of Mount Oliver Borough pay a 2% tax on earned income to the [[Pittsburgh Public Schools]] district and 1% tax on earned income to the Borough of Mount Oliver.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

==Education==
[[File:Mt. Oliver Public School, 2022-09-10, 01.jpg|thumb|left|The former Mount Oliver Public School]]
The school district is [[Pittsburgh Public Schools]].<!--Census code is UNI 19170, for "Pittsburgh School District"--><ref>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42003_allegheny/DC20SD_C42003.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42003_allegheny/DC20SD_C42003.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 census - school district reference map: Allegheny County, PA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|date=January 14, 2021|page=5 (PDF p. 6/7)|access-date=July 20, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42003_allegheny/DC20SD_C42003_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> The zoned [[K-8 school]] is Arlington School, while [[Carrick High School]] is the zoned high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mtoliver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2016-Mt-Oliver-Comprehensive-Plan-Document.pdf|title=THE MT. OLIVER PLAN FOCUS ON OUR FUTURE|publisher=Borough of Mount Oliver|date=2016-08-25|page=37 (PDF p. 39/141)}}</ref>

Mount Oliver School opened circa 1890.<!--1980-90=1890--> The school district closed it in June 1980, and it planned to hand the school over to the Mount Oliver municipal government, which planned to use the building for office space and community center purposes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Old school in Mount Oliver eyed as offices for borough|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|place=Pittsburgh|date=1980-09-12|page=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/181594044/ 3]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
* [http://www.mountoliver.us/ Borough of Mount Oliver official website]

{{Allegheny County, Pennsylvania}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1892 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Enclaves in the United States]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1892]]