Mount Oliver is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,394 at the 2020 census. It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about west of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded entirely by the city of Pittsburgh, having resisted annexation attempts by the city.
History
thumb|Municipal building
Mount Oliver was first settled by John Ormsby, an officer in the command of 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. 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.
In 1872 Pittsburgh began expanding southward, annexing the boroughs of South Pittsburgh, Monongahela, Allentown, Lawrenceville, Temperanceville, Birmingham, Mt. Washington, West Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Borough, East Birmingham, St. Clair Borough and 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.
Geography
Mount Oliver is located at (40.411319, −79.986571). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.9 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 to the northeast, Mt. Oliver to the southeast, Carrick to the south, Knoxville to the west, and Allentown in the northwest corner.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%; margin-left: 1rem;"
|+ Presidential election results
|-
! Year
! Republican
! Democratic
! Third parties
|-
| 2020
| align="center" | 29% 391
| align="center" | 69% 924
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" | 1% 17
|-
| 2016
| align="center" | 26% 342
| align="center" | 72% 946
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" | 2% 21
|-
| 2012
| align="center" | 22% 298
| align="center" | 77% 1,044
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" | 1% 18
|}
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Mount Oliver had a population of 3,394. The median age was 35.4 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,475 households in Mount Oliver, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 20.8% were married-couple households, 29.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The zoned K-8 school is Arlington School, while Carrick High School is the zoned high school.
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.
References
External links
- Borough of Mount Oliver official website