And Pittsburgh thought it couldn’t get any better. A sixth Super Bowl ring was a great way to start the year. But with the world’s attention on the city for the G20 Summit in the fall, it had only just beginin the Steel City.
Pittsburgh was the hot spot for a variety of lists and rankings–CNN called it a best place to launch a business, Forbes ranked its housing market among the nation’s top 25 and its job market the sixth-fastest growing nationally, and the Institute for America’s Future highlighted Pittsburgh as a model for modern manufacturing.
By the time G20 came in late September, Pittsburgh was ready. The city was beautified and every boast-able attribute was on full display, most notably the green building that Pittsburgh has become known for. Riverfront development continued along the Mon wharf. Angel investors were kept busy with an uptick of technology start-ups, Carnegie Mellon and Pitt continued to lead technology commercialization efforts, while the University of Pittsbugh Medical Center moved on some significant projects.
Culturally, Pittsburgh’s smorgasboard grew with the opening of The August Wilson Center, Rivers Casino and the city’s first Spanish-language newspaper. More than 2,000 tech-saavy activists gathered here for the NetRoots 2009 conference.
With growth in the energy space and a variety of different enterprises like life sciences, high technology and advanced manufacturing thriving with significant operations here, Pittsburgh’s upward swing figures to continue, if not on the football field, certainly in the ledgers.
Source: Keystone Edge
Writer: Joe Petrucci
