The borough of Carnegie was incorporated in 1894, and its 1.62 square miles have weathered many changes over the years. At one time, distilling whiskey from the grains of nearby farms was the big money maker. Eventually, coal mining became the major source of jobs for Carnegie residents. Then steel.
Then, 10 years ago, Hurricane Ivan flooded the commercial district. Fortunately, today, the town's picturesque Main Street is on the mend, attracting trendy and upscale businesses. The former steel town, named for Andrew Carnegie, is ripe with opportunity for businesses and residents alike.
Small Business Boom
Ashley Comer and Greg Romeo opened the Carnegie Coffee Company in the city's old post office building on Main Street about a year ago. The airy space respects the building's history — the service counter still has the old metal postal boxes — while creating a cozy, contemporary atmosphere for coffee drinkers and telecommuters. It also houses Romeo's pharmacy, the Medicine Shoppe, which he's operated in Carnegie for 17 years.
“There was a hole in the market,” says Comer of their decision to open the café. “It definitely met a need for the community.”
Comer is working to make the space as community friendly as possible — they sell premium Illy coffee at reasonable prices, host open mic nights and run a coffee bar at the Off the Wall Performing Arts Center, also on Main Street.
“[Opening Carnegie Coffee Company] has been such a learning experience for us,” says Comer. “We've had to try to appeal to people who live in Carnegie and those who don’t. It’s been really interesting and I think the more businesses that move in the better we’ll do.”
To that end, it sounds like Comer is in luck. Small businesses are continuing to move into Carnegie because of the reasonable rents. A stationery store, More than Words Fine Papers, a gift shop called Modern Mercantile and a second Slice on Broadway pizza parlor (of Beechview fame) have all come to Main Street. These shops mingle with established eateries such as Papa J’s Ristorante.
An ongoing goal is bringing a decent grocery store to the borough, and there's a rumor that East End Food Co-op could potentially open in Carnegie.
Residents and Real Estate
As of 2012, the U.S. Census bureau estimates that 7,961 people live in Carnegie. Over half of those residents own their home and the median value of an owner-occupied home is $102,500.
According to realtor and local resident Jeff Stephan, the borough has a mix of both old neighborhoods — where historic over-100-year-old homes cost between $75,000 to $150,000 — and new neighborhoods where a 20-year-old home could cost upwards of $250,000.
“There are some great old Victorians in Carnegie,” says Stephan, describing the housing stock. “You can find that and contemporary and colonial [style homes].”
Stephan has lived in Carnegie since 1985 and is excited to see that businesses and their patrons are starting to come back to the borough after the 2004 flood.
“Carnegie is a friendly, walkable community,” he explains. “It’s like a lot of other Pittsburgh city neighborhoods that are coming back — the commercial section drives the tax base. As that district builds up, landlords will fix up their places and be able to ask for higher rents.”
Improved housing stock will present a real opportunity for those interested in living a little outside of Pittsburgh. Carnegie is just west of the city and accessible by the G2, G31, 28X, 38 and 31 bus lines.
Culture
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall is another big draw to Carnegie. The steel baron himself built and endowed the building that sits on Library Hill, looking over Main Street, seven years after the borough incorporated.
The library is home to more than just books — one of a half-dozen intact Grand Army of the Republic Posts is located within its walls. This room acted as a space for Union veterans to store flags and relics of the war; in the 1930s, it was locked for 50 years. In 2010, the library raised nearly $7 million to restore the room, which is now a free museum.
The library is also home to the theater company Stage 62, which produces four shows a year and is dedicated to presenting theater for all ages at an accessible price.
But the library isn’t where the cultural offerings in Carnegie end: the aforementioned Off the Wall Performing Arts Center is home to a repertory theater and dance troupe with performances on the calendar nearly every week.
Whether you're on the way to the airport, headed home from Robinson or just because, Carnegie is definitely carving out a space for itself as a destination in the Pittsburgh area.