The Steel Valley is the area of post-industrial and industrial

Industrial society

In sociology, industrial society refers to a society driven by the use of technology to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour. Such a structure developed in the west in the period of time following the Industrial Revolution, and replaced...

 concentration along the upper Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 valley as well as the Monongahela River

Monongahela River

The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...

 all the way to the West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 border. It has also has included most of the Allegheny River

Allegheny River

The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

, Beaver River

Beaver River (Pennsylvania)

The Beaver River is a tributary of the Ohio River in Western Pennsylvania in the United States with a length of approximately 21 mi . It flows through a historically important coal-producing region north of Pittsburgh...

 and Youghiogheny River

Youghiogheny River

The Youghiogheny River , or the Yough for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...

 valleys. Most of the Pittsburgh metro area is considered part of "Steel Valley", as well as most of the Weirton

Weirton, West Virginia

Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, United States. Most of the city is in Hancock County, with the remainder in Brooke County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,411...

-Steubenville

Steubenville, Ohio

Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...

-Wheeling

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 Ohio/West Virginia, Morgantown

Morgantown, West Virginia

Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...

/Fairmont

Fairmont, West Virginia

Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...

 West Virginia and East Liverpool

East Liverpool, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,010.3 people per square mile . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 1,320.8 per square mile...

/Youngstown

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

/Mercer

Mercer, Pennsylvania

Mercer is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,391 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mercer County. Mercer is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....

/New Castle

New Castle, Pennsylvania

New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...

 Ohio and Pennsylvania metro areas. To locals in these regions the "Steel Valley" refers to towns and cities along the river shore, school district and valley areas and not always the suburbs and cities at higher elevations, though the term has been used for the entire region. The Youngstown area of Ohio (as well as the Wheeling/Steubenville/Weirton area) though geographically and demographically connected to the "Steel Valley" retain many distinctions from the Steel Valley centered in Pittsburgh.

History and heritage

Up until the post civil war era, most of this valley in was farm land and small surface or near-surface mining areas. Starting with the industrial boom that the Civil War demanded, the area rich in coal (a key industrial component for Steel and Iron making and thus the linchpin for most major industrial concerns) grew rapidly along the rivers of the region.

Among the men that the valley and its resources made famously wealthy were: Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...

, Andrew Mellon, Henry Clay Frick

Henry Clay Frick

Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major role in the formation of the giant U.S. Steel steel manufacturing concern...

, Henry Heinz, George Westinghouse

George Westinghouse

George Westinghouse, Jr was an American entrepreneur and engineer who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. Westinghouse was one of Thomas Edison's main rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system...

, Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...

 and Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab may refer to:*Charles M. Schwab , American steel magnate*Charles R. Schwab , founder of the eponymous brokerage*Charles Schwab Corp., an American based brokerage firm...

. Along with great wealth also came great waves of immigration into the area from Southern, Central and Eastern Europe as well as the great poverty of the non-unionized workers. In 1891 American labor peace was broken with the uprising of Steel workers in Homestead, Pennsylvania

Homestead, Pennsylvania

Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the "Mon Valley," southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relations in the United...

. For days the city and its massive steel mill were taken over by the workers, repelling attacks by a small army of Henry Clay Frick (U.S. Steel) hired Pinkertons and local law enforcement until finally the issue was resolved by the what would become the Pennsylvania National Guard.

From that seminal moment labor unions would tell the story of the valley and its industries. During World War I and II the valley was affectionately known as the "Arsenal of Democracy" for being the leading single source of American armaments and weaponry. In the 1980s most of the industry of the valley was rocked by the increasing globalization and cheap imports. Although allegations of "dumping" were well founded in some instances the increasing greed and short sightedness of labor union leaders and the double speak of industrial leaders lead to a collapse of the valley's industrial might.

Famous natives

• List of People from Pittsburgh

The Steel Valley is renowned for its contribution to world athletics. Many of these sport stars admit that as young men (or women) they had two choices work in the mine or mill for 10 hours a day or excel at sports enough to win a scholarship and a career. Whatever the reason the valley is known as the "Cradle of Quarterbacks" as well as the "Cradle of Football" and the "Cradle of Running backs", Baseball, and Basketball are also represented well in the area and more recently hockey. Joe Namath

Joe Namath

Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...

, Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett

Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...

, Dan Marino

Dan Marino

Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...

, Joe Montana

Joe Montana

Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...

, Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas

John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...

, Curtis Martin

Curtis Martin

Curtis James Martin, Jr. is a former American football running back. He is an alumnus of Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh...

, Ty Law

Ty Law

Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....

, Kevan Barlow

Kevan Barlow

Kevan C. Barlow is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

, Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly

James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....

, and Mike Ditka

Mike Ditka

Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...

 all grew up in the actual geographic valley. From baseball the valley claims Ken Griffey, Jr.

Ken Griffey, Jr.

George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. , nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and during his final years, designated hitter...

, Ken Griffey, Sr.

Ken Griffey, Sr.

George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He currently serves as Manager for the Bakersfield Blaze, the Reds' Single A minor league affiliate. He is the father of former professional outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. and former minor leaguer Craig Griffey. He and his...

, Stan Musial

Stan Musial

Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...

, Phil Niekro

Phil Niekro

Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....

, Joe Niekro

Joe Niekro

Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...

, Art Howe

Art Howe

Arthur Henry Howe Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder, coach, scout and manager. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming...

, Terry Francona

Terry Francona

Terry Jon Francona , nicknamed "Tito," is a former Major League Baseball manager and a former player. He was a first baseman and outfielder in the majors from 1981 to 1990. After retiring as a player, he managed several minor league teams in the 1990s before managing the Philadelphia Phillies for...

, Honus Wagner

Honus Wagner

-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

, and Curt Leskanic

Curt Leskanic

Curtis John Leskanic is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1993-2004 for the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals...

. Basketball includes John Havlicek

John Havlicek

John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....

, Pete Maravich

Pete Maravich

Peter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980...

 and John Calipari

John Calipari

John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....

. Many major movie stars, musicians, and other leaders hail from the valley.