Nestled at the confluence of the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela rivers, on land rich in coal and other resources, Pittsburgh still boasts the attributes that pulled the US into the industrial age and forged some of the nation’s greatest fortunes.
But western Pennsylvania’s natural gifts and storied past could not save it from the US steel industry’s collapse 30 years ago. And of all the lessons to emerge from Pittsburgh’s quiet recovery from the difficult years that followed, the most important may be that no region should count on too much of either.
