Category: History || By

In preparation for next month's International Village (Aug. 16, 17 and 18), I've been doing some research about immigration in McKeesport, and thought folks might enjoy seeing some of the statistics.

. . .

McKeesport in 1930 had 54,632 residents, according to the U.S. Census, including 1,893 people who were classified as "Negro" (people of color and African-Americans).

But more than 38 percent of McKeesporters (21,032 people) were first-generation Americans --- they had at least one parent who was born in another country --- and about 20 percent of McKeesporters (more than 11,000) were immigrants themselves.

. . .

After English, the most common language spoken in McKeesport in 1930 was Hungarian (1,219 people), followed by Croatian (616 people) and Yiddish (548 people).

Other languages spoken at home in 1930 included Arabic, Ukranian, Russian, Albanian, Serbian, and Ruthenian, and one lonely person reported speaking Estonian (presumably to his or herself).

. . .

The trend toward immigration from overseas had slowed by 1930. Of people living in McKeesport that year, 3,350 had come to the United States before 1900. About 3,600 people reported coming to McKeesport from other countries between 1901-1910, and about 1,800 in the decades 1910-1919 and 1920-1930.

Of McKeesporters who were born overseas, about 2,300 were from Czechoslovakia, 1,100 were from Poland, 900 each were from Hungary and Italy, and about 800 each were from Sweden and Germany.

(By the way, note the racism of the time. The census only counted "foreign-born whites." If you were a foreign-born person of color --- African or Asian --- they didn't bother figuring out where you were from.)

. . .

By the 1950 census, McKeesport's population had dropped to 51,502. People were starting to move out to new housing plans in Port Vue, Liberty Borough, North Versailles Township and the newly created borough of White Oak (formerly Versailles Township).

The number of "foreign-born" residents had dropped drastically, as immigration slowed (World War II was undoubtedly a factor, as was the closing of the borders of the Eastern Bloc communist countries), and as immigrants who had come over between 1900 and 1930 passed away.

. . .

In the 1950 census, only 6,269 McKeesporters reported being "foreign-born." The census logged 2,661 "Negros" (about 5 percent, up from 3.5 percent back in 1930).

Again, the most popular native land of immigrants was Czechoslovakia (1,122 people), followed by Hungary (888), Italy (713), Poland (667), Yugoslavia (506), England and Wales (419) and Austria (372). Immigrants from "Asia" to McKeesport totaled 62 in the 1950 census, and 51 city residents reported being born in Mexico.

. . .

Ten years later, in the 1960 census, McKeesport's population was down again --- to 45,096 residents, a 12 percent drop.

About 8 percent of the population (3,459 people) was classified as "Negro" and 12,497 people reported that one or both of their parents were born in a foreign country.

The number of McKeesporters born overseas had dropped again, to 4,115 people.

. . .

The year 1960 was also, of course, the first year of "Old Home Week" --- the event that was renamed "International Village" a few years later. And the mix of nationalities celebrated at those early International Villages was largely determined by the mainly European heritage of the people who lived in the area.

OI McKeesporters who were first-generation Americans in 1960, the most common ethnicities reported were Czechoslovakian (2,452 people), Polish (2,142), Italian (1,923), Hungarian (1,891), English (1,732), German (1,414), Austrian (838), Swedish (793), Irish (537) and Russian (383).

In 1960, 143 McKeesporters reported being of Mexican heritage, and more than 2,200 people were classified as "other" non-European nationalities.

. . .

What about today? I'm still pulling data from the 2010 census. Everyone knows that McKeesport's population has dropped substantially (it's now 19,731 people) along with the population of the rest of the Mon Valley.

About 36 percent of McKeesporters report African-American heritage, 1 percent some Native American heritage and about one-half percent report Asian heritage (including Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Laotian and Vietnamese).

. . .

Stay tuned ... we're compiling more information for a booklet we plan to distribute during International Village celebrating McKeesport's ethnic diversity!

Chatham University's Global Focus Program, which last year sponsored our local history map, will again be sponsoring both this booklet and a portion of our live webcast of International Village.

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