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Clairton Information
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela
River and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 8,491 at the
2000 census. The city was the setting for the movie The Deer Hunter (1978). It
also is home to Clairton Works, the largest coke manufacturing facility in the
United States.
Clairton’s existence began when the United States Steel Company acquired the
town’s site just after the turn of the century as a location for an integrated
steel mill. The site had more than a thousand acres (4 km) of level land
suitable for a large industrial complex. In January of 1922, the City of
Clairton was incorporated as a City of the Third Class with a population of
approximately 11,000. This incorporation was prompted by industry, which was
taxed by the three boroughs -Clairton, Wilson and North Clairton - which were
chartered separately prior to the incorporation of the City of Clairton.
During the next several decades, growth and advancement indicated a thriving
city. As the steel mill expanded, the population of Clairton grew. Clairton took
on a life of its own, including a business district and educational, religious,
and cultural facilities. However, with the decline of the steel industry in the
early 1980’s, Clairton began to experience severe problems in its employment and
tax base, which spurred a major economic shock to the community.
In 1988, the City of Clairton was designated as a distressed municipality by the
Commonwealth’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Pursuant to Act 47 of 1987
(the Financially Distressed Municipalities Act), DCA commissioned the
development of a recovery plan for Clairton.