Pittsburgh Immigration Archives - Pittsburgh Quarterly

This story is part of “The New Americans” series, a project of Pittsburgh Tomorrow. When Mhra Moe arrived in Pittsburgh with her husband and baby daughter as refugees from Myanmar in 2014, she was fluent in Mon and Burmese, but the volunteer teacher knew little English. Despite the trauma of having to flee the only …

How Literacy Pittsburgh is Helping to Grow Population and a More Vibrant Economy Read More »

People Pittsburgh Immigration

Casa San Jose

by Beth Marcello

Monica Ruiz, a half-Guatemalan American citizen fluent in Spanish, was born and raised in Cleveland. But when Pittsburghers tell her to “go back where you came from” — an insult she hears weekly — they’re not talking about her returning to Cleveland. Ruiz has a theory about why so many Pittsburghers are antagonistic towards her …

Casa San Jose Read More »

People Pittsburgh Immigration Profiles

What Do I Know? Khara Timsina

by Jeff Sewald

I was born in a small village in southern Bhutan, the second of nine children — five boys and four girls. Luckily, my siblings and I, and our parents, were able to emigrate to the West in 2009. My father died here in Pittsburgh in 2021, and my mother still lives locally, in Brentwood. But …

What Do I Know? Khara Timsina Read More »

Pittsburgh Immigration Profiles

Tuomas Sandholm: AI’s Benefits Far Outweigh its Dangers- Here’s Why

by Tracy Certo

For Tuomas Sandholm, it’s no contest. The co-director of Carnegie Mellon University Artificial Intelligence (CMU AI) firmly believes the benefits of artificial intelligence far outweigh the downsides. “AI can make better decisions than humans, which will make the world a better place,” he says. To better understand his perspective, look at his track record. In …

Tuomas Sandholm: AI’s Benefits Far Outweigh its Dangers- Here’s Why Read More »

People Pittsburgh Immigration Pittsburgh Tomorrow Profiles

What Do I Know? Guillermo Velazquez

by Jeff Sewald

My story begins in Mexico City. I am the youngest of eight children, and my father passed away from liver disease when I was 11. When someone in your life dies while you are still young, you don’t really understand what’s happening. All I knew was that I saw my father working, and then he …

What Do I Know? Guillermo Velazquez Read More »

Food & Wine Home & Lifestyle Pittsburgh Immigration Pittsburgh Tomorrow

Bringing Spice to Pittsburgh

by Aakanksha Agarwal

In the heart of pittsburgh, amidst its rivers and bridges, a culinary revolution is taking place. It is a revolution of flavors and aromas, carried on the shoulders of immigrants who have brought their cherished recipes from distant lands. What do burritos, General Tso’s chicken and pizza have in common? They are all delectable creations …

Bringing Spice to Pittsburgh Read More »

Arrivals People Pittsburgh Immigration

Fighting Through Tears

by Tracy Certo

Grisell Espinoza was in limbo in 2014, wondering whether to stay in Pittsburgh or return to her native Venezuela where political turmoil was getting worse. Her only friend in town, a fellow Venezuelan, helped her get work at a restaurant until she could find a job in her profession as a civil engineer. But as …

Fighting Through Tears Read More »

Opinion Pittsburgh Immigration

Pittsburgh Tomorrow

by Douglas Heuck

When I came to Pittsburgh in 1985, it was a great city — the late David McCullough called it “the essential American city.” But it was a great city in shock. The massive industrial economy had collapsed and 150,000 to 200,000 mainly young people were leaving for greener pastures. I expected to stay for my …

Pittsburgh Tomorrow Read More »

American Spirit Pittsburgh Immigration

Hello Neighbor

by Tracy Certo

Basel Knaineh and Maisaa Jamal Eddin fled their native Syria after Basel was imprisoned — for no reason and with no timeline, he says — at the start of the Syrian War in 2011. He spent a month in jail, frantic and bewildered, before being released as suddenly as he was detained. Desperate, he and …

Hello Neighbor Read More »

Pittsburgh Immigration Pittsburgh Today Regional News

Pittsburgh’s Immigrant Puzzle

by Jeffery Fraser

Allegheny county’s small population bump from 2010 to 2020 owes much to a spike in the number of immigrants who decided to make it their home. They accounted for more than 60 percent of the 27,000 residents the county added overall. Without the gains in foreign-born residents, southwestern Pennsylvania as a region would have been …

Pittsburgh’s Immigrant Puzzle Read More »

Pittsburgh Immigration Regional Annual Report

Wanted: More People

by Jeffery Fraser

Southwestern Pennsylvania staggered into 2020 in need of people, again. It was coming off of yet another year when deaths outnumbered births and the number of newcomers couldn’t keep pace with the number of residents moving somewhere else. The COVID-19 pandemic likely makes the already-long odds of a quick rebound in the region’s population even …

Wanted: More People Read More »

Pittsburgh Immigration Regional Annual Report

How Do We Attract People to Pittsburgh?

by Pittsburgh Today Staff

David Feehan, president of Civitas Consultants in Maryland, is a recognized expert in downtown revitalization. For more than 50 years, his work has helped improve dozens of cities and neighborhoods in the United States and elsewhere, including Minneapolis, Detroit, Austin, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Today spoke with him about ideas that might help …

How Do We Attract People to Pittsburgh? Read More »

Opinion Pittsburgh Immigration

Pittsburgh Tomorrow: Facing Facts and Seizing Opportunity

by Douglas Heuck

I arrived in Pittsburgh on July 5, 1985, for a 12-week internship at the old Pittsburgh Press. I expected to stay that long. However, from my entry through the Fort Pitt Tunnel to my first front-page story on one of the last big steel strikes, Pittsburgh was a fascinating place. It was also a place …

Pittsburgh Tomorrow: Facing Facts and Seizing Opportunity Read More »