Bloomfield

Bloomfield is located three miles from downtown Pittsburgh.  It is bordered by Oakland, Polish Hill, Lawrenceville, Garfield, Friendship and Shadyside.  Many refer to it as “Little Italy” because of its huge Italian-American population. Today, Bloomfield also is home to other individuals of European descent as well as many college students. The neighborhood is close to the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. It is also home to West Penn Hospital, a top medical institution in the region and part of the Allegheny Health Network.  Bloomfield definitely hasn’t forgotten about its roots though, as they host Little Italy Days every year.

Bloomfield has a similar founding and history to Friendship up until the late 1860s.  The neighborhood was not an independent borough, although it was annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in 1868.  Originally it was inhabited by the native Delaware Indian tribe, Casper Taub, one of the Pittsburgh area’s earliest European settlers,claimed the land and then sold it to his son-in-law, John Winebiddle. Winebiddle’s kin divided it into lots to sell for development. It was settled by German Catholic immigrants around that time, getting its name from the blooming flowers near the original site of the town. In 1900, Italians from the Abruzzi region settled in the area and formed the Immaculate Conception Parish in 1905. Both ethnic Italians and Germans still occupy Bloomfield and give the neighborrhood an unique personality today.  Many young adults describe Bloomfield as “creative and hip” and have moved to the area, partly because of its rich ethnic history and affordability.

Today Bloomfield is a thriving community with hip art galleries, coffee houses and restaurants to satisfy anyone’s craving… if you’re a burger lover… stop by Tessaro’s!