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Concept
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania
Summary
Wilkinsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough has a population of 14,349 as of the 2020 census. Wilkinsburg is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The borough was named for John Wilkins Jr., a United States Army officer who served as Quartermaster General of the United States Army from 1796 to 1802.
Wilkinsburg is located in an area of the Appalachian Plateau where various land and water transportation routes join, which historically had been inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years. Wilkinsburg was formed from the area of a valley going through the hills located east of the three rivers confluence, the Allegheny River, the Monongahela River, and the Ohio River: this natural valley allowed passage by land through the east–west barrier of the Appalachian Mountains to and from the east, whether to or from Philadelphia or other parts of the Atlantic coast, along the rivers (which eventually join the Mississippi River and flow into the Gulf of Mexico), through the Cumberland Gap (to or from the south), or by other transportation routes. A vital section of this major land road or pathway is now known as Penn Avenue, a major street and area of Wilkinsburg.
In the early 1700s, European traders arrived, and by mid-century had some established colonial sites, including Fort Duquesne, established by France. Subsequently, the general area became a major battleground during the French and Indian Wars, during which George Washington (who passed through what is now Wilkinsburg in 1753, on a diplomatic mission to French territory), Edward Braddock, and John Forbes gained fame and enhanced the land transportation routes. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was fought between France, England, and various Native groups for territorial control. France lost control of the area in 1758. British forces built Fort Pitt between 1759 and 1761, near the three river junction. France subsequently relinquished claims on the area.
Official source
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