South Side Slopes

South Side Slopes
Neighborhood of Pittsburgh
South Side Slopes from E. Carson Street in South Side Flats.
Coordinates: 40°25′N 79°58′W / 40.42°N 79.97°W / 40.42; -79.97
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny County
City	Pittsburgh
Area [1]
• Total	0.716 sq mi (1.85 km2)
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	4,423
• Density	6,200/sq mi (2,400/km2)

South Side Slopes is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's South Side area. The neighborhood comprises the hills from the South Side Flats neighborhood along the Monongahela River from the Liberty Bridge (west) to beyond Josephine Street (east).

In many parts of the South Side Slopes, homes offer panoramic views of the city skyline that span the distance from beyond McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, to Homestead, Pennsylvania. Many homes are perched well above the city skyline. This neighborhood provides access to the South Side Flats by various means, including the many public staircases.

Every autumn the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) hosts its annual "StepTrek", where participants travel over the various public step streets. Pittsburgh, like many cities in the United States built on hillsides, classifies public staircases as streets. The hills being steep, staircases allowed access to the different parts of the slopes neighborhood. The SSSNA hopes to maintain the staircases as a legacy of its history as a mining town.^{[citation needed]}

The Mission Street steps between Oakley Street and Barry Street in addition to the top of Yard Way off Pius St. offer views of the South Side Flats neighborhood and downtown Pittsburgh. These public staircases are sometimes called paper streets, being pedestrian streets shown on City maps but not accessible by vehicles.

The neighborhood has representation on the Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3 (Central South Neighborhoods). The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire houses 24 Engine and 24 Truck on the South Side. It is located on Mary Street just off of Carson Street. The South Side Slopes area is also served by Engine Co 22 which is located in the neighborhood on Arlington Avenue adjoining South Side Park.

South Side Park is a City Park with hiking trails, a small orchard patch and views of the City of Pittsburgh skyline. It is home to many species of birds, small animals and deer. It contains a small wetlands area, complete with cattails and many species of wildlife. Black locust trees form a mature canopy over the park. It also includes a community garden at the former Bandi Schaum baseball field on the lower plateau off Mission Street across from the Mission Street water pumping station.

A cor-ten sculpture representing the neighborhood's topography and buildings is on display in the garden of Paul of the Cross Monastery.^[2]