Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania


Mt. Lebanon is a township with home rule status in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 34,075 at the 2020 census. It is a first ring suburb of Pittsburgh located south of the city's downtown.
Established in 1912 as a farming community, Mt. Lebanon became a streetcar suburb with the arrival of transit lines and a real estate subdivision in 1901, offering easy access to Downtown Pittsburgh. The 1924 opening of the Liberty Tunnel further improved automobile access. In 1975, it adopted one of Pennsylvania's first home rule charters.

History

The first European settlers arrived in 1773–1774, having purchased the land from the descendants of William Penn; other pioneers soon bought land from the state government.
In 1912, Mount Lebanon Township was incorporated as a "First Class Township" under Pennsylvania state law. It had formerly been a part of Scott Township, which in turn traces its origins to the long-defunct St. Clair Township. Mount Lebanon was not named for two Cedar of Lebanon trees that were planted in 1850 on Washington Road near the top of Bower Hill Road, but was named after the area from which they came, Mount Lebanon, due to the similarities between the two landscapes. Prior to the incorporation of the township, the "Mount Lebanon" name was used for the area of Upper St. Clair Township near the cedar trees. In the 1880s, a post office located near the transplanted cedar trees was named "Mount Lebanon". Incorporators of neighboring Dormont Borough initially tried to use the "Mount Lebanon" name in 1909, but were opposed by residents of the future Mount Lebanon Township.
In 1928, Mount Lebanon became the first First Class township in Pennsylvania to adopt the council–manager form of government and has had an appointed manager serving as the chief administrative officer since that time.
Mount Lebanon was a farming community until the arrival of streetcar lines, the first line to Pittsburgh opening on July 1, 1901 followed by a second in 1924. After the arrival of the streetcar lines, which enabled daily commuting to and from Downtown Pittsburgh, Mount Lebanon became a streetcar suburb, with the first real estate subdivision being laid out in November 1901. Further, the opening of the Liberty Tubes in 1924 allowed easy automobile access to Pittsburgh. Between the 1920 and 1930 censuses, the township's population skyrocketed from 2,258 to 13,403. Today, Pittsburgh's mass transit agency, the Pittsburgh Regional Transit, or "PRT," operates a light rail system whose Red Line, which runs underneath Uptown Mt. Lebanon through the Mt. Lebanon Tunnel, merges with the Blue Line in Pittsburgh's Mount Washington section. Mt. Lebanon's only platform station, Mt. Lebanon Station, is in Uptown Mt. Lebanon; the adjacent Dormont Junction and Castle Shannon stations are in neighboring municipalities. And as of the census of 2020, there were 34,075 people living in Mt. Lebanon.
In 1971, Muhammad Ali attempted to purchase a home in Virginia Manor, a sub-division of Mt. Lebanon; it was thought that racial discrimination prevented him from doing so. However, the rejection was due to the anticipated publicity and crowds which would result from the sale of the property to Ali. In 1974, Ali would purchase a different Mt. Lebanon home, on Orchard Drive.
On May 21, 1974, the electorate approved a home rule charter, which took effect on January 1, 1975; as such, the community is no longer governed under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Township Code. Mount Lebanon became one of the first municipalities in Pennsylvania to adopt a home rule charter. In the charter, the official name of the municipality became Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania; the word "Mount" is abbreviated in all government documents, although the U.S. Postal Service continues to use "Mount."

Geography

Mt. Lebanon is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, all land.
Mt. Lebanon is a suburb south of downtown Pittsburgh. There are two borders with Pittsburgh neighborhoods to the northeast and north. The remainder of the northeast border is with the borough of Dormont. The entire western border is with Scott Township. On the southern border there are two municipalities, Upper St. Clair to the southwest and Bethel Park to the southeast. To the east is Castle Shannon, and finally, to the east-northeast is Baldwin Township.

Commercial districts

Uptown Mt. Lebanon is the central business district and has Washington Rd. as its main thoroughfare. Uptown Mt. Lebanon is one of the more built up central business districts outside of Pittsburgh, featuring numerous coffee shops, small galleries, pizzerias, and clothing boutiques. The neighborhood is organized as The Uptown Mt. Lebanon Business and Professional Association. Beverly Road is another prominent business district in Mt. Lebanon. The road features several local restaurants, boutiques, and shops. It is located next to Lincoln Elementary School in the Mt. Lebanon School District.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods within Mt. Lebanon include Avondale, Beverly Heights, Carleton Manor, Cedarhurst, Clearview, Foxland, Highland Terrace, Hoodridge, Hoodridge Hilands, Lebanon Hills, McNeilly, Mission Hills, Old Virginia Manor, Parker Gardens, Seminole Hills, St. Clair Terrace, Sunset Hills, Twin Hills, Uptown, Virginia Manor, Washington Park, Willow Terrace, and Woodridge.
Virginia Manor is a subdivision with streets designed to follow the natural contours of the land. Future Governor James H. Duff helped found Virginia Manor in 1929.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the racial makeup of the township was 87.15% White, 1.46% Black, 0.09% Native American, 4.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 5.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.32% of the population.
In the township the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 3.6% were 18 to 24, 23.1% were 25 to 44, 27.1% were 45 to 64, and 21.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
As of 2025, the average income for a household was $166,904. Married families had a median income of $169,482. The mean household income for married families was $207,467, while the mean income for overall households was $166,904. Non-family households had a median income of $53,048 and a mean income of $80,803.

Arts and culture

A large portion of Mt. Lebanon is listed as the Mt. Lebanon Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The district contains 3,341 contributing buildings and 21 contributing sites. Most of the buildings are residential, though two commercial areas are included. The district is a significant example of the transition from a rural agricultural area to a suburb made possible first by the trolley/streetcar,, and later by the automobile in the 1920s and 1930s with the opening of the Liberty Tubes in 1924. The boundaries of the district include those areas that were developed between 1874 and.
Neighborhoods such as Virginia Manor, Hoodridge, Mission Hills and Seminole Hills contain homes built by some of the most distinguished Pittsburgh architects. Some of the common architectural styles in Mt. Lebanon include Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, American Foursquare, Craftsman/Bungalow and Queen Anne style.

Parks and recreation

Mt. Lebanon provides many recreational opportunities for its residents. Fifteen parks are scattered over throughout the community. In addition to the parks, there is an Olympic-size swimming pool, open in summer, and a regulation-size ice rink and recreation building located adjacent to Mt. Lebanon Park. Mt. Lebanon also boasts one of the oldest public golf courses in western Pennsylvania and has several tennis and basketball courts, which are open year-round. Other recreational facilities include a Sand volleyball court, bocce courts, platform tennis, a plethora of picnic pavilions and over eight children's playgrounds.
Mt. Lebanon School District's sports teams are a big part of the community. The mascot is the Blue Devil, which has occasionally stirred controversy.

Government and politics

Congressman Chris Deluzio represents the area in the United States House of Representatives as a part of Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district. Mt. Lebanon is in District 42 of the Pennsylvania Senate and is represented by Wayne Fontana. Mt. Lebanon is in District 42 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and is represented by Mt. Lebanon resident Dan Miller.
The Mt. Lebanon government takes the form of a commission, made up of 5 commissioners - one from each of Mt. Lebanon's 5 wards.

Education

The Mt. Lebanon School District has seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school: Mt. Lebanon High School. The Mt. Lebanon School District is a walking school district, meaning there is no provided school bus transportation to schools for students.
Keystone Oaks High School is physically located in Mt. Lebanon but serves the adjacent communities of Greentree, Dormont and Castle Shannon. Seton-La Salle Catholic High School, the South Hills Catholic Academy, and Ave Maria Academy are prominent Pittsburgh Diocese Catholic schools located in Mt. Lebanon.
The Mt. Lebanon Public Library, founded in 1932, is funded almost entirely by the municipality and county. It houses over 140,000 books, seats for 165 persons, and more than 50 public computers.

Transportation

Mt. Lebanon is served by the Pittsburgh Light Rail system, with Mt. Lebanon station and Poplar station located along the Red Line. The Mt. Lebanon Tunnel connects Mt. Lebanon station to Dormont.

In popular culture

Mt. Lebanon has been used as a filming location for various films and television productions. Directors praise and often use Mt. Lebanon due to its "picturesque" homes and streets.
Movie or TV ProductionYear releasedStarring
Gung Ho1986Michael Keaton
Bob Roberts1992Jack Black, Alan Rickman, and John Cusack
The Temptations1998Charles Malik Whitfield, D. B. Woodside, and Terron Brooks
Dogma1999Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, and George Carlin
Graduation2007Chris Lowell and Shannon Lucio
Abduction2011Taylor Lautner and Lily Collins
The Perks of Being a Wallflower2012Logan Lerman and Emma Watson
The Fault in Our Stars2014Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolf, and Willem Dafoe
Holidaysburg2014Rachel Keller
Concussion2015Will Smith and Alec Baldwin
Love the Coopers2015Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Amanda Seyfried, Timothée Chalamet, and Olivia Wilde
Manhunt: Deadly Games2017Sam Worthington, Paul Bettany, and Jeremy Bobb
Mindhunter2017Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood2019Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys
Sweet Girl2021Jason Momoa and Isabela Merced
Anything's Possible2022Billy Porter and Eva Reign