page_title: Greensburg, Pennsylvania
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Greensburg, Pennsylvania / Economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Buildings along South Pennsylvania Avenue, Greensburg, Pennsylvania. At the far left with the red gable is Bortz Hardware, 119 South Pennsylvania Avenue, which comprises a 1903 building and a 1909 building that have been combined and severely altered. The three-story building on the left (with ivy) is 123 South Pennsylvania Avenue. The three-story building to the right (no ivy) is 127 South Pennsylvania Avenue. Both buildings were built in 1900. To the far right, the five-story red brick building is the Berger Building, built in 1906, at 205 South Pennsylvania Avenue. The tall windowless building to the extreme right was built in the early 1960s as an annex to Troutman's Department Store.
context_page_description: Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The population was 14,892 at the 2010 census.
  Located 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Greensburg is a major business, academic, tourism and cultural center in Western Pennsylvania. It is evident as the city's population doubles during work hours. The city ranks seventh in Pennsylvania in daytime growth, behind Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, King of Prussia, Lancaster, and State College. It also ranks 16th in the United States for daytime growth among towns with a resident population between 15,000 and 24,999. In 2007, Greensburg was ranked as one of the "Best Places to Retire" in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report.
context_section_description: Originally a railroad stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad, Greensburg quickly became the center of the coal mining industry in the region by the late 19th century when large areas of soft coal were discovered nearby. This contributed to the growth and development of the growing county seat. Many businesses and inns flourished within Downtown Greensburg for many years, and once boasted four major department stores – JCPenney, Royers, Sears and its largest department store, Troutman's.
  In August 1965, Greengate Mall opened west of the city in Hempfield Township. Greengate was part of the first wave of indoor shopping malls in the country. The mall's opening marked a new era for retail shopping in the area, but it negatively impacted stand-alone businesses in Greensburg's downtown corridor. By the late 1970s, several local stores, including Troutman's, the city's major department store, closed. The downtown area eventually rebounded as the city became a center for service industries, professional offices and banking. Today, small downtown shops and a growing number of restaurants are reviving downtown as a mercantile center.
  Westmoreland Mall is currently the largest shopping complex in the Greensburg area and all of Westmoreland County. Greengate Mall suffered losses in the 1990s when anchor store JCPenney relocated to Westmoreland Mall. As the mall continued on its irreversible decline, the nationally based Montgomery Ward and the regional chain Horne's also closed. The building was eventually razed in 2003, and a new shopping center called Greengate Centre, anchored by a Walmart, was subsequently built. Numerous shopping plazas and dining establishments also line the Route 30 corridor east and west of the city. With over 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m²) of retail space and growing, Greensburg is considered the commercial center of the Laurel Highlands region of Pennsylvania as well as one of the largest retail markets in Western Pennsylvania.
  Light to moderate industry and service industries thrive in the Greater Greensburg area. Several industrial parks are primarily located outside the city limits. In addition, the area is home to two large prisons, the Westmoreland County Prison and the State Correctional Institution at Greensburg, both in Hempfield Township. Housing growth continues on the northern end of the city, with the Saybrook Village and Evergreen Hill plans. The opening of the seven-story State Office Building on North Main Street, the completion of the four-story addition to the Courthouse Square Extension, and the Performing Arts Center of Seton Hill University are expected to add new jobs to the city and attract more visitors.
caption: South Pennsylvania Avenue
exif: {}