A Musical Heritage: German Singing Societies in Pittsburgh as Indicators of Ethnic Change, 1920-1950

Thousands of immigrants flooded the southwestern hills of Pennsylvania as early as the 1830s, continuing until the country's immigration laws tightened in the 1920s. Pittsburgh's strong industrial economy created numerous jobs and labor opportunities that greatly appealed to the masses. Thus, people of various ethnic groups moved to the "Steel City" in search of a new life. According to one observer of the city's social composition, this influx led to the unavoidable reorganization of social constructs.