Editing Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania (section)

==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, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Scott Township]], which in turn traces its origins to the long-defunct [[St. Clair Township (Allegheny County), Pennsylvania|St. Clair Township]]. Mount Lebanon was not named for two [[Lebanon Cedar|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hsmtl.org/history-of-mount-lebanon-1/how-mt-lebanon-got-its-name |title=Historical Society of Mt. Lebanon - How Mt. Lebanon Was Named |author=Wallace F. Workmaster |date=September 21, 2006 |access-date=October 26, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412203801/http://www.hsmtl.org/history-of-mount-lebanon-1/how-mt-lebanon-got-its-name |archive-date=April 12, 2009}}</ref> Prior to the incorporation of the township, the "Mount Lebanon" name was used for the area of [[Upper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania|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 government|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<ref name="mtlebanon.org"/> 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 Tunnel|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 [[42 South Hills Village|Red Line]], which runs underneath Uptown Mt. Lebanon through the [[Mt. Lebanon Tunnel]], merges with the [[Blue Line (Pittsburgh)|Blue Line]] in Pittsburgh's [[Mount Washington, Pittsburgh (neighborhood)|Mt. Washington]] section. Mt. Lebanon's only platform station, [[Mt. Lebanon (PAT station)|Mt. Lebanon Station]], is in Uptown Mt. Lebanon; the adjacent [[Dormont Junction (PAT station)|Dormont Junction]] and [[Castle Shannon (PAT station)|Castle Shannon]] stations are in neighboring municipalities. And as of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 33,017 people living in Mt. Lebanon.

In 1971, [[Muhammad Ali]] attempted to purchase a home in Virginia Manor, but racial discrimination prevented him from doing so.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pace |first=Laura |title=Black History Month: Mt. Lebanon's past of not selling homes to minorities is highlighted by Muhammad Ali's effort to buy in Virginia Manor |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/neigh_south/20010221sali3.asp |publisher=Pittsburgh Post Gazette |access-date=May 2, 2012}}</ref> However, some residents have claimed that the rejection was due to the anticipated publicity and crowds which would result from the sale of the property to Ali.

On May 21, 1974, the electorate approved a [[home rule]] [[charter]], which took effect on January 1, 1975;<ref name="pacode.com"/> 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.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> 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."