city, Crawford county, southeastern Kansas, U.S., near the Missouri border. Laid out in 1876, it developed as a zinc- and coal-mining town and railroad centre and was named after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Besides strip coal-mining operations, it has large plants that produce coal-preparation equipment and ammonium nitrate. Pittsburg State University was founded in 1903. The city is also the site of the Personal Census Service Branch of the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Nearby are several wildlife areas on land reclaimed from strip mining. Inc. 1880. Pop. (1990) 17,775; (2000) 19,243.