New Kensington is the birthplace of aluminum, developed by Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America), which is still the global leader in the aluminum market.  With this multi-national corporation long since having left downtown New Kensington, the City's recent history parallels most other cities and towns in the region.  The decline of the local steel industry and Alcoa sent it into a tailspin of economic shock and symptomatic aftershocks, similar to many other "rustbelt" communities across America.   

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Nevertheless, these once robust industries left an indelible mark on the architecture of the community.  "New Ken", as the town is affectionately known, has waterfronts, and hillsides replete with industrial edifices left behind by Alcoa and ripe for redevelopment.  In New Kensington's historic downtown area, there are banks, numerous businesses, restaurants, a shopping plaza, and multiple health care access points, as well as City Hall and the Community College of Westmoreland County

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Along with these opportunities for redevelopment is a resurgence in the offing across the City of New Kensington, most recently with the opening of the Penn State New Kensington entrepreneurial center and co-working space and the City's and the Redevelopment Authority's purchase of a nearly 60-acre manufacturing plant along the Allegheny River. 

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There is an unparalleled energy and optimism gathering momentum in and around the City, with a focus on innovating for the future at every corner while remembering and building upon the past - and upon the architecture left behind - that is sure to result in a community with future-focused industries operating in an environment with a quaint and small-town vibe.

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We invite you to join us in this journey that is quickly materializing into a "New-Kenaissance", with boundless opportunities to take part in the groundswell of energy that includes a promise in the air for anyone, any family or any company that opts to make their home or their business-life a part of this exciting revitalization and resurgence.