The growth of industry and manufacturing, advances and improvements in transportation, and a growing urban working class, increased the demand for housing in what had been a remote corner of the City of Allegheny.

This era saw a change in the nature and appearance of city dwellings in the district from simple brick boxes intended to house the workers of a particular local industry, to an ornate polychromed speculative development with modern conveniences designed to appeal to the independent urban wage earner."

[5] Since 1970, a significant portion of the neighborhood's building stock has been owned by absentee landlords who often rent to subsidized tenants through Section 8 and similar programs.

[6] Over time, some of the neighborhood's structures have been demolished, so that there are now (in 2011) significant gaps in the rows of houses, which are now vacant lots.

In California-Kirkbride, the Steps of Pittsburgh quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation and provide an easy way to travel through the neighborhood.