Scattered amongst Oakland's four neighborhoods are 29 distinct flights of city steps – many of which are open and in a safe condition.

These Steps of Pittsburgh quickly connect pedestrians to public transportation and provide an easy way to travel through this densely populated area.

The Cathedral of Learning, the engineering or midsection of the University of Pittsburgh campus, and the Craig Street business district are in North Oakland.

RAND's Pittsburgh center is located in North Oakland as well as the long time RIDC business incubator on Henry Street.

Its Main Business District runs along Forbes and Fifth Avenue, and contains a diversity of restaurants, retailers, and financial services.

The flood plain was previously packed with industrial sites such as the Pittsburgh Works Consolidated Gas Co. and the Jones & Laughlin Steel Co.,[9] but presently, the Pittsburgh Technology Center hosts facilities such as the Entertainment Technology Center of Carnegie Mellon University.

South Oakland was the childhood home of Andy Warhol, and later the residence of fellow pop artist Keith Haring.

NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino was also born in Oakland, not far from Warhol's home.

The residential makeup is diverse and consists of a number of long-time, permanent residents living alongside students completing their undergrad and graduate degrees.

Although the campus of Carnegie Mellon University and parts of Schenley Park, including Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens and Flagstaff Hill are popularly referred to as being in Oakland, and are located with the 15213 zip code, they are actually part of the adjacent neighborhood of Squirrel Hill North.

The area got its name from the abundance of oak trees found on the farm of William Eichbaum, who settled there in 1840.

Oakland developed rapidly following the Great Fire of 1845 in Downtown Pittsburgh, with many people moving out to suburban territory.

At Schenley Plaza, industrialist Andrew Carnegie built a library, museum and concert hall complex, which opened in 1895.

[15] Oakland is also home to the university's French-Gothic revival Heinz Memorial Chapel and St. Paul Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Pirates fans gather on the site each year on the anniversary of Bill Mazeroski's World Series winning home run on October 13, 1960.