From three rivers to 412, count the ways numerology is significant to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has long been awash in the mystical, home to many intuitives, psychics, clairvoyants, and witches. Recently, another mystical practice has surged in popularity — numerology, or the the study of numbers and the influence they exert over our lives. Though the practice dates back to antiquity, today’s numerology can be used to choose a favorable address or house number, business name, wedding date, or even guide life decisions.

Pittsburgh City Paper wondered what insights numerology could give us about Pittsburgh and the numbers nearest and dearest to the region. What does 412 mean? Is it good luck to display Mario Lemieux’s and Franco Harris’ jersey numbers? When a giant bottle of Heinz 57 was bolted to the History Center, did it change the energy of the city? These were some of the questions I took to Colbee McManamon, an intuitive numerologist and owner of Soaring Heart Medicine.

McManamon, who is based in Jacksonville, Ore., specializes in life path numerology, which examines birthdates, names, and significant numbers as an “energetic blueprint” that reveals one’s “unique abilities, gifts, and challenges.” She said looking into Pittsburgh’s numerology and life path taught her a lot about the city.

“There are these energies that are not part of an outsider’s perspective,” she tells City Paper, noting she expected to see more pointing toward steel and industry. “It made me do a little additional research, because I’m like, ‘Is Pittsburgh an artistic, artsy city?’ … I was able to see beyond the stereotypes and assumptions just by looking at the numbers.”

The H Factor

Personal numerology readings usually begin with a life path number derived from a birthdate. When looking at any number in numerology, all the digits are added together, then reduced to a single digit, 1-9. (You can use an online calculator for this.) Once reduced, numbers 1 through 9 all carry different meanings.

Pittsburgh naturally has to complicate matters by having three birthdates — one as “Pittsborough,” then “Pittsburg” when the city “lost” its H, and finally, Pittsburgh in 1911. According to numerology, the spelling of names (which also correspond to numbers) express different energies, meaning Pittsburgh was reborn each time its name changed.

McManamon used the first mention of “Pittsborough” by Gen. John Forbes in 1758 as the city’s original birthday, giving it a life path number of five. Five comes up again based on the city’s current spelling (its expression number).

While McManamon expected to see fours, associated with hard work and structure, the number five represents dynamism and change.

“The five is actually much more expansive,” McManamon tells CP. “It likes to come up with new solutions, think outside the box. It’s an incredible communicator.”

“The main thing with the five, it’s always reinventing itself,” McManamon says. “It’s always coming in and seeing what else is possible. That’s the mantra for the five, ‘Well, what else is possible? What else can we do here?’ If this was a four city, it would be like, ‘How can we just work on steel forever?’”

“I just imagine that there’s probably this wild underbelly, this underside of Pittsburgh that maybe the average person doesn’t know about, where people are kind of letting loose and live outside the box,” McManamon speculates. “It’s so interesting, because five is actually [the] number of [a] bohemian.”

Three is key

What might be less surprising to Pittsburghers is the recurrence of the number three, found across our three rivers, The Point, Downtown’s Golden Triangle, and three professional sports teams. Heinz’s number, 57, even reduces to three.

During its three name changes, the city had various numbers significant in numerology come up as three.

“It was so beautiful looking through names and dates, even jersey numbers [to see] how that three just keeps showing up. It really is the heart of the city, this three energy … There’s a really strong life force energy flowing through Pittsburgh,” McManamon says. In numerology, three represents the energy of a child. While the numbers one and two represent parents (usually essentialized as masculine and feminine), three is “that child [who’s] creative and expressive and knows how to really live in the moment.”

“As an energy current, it really represents the arts,” McManamon explains. “What’s born from that is this creative, expressive energy that’s full of life, joy, color. It’s the most fun energy of all of the numbers to be around.”

Pirates legend Roberto Clemente wore number 21 for most of his 18-year career, a number that reduces to three. The recent Clemente documentary revealed the Hall of Famer was a numerology believer, and specifically chose a number that would reduce to three after playing in Three Rivers Stadium and becoming a father of three sons.

Pittsburgh athletes are amateur numerologists

Clemente is not the only athlete attuned to the city’s numerology.

“Athletes [have] kind of a unique experience because they’re choosing a number that not only will represent them, but that they’re growing into [and] is going to mean something for other people,” McManamon tells CP.

Steelers great Franco Harris’ number was 32, which reduces to a five. His own life path number was also five, aligned with both the life path and expression number of Pittsburgh itself.

“That’s very representative of the energy that Pittsburgh has, almost like almost an agent of change,” McManamon says of Harris. (The Steelers retired Harris’ jersey number in 2023 — one of only three numbers retired in the team’s history — and it’s currently displayed in Acrisure Stadium.)

Penguins captain and hockey icon Mario Lemieux said he choose his jersey number, 66, as a tribute to Wayne Gretzky, 99, both multiples of three. (The number also retired with Lemieux and was raised into the rafters of Mellon Arena.)

“Sixty-six also reduces to a three,” McManamon notes, “Which is interesting, because … with these athletes, they[’re] not only exceptional athletes in their sport, but also really connected to the people.”

Perhaps no one is more aligned with numerology than current Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, 87, who chose the number based on his birthdate, Aug. 7, 1987. His 2007 contract signing, $8.7 million per year, also reflects his birthdate.

“It seems like a pretty good number. I thought it was kind of unique so I’m happy with that,” Crosby said at the time.

“Very cool and interesting use of his number,” McManamon comments.

Apparently, Crosby’s birthday also gives him a rare and sacred life path number, 22, with McManamon saying, “I’ll be curious to find out, what did he create? What is his legacy?”

90 Neighborhoods

As far as Pittsburgh’s life path, McManamon says the city’s 90 neighborhoods are an especially powerful expression of it.

Nine, as the last number in the cycle, represents completion, as well as “the wise one, the elder, the grandfather or grandmother, because it’s been through all of the other experiences.” (We’ll give an additional shout-out here to Pittsburgh’s nine city council members.)

“I feel like [90 neighborhoods] represents a complete, whole city, all of the different parts and pieces,” McManamon says. “Without any one of them, it wouldn’t be a complete picture. But since we have all of them, we really have … all of the different wisdom and all of the different experiences … If there was even one less neighborhood, it wouldn’t be quite as whole.”

What can Pittsburgh look forward to in 2025?

While numerologists believe the collective is experiencing a “nine year,” or the last year in a nine-year cycle with “lots of endings and completions,” Pittsburgh is only in its second year. “Whatever was initiated last year on a community level, within the city or Pittsburgh as a whole, that really kind of sets the tone,” McManamon says. If it seems quieter around town this year, stick it out.

“2026 will be a three year. Next year in Pittsburgh should be very colorful, very vibrant.”

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This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2025.