PITTSBURGH -- As part of the Pittsburgh 250 Celebration, 250 western Pennsylvania residents will take the oath of allegiance to become U.S. citizens Thursday at the Soldiers and Sailors Museum and Memorial. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), the Pittsburgh 250 Commission and the University of Pittsburgh are holding this special ceremony in celebration of the oustanding contributions immigrants have made throughout the Pittsburgh area's 250 years of existence.

The applicants for citizenship hail from more than 60 countries. This year, USCIS expects to help men, women and children from nearly every country on the globe achieve the dream of becoming U.S. citizens. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will address the new citizens.

Immediately following the ceremony, the University of Pittsburgh will host a reception for the new citizens and their guests in the Commons Room of the Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. They also will be invited to tour the University's 26 Nationality Rooms that encircle the Commons Room. The Nationality Rooms are gifts from Pittsburgh's ethnic groups to preserve their heritages.

Pittsburgh 250 is the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the naming of the region in 1758. With the support of business, government and civic leaders from across the region, Pittsburgh 250 has set three goals: Improve awareness of southwestern Pennsylvania as a global leader; support projects that connect the region's past to its future; and improve the region's competitiveness for future generations.