Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just reread this thread. Hope more people post, for I'm still (believe it or not) torn about moving.
I've lived in both cities. The two do have a lot in common. Pittsburgh seems to be where Seattle was in the 80s, when the rest of the world was getting wise to the excellent quality of life to be had in the Pacific Northwest. That said, you'll give up quite a bit in the move.
For my two cents, the big difference is that Seattle is cosmopolitan and Pittsburgh is parochial. I'm a huge Pittsburgh booster. But the city is a tier down in the urban hierarchy from Seattle. Seattle has obvious global city qualities. Pittsburgh has some global city qualities, if you know where to look. In Seattle, everyone seems to be from somewhere else. In Pittsburgh, everyone seems to have been there for generations.
I think you could cobble together a reasonable facsimile of Seattle in Pittsburgh. But doing so would be easier in a true peer city such as Boston. Pittsburgh isn't quite there. Yet.
I posted this on the Pittsburgh board today in a thread about Pittsburgh becoming the next hip city, but nobody paid attention; it may be more relevant for this thread. Just substitute Seattle for Portland...I too am torn about moving either to Seattle or Pittsburgh.
"My 2 cents is that I doubt Pittsburgh ever will be the new Portland simply because it is east of the Mississippi. There is a distinct culture that starts in San Francisco and moves up the I-5 corridor to the Canadian border, and maybe into British Columbia as well. The whole hippie thing started there and it's ground zero of liberal politics, the environmental movement, high-tech (no pun intended) certain musical tastes, etc. Even West Coast Republicans like the Grateful Dead, lol. Fast forward, starting in the 1990's the Bay Area got real expensive so economic refugees from California discovered Portland. Fast forward to 2008 or so, and the East Coast discovered Portland. Now there's "Portlandia." However, people moving to Portland are generally from other West Coast cities and it will stay that way. People moving to Pittsburgh, hipsters or not, will tend to be from the eastern half of the U.S. and it would take years for them to completely transform Pittsburgh. Plus, Pittsburgh's geography in the end may be its saving grace as some people, especially those with an attitude, will not move away from either coast."
I posted this on the Pittsburgh board today in a thread about Pittsburgh becoming the next hip city, but nobody paid attention; it may be more relevant for this thread. Just substitute Seattle for Portland...I too am torn about moving either to Seattle or Pittsburgh.
"My 2 cents is that I doubt Pittsburgh ever will be the new Portland simply because it is east of the Mississippi. There is a distinct culture that starts in San Francisco and moves up the I-5 corridor to the Canadian border, and maybe into British Columbia as well. The whole hippie thing started there and it's ground zero of liberal politics, the environmental movement, high-tech (no pun intended) certain musical tastes, etc. Even West Coast Republicans like the Grateful Dead, lol. Fast forward, starting in the 1990's the Bay Area got real expensive so economic refugees from California discovered Portland. Fast forward to 2008 or so, and the East Coast discovered Portland. Now there's "Portlandia." However, people moving to Portland are generally from other West Coast cities and it will stay that way. People moving to Pittsburgh, hipsters or not, will tend to be from the eastern half of the U.S. and it would take years for them to completely transform Pittsburgh. Plus, Pittsburgh's geography in the end may be its saving grace as some people, especially those with an attitude, will not move away from either coast."
I take your point about Portland's connection to West Coast cities such as San Francisco. I agree with you: Pittsburgh can't be Portland or Seattle. I'd go further. Portland can't be Seattle or San Francisco. Many of the attributes I love about Seattle, I can't get in Portland.
But what if you were looking for something like Seattle close to or on the East Coast? Where would you go?
But what if you were looking for something like Seattle close to or on the East Coast? Where would you go?
Offhand, I can't think of any city on the East Coast that is similiar. I have never lived in Boston and haven't been there in years, but maybe its waterfront setting would provide some similiar scenery. But culturally they are very different. Definitely not New York. That's where I'm from originally, no way!
Dude, freakin chillax. BTW, Phinney Ridge... born and raised. That's my credibility (My fam would often walk to the zoo --when it wasnt raining). So go sit on your bully-ass finger. Seattle has Drizzle. And Seattlelites are difficult to know. Dont be an insufferable Homer--- Seriously. You lose credibility with this stuff.
Last edited by Pathfinder14ster; 01-17-2012 at 09:09 PM..
But what if you were looking for something like Seattle close to or on the East Coast? Where would you go?
You can't really. The different coasts do have differences and they are fairly strong. If you want a fairly progressive city with an on average very educated population that is fairly cosmopolitan, then Boston might do it to some degree, but it won't hit on all counts. The same with Philly, but to a lesser extent (though far easier on the wallet here).
Pittsburgh is sort of there, but it is lacking in terms of being particularly worldly. It does have the draw of large corporation headquarters and two very excellent schools, but it's a minority that's employed by those headquarters and the vast majority of people from outside the area who attend those schools end up leaving when they graduate.
You can't really. The different coasts do have differences and they are fairly strong. If you want a fairly progressive city with an on average very educated population that is fairly cosmopolitan, then Boston might do it to some degree, but it won't hit on all counts. The same with Philly, but to a lesser extent (though far easier on the wallet here).
Pittsburgh is sort of there, but it is lacking in terms of being particularly worldly. It does have the draw of large corporation headquarters and two very excellent schools, but it's a minority that's employed by those headquarters and the vast majority of people from outside the area who attend those schools end up leaving when they graduate.
Well that's true of any place that imports college students. If it wasn't, then college towns would all be much larger than they are.
I live in Pittsburgh and it's much too hot and humid here in the summer. Would greatly prefer Seattle.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
