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My husband and I (We have two young school age children) are considering to move to either Portland, OR or Pittsburgh, PA. Anybody can help us to compare these two cities at weather, scenery, environment, job market, housing/living cost, schools... and so on. Which one is better to live? Thanks for any good advice!
These are two awesome cities, IMO you can't go wrong. It just depends on what you are looking for. Portland has a very liberal and bohemian feel if thats your thing. Pittsburgh being in the northeast has great architecture, and they are both very walkable. Although this doesn't matter if you are in the burbs.
What made you choose these two cities?
WEATHER:
Personally, I like Portland better, but it depends on what you like. Pittsburgh will get very cold and a lot of snow, whereas Portland is overcast and drizzly for 9 months.
SCENERY:
Not sure about Pittsburgh, but Portland is very green and near a lot of beautiful areas. IMO, the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful places in the US.
JOB MARKET:
I am no expert, but I don't think either one has a very strong job market.
Portland: Marine West Coast Climate--two seasons; very rainy, cool, winters, dryer, warmer summers; probably a lot of cloud cover; 155 days/year of measurable precipitation
Pittsburgh: Continental Climate--four seasons; hot, humid summers, cool falls, rainy springs, cold, snowy winters (seasonal temperatures comparable to Boston and New York); a lot of cloud cover
Scenery:
Portland: tall mountains a quick drive away; river city
Pittsburgh: hills everywhere; three rivers
Environment:
Not sure what you mean by this. Both cities are very clean.
Job Market:
Unless you're in higher education or health care, Portland will undoubtedly have the stronger job market, but Pittsburgh is certainly stable and regaining strong economy.
Housing/Cost of Living:
Pittsburgh is easily the best in terms of costs. Pittsburgh is most noted for its older architecture with the core of the city being row house neighborhoods, followed by Victorian and Georgian revival mansions.
Schools:
I don't know anything about Portland's public schools, I live in Pittsburgh. However, along with Philadelphia, Pittsburgh has the best public schools in the state by far. I went to a public school here graduated with many future Ivy-Leaguers--we have an excellent school system in the suburbs of both these cities. The city schools however, are not great and should be avoided in many neighborhoods. We do have some excellent private schools in the city though.
Well I live in California so that is very cold to me.
Actually, that isn't too bad. Is Pittsburgh typically warmer or colder than other northeastern cities?
I really think Pittsburgh is a hidden gem.
Well damn, 50 is really cold to you!
Well, I think Pittsburgh is about identical to Boston, a little colder than Philadelphia and New York and definitely warmer than Buffalo. A lot of people don't seem to realize how moderate we are here. We are only 190 miles from Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay, so we are moderated by the Atlantic; we're 120 miles from Lake Erie so where moderated by that too.
Pittsburgh is an awesome town. Sounds strange, but it reminds me of a mini LA with all of the hills. I would live there if it could be summer all year. I'm spoiled by the desert and cant do snow anymore.
I think Portland has a "newer", "fresher" feel than Pittsburgh. In terms of community, Portland is a little more liberal than Pittsburgh. In the city of Pittsburgh, especially around the university, you will find a lot of free thinking and open minded people, but the surrounding suburbs can be pretty conservative.
I would rate traffic to be about the same, though Pittsburgh has a lot of tunnels that get backed up.
I made this decision, too. It was down to Portland, and then Pittsburgh caught my eye and I never looked back. Somebody said Portland's job market is better, but I don't think that's true. It usually is around 6% unemployment and Pittsburgh's around 5 right now, below the national average. Pittsburgh also has a LOT more character, probably because it's so much older. Portland currently has better transit, but that's about it. I spent years in the NW and got sick of it and had to go back East. It really depends on what part of the country you want. I find the two places very comparable, surprisingly. Pittsburgh is way cheaper. You'll see more white dudes with dreads in Portland, like that's a plus.
Why you're so sure we should move to pittsburgh? More details please. We've lived in NW for 6 years and don't want to move back to East yet. Actually, we like portland better and love Oregon coast. But the housing in Portland is much more expensive than in Pittsburgh. On the other hand, the company gave offer in Pittsburgh looks like more stable than the other one in Portland. We're not willing to move so far, however it seems we have to. That makes us struggling very much .
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