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.
Some dear friends are moving to Pittsburgh in a few weeks from here, trading in there $1.1M late '20s Spanish bungalow for a $150k beautiful 1910 brick colonial revival in Regents Park. That whole move, and potentially bringing an equal ridiculous amount of equity to that city intrigues me, wondering if it does, in fact, hold enough of urban renaissance as often extolled. But the endless grey cloudy days, shrinking (slowly) population and just general lack of growth and apparent dynamism in that city also holds me back. But again, I've only visited it once.
Does this mean Regent Square? I'm unfamiliar with Regents Park, but Regent Square goes on my short list of favorite neighborhoods I've ever been to, ever, anywhere. And I say that as a guy who's put in time in NYC, Chicago, and DC, among others.
Great, small, thriving, trendy main street, gorgeous homes on old brick roads lined with mature trees. Walking distance to my favorite park in Pittsburgh, and all the fun of Squirrel Hill just a short jaunt away. Mmmmm, love me some Square.
Though, I wouldn't think 150k would go very far, there. Maybe a duplex?
I've probably just got the wrong area entirely. But I love to talk up Regent Square when I can.
I have a VERY high opinion of PA. I don't like the Philly area (sorry), but the rest of the state we adore. A few times a year we drive from Charlotte to the Boston area to visit my in-laws and we love driving I-81 through western/central PA. The farms, rolling hills. It's so beautiful. A very underrated state.
Consider PA to be a peer of IL and OH. Lots of high-paying jobs but also a good deal of poverty. Scenic in parts. Philly is interesting and Pittsburgh has A LOT of potential.
I don't get how Pittsburgh is remote, especially compared to a place like Columbus.
DC is just a 3.5 hour drive from Pittsburgh, and the main reason you go to another city is to go to a larger city that offers more than what is in your own. Also the entire eastern seabord NYC, Philly, beach areas, etc, is within a 5-6 hr drive which is not that far.
Columbus and Ohio in general is quite remote from any top tier thriving metro area. Pittsburgh has much more available within a reasonable drive.
I know, I really don't get where people are getting this idea that it's remote. You might not be able to take a day trip to NYC or Baltimore but of the people I know in the Bos-Wash corridor, they basically never go to a different city for just a day because most people don't have time (especially if you have a family) and also don't want to deal with the hassle of getting to other cities in the megalopolis for only a day. Try living in Denver or Winnipeg if you want large cities that are truly remote.
Interesting. Especially since Pennsylvania isn't a particularly highway-laden state for its size--in fact, many lament its vastly undersized highway network across the state considering it's so populous...
One of my favorite things about PA is that there are very few interstates criss-crossing it. To me this means that you have to spend quite a lot of time on it's smaller country roads - and they are beautiful.
As to the OP's Question...
New Jersey gets it reps from Philadelphia and New York. Both places like to make fun of NJ because - that is what people in border states do. Rarely do they praise a place because that would make it seem better than where they are living; and it is far easier to tear a place down. NJ gets it in the north from NY, and gets it in the south from Philadelphia.
At the same time, states surrounding PA (NY, OH, WV, Maryland, NJ) can't pull the same "dis" as their countrysides look and are very similar to PA and they don't have cities that rank as high as PA does. That is except for NYS. But again, the state portion is very similar to PA state. NYC, has bragging rights over Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but they are a good distance apart, and those who can afford to frequently travel between both probably don't care about any non sports related rivalries.
So, I would say that the only people who will be able to say anything positive or negative about PA are tourists and all the tourists will see is the beauty of the PA countryside and the combined beauty, class, and sophistication of the two cities, and they will likely never see and of the bad parts of either town.
Whew... Based on the above, I think PA will usually have a good image with outsiders.
Not a fan. Terrible drivers who overrun the shore in the summer like they own it. Can't STAND Philly.
However a lot of the state is very scenic.
Please don't remind me as in the 4 plus years I'm in my locale in SW NJ I've never been tailgated so much as well as their "wishy-washy" accident causing driving maneuvers.
The Philadelphia area feels very "rat racey" and rushed, much like a good chunk of the I-95 corridor from northern Virginia to Boston.
Pittsburgh feels both much larger than it is (very modern, impressive skyline and lots of historic ethnic neighborhoods, "real" Italian delis, etc.) much smaller than it is (with older, established neighborhoods nestled in the hilltops that feel more like small, blue collar Appalachian towns). I like those things about Pittsburgh, and can't think of another comparable city anywhere that has lush green mountains and an authentic (that aren't overwhelmingly touristy, hipster/yuppie havens like Asheville which is much, much smaller) big city feel that's put together the same way.
The rural parts of PA feel more conservative than the rest of the Northeast, even the rural parts. It seems more like the rural Southeast in some ways, different accent, but similar social/political viewpoints (no comment on this really, just making an observation).
Please don't remind me as in the 4 plus years I'm in my locale in SW NJ I've never been tailgated so much as well as their "wishy-washy" accident causing driving maneuvers.
I'm getting to can't standing Philly as well.
To me eastern PA =
The rest of the state = no opinion.
Tailgated? In my experience they're usually going too slow on the highways, especially in the left lane, and I basically wind up tailgating THEM. I actually experienced a lovely PA resident on the Parkway today going 60 in the left lane. SIXTY. In the LEFT LANE. I couldn't pass the idiot because the other idiot to our right was going the same speed as Mr. Pennsylvania so I rode pretty close to him and even flashed my high beams trying to send a message but it was useless.
But again, pretty state. I drove completely through it on the way to Chicago and it was beautiful, even along the highways.
To the person who said nearby states can't really diss PA... trust me, many New Jerseyans do. That is not one-sided. I've met many fellow NJ people who also like to make fun of PA (Pennsyltucky) or otherwise aren't fans. It's true though that there's always some ribbing between nearby states. It's just funny if PA people bash NJ because, considering how many flock to our beaches in the summer, we can't suck that much.
Tailgated? In my experience they're usually going too slow on the highways, especially in the left lane, and I basically wind up tailgating THEM. I actually experienced a lovely PA resident on the Parkway today going 60 in the left lane. SIXTY. In the LEFT LANE. I couldn't pass the idiot because the other idiot to our right was going the same speed as Mr. Pennsylvania so I rode pretty close to him and even flashed my high beams trying to send a message but it was useless.
But again, pretty state. I drove completely through it on the way to Chicago and it was beautiful, even along the highways.
To the person who said nearby states can't really diss PA... trust me, many New Jerseyans do. That is not one-sided. I've met many fellow NJ people who also like to make fun of PA (Pennsyltucky) or otherwise aren't fans. It's true though that there's always some ribbing between nearby states. It's just funny if PA people bash NJ because, considering how many flock to our beaches in the summer, we can't suck that much.
The thing you don't seem to want to acknowledge, though, is that we educate many of your citizens via our numerous top-tier colleges and universities, and we train many of your doctors at our numerous top-tier medical schools. We provide more jobs to NJ residents than you provide to us, and we provide 1/2 of the culture located in other states that NJ residents brag about. Plus we took care of well more than our share of major important historical and industrial accomplishments for you. And, we provided one of the cities that the highways and train tracks that cut across (and greatly contributed to the development of) your state connect to. Plus we provided the railroad that built and controlled those tracks. Have you or your pompous North Jersey blowhard friends ever considered this stuff?
But, hey, that shoreline that you had nothing to do with; you provide us that. Plus, in fairness, you have more good bagel places than we do, so you have that going for you, which is nice. And, you're less rural, so I guess that's cool. Plus your drivers go faster, which is really cool.
Last edited by BPP1999; 08-29-2016 at 05:59 PM..
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.
I couldn't pass the idiot because the other idiot to our right was going the same speed as Mr. Pennsylvania so I rode pretty close to him and even flashed my high beams trying to send a message but it was useless. 
