Pittsburgh: City vs. Suburbs? (Upper St. Clair, Washington: lease, houses, neighborhoods)

[raubre]

Just wanted to do a little poll/opinion. Which is better City of Pittsburgh or the suburbs? Why?

I currently live in East Pittsburgh.My lease is up in September. I plan on moving into the city (somewhere in the East Side) because there is so much more forme to do (concerts, restaraunts, arts, parks, festivals, etc.) I have told certain people I associate with and family members (who live in the suburbs and rural areas) and I can't seem to convince them WHY I would want tolive there. They seem to be under the impression that there is so much trouble in the city.

My question is why do some poeple who live in the suburbs and rural areas hate the city without knowing anything about it?

Has anyone else noticed a city vs. suburbs thing going?

[fleetiebelle]

Which is better City of Pittsburgh or the suburbs? Why?

Which is better is going to depend on what your values and needs are. I have always lived within the city limits of Pittsburgh, and I love it. I like being closer to work and being closer to the cultural stuff and amenities that I like.

There are some people who let the local news ("if it bleeds, it leads") color their view of the city, so they think that as soon as you cross a certain border, you're going to get carjacked and mugged, which we know isn't the case. If you want to be in the city, be in the city.

[BrianTH]

As an aside, there is a large variety of suburbs along many different dimensions, so it never makes much sense to me to treat them as a unit.

More generally, I don't think one can speak in terms of absolutes when it comes to this issue--different people have different preferences, lifestyles, and so on, so the best place for you as an individual may not be the best place for someone else. For that reason, I don't think you should care if some other person doesn't get your decision. Maybe they are ill-informed, but even if they were perfectly informed they still may not share your preferences. Which is fine--we can't all live in the same place anyway.

As for why some people fall into a City versus suburbs dynamic--some of it is just general human nature (people tend to overgeneralize, treat matters of taste as matters of fact, defend/rationalize their life decisions with a lot of emotion, and so on). But there is also the basic issue that while the City and suburbs are mutually beneficial, they also often compete for resources in various ways. So I think that rivalry over resources is often operating in the back of people's minds in these discussions.

[jimmyev]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

As an aside, there is a large variety of suburbs along many different dimensions, so it never makes much sense to me to treat them as a unit.

I like places originally built as streetcar suburbs. They have cool architecture, maybe a garage, and just enough yard to have a small garden and a quick mow. But I don't know if that's considered 'city' or 'suburb' in Pittsburgh. West of the Mississippi, when people refer to 'the city,' they're generally referring to these types of places.

[hornet67]

I'm a suburban guy, and have been for 30 years, but I can understand the appeal of living within the city limits for many people. Certainly, there are some lovely areas and beautiful homes in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Point Breeze.
However, I refuse to live in a city where I am taxed even more than where I live ( Upper St. Clair), and be "represented" by the useless political hacks in charge of city "government." Those clowns would have a hard time holding down a job in the private sector, that is unless their brother, uncle, cousin, etc. could hook them up.

[simetime]

Taxes in the city are generally a little higher

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

I like places originally built as streetcar suburbs. They have cool architecture, maybe a garage, and just enough yard to have a small garden and a quick mow. But I don't know if that's considered 'city' or 'suburb' in Pittsburgh. West of the Mississippi, when people refer to 'the city,' they're generally referring to these types of places.

Some of the once streetcar suburbs are inside the City limits, and some outside, and of the ones outside, some are less continuous than others with the City's neighborhoods (it depends on the local topography).

[PreservationPioneer]

There are many city neighborhoods which aren't much different than suburban neighborhoods. For example, Esplen is in the city and McKees Rocks is a suburb. You would be hard pressed to know the difference between the two, otherwise. Both are located about the same distance from downtown and have similar architecture. Also, take Sharspburg or Etna. Both seem very much like city neighborhoods, with much of the same architecture as Troy Hill, but are outside of the city limits.

Meanwhile, Windgap is a city neighborhood and full of 1950s-1970s ranch style houses with big yards and garages.

I guess my point is you can have a city lifestyle in a suburb, and a suburban lifestyle in the city, if you desire it.

[caroline2]

We had every intention of staying within the city and moving to Squirrel Hill or Point Breeze when our young children were ready for Pre-K, until we started really researching Pittsburgh Public Schools. No way. To the suburbs we go.

[CaptainObvious]

I prefer the city. Or, city-ish neighborhoods like Regent Square and Point Breeze. I also prefer the immediate South Hills/Rt. 19 corridor- Mt. Lebo area. Alas, all of the above's property taxes have forced me to ditch my city roots and begin searching for a home in Washington County. Moving just across the line automatically increases my buying power by 25%.