relcoating to Pittsburgh and concerns (Beaver Falls, Beaver: environment, hardwood floor, job)

[5stones]

If you have a solid job. the Pittsburg area can be a wonderful place to raise a family.
We lived in the South Hills area and we made over 70K on our house in 8 years. (yes we did improvements by ourselves no major work) The schools are good and the people are friendly. and the cost of living is lower than most places.
North Stabane Township in the south hills has very good schools, great community feel and the housing prices are lower than neighboring Peters Township.

We had no family in the area and after 9 years we were ready to move on from the "burg" and try to get closer to family and put down roots. I have very fond memories and was truely glad for my kids to have a "Mayberryesque" start in life and school.

[Geeo]

Check out the following link from a top-notch research person who distills all the economic data and makes it undersandable to us regular folks: Null Space

It is true that Pittsburgh had the 19th highest increase in income among the top 100 metros in the last 25 years, according to a Business Journals study. It's true that the young population is increasing. It's true that the population is older here because of the economic dislocation in the 1980s (the rest of the country is starting to mirror this trend now). The most significant factor holding population growth down is the lack of immigrants, low birth rate (again, because of the 1980s), and low in-migration. This has probably already started to shift as the increasing population of young people start having kids. So it's not true that masses of people are up and leaving. It's just that the birth rate has to increase and more immigrants have to be attracted here. And the key is an abundance of jobs.

It is true that job growth is below par. But it is also true that thousands of people move here for jobs and transfers every year. Pittsburgh real estate has always been steady. No bubbles and no collapses (except for some industrial towns in the 1980s.) Areas in the East End, North Side and South Side of the city have appreciated incredibly in the last ten years because it's a vibrant area with a lot of jobs and people moving in. The suburbs keep expanding into adjacent counties with new homes that seem to see very well. Some areas, just like everywhere else, are not doing well, particularly the old industrial towns, and I don't know that they will ever recover.



So while Pittsburgh is not a high-growth sunbelt town and does have some work to do in improving the job market, I think it is holding its own and slowly improving.

[JoeP]

Well, there has been a continued net population for a long time with the decline of traditional industries. This hit a peak in the mid 80s when steel collapsed and tens of thousands left the metro area. These working families took their children and/or were couples that were about to/starting families and so there is a gap that perpetuated to a lack of births in more recent years compared to similar size metros. This caused the unusual statistic of deaths exceeding births in the past decade.

In terms of domestic migration, people are moving to Pittsburgh. However, this statistic while in thousands per year, is exceeded by domestic out migration.

In this ratio, Pittsburgh fairs no worse than many other cities – Boston, DC, Philly and many others are losing more in domestic migration than they are gaining.

However their net population is growing due to births over deaths and they are big gateway cities for foreign immigration.

So to answer your question - Yes younger families are moving to Pittsburgh. Around 40,000 people I believe moved to the region in 2005 (or 2006 I don’t have it in front of me) but as with other cities, a little more left. And again, the demographic trend puts the region at a disadvantage with the lack of births and foreign immigration. The trends show that this will change, but the impact of the latter 20th Century was significant and it’s not something that changes over night. Cities that are hot spots have growth from growth that speeds its growth (or maintains that healthy growing pattern).

[Gerbil]

I wrote something here, but then I realized that Geeo's post above really says it all.

[gallacus]

Pittsburgh has no housing bubble to burst

This article describes the housing market in Pittsburgh fairly accurately in my opinion. The market is not one where you will come to make a killing merely by buying and selling. You will most-likely, however, be able to count on a steady but slow appreciation, something around 2-6 percent a year. As has been mentioned previously, some areas will provide much higher returns, like the South Side.

One point worth mentioning, however, is that homes do take longer than average to sell in Pittsburgh. Count on allowing a year or two to get rid of a house in most neighborhoods.

[Katiana]

I couldn't get the link to open. Could you post it again? And why is the South Side considered "hip"? I just don't get it. Houses (mostly rowhouses on the flats) that were built 100+ years ago for steelworkers before they were unionized and paid a decent wage. When I was a public health nurse on the SS years ago, there was nothing "hip" about them.

[Hemingway]

To be brief, because there is alot of VERY good information that has been said...the Southside is one of those places that has experienced a renewal. The Waterfront in Homestead is another...

[gallacus]

why is the South Side considered "hip"? I just don't get it.

You are correct, the South Side was anything but hip 20 years ago. It has, however, undergone a major change since the years you were here. The neighborhood being considered "hip" is not because of the architecture of the houses but is because of the overall attitude and feel of the neighborhood (especially when living in it). It is home to many of the new progressive-thinking establishments of Pittsburgh -- The Green Building Alliance, the Southside Local Development Committee, Conservation Consultants, Inc. etc. It is also probably the highest concentration of young people in the city.

In addition, it seems that as a visitor to the South Side you haven't really got the whole picture. The exteriors of the old houses have changed little since you've worked here, but take the South Side homes tour and you will see that many of the houses' interiors are fantastic -- something that a denverite would call "hip".

So overall, its a great place to hang out, catch a movie, eat some good food, drink some good beer and live in a cool, historic house that's been renovated to include many of the modern amenities you see in million dollar houses in Denver. Not to mention you can walk to almost anything you would want to do. What's not "hip" about that?

[Katiana]

Sounds great, but I'm staying here. Thanks.

[Hemingway]

Well said Gallacus.