Braddock Questions (Lower Burrell, Bellevue, Aspinwall: violent crime, credit, buying)

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Braddock and Fetterman would be happy enough to add any law-abiding, tax paying person to the population, even those in existential crisis looking for meaning in life.

Braddock desperately needs repopulated. If simply relocating to Braddock to be a tax-paying resident is all someone is inspired to DO for Braddock, that's okay.

yeah, I agree and it would be an experience that the "urban pioneer" would find purposeful but I think the pioneer would have to be somewhat self secure and mentally stable enough d/t potentially stressful experiences of venturing into and settling Braddock along with the unknown, experimental- type huge task that lay before them.( Just like the pioneers faced when they migrated out west!)You would definitely have to be honest with yourself if you are truly up for the task or not before moving there.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by rhondee

..I think the pioneer would have to be somewhat self secure and mentally stable enough d/t potentially stressful experiences of venturing into and settling Braddock along with the unknown, experimental- type huge task that lay before them.( Just like the pioneers faced when they migrated out west!)You would definitely have to be honest with yourself if you are truly up for the task or not before moving there.

I just don't think moving to a declined neighborhood is a huge, stressful task. You have to go out of your comfort zone a little, perhaps, if you are used to more sterile, suburban or country life. But really it's no different than living anywhere else, except your neighbor's house might be abandoned or need a new coat of paint, and your other neighbor might litter the street with garbage. That's the kind of stuff you deal with in a declined neighborhood. It's not a big deal. It's not like being a pioneer out west. You don't have to build your house from trees you cut down, and go out and shoot your dinner and cook it over a fire, and wash your clothes in the river...

The one thing that will make you a pioneer is the willingness to think out of the box and consider places to live that other people have written off. Also, rehabbing an older home is a monumental task in and of itself, but it's also a great source of joy and brings an incredible feeling of pride and accomplishment. You have saved a piece of history, and are contributing to a community that needs your love, energy, and optimism. It's a lifestyle that can be a passion and a source of fulfillment.

Most of these towns surrounding Pittsburgh, like Braddock, are plagued mostly by their older generations dying off, and no young people with dreams and goals to replace them in the communities. In the old days, owning your own home was something to be proud of and was a great life accomplishment. The older folks who populated these towns and are still dying off cared about their houses and their communities, but the younger generations didn't want to live there. They moved off to the newer suburban areas. My house in McKees Rocks was owned by an elderly couple until they died a couple years ago. The house next to mine was also owned by an elderly lady who passed away. These houses sell cheap because there just isn't demand for housing in these older industrial neighborhoods. But if you think out of the box, these areas represent amazing values.

[groar]

yeah! in wilkinsburg we have to build our houses out of sod, not wood. much easier!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by rhondee

yeah, I agree and it would be an experience that the "urban pioneer" would find purposeful but I think the pioneer would have to be somewhat self secure and mentally stable enough d/t potentially stressful experiences of venturing into and settling Braddock along with the unknown, experimental- type huge task that lay before them.( Just like the pioneers faced when they migrated out west!)You would definitely have to be honest with yourself if you are truly up for the task or not before moving there.

If you discover you're not up for the task, you've discovered something about yourself. Even that's one step closer to figuring our the meaning in your life. It's not like the pioneer days. Anyone who moves to Braddock can easily rent an apartment in a nearby neighborhood if it turns out to be theri cup of tea. They wouldn't need to give up employment. It's not the huge committment you're making it out to be. It's a challenge. Like any challenge, some people make it, some people don't. Just being a person who is willing to try Braddock makes the person more likely to succeed than the general population that wouldn't even think of moving to Braddock. Just taking the chance and moving there qualifies as self secure in my book. And looking for the meaning of one's life doesn't equal mentally unstable. If that were the case, we would all be mentally unstable at some point in our lives.

[rhondee]

[quote=alleghenyangel;15516767]I just don't think moving to a declined neighborhood is a huge, stressful task. You have to go out of your comfort zone a little, perhaps, if you are used to more sterile, suburban or country life. But really it's no different than living anywhere else, except your neighbor's house might be abandoned or need a new coat of paint, and your other neighbor might litter the street with garbage. That's the kind of stuff you deal with in a declined neighborhood. It's not a big deal. It's not like being a pioneer out west. You don't have to build your house from trees you cut down, and go out and shoot your dinner and cook it over a fire, and wash your clothes in the river...[spoiler]

LOL!!! Yeah I think urban pioneering is similar to the America West pioneer only in the way of venturing into the untried unknown and pioneering in the sense that you pave the way for others, which does take courage, but I didn't mean the lifestyle was literally like the Western pioneers.

Braddock used to have a crime rate higher than Detroit but I have read that that ,too has changed and it's gone down. Nonetheless, the Mayor has the the Braddock gang ,the Crips ,spelling of Braddocc on his arm,indicating their strong presence there so some people , if given a choice would rather choose having to shoot their dinner than risk being caught in a gangland crossfire.
The number of crumbling abandoned houses that need to be demolished totally and are beyond needing just a coat of paint. The health hazards are lead, mold asbestos,rodent and pest infestation not to mention being a potential place for drug users, vagrants and prostitution to lurk .Physical hazards come from bricks falling from old chimneys, broken glass. Anyone with kids would worry about these dangers.
I think these would be the major stressors of taking on living in the area.
But these type of conditions aren't limited to Braddock. During last February snowstorm there was an old house in my neighborhood that shed some bricks from the chimney onto a sidewalk.

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by Hopes

If you discover you're not up for the task, you've discovered something about yourself. Even that's one step closer to figuring our the meaning in your life. It's not like the pioneer days. Anyone who moves to Braddock can easily rent an apartment in a nearby neighborhood if it turns out to be theri cup of tea. They wouldn't need to give up employment. It's not the huge committment you're making it out to be. It's a challenge. Like any challenge, some people make it, some people don't. Just being a person who is willing to try Braddock makes the person more likely to succeed than the general population that wouldn't even think of moving to Braddock. Just taking the chance and moving there qualifies as self secure in my book. And looking for the meaning of one's life doesn't equal mentally unstable. If that were the case, we would all be mentally unstable at some point in our lives.

Yeah, I agree that it doesn't have to be a huge committment.Maybe what I meant was not so much mental stability but more like a self confidence. Someone could go to Braddock and try it out,move on if it doesn't work out, but if a person was facing many other challenges than it's best to wait before taking on that type of endeavor. Good timing is everything!

It would be ideal for Braddock's long term success and stability to have people there who are dedicated and in it for the long haul.The town needs people who really desire to live there, not curious trend seekers who want to be there b/c it is a fashionable thing to do, then abruptly move out to move on to the next big thing.

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by groar

yeah! in wilkinsburg we have to build our houses out of sod, not wood. much easier!

LOL!!! And much cheaper! cuz right now I'm looking at replacing my 100 yr old slate roof for about $8,000. Let's see, I 'd like to order the thatched roof in the custom color of moss green.....

[fleetiebelle]

Fetterman was on the Colbert Report the other night:

John Fetterman - The Colbert Report - 8/16/10 - Video Clip | Comedy Central

[BrianTH]

Interesting appearance. Levis is definitely getting its money worth (which isn't a bad thing--for-profit companies need such incentives). I also thought it was interesting that Colbert joked about everyone in Braddock giving up and moving to Pittsburgh--not too long ago, Pittsburgh could have been on the wrong end of that joke (e,g, with Phoenix on the good end).

[rhondee]

FLEETIEBELLE thanks for sharing the video!
BrianTH you're right about Levi's getting plenty of exposure that's a good thing b/c they went out on a limb. They still face much criticism d/t the fact the clothes are not made in US factories.