Pittsburgh #4 Best Places For Babies (Altoona, York: house, college, wages)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by dnvrsoul

I'm happy-and everyone in Pittsburgh should be too-you guys seem to be getting a lot of good press lately-

Indeed. Part of that is just relatively decent economic numbers during the recession (better than average employment stats, inexpensive and stable housing prices, and so forth). But even in general, the idea of Pittsburgh being a desirable place to live really seems to have penetrated a lot more widely recently (and I still think the G20 had a lot to do with that).

[Renaldo5000]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Indeed. Part of that is just relatively decent economic numbers during the recession (better than average employment stats, inexpensive and stable housing prices, and so forth). But even in general, the idea of Pittsburgh being a desirable place to live really seems to have penetrated a lot more widely recently (and I still think the G20 had a lot to do with that).

Misguided and idiot Lefty anarchists wearing black and throwing some rocks and some clueless politicians saying "Pittsburgh has come so far..." does not mean **** to me (or anybody else). People want to live where it is either nice or where there are jobs and growth. Granted, this area did not experience the horrific economic detraction that other areas did in recent years, but it is still not vibrant nor will it ever be (barring some massive miracle) again.

Dammit, on the one hand I love this city and it will always be in my heart. I want to share your optimism and "boosterism". I guess if you don't mind gray skies, "plateauing" and meeting all of the people you're going to meet in a few years and you want to raise a family in the boringness and stagnation that is Pittsburgh then it isn't a bad choice. But, if you're a young person with any creativity or ambition then you don't belong here....period. These idiotic and trendy fluff lists don't mean **** to me or any other halfway intelligent person.

[rhondee]

[quote=iwonderwhy2124;16165406]Misguided and idiot Lefty anarchists wearing black and throwing some rocks and some clueless politicians saying "Pittsburgh has come so far..."

January 1983- Pittsburgh's unemployment rate was at 18.2%. Yes , I agree with the "clueless "politician that we have come a long way. We do have much more economic stability now then what it was back then. Yes it's still not bulletproof, and ,IMHO I don't know what the future holds for the region, I am cautiously optimistic that if we stay on the right path we should be fine.

As far as not being vibrant ? yes I think compared to larger cities we lag with things to do. But I've also visited some cities at length that were larger than Pittsburgh and found it wasn't back-to-back activity in those places, either -they have their downtime,too.
I've always had plenty of things to do here, except during the Jan and Feb slowdown in winter.
And as far as career,while starting out and up to recent years I've always had many interesting opportunities and having been able to participate in one of this nation's firsts, so Pittsburgh never denied me anything, career or education wise. I do understand that would vary depending on the type of field you're in and it's better for some to leave for another city for more opportunity.But for the small size of this city it doesn't do bad at all.
I have found it so affordable here as well, I have a solid brick colonial with all hardwood t/o on a quiet and safe brick street that I bought for less than what some people pay today for a car. I can't complain.

I can see that you do love your city at one level but I can sense your frustration with it. Despite my very positive experiences here I've had my share of negative ones as well,and I have no difficulty with identifying 101 things in this city that need improvement.

You have to decide if the good outweighs the bad and if it's worth it or not to stay or perhaps it's time to contemplate a move that ultimately may prove more rewarding.

[Renaldo5000]

Smart words and they are appreciated.

[BrianTH]

I don't think the G20 coverage would have done anything if Pittsburgh didn't have something real to sell. But I think what had happened is that the gap between the popular perception of Pittsburgh and the contemporary reality had grown so wide that it turned into "news" that Pittsburgh was not the dying post-industrial hellhole that most people expected. And then all the data kept rolling in.

As for whether Pittsburgh is the best place for any given person--maybe it isn't. In fact it doesn't have to be the best place for more than a small fraction of people in the U.S. in order for it to be successful. In that sense, if you wanted to describe Pittsburgh as something of a niche city, I wouldn't disagree.

But by the same token, just because a given person isn't enjoying their life in Pittsburgh, that doesn't mean they are in a position to speak for all other people (or all other young people with creativity and ambition, or all other halfway intelligent people, or so on). Moreover, if you are perpetually bored and not meeting anyone new in ANY U.S. city the size of Pittsburgh, there is a good chance that has less to do with your environment, and more to do with how you are choosing to live your life.

Again, that doesn't mean that Pittsburgh is the right place for you to live, but blaming Pittsburgh for your terribly boring life is likely an error.

[Sideblinded]

I feel bad that nobody liked my " How did they poll the babies?" joke! I'll survive though!
*

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

I feel bad that nobody liked my " How did they poll the babies?" joke! I'll survive though!
*

Who says we didn't?

[Katarina Witt]

The G20 is long over. It may still be getting some publicity in Pittsburgh itself, but nowhere else that I know of.

[dnvrsoul]

Well it makes the decision easier by the day-I hope Pittsburgh keeps it up because I should be moving there in the next year-

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

The G20 is long over. It may still be getting some publicity in Pittsburgh itself, but nowhere else that I know of.

Right, but I think there is ample evidence the coverage surrounding the G20 helped to create a permanent shift in the way people talk about Pittsburgh in other contexts.

In fact for a while afterward, outside commentary on Pittsburgh still took what I consider to be the basic G20 approach: "Pittsburgh--not nearly as sucky as you think!" In other words, the framing implicitly acknowledged that it would be news to most people that Pittsburgh would be considered a nice place. But increasingly even that approach seems to be fading away, and I am seeing more commentary just matter-of-factly talking positively about Pittsburgh, as if there should be nothing surprising or newsworthy about that.

Anyway, I admit this is all based on my personal impressions. Still, I consider myself to be relatively well-acquainted with the flow of what people are saying about Pittsburgh, and I do personally think there was a notable shift that occurred during the G20.