Pgh population loss (Pittsburgh: military, move, relocation)

[pman]

IF I remember correctly, the city gained a lot of young people but lost everyone else....the elderly may be moving away or dying off but clearly the city is losing family age people. It's probably not simply because of taxes but schools. it's a common city problem and was seen on the other side of the state (where that city added elderly and young but continued to lose middle age and kids). Pittsburgh can improve its image as a place to retire but the city definitely needs to address the middle. as someone pointed out, the period was 2000-2010. it doesn't tell us anything about what is happening today.

[psychomantis]

This thread reminded me of seeing this online and thought I'd share..... map of U.S. Migration patterns by county

Map: Where Americans Are Moving - Forbes.com

[alleghenyangel]

Originally Posted by Penguins Fan

Pittsburgh is not exactly on the cusp of a renaissance (sic). Pittsburgh is still deep in debt and has huge unfunded pension liabilities. Pittsburgh has far too many neighborhoods that are decaying or decayed (jmo). However, despite itself, Pittsburgh has straggled along, not collapsing like Cleveland or Detroit or Buffalo. There are still many nice neighborhoods, a decent if not spectacular downtown, lower than average crime, some thriving suburbs, higher education in its city limits superior to most of its neighboring cities and, of course, a better pro and college sports scene than most anyplace else.

Nobody will find perfection in this world. The people who live in it aren't perfect and never will be.

This.

[analog808]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

And this certainly wasn't the case back in 2007, when I first came to Pittsburgh. Back then I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb with my Michigan license plate.

Imagine driving around with a Hawaii plate like I did when I first moved here. It was a few times that I would get "how did you drive it across the ocean?"

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by analog808

Imagine driving around with a Hawaii plate like I did when I first moved here. It was a few times that I would get "how did you drive it across the ocean?"

LOL I've often wondered about cars with Hawaii plates. Does it have something to do with car registration being cheaper in HI?

[alleghenyangel]

I actually saw a car with an Alaska plate in Pittsburgh once. Now THAT is a drive!

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Caladium

LOL I've often wondered about cars with Hawaii plates. Does it have something to do with car registration being cheaper in HI?

It has to cost a fair amount to ship a car from Hawaii to Pittsburgh.

Perhaps Hawaii has a personal property tax on vehicles, that might make it worthwhile to transport a Mercedes or Lexus.

I can't see how it could ever be advantageous to ship a Corolla, Civic or some other ordinary car that far.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by analog808

Imagine driving around with a Hawaii plate like I did when I first moved here. It was a few times that I would get "how did you drive it across the ocean?"

So YOU'RE the Hawaii plate!



Actually, yeah, I think I remember seeing one around here, and I think I've seen a couple over the years on the mainland overall. Alaska I've seen more recently, and there's a car with Washington (state) plates I see regularly. Someone brought those things pretty far.

I'm guessing the reason for Hawaii plates is that they kept their car for whatever reason. Possible reasons include a) they really liked it or b) someone else paid for the car move. Someone who moves with a paid relocation quite possibly would have that expense paid.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jifie

The whole thought I had about it, is that its not just specific to Pgh, but to the entire rust belt as a whole. Other metro areas that werent in the top 50 that lost population besides what I mentioned with Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, are cities in the rust belt like Youngstown, Toledo, and other Michigan metro areas. As an outsider looking in, the only inference I can make is this has to be something larger than just Pgh and its steel industry leaving, right?

Yep, deindustrialization hit a lot of different interior cities. It happened to a different degree and on a different schedule in different cities, but there are some notable broad similarities.

In fact, Detroit (my original hometown) right now is going through something similar to what Pittsburgh went through 25 years ago. That's good news and bad news--the good news is recovery is possible, the bad news is it can take a long time and some of the effects will linger a long time.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pman

IF I remember correctly, the city gained a lot of young people but lost everyone else....the elderly may be moving away or dying off but clearly the city is losing family age people. It's probably not simply because of taxes but schools.

And also housing prices.

Generally, even in thriving U.S. central cities there is some sort of move-out effect as young adults start families. The question is how much of that occurs--if it is only a moderate amount, consistent with prior trends or better, the increase in young adults should start translating into an increase in young children.