Should we give up on ever returning to the Burgh? (Pittsburgh: travel, jobs)

[Katiana]

Interesting thoughts, beemajabee (interesting screen name, too!).

Re: reason # 3, someone posted some pix of the Hill District a while back, and several of us commented on the late model cars we saw. I remember W. Pa as very car oriented when I was a kid. I think there is some keeping up with the Jones' everywhere. It's just different stuff. Here, it's outdoor activities (skiing the black diamonds, climbing the fourteeners, etc), and having a white Subaru wagon to take to the mtns to do these things. (We do not own such a car.)

We spent a number of years trying to find a different place to live. We finally gave up. Then DH lost his job in IT when our kids were in 8th and 11th grades. I said if it had happened five years earlier, I would have jumped at the chance to move, but at that point in life, the kids wanted to stay in their schools, so the job search was confined to here, to begin with anyway. Fortunately, DH found a job just months before 9/11, or we would have been looking out of state. So now we're here, for the duration. Sometimes these little curve balls life hands you are for a reason.

I have no advice for you. Only you can weigh the advantages and disadvantages of such a move.

[JoeP]

I'm broke doesn't stand out like a sore thumb

Most of the people in DC and elsewhere are broke too. They are not paying cash for most of that stuff, they are taking out loans.

I would include Pittsburgh in the same boat. A majority of people buy cars they can't afford.

[burghgirl]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I think Hopes' original suggestion, to call the place they are now living, home, is the better one. For many years, I did not feel Colorado was home. Unlike OP, I didn't feel Pittsburgh was home any more, either due to many reasons.

Thanks, Pittnurse, and everyone else, for your insights. I think this is the problem - I have lived in Ohio for 13 years and still cannot fathom staying here for good. It's just too flat, and lacks the character and history of southwestern PA. Plus we have no family here, and we do in Pittsburgh. I have tried to make the most of what we have here, which is actually a lot (good jobs, great schools, a really close knit neighborhood community, etc.), and we'll continue to do that. I think for now, we will settle in for the school year - I'd hate to disrupt the kids now that school has begun and they're getting used to their schedules and classes. We'll probably begin looking for employment in the Burgh next spring.

We'll definitely keep in mind the issues that people brought up in this thread (Pittsburgh economy, etc.) so thanks, everyone!

[burghgirl]

Originally Posted by beemajabee

pittnurse, you said:
I think Hopes' original suggestion, to call the place they are now living, home, is the better one.

That does not think I believe this family should not follow their dream, if they can. But I don't think spending all one's time trying to get away from somewhere is good for a person's spirit, if you will.

****
You struck a nerve with this one, for me. We are planning to relocate for several reasons, and I'm constantly questioning myself if it's not a 'grass is greener on the other side' delusion I'm suffering from.
We're leaving DC Metro because
1 we can't afford our bills (especially medical bills), cost of living and mortages here are ridiculous!
2 I don't like the summers, even though I'm not down South, NO VA is icky swampy and I'm never outside. I find that although even in SW PA it can get bad, it's not consistently as bad as NO VA.
3 I don't like the rat race, keeping up with the Jones'. Last time I came to SW PA I went days without seeing the latest model SUV or VW Jetta. People drive useful cars, not what looks newer than the neighbors'. In a way, the older, poorer areas are turning me on. The fact that I'm broke doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. lol
4 Closer to in-laws and husband's old friend (and MIL isn't getting any younger...)
5 if it pans out the money for the house here can pay off our debt and get a good house in SW PA!

But is it worth those changes for giving up the very diverse area and circle of friends I have here? Will I be able to find my tribe in the Pittsburgh area? Scary thoughts, aside from the jobsearch/school search/neighborhood search factor...

beemajabee,

Just wanted to say I can definitely empathathize with those feelings, of being torn over what to do (move back to Pittsburgh vs. making where you are "home").

It sounds like you have a lot of practical reasons for leaving the DC metro area. One thing that has helped me when thinking about moving is to try to tell myself perhaps there is not one "right" answer, and that time will tell. Do you have children? We have two kids, and believe me, they do not want to move. So I get stressed thinking of how a move would impact them. But then again, I'd rather move now (in the next couple of years at least) than wait until they're in high school, at which point they might never forgive us for separating them from their friends!

Anyway I guess ultimately...it is an individual/family decision. Everyone will have various opinions on what you should do. I know a lot of my family members and friends don't understand why I can't just be content given the lifestyle we have established here in Ohio. But it depends on your priorities and what you personally want in life. For me, living in an flat, characterless area that is a bunch of suburbs and strip malls, separated by neighborhoods of McMansions, will never be home, not to mention being closer to family in Pittsburgh will be a blessing. I am willing to downsize and make adjustments as needed, when we do move back to Pittsburgh.

Well hang in there and keep us posted! I'll do the same.

[guylocke]

I would include Pittsburgh in the same boat. A majority of people buy cars they can't afford.

Yeah, and people from DC pay luxury tax on their vehicles every year, OUCH!

[LivingSingle123]

Burghgirl...

I can relate to you wanting to move back to Pittsburgh.

I moved back to Pittsburgh from Harrisburg, Pa., about 4 years ago, and it's the happiest I've been in a long time. I love, love, love being around my family, and the people in this region are very down-to-earth and friendly.

One big problem: I've been unemployed in Pittsburgh for close to a year. Trying to find a job here is demoralizing. I'm prepared to move to the DC area to find work, but truthfully, I'd almost rather poke my eyes out with a stick than move there. I hated it the first time I lived there, in 1990, and it's only gotten more spread out and expensive since then.

[goodgirl49]

Are there any other possible places you can find work other than DC?

[LivingSingle123]

Originally Posted by goodgirl49

Are there any other possible places you can find work other than DC?

Interesting question.

Because one of my parents is fighting cancer, I’m trying to stay fairly close to Pittsburgh.

Further, I know that my job prospects are considerably better near larger cities.

So, within a 250-mile radius of Pittsburgh is most of the state of West Virginia; many cities in Eastern Ohio (Toledo, Cleveland, Youngstown); Buffalo, NY; several cities in western and central Pennsylvania (Erie, State College, Harrisburg); Baltimore, and the Washington D.C. metro.

Following is the July 2007 federal unemployment rates for some of the larger cities within this 250 mile radius. (These federal unemployment rates only includes people receiving unemployment compensation. People whose unemployment compensation ran out or who were ineligible for unemployment compensation aren’t included in these rates.)


Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA, 3.3%
Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, 4.5%
Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, 4.5%
Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, 4.8%
Erie, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, 4.8%
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area, 4.9%
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, 5.1%
Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, 5.2%
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, 6.3%
Mansfield, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, 6.6%
Toledo, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, 7.0%

In a nutshell, I think my best prospects are in the D.C. metro, unfortunately.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Love2Travel

In a nutshell, I think my best prospects are in the D.C. metro, unfortunately.

Don't base your entire decision on employment statistics. It all depends on your specialty.

[JoeP]

...and if you want to look at generlized topline data, at least look at growth, not unemployment.

DC has a lot to offer. I like the area a lot, but most people (including me) can't afford to live there. The cost of living thanks to home prices is crushing for most of the middle class.