Pittsburgh vs. Columbus. OH (Easton, Beaver: credit, loans, relocate)

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by boylocke

I'm not sure, I am more familiar with Allegheny Technologies.

Cool. Thanks. Where is AT located?

[guylocke]

Cool. Thanks. Where is AT located?

They are headquartered in the PPG building. They have plants all over the country and also in China and Europe but mostly in Western PA. At the top of my head, I know they have large plants in Brackenridge, Leechburg, Vandergrift, and New Castle.

[Katiana]

Thanks. That's good to know. Nothing in good ole Beaver Falls any more.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by boylocke

Hm, US Air and Pittsburgh do not have a good relationship anymore. The fact that they removed their hub from here a decade or so ago still leaves a bitter taste in many local mouths and their sales here are way down as Pittsburghers tend to spurn them. They are continuously scaling back Pittsburgh operations and they were just in the news recently having less than 40% of the market share in Pittsburgh for the first time in history.

That being said, several other airlines are doing quite well now that US Air doesn't have a monopoly on our beautiful airport. Airports that are gaining the most momentum in Pittsburgh while US Air slips include Southwest, Northwest, AirTran, and JetBlue. Our prices have come way down, too, as more competition has been able to find footing. Before US Air left, our fares were extremely high compared to the national average because US Air had such a monopoly, now they are lower than the national average. Overall, despite the loss of about 10,000 jobs, once the dust all settles, I believe we will be better off for it.

I HATE flying.... I hate taking off, I hate landing, I hate turbulence, I hate waiting to take off, I hate the 45 minutes it takes people to get in their seats....(and I just saw this at the Chicago Midway airport in September -- an ATA airline took 40 minutes to preboard, and board and then last call SEVERAL times.... if I had been on that plane I would have gone over the edge!)

I ONLY fly Southwest. Puddle jumping suits me far better than a straight through flight

Their motto should be get in, sit down, shut up, let's go. I've had no surly employees on Southwest, no long waits on Southwest... and it seems that the people that fly on Southwest aren't much for drama. Everyone knows the system and deals with it.

That being said -- Southwest is supposedly a very good employer, and is one of the few airlines making money....

[guylocke]

Their motto should be get in, sit down, shut up, let's go. I've had no surly employees on Southwest, no long waits on Southwest... and it seems that the people that fly on Southwest aren't much for drama. Everyone knows the system and deals with it.

That being said -- Southwest is supposedly a very good employer, and is one of the few airlines making money....

Hah!! You're just like my mum, she hates all you do, too, but she only flies USAir. Go figure. I fly on whatever is cheap!! lol, but I have enjoyed Southwest. I liked Northwest a lot, too, I don't think they are affiliated, are they?

[PApisces]

Originally Posted by boylocke

Hah!! You're just like my mum, she hates all you do, too, but she only flies USAir. Go figure. I fly on whatever is cheap!! lol, but I have enjoyed Southwest. I liked Northwest a lot, too, I don't think they are affiliated, are they?

No They aren't. Incidentally, Southwest's headquarters are here in Dallas. They are definately one of the best airline's I have ever flown.

I also really enjoyed my two experiences with Frontier Airlines.

[Katiana]

I'm with you boylocke. I go with what's on sale, what's cheapest, what will get me where I need to go with the fewest changes, etc. I don't favor any one over another. My DD had an awful experience with Frontier, but then you hear of people who love them! The other DD had a bad experience with one of the biggies in Minneapolis, I don't remember which one now. It happens.

[gswpa]

After 15 years I moved back to the Pittsburgh area. I actually considered a move to Columbus. The job opportunities and economy are excellent in Columbus. I based my decision on my lifestyle. My husband and I love the outdoors and we were looking for a good place to raise kids. We have the best of both worlds. We are close enough to the city and still have a short drive to the lakes, rivers, and mountains. We also think the people are friendlier outside of Pittsburgh. We will never make as much money as we could in Columbus, but I will never regret the decision we made. (Especially when we are sitting in a boat on one of the various lakes.)

[John Sandrene]

I lived in Columbus for seven years and still travel to see my best friend who lives in Grove City. My wife graduated for OSU and St. Francis DeSales. My two children where born in Columbus. I taught at Centerburgh H.S. and Johnstown-Monroe H.S. I also attended OSU.

I currently lived in Baldwin off Route 51 in Southeastern Allegehny County. I have lived in the area for the past 11 years.

Negative:

My wife doesn't like the hills, the roads, especially Rt. 51 need repair and taxes are high in Allegheny County. In fact, the are the second highest property taxes in the nation for a county. Allegheny county has the largest senior citizen population.
Columbus is better to travel in town and around. The roads here are confusing.
My daughter worked at Ohio State for a year and lived in Grandview. She didn't like Columbus or Pittsburgh. My son and daughter view Pittsburgh as old and don't like the cold weather. My son prefers Pittsburgh over Columbus. He views Columbus as a farm town.


Positive:

Homes are affordable.
Good School Systems.
Not to far from the city. I view Pittsburgh as a big little town. The pirates are affordable to take your familty.
The people are friendly. However, families tend to stay close and to themselves. It is not as transient as Columbus.
Good universities to select from for an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
Good bus transportation and easy to get to the airport which offers affordable remote parking areas.
I think the city is more safe than Columbus. I have some of the stories of Samalis, Jamaicans over drugs.
Your a not very far from Columbus, Cleveland, Niagra Falls

My Opinion:

Ask yourself why do you want to move back to Pittsburgh?
You are only a 3-4 hour drive away for either city.
If it is not to your economic advantage and you like Columbus then stay there.
Once your children start school it will be more difficult to relocate.
However, the longer you stay in an area the more roots you start to establish and the harder it is to leave.
Also, Pittsburgh will not be the same way you left it. Like anywhere, things change.

[Katiana]

Also, Pittsburgh will not be the same way you left it. Like anywhere, things change.

The above is a very good point. Everyone will be 13 years older than when you left, 13 years farther into their own lives. You will have acclimated to Ohio more than you realize. My brother moved away for close to 30 yrs (some of that was in eastern PA, the majority in Fla). He used to complain bitterly about Fla governmnet. He came back and found that he actully liked the way Florida does some things. The same has happened to me. In my 20s, I lived a lot of different places. Some of them I hated. Whenever I left for someplace else, I found I missed something about the old place. I think Ohio's government is more open than PA's. See this post by South Range Family, who lives in Ohio:

One of the things that always bothered me about the Pa. school taxes, is that there is no chance to vote on an issue. Every year people watch the local paper to see if their school taxes were arbitrarily raised by the school board. It doesn't give them any reason to be fiscally responsible. I was comparing taxes to a guy at work last night.
He is paying $6600 a year for a 1400 sf split entry with no land, at the end of a runway near the Pittsburgh airport. I believe he said West Allegheny school district.

I'm paying $4005 for a new, 3100 sf 2 story on ten flat acres with a detached 4 car, 2 story garage, and a one acre pond.
If our school, township, police, fire department, or county wants to raise our taxes, they have to tell us why, how much, and for how long. If we approve it, the tax money can only be used for that reason. Nothing else. My school district recently paid off a loan. My taxes dropped by $500 this year.

My kids feel as do John's, about the "oldness" of the area. I was actually glad that we lived in a smaller state, populaton wise, when they were doing high school sports. There was more chance for the individual to excel. One DD was ranked 26th in the state in gymnastics. I doubt that would have happened in say, Pennsylvania.

Mind you, I'm not saying "don't try to go back". I'm just saying "you can't go home again". It will be different this time around.