What is pittsburgh? midwest or northeast or...Other??? (York, Washington: school, gated)

[aggie75]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

They (especially Buffalo) have a VERY midwestern feel to them...

(And I've spent a lot of time in both cities and in the midwest)

Even if they have a "feel" to them, it doesn't mean they are actually Midwestern. Buffalo is no more Midwestern than it is Canadian.

[GregHenry]

Originally Posted by deh74

allright well the title is pretty much self explanatory. what is pittsburgh? its at the cross road between the northeast and midwest, but i want to know which region is pittsburgh more culturally connected too. choose either region or other (but if you choose other please explain what other is and why you choose it).
personally i think its more eastern being more influenced by their politics and part of Pennsylvania as well as its narrow crooked streets hilly terrain and its amount of rowhouses. discuss.

Pittsburgh is not Northeast, and it's definitely not Midwest.

It's a former capital of Appalachia, but Appalachia's importance and identity is now down in Bristol, Johnson City, Knoxville, Asheville.

Pittsburgh is really just off on its own. You will see no Pittsburgh influences in other cities, and so many of the good things you get in other cities don't make it into Pittsburgh, and when they do, they don't feel as "right" or as "good" as they do elsewhere. Pittsburgh has its own feel, which really seems to rise and fall on whatever the Steelers are doing. I have never seen a town and a team so joined, and I've seen some bad displays of team loyalty.

Originally Posted by aggie75

Even if they have a "feel" to them, it doesn't mean they are actually Midwestern. Buffalo is no more Midwestern than it is Canadian.

I went to Buffalo recently, as I like to get out of Pittsburgh every chance I can, and it had a lot of Midwestern feel to it. I would much rather live in Buffalo than Pittsburgh, even with those (even higher than Pennsylvania) high gas prices.

Sadly, no White Castle in Buffalo.

[GregHenry]

Originally Posted by Drover

Quote:
Originally Posted by memberX
I don't know any midwestern cities with the steep, hilly terrain like Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati.

Cincinnati has some hills, sure, but the topography is nowhere near as bad as Pittsburgh. Cincy has enough flat land to allow the economy to grow, a vibrant Interstate system to be built and to permit commerce to thrive. Cincy has just enough hills to give some nice vistas, while not so many to choke off the town.

[chiatldal]

I remember in a thread a while back posters kept saying DFW and OKC felt a little Midwestern because of the plains. They kept giving the Midwest the plains culturally. Even though the southern plains are culturally southern. Dallas/OKC and Pittsburgh can't be both culturally Midwestern because culturally they are nothing a lot like.

I saying this because I want to open up what is culturally Midwestern?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by GregHenry

Cincinnati has some hills, sure, but the topography is nowhere near as bad as Pittsburgh. Cincy has enough flat land to allow the economy to grow, a vibrant Interstate system to be built and to permit commerce to thrive. Cincy has just enough hills to give some nice vistas, while not so many to choke off the town.

Uhm... OK.

[STLgasm]

I agree that Pittsburgh is kind of in its own region. It's relatively isolated, yet close to other big cities in both regions. I definitely think Pittsburgh is the gateway to the Northeast. Here are some Northeastern characteristics I notice in Pittsburgh-- walking seems to be a way of life more so than in many Midwestern cities. Neighborhood commercial districts in Pittsburgh feel more cohesive and vital compared to many other Midwestern cities. The stigma of "riding the bus" does not seem as apparent in Pittsburgh as it does in many Midwestern cities- it's clear that people of all races and economic groups ride the bus to get around, where as the bus in many Midwestern cities seems like a last resort, relegated for citizens who have no other means to get around. Also, it seems like Pittsburghers tend to make less eye contact on the street than you'd find in a typical Midwestern city.

That said, it's also clear that a lot of Midwestern and Northeastern cities do share a lot of common traits, at least relative to other regions of the country. The older cities of the Midwest grew up along with the big Northeastern cities- they attracted lots of immigrants and retain ethnic enclaves and historic, walkable built environments. The biggest cultural differences in these regions, I think, are between urban centers and the rural hinterlands.

[maxposure]

I chose "other", since being located in a time warp wasn't an option.

[CHIP72]

Pittsburgh is in northern Appalachia, and what I like to call the Northeast/Midwest transition zone. Places like Rochester, Buffalo, and Cleveland are also in that transition zone.

[GregHenry]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

Pittsburgh is in northern Appalachia, and what I like to call the Northeast/Midwest transition zone. Places like Rochester, Buffalo, and Cleveland are also in that transition zone.

I'll buy that. In Cleveland, recently, I heard someone ask another "are you ON this line or that one?"

In the Midwest, you are never, ever, ON a line. You're IN a line.

[Mutiny77]

Interior Appalachian Northeast