Can you tell me about Pittsburgh (Bellevue, Avalon: home, public school, place to live)

[The King of Um]

Originally Posted by CaptainPittsburgh

This is flat out wrong, sorry...a bit offensive, as well. You should be more mindful of the way you communicate your opinions.

I know a few people who bought homes in Upper Lawrenceville, one who bought in Brighton Heights, two who bought in Greenfield, another two who bought in West View, one who bought in Penn Hills and another two who bought in Troy Hill. Not a single one of these people paid $100,000 for their home, and all of these neighborhoods are perfectly fine.

You do not know what a ghetto is. You should stop using the term because the way you use it makes you sound like an affluent elitist who is very far removed from a "normal existence."

I can't comment on all of the neighborhoods you mentioned, but I've been to Upper Lawrenceville, Brighton Heights, as well as Troy Hill, and I have to say, all of those places have very dicey parts. Also, I've talked to several police officers about various city neighborhoods, and they all concur regarding most Northside neighborhoods, including East Deutschtown, Spring Hill, Spring Garden, Troy Hill, Marshall-Shadeland, Brighton Heights, and Observatory Hill: these places aren't what they used to be, they're not so great now, and they'll probably get worse before they get better.

And yes, I am using the word "ghetto" correctly. Have you seen these places? Of course not in their entirety, but certainly parts of these 'hoods are definitely ghetto in every sense of the word.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

And yes, I am using the word "ghetto" correctly. Have you seen these places? Of course not in their entirety, but certainly parts of these 'hoods are definitely ghetto in every sense of the word.

Back in 2002, I lived in Detroit. After a few weeks of abject terror (hey, I was only 23!) I got used to it and developed street smarts, and nothing bad at all happened to me. Ever since, I've never seen a single bad neighborhood.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

I guess it's all about perspective. I definitely would never call Upper Lawrenceville or Troy Hill "ghetto" in any sense of the word. Are many houses, roads, and sidewalks in awful shape? Sure, but that doesn't mean it's a "ghetto" whatsoever.

Wages are definitely very low, no doubt about that. The "cheap housing" thing is a gimmick because you have to spend tons of time and energy to fix a row home that was never meant stand the test of time. Neighborhoods that city-data folks cream over could easily be viewed as hell holes to other people. But saying they are "ghetto" isn't the truth at all.

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Yeah, Hip Priest, I've actually lived for more than a year in several of them, hahaha, and I own a home in one of your "ghetto" Northside neighborhoods now.

You have no clue what a ghetto is whatsoever, and the way you badmouth half of the city makes you sound like an extremely privileged person who has never experienced what normal middle class life is like, in my opinion.

Edit: For what it's worth, I'm posting in this thread because there is at least one person reading it who doesn't know about the city, and I don't want Hip Priest's absolutely nutty perspective to come off as an unchallenged, accurate description.

I've been around this city quite a bit, much more than Hip Priest. I know these neighborhoods.

[PittsburghLlama]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

I can't comment on all of the neighborhoods you mentioned, but I've been to Upper Lawrenceville, Brighton Heights, as well as Troy Hill, and I have to say, all of those places have very dicey parts. Also, I've talked to several police officers about various city neighborhoods, and they all concur regarding most Northside neighborhoods, including East Deutschtown, Spring Hill, Spring Garden, Troy Hill, Marshall-Shadeland, Brighton Heights, and Observatory Hill: these places aren't what they used to be, they're not so great now, and they'll probably get worse before they get better.

And yes, I am using the word "ghetto" correctly. Have you seen these places? Of course not in their entirety, but certainly parts of these 'hoods are definitely ghetto in every sense of the word.

A few years ago I made a move to Upper Lawrenceville from Avalon (a suburb just outside of Pittsburgh near Bellevue). I had a friend drive me home one day and on the way to my home on 53rd St we passed by some kids playing hopscotch and riding their bikes in the street. My friend's reaction to this display was "Wow, we really are in the ghetto."

Her reaction to seeing kids playing in an urban environment was so unreal and offensive (she lived in Polish Hill, so it was extra confusing), and I believe your reaction to these areas is similar to hers. It's an opinion based on ignorance and is honestly incredibly confusing. She heard that Upper L-ville was dangerous, so she decided that it was. Perpetuating these rumors does nothing to assist in the truth. Lawrenceville was dangerous years and years ago. Today, it is a great place to live.

I now live on the other side of the river in another area that you've labeled as ghetto, and as a resident of this area, you're just wrong. What you are saying is just not true and it's kind of infuriating to have someone blast an area with an opinion that is so far off from the truth. If you've ever lived in any of these places that you have deemed to be so unfit, you would not have these opinions. I know this because I have lived in these places. I've walked alone at night through these places. Even the gritty parts that I'm sure you've decided are the areas where all of the drug dens and gangs lie in hiding.

To the person who started this thread and wanted actual genuine information about Pittsburgh, please do not pay this man's opinions any mind. Pittsburgh is a city, so it is not devoid of crime. There is crime, of course, but what he's saying is outrageous and unbelievably hyperbolic. I'd recommend paying Pittsburgh a visit. If you need a guide, I'd be happy to grab a beer (or non-alcoholic beverage of your choosing) with you and show you around.

[creepsinc]

This is city-data, so basically "ghetto" means seeing above a certain personal (i'm sure it's different for all of yinz) quota of black people doing their thing and living their lives outside.

[PittsburghLlama]

Originally Posted by creepsinc

This is city-data, so basically "ghetto" means seeing above a certain personal (i'm sure it's different for all of yinz) quota of black people doing their thing and living their lives outside.

Yes, absolutely. I didn't include this initially, but that is obviously how my friend came to her conclusion. What made it extra offensive was that she made her statement to me, a black person, hahaha. We aren't as close as we used to be, she and I...

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by PittsburghLlama

Yes, absolutely. I didn't include this initially, but that is obviously how my friend came to her conclusion. What made it extra offensive was that she made her statement to me, a black person, hahaha. We aren't as close as we used to be, she and I.

Curious as to what sort of reaction you got from the locals when you lived in Lawrenceville. I've definitely had old timers here complain to me in code about the fears of "Section 8" (and they tend to assume any black neighbor, including the homeowners, are section 8). Some of them even warn me about "the blacks," although it's sometimes not meant in an offensive way (like one guy who told me "we've had some of the blacks moving in here, but only the good kind.")

In my experience, racist comments in Pittsburgh are much more common than growing up in New England, but racist actions are much less common. I've routinely heard white people say pretty horrible racist stuff, yet often these exact same people are dating black people.

[PittsburghLlama]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Curious as to what sort of reaction you got from the locals when you lived in Lawrenceville. I've definitely had old timers here complain to me in code about the fears of "Section 8" (and they tend to assume any black neighbor, including the homeowners, are section 8). Some of them even warn me about "the blacks," although it's sometimes not meant in an offensive way (like one guy who told me "we've had some of the blacks moving in here, but only the good kind.")

In my experience, racist comments in Pittsburgh are much more common than growing up in New England, but racist actions are much less common. I've routinely heard white people say pretty horrible racist stuff, yet often these exact same people are dating black people.

Wow, I've honestly not had much trouble. I'm in an interracial relationships, so maybe having my boyfriend around saves me the hassle, hahaha.

There were a lot of really friendly older people on my street in Lawrenceville. A few of them had lived there for longer than I was alive and would tell me about how much they loved living there throughout the years. At one point, my cat escaped. After posting signs, she was apprehended in my neighbor's closet after the neighbor had awoken to a few snuggle sessions with a cat who wasn't hers. Said neighbor was an elderly woman with 2 elderly dogs. I'm not sure how much of this is relevant, haha, but she was also very friendly and obviously just liked having someone (me) to talk to. My cat is very, very friendly, so she, like my boyfriend, might have swayed the lady to my side.

That said, I've lived all over the Pittsburgh area, including Leechburg and Portersville. Both of those areas made me feel much more of an interloper than Upper Lawrenceville ever did. So perhaps it's all relative. I really enjoy the environment of this city.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Releasing snuggle cats is a tried and true way to make friends with the neighbors.