what is good and bad about Pittsburgh (Erie, California: fit in, apartment)

[FromGA]

Please tell me what you consider is good and bad (top 5 or so) about the Pittsburgh metro. Also, are you a native or a transplant.

I am considering moving to Pittsburgh (family with young kids) from Georgia, trying to understand what to expect.

[Agbor]

The Good:
1. low crime(comparably to other cities)
2. lower cost of living..
3. close together city..not spread out like many southern cities,walkable
4. good transportation and universities.."green city"
5. friendly people

The Bad:
1. anemic job growth in general outside of healthcare and research
2. averse to change..ability to NOT think outside the box on issues(we have always
done things this way even if it doesn't work..)
3. fanatical on football.do they know anything else?
4. constant population loss..no massive immigration to replace it..
5. limited nightlife

[Agbor]

Oh, native here...

[leeving]

Well, winter sucks for one thing. You might be able to brave the cold, but you're gonna miss that Georgia sunshine.

Be more specific. Where exactly in Georgia do you live? If you live in the Atlanta metro area, I can sort of understand the allure of Pittsburgh. It's not nearly as crowded and big as Atlanta. Crime is also nothing here compared to Atlanta. But you'll pay a price.

Jobs are scarce here. That's something to consider when moving your children here. Most likely when they grow up and enter the work force, they're gonna need to leave this area if they want to make a good living.

[leeving]

Originally Posted by Agbor

The Good:
1. low crime(comparably to other cities)
2. lower cost of living..
3. close together city..not spread out like many southern cities,walkable
4. good transportation and universities.."green city"
5. friendly people

The Bad:
1. anemic job growth in general outside of healthcare and research
2. averse to change..ability to NOT think outside the box on issues(we have always
done things this way even if it doesn't work..)
3. fanatical on football.do they know anything else?
4. constant population loss..no massive immigration to replace it..
5. limited nightlife

I agree with everything you said, except number 4 on the good list. Pittsburgh is anything BUT green. Even though it "looks" a lot better than it did 30 years ago, it's still very polluted from all the old industry.

A little research can validate this. This is one of the worst places in the country to be if you plan on keeping your lungs in good shape.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Please tell me what you consider is good and bad (top 5 or so) about the Pittsburgh metro. Also, are you a native or a transplant.

I am considering moving to Pittsburgh (family with young kids) from Georgia, trying to understand what to expect.

Native, don't live there any more

Pro:

1. Beautiful topography with lots of trees

2. Climate conducive to growing most anything, little need to water

3. Fabulous falls

4. Low cost of housing

5. Lots of educational facilities

Con:

1. Poor job market

2. Poor job market

3. Old, deteriorating infrastructure

4. Sometimes hard for outsiders to "fit in" due to most people having lots of family in the area and not looking for any new friendships

5. Dreary, gray climate much of year

[kpoeppel]

I'm a western PA native. I live in Erie (2 hours north of Pittsburgh) now but I used to live in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Good:
1) hilly & wooded geography of the city and suburbs
2) metro area is relatively compact; short commutes
3) very nice summer and fall
4) very affordable housing
5) lots to do
6) good suburban schools (when the teachers aren't striking)

Bad:
1) very sluggish economy and slow job growth. Almost zero increase in private sector employment since 2000.
2) high taxes and a political establishment with a "tax and spend" mindset
3) public-sector unions dominate local and state politics, they largely get whatever they want, state taxes are used to "bail out" inefficient local public services.
4) many roads and highways are old, inadequate, outdated, and in need of repair
5) the city itself is bankrupt and under state oversight, yet refuses to cut spending
6) an organized-labor culture and entitlement mentality, which results in a poor business climate
7) PA has one of the highest corporate net income taxes in the nation, which limits job growth
8) PA has more teacher strikes than any other state
9) state and local governments bribe businesses (with our tax dollars) to keep them from moving out of state.
10) state and local governments bribe sports teams in the same manner
11) dreary, cold, cloudy winters

[subdivisions]

I am a transplant, moved here from Colorado four and a half years ago.

Good Things:

1. Gorgeous architecture, the city has character and soul, non-cookie-cutter houses
2. Incredibly green in the summer, beautiful fall, 4 seasons, plants grow here because it rains
3. The way the city is divided up into lots of different, unique neighborhoods
4. Very cheap cost-of-living (and we didn't have trouble finding jobs that actually paid more than in CO, where the median home costs 3X as much!)
5. Lots of cultural activities for the size of the city, overall level of education + universities, and progressive viewpoints

Bad Things:

1. Layout of city streets is CRAZY + there is horrible traffic, so driving is not fun. You will get very tired of being lost every time you want to go somewhere.
2. Bad attitude of locals about their city/resistance to changing for the better (just look at all the posts on this forum)
3. Cold, icy, gray winters
4. Inability of city government to manage Pittsburgh's money, despite a very high tax burden for city residents
5. Run-down infrastructure - if #4 were improved, that would probably also be a start to solving this problem too.

For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. I've been a Pittsburgh cheerleader since the very first day I moved here, despite getting lost with a giant moving truck in a very hilly neighborhood. I like the city well enough that I don't plan on leaving after I finish my education, and my husband (also a transplant from the Southwest) feels the same way. I know a number of other people who moved here from other places who have similar viewpoints. And I have come to realize over time that the negative Nellies about Pittsburgh are almost always bitter locals who haven't been anywhere else and don't have any basis for comparison.

[goodgirl49]

Subdivisions, you are lucky that you and your husband found jobs that were better paying than Colorado. I guess it depends on the type of work you are in. My son lived and worked there for 3 1/2 years, and one of his main complaints was the low salaries. Of course, he had more entry level type jobs. He has since moved back with us in Los Angeles recently and feels that he will be able to advance his career better here. He's in graphic design. I feel that he will have more opportunity out here because of the entertainment industry, but the cost of living will be a challenge.

I notice that there are quite a few postings about low salaries in Pittsburgh.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by goodgirl49

Subdivisions, you are lucky that you and your husband found jobs that were better paying than Colorado. I guess it depends on the type of work you are in. My son lived and worked there for 3 1/2 years, and one of his main complaints was the low salaries. Of course, he had more entry level type jobs. He has since moved back with us in Los Angeles recently and feels that he will be able to advance his career better here. He's in graphic design. I feel that he will have more opportunity out here because of the entertainment industry, but the cost of living will be a challenge.

I notice that there are quite a few postings about low salaries in Pittsburgh.

I have a friend who lives in L.A. with her husband. He is in IT (the same field as my husband) and she works in the music industry. While it is true that they make quite a bit more than we do, they are living in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment that they share with her sister, while my husband and I just bought our 1st home. It has 3 bedrooms, 4 garages, and a yard. Our mortgage payments are considerably less than her rent, and that includes property taxes.

The last time she spoke to me on the phone, she told me that she doesn't believe they will ever be able to buy a house. Of course, maybe that will change as housing prices collapse in California.

Given these two situations, I think I'll take our lower salaries in Pittsburgh. I wish your son the best of luck.