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Old 03-09-2014, 08:15 PM
 
912 posts, read 1,723,301 times
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I commuted from Boardman to Pittsburgh everyday for about 3 months last summer. It was an awful and expensive commute. I don't recommend it to anyone. Even if you lived in Cranberry, you'd still be putting 70+ miles on your car everyday and paying $5 in tolls, plus whatever in gas.

Have you considered moving to downtown Youngstown? There are a few renovated buildings with some great apartments. The revitalization on Federal Street is finally spreading to the rest of downtown, and every time I go back there's a new bar or restaurant opening. It's obviously never going to be as thriving as Pittsburgh, but I always love going Downtown when I'm home. One of my friends lives just outside of downtown and it's great to stay there and be within walking distance to the bars and museums. It might be a welcomed change from the bland boring suburbs like Boardman.
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Old 03-09-2014, 08:23 PM
 
Location: NW Penna.
1,758 posts, read 3,815,951 times
Reputation: 1880
Quote:
Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk View Post
You're probably right. It's just that this has turned out to be a very lonely place for me, I don't have much in common with the people I work with, and Youngstown has nothing for people to do unless it's related to kids. I just look at Pittsburgh and see a more active arts community than will ever be here.

You're right. There is nothing to do, especially in winter. Summers are a bit better, with more events going on and longer days and better traveling weather. I live in the Shenango Valley and have the same problem. When y-Town boomed, it was the cultural center for the area, so say my parents. There also were events at Packard Music Hall and Stambaugh Auditorium. My mother says that Y-Town was always a rough area, even back in the '50s and '60s, and they never went over there much except took a bus ot maybe it was train over their to shop once in a while.

I just consider the entire Shenango Valley, Mahoning Valley, and all of the surrounding counties just one big rural area relieved only by a few decent but boring suburbs and large patches of urban ghetto and decay. Any woman who doesn't do rural motherhood is SOL, because the men all run with the men, and the women here mostly do activities with their own children, or blood relatives. Very insular and provincial people, for certain.

You would not want to commute Pittsburgh to Y-Town every day. I drove from Sharon to down to Washington, PA and back, daily, every day for about a month Jan-Feb, when there was a lot of snow and ice all the time. They keep I-376 and the PA Turnpike very well cleared in winter, but it's still a flogging for both the vehicle and the driver to have to do it daily. There are always wrecks and traffic tie-ups at Cranberry and Pittsburgh. You almost have to offset your start and stop times for work so that you are avoiding the local rush hour on the Pittsburgh end. Otherwise, all it takes is one wreck to back up the traffic and add another 1/2 hour to hour to the commute time. WashPa is farther, but I used to have to get up at 4AM and be on the road by 5AM to ensure that I'd be on-site at 7-8AM. I was always exhausted when I got home around 6 PM. Had to be in bed by 9PM so I could get up and do it all again next day. Not fun. I ended up renting a room down there and only coming back on weekends.
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Old 03-09-2014, 08:45 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,540,264 times
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Unless you lived IN the city, I don't think you'd have that much to gain. Are you going to go out to city events on weeknights if you live up in Cranberry or other place similarly situated for better Youngstown commute? It is doubtful to me that you would do so that often. And for that matter, if you did live in the city, the commute back in the evening would kill most prospects of going out as well methinks.

There's a huge expense of time and cost in that commute. I think you might be better served by spending your weekends in Pittsburgh. Even if you got a room over Fri and Sat nights I wonder if that cost would be any more than all the gas and wear on your car. Plus probably more rent.

Only you can make that decision though. It's possible you would find benefits still to be worth it, or that you would be motivated to find a job in Pittsburgh. I think the commute itself might nix the idea of having much be fit but maybe you would still find the weekends to be worth it. But, from Youngstown you could conceivably find a job in the Pittsburgh area before moving, which might be something to think about.
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Old 03-09-2014, 09:30 PM
 
1,010 posts, read 1,388,584 times
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I didnt realize the people on here that commute from around here to youngstown. It seems we are connected. Imo both places have their positives and negatives. You live in a good area up there. Im not sure what you make, but i doubt you would be living in the same type of area for what you pay now. Not sure of your job prospects in pittsburgh, but one would think you can find something similar here. Until you get something here i would keep pittsburgh as a getaway. Believe me this place can get old and tiresome as well. IMO ohio is a better run state and that can impact things you take for granted( taxes, roads, alcohol sales, vehicle inspections) etc.

I dont think of youngstown as that bad. I hear they have downtown living and startup companies.
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Old 03-09-2014, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
7,541 posts, read 10,201,334 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk View Post
I actually live in Boardman, yes it's about an hour to Pittsburgh from here but there are a lot of arts and creative-type events on the weekdays so in an ideal universe I'd rather be closer to the social stuff more often.

Boardman is a historic town in its own rights, the home of the late mall guru Ed DeBartolo, its the home to the first strip mall built in America.
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Old 03-09-2014, 10:45 PM
 
6,596 posts, read 8,914,401 times
Reputation: 4673
I don't think it would be worth doing.

If you lived in/close to Pittsburgh then you'd be making a long drive *every day* for work, rather than just occasionally when you want to go to Pittsburgh for some event like you do now (or Cleveland or Columbus for that matter). Not to mention the cost of gas and tolls.

If you lived in an exurb like Cranberry or New Castle then you would still have a somewhat long commute, and also still be somewhat far from Pittsburgh for events. I just don't see the purpose in it unless you'd eventually switch to a job in the Pittsburgh area.
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Old 03-09-2014, 10:58 PM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 8,986,882 times
Reputation: 3668
I would personally live in downtown Youngstown, if I could afford to, or buy a historic home in one of the decent city neighborhoods. I hear the near North Side of Youngstown is improving, and has a lot of beautiful homes that can be bought for a song. A friend of mine lives in Crandall Park and that is a nice neighborhood. The nice areas of Pittsburgh city proper are expensive. If you were to live in one of our decayed or run down city neighborhoods or river towns, you might not see many advantages over the city of Youngstown, aside from the easy access to Pittsburgh events. The commute to Youngstown would probably take away from that.
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Old 03-10-2014, 05:09 AM
 
11,086 posts, read 8,498,033 times
Reputation: 6392
Does Zman live in Ohio?
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:47 AM
 
Location: O'Hara Twp.
4,359 posts, read 7,482,638 times
Reputation: 1611
I think the downtown Youngstown suggestion is a great idea. I would much rather have fewer arts things to do then be faced with a brutal commute every day.
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Old 03-10-2014, 09:58 AM
 
Location: Philly
10,220 posts, read 16,729,984 times
Reputation: 2971
is it possible to buy a pied a terre in Pittsburgh?
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