Moved from Chicago to Pittsburgh (Philadelphia, Erie: houses, luxury, place to live)

[me79]

I moved from the Chicago suburbs to Pittsburgh six months ago. Here are my perceptions, with the hope that they will be useful to anyone else thinking of making the same transition or trying to choose between the 2 cities.

1. If you are in a technical field, you'll probably make more money in Pittsburgh than in Chicago. Many of the local companies are hiring now at above national average rates, whereas Chicago technical and engineering jobs seem to pay at or below the national average, with no adjustment for the high cost of housing there. Housing in Pittsburgh is affordable.

2. Downtown Pittsburgh has a character that is all its own. This is due in part to the hilly terrain, distinct architecture and numerous bridges. I have been to many large cities and find most of them have the same look and feel, but Pittsburgh is different in a good way. The city is especially beautiful at night due to the lighting that is used on buildings, bridges and hillsides.

3. Pittsburgh culture is different than that of Midwestern places like Chicago or Indianapolis, where people don't seem to have any pride about the cities. People here are very proud of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and 100% behind anything that is unique to this area. You'll find that Steelers fanaticism is a year round preoccupation. It can be annoying at times since it's so pervasive, but it is nice to see people continuously stand behind a symbol of their city rather than being fair-weather fans.

4. There is not a lot of what I would call diversity, i.e. a broad cross section of 1st generation immigrants from different countries. It is mainly white and black Americans, with most being 3rd or 4th + generation Americans. It seems to be the last frontier for Mexican immigrants. The few immigrants seem to come mainly from Europe, India, and Africa, but not Mexico as with the rest of the country.

5. There is a large middle class in Pittsburgh. It seemed that in Chicago, half lived in $600,000 houses and drove BMW's and the other half rode the bus and lived in slums. Pittsburgh is more equalized, the cars on the freeways are typically non-luxury, average cars like Accords, Explorers, etc. Housing is typically modest but nice, think of houses that would go for $300,000 in Chicago, but they sell for $200,000 here.

6. People associate more with the Eastern Seaboard states and speak of them more than they speak of the Midwest. Due to it being much closer to the Ohio cornfields than to Philadelphia/Baltimore/DC, I still consider Pittsburgh to be more Midwestern than Eastern. I've also noted that people here like to visit the Outer Banks in North Carolina rather than going to Florida, as is customary for many Midwestern vacationers.

7. The traffic is almost zero compared to any area in Chicagoland and the road infrastructure is very good. However, note that the airport is far outside the city and about 45 minutes from the eastern suburbs, so you might consider moving to the western side if you're a frequent flier.

8. Pittsburgh is Chicago's equal in most aspects, such as museum, plays, sports, etc.; however, if you need big dance clubs, Portillo's hot dogs, Giordano's pizza, or Lake Michigan, you'll find no real substitute here.

So far, I highly recommend Pittsburgh to anyone looking for an affordable place to live, with "real" people, and all the amenities of any other large American city..but with a character of its own. In a sea of cookie cutter McCities, Pittsburgh stands out. It's somewhat like Birmingham, England except smaller.

[guylocke]

What a lovely post. Very interesting. Thank you so much me79!!

6. People associate more with the Eastern Seaboard states and speak of them more than they speak of the Midwest. Due to it being much closer to the Ohio cornfields than to Philadelphia/Baltimore/DC, I still consider Pittsburgh to be more Midwestern than Eastern.

I've heard this before. I think Pittsburgh is very much a blend between an eastern and western city, since we are right on the border.

Geographically speaking, though, Pittsburgh is still considered a northeast city, as well as the state.

[Jay_F]

Very nice me79, and well said. Glad you are enjoying Pittsburgh.

I would like to comment about Pittsburgh's Midwest/NE identity. I am a Pittsburgh area native, currently live in the Midwest (IN), and have traveled extensively to NY/NJ/ Philadelphia area. I think "midwest" is a big swath, and my area of the Midwest feels very, VERY different than the "Midwest" I experienced in Chicago, and in no way do I consider Pittsburgh Midwest by locality or personality.

To me, southern IN/Indianapolis Midwest feels very backward, unrefined, incredibly bland, sprawl, too homogonous w/ no ethnic flair, and has a weird unfriendly vibe I can't exactly pinpoint... Pittsburgh seems the direct opposite of this to me, and just feels more rich, and very non-Midwest. Get on the other side of Harrisburg, and the state (PA) really seems to be different, and starts to be more northeast-esque. Get into Philadelphia, and the only commonality of it to Pittsburgh is they are in the same state.

I have traveled and lived all over the US, lived and extensively traveled over-seas, and for whatever reason Pittsburgh really is an enigma, a good enigma, and I hope to return someday soon!

[Katiana]

Midwest/Eastern debate goes on and on. From an outsider's perspective: My DH is from Omaha, Nebraska (another place with a split personality; is it the midwest or the Great Plains?). He felt eastern PA was WAY different from the western part of the state. I think he can relate better to Pgh than say, Harrisburg. I doubt this debate will ever be resolved. That's OK by me.

[*Danielle*]

Great info! Very helpful... Thanks!

[gameguy56]

In my opinion Pittsburgh has more of an 'Ohio River City' Identity than either Midwest or Northeast. In that case cities like Louisville, St. Louis, and Cincinnati are most like Pittsburgh.

[fleetiebelle]

I usually think of it more as a "eastern Great Lakes" or Northeastern identity. Like Cleveland, Buffalo, Erie, Akron, or Detroit. Northeastern Ohio isn't even very Midwestern. More industrial and manufacturing and shipping rather than agricultural, like Omaha or Indy. I grew up in Cincinnati, which is considered Midwestern, and it's definitely not the same vibe at all.

[guylocke]

I don't think the people of Cincinnati are anything like Pittsburghers AT ALL.

[Katiana]

This isn't the right thread for this discussion, BUT. . . it fits.

There are many faces to the midwest. There are the "rust belt" cities: Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee. There is the agricultural belt. There is the western midwest: Minnesota (Minneapolis), Iowa. Then there are those transition areas: the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska. In those areas there are microcultures and blends: Chicago-farm town, major city, manufacturing for example.

Back to Pittsburgh. I think Pittsburgh fits in with the rust belt cities. It also fits in to Pennsylvania, because, after all, it is IN Pennsylvania.

Note: I just asked DH if Nebraska is the midwest or the Great Plains, and he said "Mid-Plains", "Great-West". He always did think he was "Mr. Saturday Night"! LOL!

[Seaharbour]

thanks for the good accurate post...nice to hear positive things for a change!