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Old 11-09-2006, 03:41 AM
 
Location: Thornton, CO
8 posts, read 43,654 times
Reputation: 11

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My husband and I have been looking to get outta Colorado. We both believe it is waaaaay over-priced for the outdoors life here. We both began looking in GA, but finding that too many pockets are bad, and the newer stuff is almost as high priced as here! I have lived in both Verona and Wilmerding back in '99. I loved it there, but had a low paying job and a bad boyfriend which all equaled a quick exit. But I have always loved the city, it's awesome. I also like country livin', and it seemed to offer that also. But without the hassles.

Sooooo, my questions to y'all are;
1) How do some of the cities listed best to live here i.e., Bethel, Stair Claire, Mt Lebanon, Murrysville, etc. handle interracial couples? Any issues concerning race or lack of minorities?

2) Considering in Denver and surrounding areas, it takes about 250-300K to get a decent 3-4 bed/2-3 bath house, is the realistic to expect to find a family-friendly neighborhood with a nice house in the lower 100's (or below 150K)?

3) My husband and I are both police/fire dispatchers and have extensive experience. Anyone know about the job market there especially LE?

4) Do Pgh'ers carry tradional values? Family first, schools taken care of? Any specific relegious major demonination?

Thank you to any and all of you who answer!
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Old 11-09-2006, 12:12 PM
 
Location: Journey's End
10,203 posts, read 27,074,244 times
Reputation: 3946
As primarily a visitor to Pittsburgh, I can only share some observations:

- Pittsburgh appears to be among the most inter-racial of the towns in the area. My daughter lives in a very integrated neighbourhood and I haven't heard of many or much discention.

- I would say that folks regularly go to church, and that perhaps it is predominantly Catholic, or at least in many of the areas of the city I've visited. It also has a reasonably sized Jewish population, many of whom appear to belong to the conservative temple.

- It seems as if jobs are not plentiful, but with your background and your husbands, it might be easier. Can't think of a town that doesn't need a good police force or a firefighter unit.

- Many long-timers have told me that Pittsburgh is very family-minded but I don't know if that translates into having traditional values. What does that expression mean to you?

Hope this helps some.
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Old 11-09-2006, 05:44 PM
 
Location: Thornton, CO
8 posts, read 43,654 times
Reputation: 11
Ontheroad,

Thank you so much for your reply, it was very informative. I wondered about the term traditional values , becuase it can negate negative things against gays/lesbians, non-traditional families and such. That is not us. We accept everyone for people and expect the same back. But I don't necessarily want a town with lots of riff-raff and such, but people who care about educating their kids, and pride in their homes and neighborhoods.

We want to be in a place where we can start a family, and all of us can be as comfortable there as here but without paying an arm and leg. :-)

Thanks again for your help with this.
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Old 11-10-2006, 10:51 AM
 
Location: Journey's End
10,203 posts, read 27,074,244 times
Reputation: 3946
MrsNova, glad to be of a little help.

I think that folks, nation-wide, have lots of good, and only some less than good citizens. Unfortunately, we focus on the negative in the media and often among ourselves.

I just read a very interesting piece in a tiny Vermont newspaper and it so pointed out how "one bad seed" can contaminate the entire field.

Overall, it appears to me that Pittsburgh, a city of approximately 300,000, with a very aged population (>55 years old) works at being family conscious, and hold to values that enhance their life-style.

I've been reading their newspaper online for several weeks to see how they report national and international news to see how they might "mirror" my values and certainly how Pennsylvanians voted in this mid-term election. I am on the fence

Good luck with any decision you take about a move to Pittsburgh or elsewhere.
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Old 11-10-2006, 11:16 AM
 
333 posts, read 1,988,820 times
Reputation: 136
Hi, I used to live over in Pittsburgh..Well Cranberry township for about three years and then got transferred out to Md.

I didn't live in the city...but from what I saw...Pittsburgh is not all that diverse..at least as compared to other places. Places like South Jersey where I lived...was MUCH more diverse ethnically. I remember when I moved there ..my neighbor was telling me she found out someone on tv was gay..and she whispered "gay"..which kinda threw me..So an interacial couple might give them something to talk about...but from what I have seen ...Pittsburghers are fairly nice about "outsiders" coming in. They are fairly accepting..you get your idiots...but what town doesn't have those? When you make a friend in Da Burgh..it tends to be for life.

From what I gathered..Pittsburgh has a mid west kind of attitude. They are certainly friendly...they aren't in a hurry like the east coast..They seem to be kind of laid back. The people I knew, were very much about their families. A lot of those people still had their parents living near them. Alot of Pittsburghers are born and raised there...and stay there. So they have a whole lot of ties to the area...and family tends to be all around them . I think the major religion in Pitt is Catholic...there seem to be a whole lot of Catholics..and the majority of the people I knew went to Church.

We weren't catholics and didn't go to church...it was fine..never had any problems from people..though they did ask what religion we were.

The housing market is wonderful..you will not be in sticker shock coming from Colorado.. I think we spent about 225,000 for a 4 bedroom, 2car garage with finished basement. We had a huge backyard and a hot tub that was with the house. The room sizes were unbelieveable.. I don't know what it is there now..but when we moved out of Pitt, our house didn't appreciate all that much. It was funny, we lived in South Jersey and went to Pitt. I felt like jumping up and down because of the size house I was going to have. My sj house was a one car small house. Then we moved to MD and I felt like crying..I think we had to spend around 400,000 and my house is smaller than the one in Pitt!

Now the job market..that is a different story..although you may have no problems with the field you are in. We had to move because pittsburgh was just chasing businesses out.

I loved Pitt though. I really did. I still talk to all my friends I made there. Infact, the one i became best friends with is coming the weekend after thanksgiving and we ended up vacationing with them over the summer! I don't have friends like that from any other state I lived.

Forewarned...they are definitely steeler crazy!!! Actually during a steeler game is the best time to go shopping...no one is there..they are all watching the STillers on tv...though I have to admit..I am a fan now myself!
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Old 11-13-2006, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Journey's End
10,203 posts, read 27,074,244 times
Reputation: 3946
For what it is worth, I talked to my daughter yesterday, and although she lives in a very integrated neighbourhood she said she hadn't seen many inter-racial families.

As she was raised primarily in NYC, where inter-racial families are common, this was something she particularly noticed and noted.

The city, itself, is about 30% African-American, but she feels that the races do not mingle they way they do in the Northeast.

Sorry to report this! And of course, this is one person's observation and thoughts and not necessarily fact!
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Old 11-13-2006, 09:42 PM
 
Location: Dreaming of Ohio
148 posts, read 519,687 times
Reputation: 28
Also Pittsburgh has their own language. What people say is learn to speak like a Pittsburgher.

Check this site out. It is very interesting. Many of us don't realize that we are saying that until someone points it out or read this book.

http://www.pittsburghese.com/
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Old 11-17-2006, 04:12 AM
 
Location: Thornton, CO
8 posts, read 43,654 times
Reputation: 11
WOW!! That was a lot of info and exactly what I needed to know. I thank you all for posting, jenne you post was especially helpful. It gave us lots to think about.

So far as IR couples, it's just becoming more noticable here in Colorado, but there is still hassles with that kind of stuff no matter where you go.. I did check online and Allegheny county is always hiring for dispatchers, so that a great thing. Any idea if north, south, east or west is good to live in there?

Thanks again to all that responded.
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Old 11-17-2006, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Dreaming of Ohio
148 posts, read 519,687 times
Reputation: 28
West Allegheny is a nice area, it would be Crafton, Robinson, Crafton Hights is pgh,

North is also a good side too. Try this town. Liconln Place, if you are looking for something that is not in the city but is part of the city, great town, alot of police and dispatchers live there. My father is a retired city cop, my mom and dad both live there.
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Old 11-19-2006, 02:43 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,889,713 times
Reputation: 29976
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrsNova View Post
My husband and I have been looking to get outta Colorado. We both believe it is waaaaay over-priced for the outdoors life here. We both began looking in GA, but finding that too many pockets are bad, and the newer stuff is almost as high priced as here! I have lived in both Verona and Wilmerding back in '99. I loved it there, but had a low paying job and a bad boyfriend which all equaled a quick exit. But I have always loved the city, it's awesome. I also like country livin', and it seemed to offer that also. But without the hassles.

Sooooo, my questions to y'all are;
1) How do some of the cities listed best to live here i.e., Bethel, Stair Claire, Mt Lebanon, Murrysville, etc. handle interracial couples? Any issues concerning race or lack of minorities?

2) Considering in Denver and surrounding areas, it takes about 250-300K to get a decent 3-4 bed/2-3 bath house, is the realistic to expect to find a family-friendly neighborhood with a nice house in the lower 100's (or below 150K)?

3) My husband and I are both police/fire dispatchers and have extensive experience. Anyone know about the job market there especially LE?

4) Do Pgh'ers carry tradional values? Family first, schools taken care of? Any specific relegious major demonination?

Thank you to any and all of you who answer!
I was a two-year Pittsburgh resident in the late 90s. The observations I gathered during that time as pertains to your questions are as follows:

1) When I lived there I lived in the city proper so my observations of the suburbs were based on time spent there briefly or from other residents there. I found that even though racial tensions in the city are not the best, there is peaceful coexistence between black and white. (Asians and Hispanics are pretty much non-existent compared to other mid-Atlantic cities). It's an uneasy coexistence but a coexistence nonetheless. I detected a much more tribal attitude in the suburbs: blacks are generally not made to feel welcome in the white suburbs, and whites get their share of glares when passing through the black suburbs. Generally, the best bet for an interracial couple would be the city itself.

2) Housing is dirt-cheap in Pittsburgh. If you look hard enough, $150K can buy you a 4 to 5 bedroom house in a safe, quiet neighborhood. If you don't need that much space, $100K can get you 2 to 3 bedrooms in a safe, quiet neighborhood. Word of warning, though: a lot of Pittsburgh's housing stock has not had interior updates in decades. That said, you can still find a good, decently decorated 3-bedroom house in the $125K-150K range if you look patiently. Finally: some neighborhoods look rougher than they really are. This is particularly true in the South Side Slopes area. Don't judge a book by its cover; some neighborhoods that look undesireable at first glance are actually gems once you take a closer look at them. For this reason I'd say rent before you buy so you have a chance to get a true feel for each part of the city before deciding where to settle.

3) I don't know about L/E specifically, but unless you're in the health care or academic fields, the job market in Pittsburgh -- the whole region for that matter -- is tough. (That's the reason and the tradeoff for the cheap housing stock.) I would suggest finding a job and THEN moving, in that order.

4) I'm not sure what your idea of "traditional" values is. I was in my mid-20s and did not have kids when I lived in Pittsburgh, but it struck me as being very much a family-centered city. Neighborhoods are tight-knit, there are lots of parks, kids play together on the block, parents look out for each other's kids, etc. Schools are best evaluated on a case-by-case basis but the schools aren't 100% awful like they are in many major cities. Where I live now (Chicago), people will do anything to get their kids the hell out of the public schools and into private/parochial schools. In Pittsburgh, or at least the neighborhood I lived in, people were content to send their kids to the public schools. Also, while a most of the steel mills and heavy industry are gone, the traditional blue-collar work ethic remains. This is a place where people take pride in their work and make it part of their identity. Finally, as for denominations, not surprisingly there is a pretty strong Catholic bent but as far as I could tell all the major denominations were represented. There is also a sizeable Jewish population on the East side.

Good luck!

Last edited by Drover; 11-19-2006 at 02:53 AM..
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