Amazon is looking for a second HQ. Why not, Pittsburgh? (Philadelphia: earthquake, bills)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Probably safe to assume that is a typo...high 5 figures, low 6 figures.

Maybe.

[jea6321]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Maybe.

obviously a typo. come on.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Seriously? High 4 to low 5 figures is about $10K/year. That is roughly $5/hr, lower than minimum wage.

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Probably safe to assume that is a typo...high 5 figures, low 6 figures.

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Maybe.

Originally Posted by jea6321

obviously a typo. come on.

Group hug time yet? If and when I visit Boulder, which I've wanted to do for ages, I owe Katarina Witt lunch!

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by djfiler

Having earned a masters from the school of computer science at CMU, I feel comfortable in disputing this. A large percentage of my fellow graduates would have stayed in Pittsburgh if jobs were available.

For undergrads, high 5-figure salaries are enough for them to buy a home here immediately upon starting their career. In many other tech cities, people earning 2 to 3 times as much still can't afford homes near the CBD. Tech workers in other cities are forced to cohabitate or endure long commutes. That's a very real phenomenon outside of Pittsburgh. In some metro areas, graduates can't afford to rent by themselves unless they're willing to drive 2 or 3 hours a day.

but don't the highest performers get jobs that outweigh the COL in those areas? Even if it negates the high salary and pittsburgh would be comparable, you are still in the bay area and can accumulate money and move somewhere else later on. i hear you though for someone looking to buy a house. it is more a lifestyle thing then.

[djfiler]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

but don't the highest performers get jobs that outweigh the COL in those areas? Even if it negates the high salary and pittsburgh would be comparable, you are still in the bay area and can accumulate money and move somewhere else later on. i hear you though for someone looking to buy a house. it is more a lifestyle thing then.

Certainly to a degree, no disputing that successful CMU grads can make a go of it in the bay area. Many won't be buying a house as soon though. Median home price in the bay area is nearly $800,000 as compared to $130,000 in Pittsburgh.

Either way, the top CMU people can have their pick. But that's not everyone Amazon is looking to employee. Grunts of the software trade don't make nearly as much. A lot of CS grads spend their early years writing documentation, conducting studies, performing validation or doing repetitive data crunching. That pays a lot less than creative, development or research positions.

Edit: A couple links on tech employees affording housing...

LA Times
Buying a Bay Area home is now a stretch even for Apple and Google engineers

Business Insider
How much Apple, Facebook employees have to pay to live near work - Business Insider

Mercury News
Buying a Bay Area home now a struggle even for Apple, Google engineers

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Group hug time yet? If and when I visit Boulder, which I've wanted to do for ages, I owe Katarina Witt lunch!

Yeah, I could use a group hug, considering the reception I usually get on this board. Thanks, SCR, and when you get out here, we'll go someplace nice! Just let me know what kind of food you like.

As far as the typo issue, I take what people post at face value. There are people out there, jea, who still think $10K is a living wage.

[Goinback2011]

Imagining that Pittsburgh has more weather and geologic risks than anywhere else in the country is ridiculous. Pittsburgh, in fact, has less of this than a lot of the rest of the country. Having lived in a hurricane prone area, where you had to watch the development of every tropical storm to assess your risk, Pittsburgh is a piece of cake. This is reflected in our homeowners insurance rates. Do you buy tropical storm insurance? No. Do you buy earthquake insurance? No. A lot of tornadoes? No.

We've had twice as much precipitation as usual since January. A record amount in fact. Never seen in the records dating back to 1870. It probably won't be seen again for at least another 150 years.

The biggest hazard I've observed is the astonishing number of house fires in the area. Old homes, not enough maintenance. There's your risk.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by tyovan4

Look at the infrastructure here and tell me it's not fraying. Look at PWSA. It was on the bring of complete systematic failure. Look at our roads. Look at the Amtrak schedule, it's minimal. Look at the airport - with a closed off terminal. Yes, some cool international destinations have been added. But look at domestic availability.

There is no terminal closed off at the airport; the former commuter terminal had been demolished years ago I believe. If you have a problem with the infrastructure or the Amtrak schedule that is largely the responsibility of the state (PENNDOT) not the city of Pittsburgh itself in most cases. If you think it's any better in Philadelphia you're kidding yourself. PENNDOT subsidizes the Pennsylvanian and Keystone trains, so perhaps our lawmakers need to make equitable funding for both the eastern and western sides of the state more of a priority.

Curious as to which domestic destinations are lacking from PIT as well?

[PghYinzer]

I feel like this may be a good time to remind everyone that punctuation is our friend. That and being able to read thru a typo to understand what someone was saying.

[Goinback2011]

Subways swamped as heavy rains drench NYC.

But there are no weather hazards anywhere else but Pittsburgh.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost....rench-nyc/amp/