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Pittsburgh has a decent airport (a pipsqueak compared to the Reagan/Dulles/BWI trifecta that the DMV enjoys, of course).
Our weather here is also fairly balanced. We receive about four months of Winter (snow, gray skies, wind). We receive about four months of Summer where you will need air conditioning. You will also experience brief but glorious Spring and Fall seasons of approximately two months each (early-April to early-June and mid-September to mid-November, respectively).
The cost-of-living here is very reasonable overall, except, of course, for the trendiest of neighborhoods. We make ~$65,000/year combined but live very comfortably here. Our 2-BR costs $397/month (mortgage, insurance, PMI, and taxes). Utilties are reasonable, albeit I find our water/sewer provider (PWSA) to be a bit exorbitant. Gasoline prices are well above the national average and are often not much cheaper than California, which makes owning a hybrid, electric, and/or a fuel-efficient car advantageous here. I see a ton of Teslas on the roads here now.
As far as our local economic recovery is concerned I am quite bullish. Despite the media focusing on the relatively few who are out of work the silent majority of us who are essential workers and who have not received any perks from our employers during the pandemic are burning out from overwork AND are loaded with cash that we have not been able to spend. Being unable to do much this past year means we have thousands of dollars we can't wait to pump into the local economy in the coming months once the pandemic ebbs. I know of many others who are in the same boat. We really, really, REALLY miss the ambiance of local restaurants---eating takeout in the car just isn't the same.
Downtown is getting a new Target, and a 24-story residential tower featuring 300 new apartments just blocks away was just announced. Governor Wolf's restrictions DID kill off some restaurants, but in many cases (not all just yet) new restaurateurs are lining up to fill their voids.
For the record I moved up here from the Washington Metropolitan Area in 2010, and I have been very happy here. I went from struggling to afford a 1-BR apartment in Fairfax County to lovingly renovating a 2-BR home on Pittsburgh's North Side (on a lower salary).
My fiance doesn't drive after he caused a tragic accident approximately 3.5 years ago in his native Missouri in which he killed several people when he pulled left in front of a car that also had its own left blinker on (but wasn't turning). He can take transit here very easily. He can walk to a grocery store. I can drive us quickly to most other needs. I wish our light rail ("the T") was more extensive than what it is, but I doubt Pittsburghers would support a self-imposed tax increase to expand the T. Maybe Secretary Buttigieg can toss some Federal dollars our way for a new rail line?
Neighborhoods? Member tyovan4 is a Libertarian also, if I remember correctly, so he may be able to help. If you want to avoid militantly liberal "crunchy" neighborhoods then you will want to avoid pretty much the entirety of the city limits in between the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. These neighborhoods are generally home to a mixture of academics; a large Black community; and a lot of very liberal white people.
Believe it or not conservatives DO exist in Pittsburgh. I work with a lot of them despite being a big flamingly liberal gay guy. My colleagues who are on the Trump 2024 train live in Brookline, Lincoln Place, Carrick, Overbrook, and Mt. Washington. Generally speaking the city's outermost southern and southeasternmost neighborhoods are also the most conservative. The North Side seems to lean liberal overall but isn't as militantly liberal as the East End---there were Trump signs in my neighborhood, and I have a neighbor who has a Confederate flag license plate. The South Side also leans liberal but doesn't seem overwhelmingly liberal.
If I had to recommend some city neighborhoods to you I would say Mt. Washington, Beechview, South Side Flats, Brighton Heights (albeit neighborhood Facebook groups do show there to be many militantly liberal types there akin to Regent Square), Observatory Hill, and Fineview. Troy Hill is also good. My own neighborhood of Marshall-Shadeland has bargain basement-priced housing but also has high crime.
Some suburbs to consider would be Etna, Bellevue, Avalon, Castle Shannon, and West View. I think Millvale is getting a lot of liberal spillover from the city's East End these days, as the East End is rapidly gentrifying out the punks and artists as the tech bros and yuppies move in. I see the same happening to Sharpsburg soon.
Thanks again to everyone for their responses. They've all been extremely helpful.
a different perspective here - pls. realize that even if you lived in areas mainly politically opposite you, does it make a difference? a lot of people here are chill. everyone in this country (and canada and the UK, maybe) is angry, but i believe that is more mental conditioning - "training", if you will, by constant media exposure of the angriest, arguably irrational people.
in other words, neighbors you like, dislike, never get to know are people whose habits and lifestyles will influence your relationship with them, and not who they voted for.
i get what you mean about DC - but consider the # of government jobs (sorry, its a sheltered, coddled existence compared to private industry where you are useful to the bottom line), and its predictable you get the toxic society there.
a friend who lived in harrisburg felt the same way about all his customers (auto repair) who were in very large part state employees who had an insane amount of entitlement - expecting their car to be done SOON, etc.
you will not likely find much of that in Pgh, but it depends if you broaden your horizons to meet people out of your comfort zone, age range, income level, etc. i honestly believe that. it may be true for other older cities w/ similar demographics.
some of here are DC/DMV refugees. as wonderful as northern VA is (arlington, alexandria city proper...), i hate it and will never live there again, even though i would consider DC itself - Palisades, upper NW, areas like that, not DuPont Circle (even though if you are young, its a fun area), Adams Morgan, et al.
a different perspective here - pls. realize that even if you lived in areas mainly politically opposite you, does it make a difference?
In a word? Yes. For a person that prizes being around an intellectually diverse group of people, living in a monoculture does indeed make a difference in terms of quality of life. When that monoculture becomes increasingly comfortable being openly hostile to someone thinking or expressing an idea they don't approve of, it gets even worse. I'm not looking for agreement; I'm looking for tolerance. You can hoist your freak flag as high as you want. Just don't demand I salute it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by szug-bot
in other words, neighbors you like, dislike, never get to know are people whose habits and lifestyles will influence your relationship with them, and not who they voted for.
In some cases, sure. In others, not so much. I have a friend in DC who wanted to call Child Protective Services on some tourists because one of their kids was wearing a MAGA hat. It sounds like a joke, but they were serious. This person is a professor at a major US university.
Quote:
Originally Posted by szug-bot
I get what you mean about DC - but consider the # of government jobs (sorry, its a sheltered, coddled existence compared to private industry where you are useful to the bottom line), and its predictable you get the toxic society there.
I agree with this, but we're gonna need to come up with a theory that can explain why much of LA, San Francisco and NYC suffer from a similar affliction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by szug-bot
hope if you settle here you enjoy this nice city!
Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to comment. I agree with much of what you wrote. A lot of my concern stems from living (and working) in a place where for the last 4 years (and accelerating greatly within the last 1) unquestioned adherence to dogma has been culturally elevated to the single most important thing a person can do. You either join the mob braying the approved opinion on the issue du jour or risk being labelled a heretic. My personality being what it is, the prospect of being labelled a heretic is a far too enticing thing to pass up. It comes at a cost, though.
My personal observations from my most recent visits to Pittsburgh suggest a city far more balanced and sane than DC, even if the scene in Regent Square gave me a bit of pause.
My personal observations from my most recent visits to Pittsburgh suggest a city far more balanced and sane than DC, even if the scene in Regent Square gave me a bit of pause.
Can you elaborate on what you experienced in Regent square exactly? political yard signs? Regent square is a pretty welcoming area in my opinion.
Can you elaborate on what you experienced in Regent square exactly? political yard signs? Regent square is a pretty welcoming area in my opinion.
Oh, I don't have any real experience to relay. It was pretty much just the sheer volume of like minded political signage. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but mixing the ubiquity of the signage (I'd guess around 60-70% of homes had some such posting in their yard) with the fact that all of the signs I saw expressed the same political opinion is always gonna raise my eyebrow. Add in quite a few "Hate has no home here" and "This house believes..." signs to a largely upper middle class neighborhood and my raised eyebrow will turn into a pretty severe eye roll toot sweet.
Basically, it reminded me of DC a little too much. Of course, I could be completely mistaken, but for what a home costs there, it's a chance we can't afford to take.
The signs are about half still up where I live. Trump pretending there were fake votes for Biden in Allegheny County has inspired much of the city to make it very obvious how strong the liberal sentiment is.
Oh, I don't have any real experience to relay. It was pretty much just the sheer volume of like minded political signage. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but mixing the ubiquity of the signage (I'd guess around 60-70% of homes had some such posting in their yard) with the fact that all of the signs I saw expressed the same political opinion is always gonna raise my eyebrow. Add in quite a few "Hate has no home here" and "This house believes..." signs to a largely upper middle class neighborhood and my raised eyebrow will turn into a pretty severe eye roll toot sweet.
Basically, it reminded me of DC a little too much. Of course, I could be completely mistaken, but for what a home costs there, it's a chance we can't afford to take.
well with that, I'm going to echo what SCR already said. Avoid the entire eastern portion of the city between the rivers. Most city neighborhoods are going to trend pretty left with only a few exceptions. I have a doubt its 60-70% though. I walk around regent square almost daily and I would take a wild guess that maybe 20% of homes might have a sign of some sorts. Ill actually take count tonight while out walking with the girlfriend.
I honestly can't think of a single neighborhood with similar feel to regent sq that would be close to 50-50 mix politically. Perhaps Beaver or sewickley, but those are far out from the city. Aspinwall perhaps, but again somewhat far out. Ben Avon sits pretty close to the city and has a somewhat similar feel, but no real business district of any sort.
Below will show you the votes per precinct in the entire county. I used this to avoid heavy conservative areas when looking outside of the City (I used to live in one where it was 80% and it was not pleasant experience during political times. Really bad when you see political figures hanging from trees. Yes, that’s the area I used to live in).
And on a side note, if you’re truly libertarian, then you will not like anywhere you live. But I will state Pittsburgh does have areas (even in the heavily blue areas) that are open to ideas and coherent discussion. On a side note, I never got the idea why people are so obsessive with flying flags and hanging signs in their yards and such. I never enjoyed it, I just go and do the activism that needs to be done.
Last edited by Higherho; 03-16-2021 at 03:01 PM..
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