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to answer some of the questions u asked me, i currently live in chicago (suburbs). my grandma lives in penn hills so we visit a lot. ive driven in pittsburgh so thats not a problem. i like cloudy weather. i dont mind is pittsburgh is as big as nyc. i am planning on living right in downtown. i know a lot about pittsburgh but i dont know what its like to live there so thats why i asked.
personally, i enjoy it. i think i may have found an apt. closer to town(swissvale) last night....finally lol--Pittsburgh in my opinion is a great place to live as a young person. theres lots to do and lots to explore. you've got everything that the larger cities do (3 sports stadiums and teams to fill them), museums, art,nightlife,cultural things, etc. but you don't have quite the amount of hurriedness that larger cities do. i just accepted a position in shadyside so I'm uprooting myself from my job in the burbs and my life in the burbs (Moon Township) and heading closer to town. found a place last night thats about 4 miles from the new job and a friend lives in the building so i cant complain if i decide to take it. I'm always interested in meeting new people and stuff so hit me up if you want when you come to town or get my AIM info off my profile if you want to ask some more specific questions, but i would definitely recommend the burgh as a good place to live (been here for 3 years now)
You cant beat Pittsburgh. I was born and raised here but i have traveled all over the country, and lived one other place. I like four seasons, and the weather here but not everyone does. As for the city...i think all the awards Pittsburghs won says enough... safest big city, and on the list of most liveable citys every year. The cost of living is pretty low, and the wages are higher than a lot of other citys. There is always something to do here. There is a lot of history, and a strong sense of community. We have the best food in the world. Its a sports town and i love it. We have the best fans in the world, and a great football team. We have a great hockey team also. Baseball ugh well we have a gorgeous ballpark that i love going to just to have a good time, and eat. I can honestly say there is nowere else in the world that i would rather live.
OK, now remember the OP asked for cons. It is silly to think that there are absolutely no cons to living in Pittsburgh or anywhere else. I found the post below on the Pennsylvania forum, just a click away. I especially agree with the stuff about 'everyone' having extensive family here. I have read it on this board, and heard it from many other people, including a niece and nephew of mine who moved out there for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by highway29south
1.) Where do you currently live in PA or where did you formerly live in PA? Pittsburgh
2.) Where do you live now after leaving PA or where do you plan to move once you do leave PA? Back to Virginia
3.) What are your "back-up" choices for relocation destinations? We have considered North Carolina, and also applied for jobs in South Carolina
4.) Why do you wish to leave PA or why did you leave PA? I am not a native of Pittsburgh. Having no background here makes it hard to relate to everyone else who lives here, all of whom are native and have extensive family in the area. Very few outsiders move here. Also, the taxes are horrendous. The "I'm related to him so he gets the job" type of attitude is very prevalent . The town very closed off and not open to change. The pollution is very high here as well. I have small children so that worries me a lot. Pittsburgh is also located quite far from beaches, major amusement parks, etc. Forget going anywhere without adding at least 6 hours or more to your drive. There is very little history here that isn't related to a rich person like Heinz or Carnegie.
5.) What's currently holding you back from moving out if you haven't already left? Can't find a job
6.) What would it take to entice you to move back to PA if you have already left or to stay if you haven't yet left? Nothing
7.) Anything else you'd like to add? I don't want to leave the impression I hate Pittsburgh. It's a great place if you can look past the bad points and especially if you are native here. I can see why the natives don't want to leave. But having grown up somewhere else, I know what is out there and I miss it very much.
Katiana- I'm a newbie here so I feel quite honored by your quote of my post ! Unfortunately, those are some of the cons of living in Pittsburgh. All towns have a list, no doubt. Weighing whether or not you can live with these kinds of issues is important. The only thing I would add about Pittsburgh is to be aware of the political environment here. If you are a democrat, you will love it!!
Its all pros for me. I honestly cant think of any cons...people complain about the roads, and the winters, and all that but most of the people who complain about that stuff havent lived anywere else...because let me tell you our roads arent any worse than most other places. I like 4 seasons, and think its better than places that are just plain hott most of the year. But anyways heres my pros about living here....nicest people in america and i have been all over, strong sense of community, a lot of heritage, hard working people, tons of things to do, lots of nice safe areas, good place to grow up and its a good place to have a family, good schools, good hospitals, good food, and we have the steelers. Also Pittsburgh is a very nice city, and PA is a gorgeous state...you have it all here mountains, forest, tons of farmland...its just one of the nicest states to see. I love all the sceanery here, and theres just so many different things to see. 4 seasons are nice, i love fall in Pennsylvania, and we dont get as much snow as some other places. Those are just things off the top of my head i could go on all day. I moved away for a year and i was counting down the days untill i came home...i couldnt wait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by highway29south
The only thing I would add about Pittsburgh is to be aware of the political environment here. If you are a democrat, you will love it!!
Not to get into politics but...
Its a great thing that this area is democrat and i will go further and say people from here who are republican forget were they come from...take a trip back to Regan busting the unions, and the colapse of the steel industry. This city was built on unions, and working rights. I had the misfortune of living somewere that was ALL republican for the past year...let me tell you in my kinda work there was nothing...the few factorys down there paid nothing, the construction was all done by illegals, it was a very poor state...one of the highest poverty ratings in america, it was a right to work state...pretty much means modern day slavery, job market was a million times worse than it is here, no job down there paid nearly as well as it does here, no one had benefits unless you paid big money for them, cost of living was higher, tax on everything including food and cloths, worst education and schools in america...so i would say we are pretty lucky to live in a strong democratic area.
Just read the rest of your post....i will give you my advice from someone who lived in SC for a year i wouldnt want my worst enemy to have to live down there. Its a nice place to visit Myrtle beach, and Hilton head...but the rest of the state is not like those two places. Living down there...job markets pathetic, education is sad...52 percent highschool dropout rating, and it shows, very very very slooooow moving, youll wait 20 minutes in a drive thru when your the only car there, high crime everywere (ranked one of the most dangerous states, and i have family who are police there, also i lived in a so called "nice suburb" and still heard gunshots all the time, people getting arested on my street, drug dealers lived next to me, crackhouse in my neighborhood, prostitutes in my neighborhood...and i paid 1200 dollars a month to live there), very very poor, driving is a nightmare, its dirty, right to work state (slave state)..but i think the other places you said like NC are the same with that but i think the further south you go the worse it gets, ignorant people who are still upset about losing a war 150 years ago, and i would take a wild guess and say that most of the people on the Jerry Springer show come from there, doing business there is honestly like having a bunch of 3rd graders run the world...thats the education, and if you have kids...please do not send them to SC public schools they rank 49th out of 50...and it shows.
Did you not go to Kennywood? lol I have to say that is still my fav. amusement park, and ive been to a lot of places...nothing compares to Kennywood imo. And we dont have beaches...but we have a lot of mountains nearby, and nice lakes for fishing. Oh if you miss the beach that much....you can drive 2 hours and go to the tropical white sand beaches of Erie...(sarcastic) lol
Last edited by Steelers115; 09-20-2008 at 03:51 PM..
Katiana- I'm a newbie here so I feel quite honored by your quote of my post ! Unfortunately, those are some of the cons of living in Pittsburgh. All towns have a list, no doubt. Weighing whether or not you can live with these kinds of issues is important. The only thing I would add about Pittsburgh is to be aware of the political environment here. If you are a democrat, you will love it!!
It was a good post. My bro told me there has not been a Republican councilperson in Pittsburgh since the 1930s. Unfortunately, I can't corroborate that.
Republicans, who haven't held seats on council since the 1930s, want to whack offices they can't win, said Mr. Ravenstahl. Drive to shrink city council gains steam
Pros:
Living downtown has its advantages. Even if you work in the suburb, you'd travel against the rush hour traffic, so driving is a breeze. I used to live in South Side and work in Cranberry. Being a single young professional, it's very convenient. Any restaurant/bar becomes your kitchen table. And there is a lot to choose from. You get to meet your neighbors and the locals with same interests at the watering holes.
Cons:
Parking could be nightmarish unless you have an assigned parking spot. Snow plowing is nearly non-existent if you live in the alley way. Local earned income tax is 3% if you live within Pittsburgh city limit, as supposed to 1% in the suburbs.
Its all pros for me. I honestly cant think of any cons...people complain about the roads, and the winters, and all that but most of the people who complain about that stuff havent lived anywere else...because let me tell you our roads arent any worse than most other places. I like 4 seasons, and think its better than places that are just plain hott most of the year. But anyways heres my pros about living here....nicest people in america and i have been all over, strong sense of community, a lot of heritage, hard working people, tons of things to do, lots of nice safe areas, good place to grow up and its a good place to have a family, good schools, good hospitals, good food, and we have the steelers. Also Pittsburgh is a very nice city, and PA is a gorgeous state...you have it all here mountains, forest, tons of farmland...its just one of the nicest states to see. I love all the sceanery here, and theres just so many different things to see. 4 seasons are nice, i love fall in Pennsylvania, and we dont get as much snow as some other places. Those are just things off the top of my head i could go on all day. I moved away for a year and i was counting down the days untill i came home...i couldnt wait.
Not to get into politics but...
Its a great thing that this area is democrat and i will go further and say people from here who are republican forget were they come from...take a trip back to Regan busting the unions, and the colapse of the steel industry. This city was built on unions, and working rights. I had the misfortune of living somewere that was ALL republican for the past year...let me tell you in my kinda work there was nothing...the few factorys down there paid nothing, the construction was all done by illegals, it was a very poor state...one of the highest poverty ratings in america, it was a right to work state...pretty much means modern day slavery, job market was a million times worse than it is here, no job down there paid nearly as well as it does here, no one had benefits unless you paid big money for them, cost of living was higher, tax on everything including food and cloths, worst education and schools in america...so i would say we are pretty lucky to live in a strong democratic area.
Just read the rest of your post....i will give you my advice from someone who lived in SC for a year i wouldnt want my worst enemy to have to live down there. Its a nice place to visit Myrtle beach, and Hilton head...but the rest of the state is not like those two places. Living down there...job markets pathetic, education is sad...52 percent highschool dropout rating, and it shows, very very very slooooow moving, youll wait 20 minutes in a drive thru when your the only car there, high crime everywere (ranked one of the most dangerous states, and i have family who are police there, also i lived in a so called "nice suburb" and still heard gunshots all the time, people getting arested on my street, drug dealers lived next to me, crackhouse in my neighborhood, prostitutes in my neighborhood...and i paid 1200 dollars a month to live there), very very poor, driving is a nightmare, its dirty, right to work state (slave state)..but i think the other places you said like NC are the same with that but i think the further south you go the worse it gets, ignorant people who are still upset about losing a war 150 years ago, and i would take a wild guess and say that most of the people on the Jerry Springer show come from there, doing business there is honestly like having a bunch of 3rd graders run the world...thats the education, and if you have kids...please do not send them to SC public schools they rank 49th out of 50...and it shows.
Did you not go to Kennywood? lol I have to say that is still my fav. amusement park, and ive been to a lot of places...nothing compares to Kennywood imo. And we dont have beaches...but we have a lot of mountains nearby, and nice lakes for fishing. Oh if you miss the beach that much....you can drive 2 hours and go to the tropical white sand beaches of Erie...(sarcastic) lol
I was going to reply, but you did it for me.
Just finished reading a good book called "What's the Matter With Kansas?".
It's basically about how working-class people vote against their interests, ie. vote Republican. I'm no Democrat, but it's the better of the two major parties to be sure. The reason businesses flock to the more conservative parts of the country are the lax regulations which screw everybody below middle management. Then, for some reason, the Republicans are able to reel them in with "values" issues that they never really do anything about once elected. These days, it's railing against the "elites", who ironically are the ones running the business. So, to recap, the end results are that the "elites" get "punished" with lower taxes and Joe Sixpack loses his crap-paying job. What a system!
Also, to the OP (and indirectly to our friend in Denver): It is possible to have very few cons, but it depends on the individual. I've lived in some of the most "desirable" places in the U.S. and quickly had a list of things I hated about them, which eventually got the better of me and caused me to hate the city itself. I have a couple of minor annoyances with Pittsburgh, but otherwise I love it like I've loved nowhere else.
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! Unfortunately, those are some of the cons of living in Pittsburgh. All towns have a list, no doubt. Weighing whether or not you can live with these kinds of issues is important. The only thing I would add about Pittsburgh is to be aware of the political environment here. If you are a democrat, you will love it!!
