Pittsburgh is as "hip" as you want it to be (State College: buyers, high school)

[Awesomo.2000]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Right on the money since it's those who "just graduated college and are still between that age of college and being a boring 30 something professional with no life" that are flocking to hip cities and not to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, they also provide an educated and cheap labor pool and human capital that's great for pushing for new ideas (closely tied into the atmosphere for new entrepreneurs you mentioned) and reinvigorating the social and economic life of a city especially in regards to the highly lucrative "quaternary sector." Shucks.

Of course, it's an unfortunate feedback loop for Pittsburgh. If the city were able to retain a more significant percentage of the brilliant minds that cycle through Pitt, Duquesne, and CMU, then the city would become hip--if the city were hip, more of them would stay. Now if the city could get find a way to finagle this hipness or any way to keep these people in the city, then Pittsburgh could be on its way to a virtuous cycle.

I said that we need to bring in more entrepreneurs, and I have always said on this forum that this city has to be better for young professionals. But I asked, What is hip? How does a city become more hip? Who decides what is hip, and what isn't? Is it a music scene? Is it a arts scene? Is it colleges? What? Maybe we should just come out and announce to the world like Austin does, "We are Pittsburgh, We have colleges, we are super hip and cool, come to Pittsburgh." Then every college kid that knows nothing about the real world will buy into it and think we are "hip".

Notice how people counter argue against things, but nobody still knows what we are arguing about? What is this hip?

[Awesomo.2000]

Does anybody have any numbers on how many college students actually stay in the city that they went to college too anyways? Just out of curiosity.

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by rubybelle

The city of Pittsburgh is NOT rednecky!!! It's a real city through and through. True the areas around it can be seen like that, but the city its self, is definitely not one bit rednecky!!! We're not rednecky!!! Jeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz.

Pittsburgh East End neighborhoods and other neighborhoods are more like one would find in New York, Boston, or Philly. Just more affordable. Granted, those cities may not have an Etna or a Sharpsurg so close to the center city, but the city itself is not hickish.

[fleetiebelle]

how many college students actually stay in the city that they went to college too anyways?

I've always wondered that. How many Ohio State students stay in Columbus? How many Stanford grads stay in the Bay Area?

[nuwaver88]

Another thing, it has been my experience that people who haved moved here from elsewhere and tend to be artistic, generally like Pittsburgh. They tend to see things with an open mind that others may not. They notice the quirks that a particular place may have. Pittsburgh has many quirks. They notice charm and character. Pittsburgh has it. They notice great architecture and the way it shapes the landscape. Pittsburgh. Furthermore, they see that Pittsburgh has a great history of cultural philanthropy that has built a great enviroment to do art. I find artists to be hip. Artsy people tend to find Pittsburgh hip. It goes full circle in this case.

[ExPit]

What's that old song? "What is hip, tell me tell me if you think you know..."

Or that line from the movie "Firstborn," ... "Hip", isn't hip anymore.

One man's hip is another man's pretentious, shallow, bland, etc.

To me, by what I consider hip, Pittsburgh is a hip city. I love the old streets and structures, the old neighborhoods that are stinkin' with ambience. The neighborhood bars that jump on a Monday or a Tuesday night harder than they do on a weekend night. The killin' barmaid who's half good old fashioned girl and half deadly party girl, depending on her mood. Pittsburgh is a very hip city, by my standards. Hipper than...

L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, and a lot of cities that most would immediately call up as hip cities ... and the main reason for me is the people. There are some hicks around Pgh, even in Pgh, but if you don't know state of the art hip people in Pittsburgh your definition of hip is a lot different than mine.

[Awesomo.2000]

Originally Posted by nuwaver88

Another thing, it has been my experience that people who haved moved here from elsewhere and tend to be artistic, generally like Pittsburgh. They tend to see things with an open mind that others may not. They notice the quirks that a particular place may have. Pittsburgh has many quirks. They notice charm and character. Pittsburgh has it. They notice great architecture and the way it shapes the landscape. Pittsburgh. Furthermore, they see that Pittsburgh has a great history of cultural philanthropy that has built a great enviroment to do art. I find artists to be hip. Artsy people tend to Pittsburgh hip. It goes full circle in this case.

Agreed. My whole argument that I was saying is the word "hip" is just kind of lame. It is like equivalent to "cool" in highschool. "Hip" does not equal character, or having a good art scene, or a good music scene, or good universities. It is just a stupid word that people like forbes magazine use.

I lived in Denver for about 3 years. There are many many young people who go to that town. I wish pittsburgh could attract young people like that. However, like the poster above was saying that Pittsburgh needs to increase its hipness to attract the ultra hip hipsters hippin ways doesn't make the same sense to me that it will to anybody else.

Pittsburgh has a great arts culture for its size, good educational oppertunities, and a decent music scene(although I wish it was better). To me this city is beautiful, unique, and has tons of character. I like living here, although I may try the New York city thing for a while when my lease is up. I am 28 but I am far from hip. I am a dorky engineer with pens in my pockets and a giant calculator.

It is the same thing with "progressive". "You always here, this city is progressive, that city isn't, Pittsburgh is far from it, bla bla bla" What is progressive? A good economy? a growing population? A younger crowd/

I wish Pittsburgh gets all three of those. I hope our population turns around and has SLOW growth. I would never want to live in a fast growing boom sprawl town. I want our economy to be better, and I want more young people to be attracted, and this is slowly changing.

BUt these stupid terms, "Pittsburgh aint hip" doesn't make the same sense to different people. I like my museums, my architecture, cool funky and unique neighborhoods, and cool people. Pittsburgh is hip to me. I am not the clubin 20 something that thinks the "Parthenon" is a club in greece.

[Awesomo.2000]

sorry expit, I wrote my post when you must of been writting yours. You and I said pretty much the same thing.

[ExPit]

Originally Posted by Awesomo.2000

sorry expit, I wrote my post when you must of been writting yours. You and I said pretty much the same thing.

No problem cat. By the way, I always dug Squirrel Hill. Very, excuse the expression, hip neighborhood.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

I've always wondered that. How many Ohio State students stay in Columbus? How many Stanford grads stay in the Bay Area?

Yeah, and how many stay at Notre Dame? How many does Slippery Rock absorb? How about Penn State?