Pittsburgh Misconceptions (Scranton, York, Wilkinsburg: real estate, smog, transplants)

[MissShona]

I think some of the biggest misconceptions is the Pittsburgh is a dying, boring city. In comparison to some metro areas....I guess that is true. But overall...I think not.

Also on the diversity thing (sorry to bring it up again); I currently live in South Florida; North Miami Beach to be exact. I don't think you can get more diverse than this place. Growing up in the Mon Valley....one of my biggest laments was the homogeneity of the region (especially since I was a first generation American and my foreign-born family had to go through A LOT due to their accents and other cultural differences....this is back in the 70s and 80s). So I saw Florida as a welcome change. However, diversity comes with a lot of setbacks; A LOT. And if I were to measure the pros and cons on a scale (in relation to how they affect quality of life)...I see the type of diversity in South Florida as a minus for me personally.

Maybe I should explain. I happen to be a minority; born American of Jamaican parents. In Pittsburgh, your culture was an aspect of you -- and sometimes you may have been sharing that culture with a few others...but it wasn't all you were about. In Florida, you have at least a couple thousand people in any and every ethnic group you can think of....and you are always fighting stereotypes. I've only been here 4 years, and I constantly have to hear, "Oh, but I didn't know Jamaicans did this/work there/eat that" etc. etc. No one cares about what your own experiences are. I have a friend here who is Puerto Rican but grew up in Ohio and never learned Spanish. She gets criticized ALL THE TIME here about how she really needs to learn Spanish. Etc., etc.

I am not opposed to diversity at all. I still think Pittsburgh could only benefit from more immigrants and a more diverse population set. But to think that automatic tolerance and enlightenment and all these other automatic social improvements come with diversity is a big mistake. South Florida may be diverse, but I see NO sense of community here outside of ethnic ties and maybe....to a much lesser extent....professional ties. Other than that, no one cares about the collective place where we live. I do not have children...but if I did, I would not want to raise them here....no way.

Now from my viewpoint, I miss how in Pittsburgh there was more interaction and tolerance (yes, TOLERANCE) of different lifestyles, modes of living, etc. In Pittsburgh, if you are a minority, you are seen as more as a human being than as a member of an ethnic group. Yes, there is that "lack-of-exposure" racism going on in Pittsburgh. But I personally think that is the lesser of two evils when compared to meeting someone for the first-time and here it is they instantly think they are an expert on who you are just because their neighbor is of the same ethnic heritage as you are. And real mixing between the different ethnic groups is rare; which I'm just shocked by. Especially among Haitian-American vs. Jamaican-Americans vs. Trinidadian-Americans. It's probably the same among Latin groups (don't see it first-hand since I'm not Hispanic).

So why do I stay? Well I have to admit, that higher education here is an amazing bargain compared to PA. I'm currently paying out of pocket for undergrad pre-requisites to go to grad school for accounting. To take classes at a state school in Florida is around $70 per credit hour (so only $1,050 for a semester full-time). My sister goes to Edinboro and pays 3 times that (easily). True the cost of living in regards to everything else is much more. You can't get a house outside of the ghetto for less than $250,000.00 (and we DON'T get paid that much more).

So yeah, when I hear some of my 25-year old friends who are still living with their parents because they can't foot the $1000/month rent for a 1-bd make a face whenever I start talking about Pittsburgh, I can't help but shake my head!

[oktaren]

Originally Posted by 505ci

Dude, ANYWHERE should equal GPS this day in age. For $300 you never are lost again! I use mine everyday even though I've lived here all my life. I just like to see where the hell I am.


There is NO excuse now to not have a GPS. Not this day in age.

Don't bet on it, GPS doesn't have that much of a life left. Your position is slightly more wrong everyday. The GPS satelites are on their last legs. Something new will hopefully take over soon, but if not, watch out, no one will know how to get anywhere now that they have to use such technology.

[505ci]

The biggest misconception of Pittsburgh is created by it's own residents: That Pittsburgh's a "big city". It's not. It's a big town. Although that's one of the nice things Pittsburgh has going for itself, it's really retarded and annoying to hear and see people try to act like they're living in New York or Chicago.

Pittsburghers fail to understand that although their city is precious, "big", and the center of the world to them, the rest of the country probably sees Pittsburgh the same way it sees Green Bay. I mean really, what's Pittsburgh known for except a football team? It's a nice place to live, but in the big picture this city "is what it is". People who try to make it out to be more than what it is sound stupid and ignorant.

That to me, is one of Pittsburgh's biggest misconceptions.

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by 505ci

Pittsburghers fail to understand that although their city is precious, "big", and the center of the world to them, the rest of the country probably sees Pittsburgh the same way it sees Green Bay. I mean really, what's Pittsburgh known for except a football team? It's a nice place to live, but in the big picture this city "is what it is". People who try to make it out to be more than what it is sound stupid and ignorant.

That to me, is one of Pittsburgh's biggest misconceptions.

Hmmm...I disagree on that one. Even here in Florida, Pittsburgh is known for higher education....I hear a lot of talk about University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon Universities. Also, when I went to Israel, we had a madrichim (tour guide) that was talking about being in the US. I asked where he went, and he said he was staying in "Mt. Washington....in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania". I almost fell over! He mentioned that Pittsburgh was great; reminded him a lot of European cities. He also mentioned that he was just amazed at how dead the city became whenever the Steelers were playing. Sucked for him, because being from Israel...he didn't understand football at all! So...hehehehehe.....yeah, I guess you can't totally separate Pittsburgh & football.

[fleetiebelle]

the rest of the country probably sees Pittsburgh the same way it sees Green Bay.

Not really. Pittsburgh is more often compared to St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Cleveland. Older, smaller cities, yes, but definitely known for more than football.

[505ci]

I guess you're right. It just seems REALLY small and insignificant to me, since I'm driving through it all the time.

I wouldn't compare it to Cleveland though or Milwaukee though. Pittsburgh has WAY more character!

[beth ann]

Originally Posted by 505ci

I guess you're right. It just seems REALLY small and insignificant to me, since I'm driving through it all the time.

I wouldn't compare it to Cleveland though or Milwaukee though. Pittsburgh has WAY more character!

Baltimore is more of an east coast city.... in attitude, culture and diversity.

Pgh is much more mid-western.

[Katiana]

Out here in Colorado people still think of it as a dirty steel town, except for the people who have actually been there, which is not a large number.

[505ci]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Out here in Colorado people still think of it as a dirty steel town, except for the people who have actually been there, which is not a large number.

Well, it sort of is a dirty old steel town. We might not actually be producing nearly as much steel as we did 40 years ago, but we still are a little. Also, despite the fact that much of Pittsburgh has changed drastically over the last few decades, the main predominant mindset in the city is still blue-collar union. That reflects badly on us.

Also there's still a lot of pollution here from all the industry. Even though you can't see it, it's still there in the form of particulates. Sorta like radiation I guess. That will take decades to go away, but that's the price we pay for being a booming industrial mecca in the past. Too bad those of us who are paying the price are too young to have experienced the benefits. We just get to choke on the dust of the past.

[oktaren]

Originally Posted by 505ci

Well, it sort of is a dirty old steel town. We might not actually be producing nearly as much steel as we did 40 years ago, but we still are a little. Also, despite the fact that much of Pittsburgh has changed drastically over the last few decades, the main predominant mindset in the city is still blue-collar union. That reflects badly on us.

Also there's still a lot of pollution here from all the industry. Even though you can't see it, it's still there in the form of particulates. Sorta like radiation I guess. That will take decades to go away, but that's the price we pay for being a booming industrial mecca in the past. Too bad those of us who are paying the price are too young to have experienced the benefits. We just get to choke on the dust of the past.

agreed 100%