Pittsburgh Misconceptions (Philadelphia, Scranton, Washington: skyscraper, mcmansion, medical)

[Chi2NYC?]

i don't know your other posts and woknefski wasn't very nice, so fair enough. i stand corrected.

[Stonecoldharbours]

Your really as bored as you make your mind up to be...I can entertain myself no matter where I am, I do not need or want the bar scence...you can hike, bike, read a book just bout anywhere you live, you can also get into your car and drive somewhere too. You can find things to do , if you want too, some people would be bored in NYC too. I have never been bored in my entire life, and I honestly don't see how one could be, if they really don't want to be.

[guylocke]

Chi2NYC I think a few things are clear when you browse this forum. 1. You have a ton of friendly and helpful people who respond in a timely fashion and go out of their way to do research and give the best advice possible. 2. We like to argue and bounce idea's back and forth! We like the challenges, we like keeping our minds sharp and we like defending and even criticizing Pittsburgh (to see how other people will respond)! I think we just like to keep things interesting and there's never a dull moment!

I think we thoroughly enjoy ourselves and welcome to our forum! I hope to see you soon in our city!

[beth ann]

Chi2NYC,

I can see your point. My husband and I are naitves of the Burgh, but have lived our entire adult lives in Northern Virginia outside Wash, DC and wouldn't move back to Pittsburgh if you paid us.

It's not becasue we don't love seeing our families (who are of course, still there), the Steelers and Primanti Brothers and the ethinc neighborhoods....but....we also see a certain provincial, narrow-minded attitude amongst alot of it's residents. There is a stagnant, rigid, mind-set which doesn't allow for growth (trying something new and different outside of what is known, for example).

There are sooo many people who have been born and raised there....and haven't seen (or don't want to see) anyting else of this wondeful, big world. People kind of have a staunch allegiance to the Burgh w/o ever being outside the city walls....except for maybe to Ohio or Myrtle Beach....it's just not a city of people who encourage "think outside the box" thinking....that's the best I can articulate it.

Even though the cost of living is less, the taxes are sooo high and, quite frankly, for all of Pghs "family-friendly" reputation, we woule rather raise our children in Northern Virginia where there is diversity, opportunity and culture.

[pghlibrarian]

I have been reading this forum for a few months, and the discussion about the pros and cons of Pittsburgh have been enlightening, if not entertaining. My partner and I have moved around a lot for school and work, and we are very happy about moving to Pittsburgh next month from the DC-Baltimore area. Is Pittsburgh a paradise without any problems or downsides? No, but neither is anywhere else that we have lived.

In the short time that we have spent in Pittsburgh, we have found the people warm and friendly, the area to have a wealth of cultural and recreational opportunities, and the prices to be right in line with our budget. Will we find some negatives about Pittsburgh along the way? I'm sure we will, but from where we stand, the positives of Pittsburgh far outweigh the negatives.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about Pittsburgh out there - most people we have told that we are moving to Pittsburgh have had mixed reactions - but I think that it will be the right place for us for quite some time.

[outofsc]

Hi all -

This is my first post after lurking for a few days. My husband and I are looking to move to Pittsburgh soon - as soon as he a job comes through. He's originally from Fox Chapel and still has family there. I just want to write that I am so thrilled with the idea of moving to Pittsburgh! And, all the talk about the "declining" population is not a worry at all. In fact, it's a bit of a bonus for us. We currently live in Charleston, SC and believe me - the growth is unchecked. I can think of almost no advantage to living in an area of super high growth. Our schools, roads, and services simply can not handle the immense growth we've been experiencing for quite some time. And there is no end in sight! We build a school and on opening day, it is already over capacity. We need the funds to build 8 new schools within 4 years just to keep up with projected growth. Means higher taxes for us - people who pay for private school because the SC public schools are horrible! And the jobs may be here but the wages are low. Many employers come to SC b/c it's a Right to Work state - meaning no (or very weak) unions. Even white collar jobs pay lower wages here than other places. Property values are so inflated - for what we paid for our 4 bedroom home here, we can afford 4 bedrooms plus 3 acres in Fox Chapel! Pittsburgh sounds like a little slice of heaven - stable population, good schools, nice people, great activities, and beautiful scenery. And the climate is exciting for a southern girl (originally from KY) like me who despises HOT weather. I can't wait to see snow again! Thanks for letting me vent a little and I say Pittsburgh is great!

[JoJoPGH]

I moved here from NYC to attend graduate school at Pitt. I have grown to love this city and I have settled here with my husband. We are thinking of moving to Eastern PA because I want to be closer to my family but aside from that, I really enjoy it here.

There is so much to do. I just attended a cake decorating class at the culinary school for example. Things are out there but you have to find them. Yes, it isnt like NYC or LA but guess what??? Both those cities are boring when you are young and/or broke. The COL is great here. I cant believe that at 25, we were able to purchase a 4 bedroom/2 bath home. That is unreal in most urban/suburban areas of the country.

Yes, there are old school attitudes here that can be a huge turn off. Being the child of immigrants myself, the attitude towards immigrants and different cultures can be disgusting but it isnt everyone. I am not a fan of any Pittsburgh teams and I proudly attend the Penguins/Rangers games and Pirates/Mets games with my team gear on. I have never been bothered and most welcome a good sports debate.

I also joined a volunteer organization and I am meeting more and more transplants to the area. It is not a dying city. Yes, we need policy change and people need to move on from the image of steel factories and smog but it is truly an underrated city. It even manages to impress my friends & family from NYC ; )

[JoeP]

we also see a certain provincial, narrow-minded attitude amongst alot of it's residents. There is a stagnant, rigid, mind-set which doesn't allow for growth (trying something new and different outside of what is known, for example).

Yes there is some of that and I wish it were less so, but with the lack of growth you'll see some of that as there wasn't surge of people to mix things up like in DC. That said, people do move to Pittsburgh and I really think coming into the area, it has a lot to offer. However for some old school Pittsburghers, particularly in the older blue collar areas, it's some of that mentality that you said. Things are changing, but the economic hit the region took was enormous and changes don't happen overnight and Pittsburgh doesn't have the benefit of being home to the massive amounts of Federal jobs that will always keep DC growing.

The growth from the universities though, is making that change. The region has had significant growth in venture capital investment in the last ten years. By some measures, its the biggest % gainer from 97 to 2006.

But again these are seeds, the growth from this takes longer.
As these investments and others bring new people and the "Yinzers" die off, the mentality will be very different.

[Tom6623]

I posted this in another thread and it was deleted for some reason...

Pittsburgh rankings:

#1- "Places Rated Almanac," best place to live
Pittsburgh rated 'most livable' once again

#10- Forbes' World's Cleanest Cities
http://www.forbes.com/2007/04/16/wor...hisSpeed=30000 (broken link)

#28/331- "Cities Ranked and Rated"
Live in a great city? See the latest rankings - Today Show Travel - MSNBC.com

#1- PNC Park, best ballpark
ESPN.com - Page2 - Pittsburgh's gem rates the best

#2- USA Today 10 Most Beautiful Places in America
http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/...ingtravel.html (broken link)

#17- Cleanest city in the world by William M. Mercer, a San Francisco-based consulting firm
http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pi...5/daily41.html (broken link)

#18- Expo Magazine’s Bargain Destinations for travel and tourism
http://www.expoweb.com/Site_Selectio...00554832PM.htm (broken link)

#6- Travel Channel ranked the Carnegie Museum of Natural History as among the "Best Museums for Dinosaur Sightings."
http://travel.discovery.com/fansites...inomuseum.html

#2- Kennywood Amusement Park voted the second best amusement park in the country by readers of Theme Parks Magazine.
http://www.themeparksmagazine.com/me...wards-2005.pdf (broken link)

#1- Pittsburgh’s Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland has "America’s Best French Fries" and "America’s Best Hot Dogs" according to AOL City Guide
Best Hot Dogs - AOL City Guide

#1- Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood received the Urban Pioneer Award, one of three national awards, by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
http://www.southsidepgh.com/document...eerrelease.pdf (broken link)

#9- one of the smartest places to live in America by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
http://www.kiplinger.com/features/ar.../05/intro.html (broken link)

#1- Pittsburgh International Airport recognized for having one of the best airports in the country and scored top honors in three out of five airport categories.
http://www.airportrevenuenews.com/bestpoll/index.htm (broken link)

#5- Child magazine ranks Carnegie Museum of Art number five in the nation as best art museums for kids
http://www.child.com/child/story.jht...8145167921.xml (broken link)

#1- Pittsburgh ranked highest in the nation in The Economist Intelligence Unit's livability survey
Pittsburgh, Cleveland top U.S. cities, survey says - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

#1- American Style magazine best arts scene among mid-sized cities
City's arts scene gets accolades

#19- Most-Educated Cities in the United States
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Depart...EducatedCities

#9- Pittsburgh ranks as the ninth-safest major metropolitan area in which to conduct business and avoid major natural disasters and terrorism. A survey by Risk + Insurance magazine and AIR Worldwide Corp. (a Boston-based consulting firm) ranked the safety of major U.S. metropolitan areas based on their susceptibility to major business disruptions such as weather disturbances, earthquakes and terrorism.

#14- Pittsburgh’s University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is ranked one of the top medical facilities in the nation. U.S. News & World Report’s edition of America’s Best Hospitals ranks UPMC 14th out of 176 hospitals.
US News & World Report - Page Not Found - USNews.com

#1- The Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in St. Vincent’s College, Latrobe has been ranked the number one NFL training camp in the nation by Sports Illustrated magazine’s Peter King
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...mps/index.html (broken link)

#1- Pittsburgh has been included in Delicious Living magazine’s 2005 Impressive Cities list
http://www.deliciouslivingmag.com/ma...articleid=1582

Top 25- CNN Money America's Smartest Cities
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/29/real...ties/index.htm (broken link)

#5- Reader's Digest Best Places to Raise a Family
Lynchburg Reader's Digest award, rating, Amherst, Altavista, Bedford, Appomattox, Wintergreen, Smith Mountain Lake, Real Estate amherst, altavista, bedford, appomattox, wintergreen, smith mountain lake real estate

#2- Best Cities for Families. Cities Ranked and Rated rates Pittsburgh #28 overall, one of the best for families
Live in a great city? See the latest rankings - Today Show Travel - MSNBC.com
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

#2- Collegia, Inc. ranks Pittsburgh #2 among college cities of its size, #4 overall
Of college towns its size, Pittsburgh ranked 2nd best

#10- Mercer Human Resource Consulting Best Quality of Life of American Cities
Global/World Quality of Life City Rankings Survey 2007 : Dublin Ireland, Zurich, New York, London, Sydney, Paris etc ; Finfacts Ireland

#1- Esquire Magazine's Cities That Rock
Local music scene cheers 'Burgh's rockin' ranking - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

#2- Most Courteous Drivers
http://www.affiniongroupmedia.com/releases/autovantage/autovantage_may_15_07.html (broken link)

Other Pittsburgh Awards
http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/stati...?contentID=141 (broken link)

[tomc460]

Unfortunately not only has Pittsburgh's population declined but so has the entire metro area. Although several cities have loss population --The only other metro area in the USA to declined too is Buffalo. I grew up in the area and had to move becuase I could not find a job. Hopefully things will turn around for Pgh economically!