Why would you & why would you not move to Pittsburgh? (Liberty: for sale, neighborhoods)

[mhen]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

I think he was supporting you there, Awe, and telling Sr bunch of numbers to cool it -- and not feeding the troll is always a good idea.

I was - both supporting Awesomo and feeding the trolls! Sorry!

[AfKy]

Thanks everyone for the informative posts. If this is any indication of how Pittsburghers treat their guests, I can't wait to see you guys in real life!

As I stated in another thread (http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...y-college.html), I'm thinking about attending college in the US next year. And, I'm looking for a nice city where attending college will be a good experience. Pittsburgh seems to have most of the ingredients that I'm looking for in a city, plus it has all these great colleges.

Outdoor activities, culture, architecture, etc. are the things that are drawing me to Pittsburgh. I want to move to a place that has class & beauty (and yet be affordable, lol).

As for the transport, it won't be my biggest concern. If I ever move to Pittsburgh, I'll be living close to one of the colleges and will walk/bike to the campus. I don't drive and only use the public transport (such an environmentalist, aren't I? :-P). My only question would be that some people have mentioned hiking & kayaking; how easy is it to those places? How far are those places from, say, U of Pitts?

How is the weather? Sunny? Cloudy? Humid? I can't wait to leave the heat & humidity of my own city.

Again, thanks a bunch!

[Awesomo.2000]

Originally Posted by bboy36win

You live in Wexford?!?!? Man, I didn't see that coming.

No, I work in Wexford. So hence, my drive would be much further if I went with traffic everyday. I am one of those few that live in the city, and work in the burbs.

[Awesomo.2000]

AFky,

You can go kayaking many places around Pittsburgh. Ohiopyle is about an hour from Oakland, and you got the New River in West Virginia about 2 hours south. Then there are many other even closer places. You can kayak the rivers if you want, and there are canoe and kyak rentals downtown.

The weather will depend on who you talk too. I personally hate January - March. It is grey and depressing(but I grew up learning this was a fact of life called Winter, and it made spring much better). Then later spring through late fall I am not bothered at all. A typical summer day will be in the 80s with big white puffy clouds. The weather service will consider it cloudy, but the sun peaks through just fine, and it blocks enough UVs to not burn you to a crisp.

[sr1234]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue50

I


Bad: There are many areas that are still recovering from the bygone steel mill era and are rundown, so those areas can be very dreary and depressing looking…I felt I had stepped back in time about 40 years when it came to peoples’ social attitudes in general. Those of us who were not “natives” to the area were misunderstood (in a negative way) many times for our different mannerisms and ways of expressing ourselves/speaking, perspectives and dressing! Pittsburghers have “an edge” to them that borders on mean-spiritedness, being critical and rude, plus an unnerving disguised prejudice against blacks, and gays (I am neither, by the way)….and all from generally ‘good’ people!…unfortunately, they failed to see that I was just as ‘good’ as they were! While there, I did connect with several people that have become dear friends…3/4 of them are from out of state, though.

I do have fond memories of my life there… overshadowed by the daunting and hurtful personal situations I experienced… and witnessed…so I don’t believe I’d ever want to live there again.

Oh boy, you shouldn't have said that on this thread. They won't like it.

[Truman325]

I've lived in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis - and honestly the ONLY thing that is a negative for Pittsburgh is the lack of retail space... especially in the South Hills. In Columbus I could travel to 3 different Target stores that were all within 5 miles or less. But where I live in the South Hills my only option is to drive down to Washington PA. It's not really Pittsburgh's fault though - there is just limited flat land for large box stores like that to develop.

Tanger Outlets has been a big improvement.

EVERYTHING else about Pittsburgh is superior to those other locals.

[Tinare]

Originally Posted by Truman325

I've lived in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis - and honestly the ONLY thing that is a negative for Pittsburgh is the lack of retail space... especially in the South Hills. In Columbus I could travel to 3 different Target stores that were all within 5 miles or less. But where I live in the South Hills my only option is to drive down to Washington PA. It's not really Pittsburgh's fault though - there is just limited flat land for large box stores like that to develop.

Tanger Outlets has been a big improvement.

EVERYTHING else about Pittsburgh is superior to those other locals.

Is Washington PA closer than the Century 3 area for you? There's a Target and other big boxes over there.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by AfKy

Thanks everyone for the informative posts. If this is any indication of how Pittsburghers treat their guests, I can't wait to see you guys in real life!

As I stated in another thread (http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...y-college.html), I'm thinking about attending college in the US next year. And, I'm looking for a nice city where attending college will be a good experience. Pittsburgh seems to have most of the ingredients that I'm looking for in a city, plus it has all these great colleges.

Outdoor activities, culture, architecture, etc. are the things that are drawing me to Pittsburgh. I want to move to a place that has class & beauty (and yet be affordable, lol).

As for the transport, it won't be my biggest concern. If I ever move to Pittsburgh, I'll be living close to one of the colleges and will walk/bike to the campus. I don't drive and only use the public transport (such an environmentalist, aren't I? :-P). My only question would be that some people have mentioned hiking & kayaking; how easy is it to those places? How far are those places from, say, U of Pitts?

How is the weather? Sunny? Cloudy? Humid? I can't wait to leave the heat & humidity of my own city.

Again, thanks a bunch!

I've lived in Pittsburgh most of my life, and there are some things I like a lot about it, and some things I really don't like about it. There is a diverse mix of people in some areas, and in other areas people are bitter and angry. As I get older, I find myself wanting to live somewhere else for raising a family. Plus I don't like the government in the city. I have an issue with the taxes not being used efficiently by the incompetent people in charge. That is a matter of opinion though.

To answer some of your questions, I think Pittsburgh is a fine place to live for college. If you are going to Pitt then you will have free access to use the PAT bus system with your student ID. You will be able to get to many places you would want to go on the bus. If you want to ride your bike to class then the closest places to live are in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside. Generally, undergrads live on or near the campus in Oakland, but you must be careful picking a decent apartment in Oakland. Grad students tend to live in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, or the Southside. You will have easy bike access to the University from Squirell Hill and Shadyside. The Southside is a little further away, but there is a young crowd and many bars. That can be good or bad, depending on your point of view. Also, if you are an environmentalist type, then look into Lawrenceville. It is kind of an artist driven, bike riding, somewhat hippyesque, area on the upswing.

For hiking and Kayaking look into Venture Outdoors. They operate kayak rentals on the river downtown next to PNC Park. They also run many hikes of varying levels of difficulty, where you will have a chance to meet others who like to hike.

If you don't mind seasonal weather, then Pittsburgh should be fine. It is generally somewhat colder and sometimes snowy in the winter. Hotter and sometimes humid in the summer. Spring and fall is very pleasant, in my opinion.

[pman]

Downtown is underdeveloped, that's just the way it is. so many buildings with empty floors upstairs. reason to move there: that appears to be changing

[bboy36win]

Originally Posted by Awesomo.2000

No, I work in Wexford. So hence, my drive would be much further if I went with traffic everyday. I am one of those few that live in the city, and work in the burbs.

Ahh. Gotcha. Makes much more sense to me.