Pittsburgh has an inferiority complex (Washington, Columbia: transplants, lease, low crime)

[alleghenyangel]

You just can't deny Pittsburgh's role in the history of America and its status as a Great American City. I don't care how much the population shrinks, or how high the crime rate goes, or how many neighborhoods are distressed. The overall picture of Pittsburgh is a strong one, and I don't think anyone should ever count this city out! But I think people have, and continue to do so. I think residents of Pittsburgh should be more positive about their city, have more hope in its future, and work to address their problems with the city instead of whining (or moving!). I think so many people have lived here for so long they can't see the forest for the trees. Do life-long residents realize how discouraging it is for newcomers when they talk down about their city, question why anybody would move here, and endlessly complain? How can it not be possible for some people to see the beauty in this place?

As someone who has lived here only a year, but long enough to have developed an understanding of the city and some of the people who live here, I just want to say:

1. Pittsburgh IS beautiful. The downtown, the historic homes, the cobblestone streets, the hills, the views, the rivers... from the gritty industrial warehouses and glorious decay to the Victorian mansions and restored buildings and everything in between....Pittsburgh has charm to spare...and where there isn't beauty, there is potential!

2. Pittsburgh is affordable! You don't have to be rich to live here. When I first moved here, I worked at Walmart. I was broke, but I still had enough to live on and was able to appreciate the city. Now I have a job in the field my degree is in. Pittsburgh gave me an opportunity. It has as many jobs as anywhere these days.

3. I think this city has been maligned in the media and by residents so long that it has become cool to hate on it. But I think what this city needs more than anything else is love. It needs people to fight for it, and I know people do every day otherwise it would never have survived so well.

So the next time you hear someone say something really negative or sarcastic about Pittsburgh I hope you will stand up for the city. We know the city deserves it.

[Awesomo.2000]

It is mainly the 50 some or older yinzers that have never moved away during the steel mill crash that are really bitter, negative, and annoying. I also know a lot of 20/30 somethings that never left, and are very bitter and negative when they saw many of their friends move away.

There is a big difference between Pittsburgh and Denver (another city I experienced living in). There everybody is happy, positive, has a youthful attitude. Here people are bitter, negative, and cynical on everything. My old coworkers act like there is nothing positive here. It is annoying, and I do agree with you. I actually have been considering leaving for a while when my lease is up, and I will finally be out of debt by then, so I can afford a Higher COL(if it don't put me back into debt that is). Maybe N.Y.C., Washington/Baltimore, Boston? I may stay here and keep what I pay in debts to save for a house, or move and not save as much and live life in a city that isn't so negative.

[Heit]

Originally Posted by Awesomo.2000

It is mainly the 50 some or older yinzers that have never moved away during the steel mill crash that are really bitter, negative, and annoying. I also know a lot of 20/30 somethings that never left, and are very bitter and negative when they saw many of their friends move away.

There is a big difference between Pittsburgh and Denver (another city I experienced living in). There everybody is happy, positive, has a youthful attitude. Here people are bitter, negative, and cynical on everything. My old coworkers act like there is nothing positive here. It is annoying, and I do agree with you. I actually have been considering leaving for a while when my lease is up, and I will finally be out of debt by then, so I can afford a Higher COL(if it don't put me back into debt that is). Maybe N.Y.C., Washington/Baltimore, Boston? I may stay here and keep what I pay in debts to save for a house, or move and not save as much and live life in a city that isn't so negative.

You can have Denver and "the brown cloud". "Everyone is happy, positive, has a youthful attitude"???? Now that is painting Denver with a BROAD BRUSH! Denver is packed full of people, the drivers are ignorant, crazy and VERY RUDE! Denver lost it's charm many years ago. I go there a few times a month and never look forward to it. I'll take my hometown of Pittsburgh over Denver any day, that's why I'm moving back. I miss the trees, green, fall colors, hills, rivers and lakes all right there. You have none of that in Denver.

Funny how SO MANY folks from Denver come to WY and not the CO mountains..............why?????...............it's packed full of people and they come to WY for some elbow room.

[Awesomo.2000]

Mattjd,

How many times do I attack Pittsburgh? I am usually insulted on this board for being a Pittsburgh cheerleader, weird. I say a few negative things about Pittsburgh from time to time, and I get attacked for it. Am I not allowed to talk about the negativity of many Pittsburgh citizens? Why am I again getting attacked for a view of mine? Can somebody that knows my post on this forum please back me up. Also, I LIVED in Denver, and I am not going back there.

As somebody that lived out in a city that has a large amount of Transplants, I can compare and contrast if I please. There is a HUGE change of attitude between Denvernites and Pittsburghers without a doubt. I AM NOT saying Denver is better than Pittsburgh. As you all know (the ones who know me on this board), I am a very proud Pittsburgher, and love the city of Pittsburgh. I find it to be more livable then the city of Denver itself. However, I will not stop pointing out the negatives of this city. Things such as negative attitudes, old cynical yinzers, excessive steelerism, our stangnant political system, and others annoy me.

Please do not attack me, and politely challenge me to why my opinions are wrong. These personal attacks and personal bickering in this forum have got to stop. Making fun of me for enjoying photos, trying to call me out on everything I say is getting annoying. Also, I will insult the immaturity and annoyance of this forum as I please.

Thank you, carry on.

[BrianTH]

alleghenyangel,

I share your frustrations, but I also think it is important to understand that the steel bust was a really, really painful event for a lot of people in Pittsburgh. In that sense, Pittsburgh is basically recovering from a collective case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, except for those of us who moved to the city more recently.

That in no way contradicts your suggestion that people like us should stand up and defend the merits of the city. But at the same time, I think that defending the city actually includes demonstrating a little understanding for why some long-time residents are often still in a negative mood.

Finally, for what it is worth, although I also was born elsewhere, it has now been quite a while since I first came to Pittsburgh (in 1993). In some sense this optimists-versus-pessimists dynamic has been going on that entire time, but I also think the optimists have been steadily gaining ground. Indeed, periodically you see individual cases where people were down on the city, left for what they thought were greener pastures, and have come back with a renewed appreciation for what Pittsburgh offers.

In any event, I am fairly confident that civic pride will continue to grow in Pittsburgh. I just expect it to take some time yet before the effects of the steel bust have completely disappeared.

[Awesomo.2000]

^Pittsburgh also has long been known for it's civic pride. Most Pittsburgher's I know carry strong Pittsburgh civic pride. There were also several articles & blogs about "Detroit could learn from Pittsburgh". Everyone of them has mentioned Pittsburgh's civic pride in being a large part of turning the city around. I guess in Detroit there is no civic pride at all.

[Mugatu]

I moved here from FL nearly 3 years ago and I completely agree with what's been said so far regarding negativity. This city offers so much: history, architecture, scenery, low cost of living, low crime, things to do, jobs (especially healthcare), sports, etc....but what ruins this place is the attitude from the locals. I've never seen a group of people so negative about the place they were born and raised. Many Pittsburghers are very sheltered and have never lived anywhere else, so they have nothing to compare this area to. It's like a cult mentality, they were raised believing this place sucks, people around them say this place sucks, so they believe this place sucks.

It's funny, Orlando (where I grew up) is the complete opposite. People convince themselves how great it is and ignore all the bad things and what a mess that city turned into, while Pittsburghers convince themselves how terrible this city is and ignore all the good things.

Orlando resident: "My house was broken into twice this year, it's 95 degrees with 80% humidity, lightning knocked out my a/c and I can't afford to fix it because I only make $10 an hour at my service industry job...BUT I LOVE IT HERE!"

Pittsburgh resident: "It's cloudy today and I hit a pothole. This is the worst place on earth!!!!"

To all Pittsburghers that think this place is so horrible, what are you hoping to find in other cities that Pittsburgh doesn't offer (besides the beach and palm trees)? Do you realize Pittsburgh has many benefits that are not found in most other places?

I really like most things about the Pittsburgh area, but I am debating whether this is the place I want to spend the next several years of my life. And the ONLY reason for this is because I have grown tired of the constant negativity from the people that live here. It gets really, really old. Like the OP said, do you natives realize how frustrating it is for tranplants to come here, like what they see, but hear nothing but negative things from he locals? Do you really NOT want newcomers to come here and STAY here?

[slamont61]

Besides the fact that I live elsewhere; there is no other place on Earth I'd rather live than Pittsburgh. I miss working down town and just about everything about it. I miss the smell of the city, the sights and sounds. I miss seeing the same faces year round as I come and go. I miss being able to shop during Lunch Hour for what ever need there is. I miss the small spaces to sit and read a newspaper or book; I miss the smell of the rivers as I walk to or from the Point.

There simply is no other city that is even close to Pittsburgh in it's unique style and topography. It'a all so familiar and yet simply sophisticated at the same time. Face it the city is a one of a kind place.

On HUGE piece that makes the city what it is, is it's deep history. A once proud Steel Capital that provided almost the entire infrastructure of this great country. Oh this proud city was once dirty but it was also once the gateway to the west. History buffs have to really enjoy what they have there in town or close by. Pittsburgh's history is really part of it's personality. There's no denying that and almost no other location as important to this great nation.

The Burbs, well there are plenty of choices there too. Each one has a different personality and unique place in the area regardless of location. Each of them has a history too, one worthy of visiting.

Why is it anyone even needs to compare Pittsburgh to anywhere else? Nothing compares, no place is even remotely similar. It is what it is and it was just fine with me. I surely would rather be there if I had to live in ANY city.

Right now I'm in the middle of no where and am enjoying the change of pace. It won't be long before my longing to return to Pittsburgh returns to my mind set. It's too bad I had to leave but it did help solifify my perspective on the city. One sometimes needs to step a way to be able to see just what's there; not being able to see the forrest for the trees so to speak.

No one's bad rapping or Pittsburgh bashing is going to change any of it for me. Just be sure to leave a light on, I'll be home someday, believe me you.

[JoeLeaphorn]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Pittsburgh IS beautiful. The downtown, the historic homes, the cobblestone streets, the hills, the views, the rivers... from the gritty industrial warehouses and glorious decay to the Victorian mansions and restored buildings and everything in between....Pittsburgh has charm to spare...and where there isn't beauty, there is potential!

True, but as someone who started coming here as a child more than a half a century ago, there is a lot more that used to be here that was demolished as part of "progress". If it hadn't been for individuals such as Dolores Boniface (South Side) and the History and Landmarks foundation, many more landmarks of our Golden Era would have long since been bulldozed.

When I was a child, my dad would drop the family off in downtown (which had a Kaufmanns, Horne's Jenkins Arcade, Woolworth, Sax) and we would take the streetcars to the Highland Park Zoo. By the time that I was in college, they were tearing up the tracks, a half century before many cities started going back to streetcars. In fact, after the streetcar lines were removed (or paved over), CMU was commissioned to do a study of transportation needs for the region. Their answer? Streetcars!

We're too quick to embrace the new instead of cherishing the old. East Liberty was a thriving retail district until someone decided that it might be a good idea to make it an open air mall.

A few decades back, some Pittsburgh politicians hired James Rouse, the developer behind Columbia, MD, to visit and make suggestions about what to do with the Strip District?

His answer? Leave it alone, there is nothing wrong with it.

I sympathize with outsiders who wonder why it is that so many people who have lived here all their lives want to change the city while keeping politics the same. We should be doing it the other way around!

[scrapp]

Originally Posted by JoeLeaphorn

East Liberty was a thriving retail district until someone decided that it might be a good idea to make it an open air mall.

Is that really true? That was before my time, but my impression is that East Liberty was starting to decline (due to out-migration or whatever) and the open air mall was an ill-advised attempt to address the issue that just made matters worse.