Five Pittsburgh neighborhoods with most potential. (Wilkinsburg, Swissvale: appointed, oceanfront, apartments)

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

That is a fair point, and what I was trying to get at by noting that while the rate was high, the base was low. So the bottomline is that unless we experience a general population boom, which is not something I consider desirable for other reasons, it will in fact be a while before the non-black/non-white population starts approaching something a little more typical.

This is true and I wouldn't be surprised if the Latino population is a little lower over 2007 with how the economy is during and the obvious sentiment that many in this area hold against them (from my experience and over hearing ppl talk). I don't want Pittsburgh to have a big population boom and I think we are fine where we are with population now.

[chloride1]

Mt Washington! The Edge restaurant is finally being developed. Several properties on Shiloh and Bailey/Boggs are also being developed.

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by Canary32

You know what I would loooove to see?.....The whole 6th ave. downtown from Grant street to Penn Ave. made into an old historic street with outdoor eateries, and little vintage shops and other things with the street paved with brick like Grant street. It really takes away from the beauty of the city to have it all boarded up and the homeless and prostitutes chillin there.....

And another thing.....Can the city NOT shut down at 6:00pm?....I swear Pittsburgh is the only big city that shuts down after work hours....It becomes a complete ghost town....

except for the afformentioned things, Pittsburgh is very Picturesque and I think the people are great...... I just dont want to see whats happening to Philli happen to PGH.......

You would be wrong to think that Pittsburgh's Downtown is the ONLY one geared towards the 9-5 crowd, and to think at the same time, ALL other cities have an equal amount or more vibrant city neighborhoods within it's boundaries.

[bradjl2009]

Do you really think all Downtowns are vibrant after 6. While it definately calms down, I'm sure there are other cities that are worse than us after 6.

[Blackbeauty212]

There sure are......Even Lower Manhattan is Dead after 8pm....Like I said Homers always think anywhere is better then Pittsburgh, until they've moved away and see the grass is not always greener, this is any Homer even NY homers to a point are tired of NY and dont gorlify it on the scale that transplants do.....

Get this all of my co-worker and gym buddies once I've told them I was from Pittsburgh all had 1 of 5 immediate remarks.

-"How's them Steelers"
-"I hear Pittsburgh is hot" this one always shocks me even though I've always known this
-"Pittsburgh cost of living is INSANELY LOW"
-"Pittsburgh has alot of Jobs"
-"Congradulations" Super Bowl and Stanley Cup.

And this is from NYC residents - Many NY'er are Moving to Pittsburgh, priamarly because of lower Rents and the ability to have your own SPACE! and many are shocked how Pittsburgh still offers many of the NY amenities (on a lower scale of course)....

Pittsburgh is on the Map now, once the enconomy comes back, the sky will be the limit....Pittsburgh's little secret wont be a secert any more...

The only think that will really hold Pittsburgh back if anything, is the lack of a Transportation hub....No Rail Hub, PIA is no longer a hub...So many people may be put off by how it can be Hassle to get to Pittsburgh.

[AaronPGH]

Definitely Garfield. It has a long, dense, uninterrupted main street. I honestly think it has more potential than Lawrenceville because of that reason and also the fact that it is sandwiched in the middle of three already up-swinging neighborhoods (Bloomfield/Friendship, East Liberty, Lawrenceville). It's more centrally located and convenient.

[Hopes]

Manchester -- Much of the bones work (restorations) were done within the last 20 years. Many of the projects have been eliminated already. The casino might cause Manchester to leap into complete renewal.

[ajl777]

garfield makes sense too since you won't have unprogressive yinzers holding it down like so many other areas

[otters21]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

There sure are......Even Lower Manhattan is Dead after 8pm....Like I said Homers always think anywhere is better then Pittsburgh, until they've moved away and see the grass is not always greener, this is any Homer even NY homers to a point are tired of NY and dont gorlify it on the scale that transplants do.....

Get this all of my co-worker and gym buddies once I've told them I was from Pittsburgh all had 1 of 5 immediate remarks.

-"How's them Steelers"
-"I hear Pittsburgh is hot" this one always shocks me even though I've always known this
-"Pittsburgh cost of living is INSANELY LOW"
-"Pittsburgh has alot of Jobs"
-"Congradulations" Super Bowl and Stanley Cup.

And this is from NYC residents - Many NY'er are Moving to Pittsburgh, priamarly because of lower Rents and the ability to have your own SPACE! and many are shocked how Pittsburgh still offers many of the NY amenities (on a lower scale of course)....

Pittsburgh is on the Map now, once the enconomy comes back, the sky will be the limit....Pittsburgh's little secret wont be a secert any more...

The only think that will really hold Pittsburgh back if anything, is the lack of a Transportation hub....No Rail Hub, PIA is no longer a hub...So many people may be put off by how it can be Hassle to get to Pittsburgh.

I cannot do nothing but to agree with you more! NYC just keeps getting more yuppified that it will become so pricey that nobody but the very well- to -do could afford to live there. To me Pittsburgh is an urban place that is not so expensive and will be very attractive to those who desire city life. The only things that are keeping me from moving into the burgh is my husbands job ( which is very secure - a blessing in this economy) and the too strict Pa. liquor laws - for example, I cannot buy beer in supermarkets. Other than that Pittsburgh is definitely my dream town and I would move there in a heartbeat.

[otters21]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Those neighborhoods are all already embarked on the redevelopment process, in some cases quite a ways into it, so I'm going to nominate some neighborhoods I think really have a lot of untapped and currently unheralded potential:

(1) The Hill: fantastic location, dignified history

(2) Polish Hill: again, excellent location and interesting history; could be the next Lawrenceville

(3) Homewood: admittedly a longer term project, Homewood nonetheless also enjoys a very good location (particularly in the long run: see below), good housing stock, and a nice combination of flat land and an escarpment with great views.

From prior experience, people think I'm crazy when I mention Homewood, but up until the 1950s it was a diverse (German, Italian, and Africa-American) middle-class neighborhood. And I honestly see the whole post-WWII decline of this part of Pittsburgh gradually unwinding. East Liberty is well on its way to becoming a thriving commercial center again. I think Wilkinsburg (not on my list because it is outside the City) is going to come along too eventually as both a commercial and residential area. Meanwhile, there is going to be a general trend of people moving back into cities. I think the result is that Homewood's potential as a major residential area with good housing stock located between East Liberty and Wilkinsburg and along the East Busway will eventually be recognized, and the neighborhood will be reclaimed.

Edit: In the spirit of the top 5 concept, I will also keep Uptown from the original list, and add Garfield to my list (basically for the same reasons as Homewood, but specifically noting the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative).

I do agree with you on most of your post. However I feel that Wilkinsburg may be a hard sell even though much of the housing stock is attractive and has potential to be great once they are fixed up. The reason being is the town is dry and you could not be able to buy a beer. Young people like hipsters , yuppies and the post college crowd are attracted to places with bars, clubs and trendy restaurants . Even if a chain restaurant like Applebees opened in Wilkinsburg you would not be able to order an alcoholic drink. Not everyone is a teetotaler and people may not feel like getting in their cars and driving to get a beer somewhere espescially with the cops keeping their eyes out for DUIs. If the dry laws were lifted in Wilkinsburg then I can see younger people discovering it. I think the dryness is holding it back from a rebirth.