Who is a Pittsburgher? (Butler, Bellevue: live in, bus, bars)

[Chichappens]

If you;re out of the city then you're a suburbanite.

[Joshbarblahblah]

Many of the suburbs of Pittsburgh are so similar, in common history, geography, and current culture, to the city of Pittsburgh that they are, for all intents and purposes, true Pittsburghers. If someone from Dormont or Millvale wants to call him/herself a Pittsburgher, I can understand. If someone from Murrysville or Vandergrift calls him/herself Pittsburgher, I would probably laugh.

[highway29south]

I really don't get the big deal about the issue. If you are born here, in the city or in Allegheny county, you are a Pittsburgher. That is what I would consider a Pittsburgher after living here over 20 years. I do not consider myself a Pittsburgher since I was born and raised somewhere else.

My husband, who is a Pittsburgher (Brentwood born and raised), say that if you called bologna "Jumbo" and love the "Stillers", you belong to Pittsburgh

[greg42]

But Brentwood is not in the city, come on! ;-) ;-)

In general, taking the place name and adding -er, -ite, -ian, etc. doesn't do much for me. For others who want to say it or write it, that's fine. I think it comes up more in text, wouldn't you think? Or in the third person. I've never heard anyone say such a word out loud about himself. "I'm a Pittsburgher." "I'm a Bostonian." Do people talk like that? Seriously? :-) Not anywhere I've heard, not even here. You say "I'm from Pittsburgh".

Well, that's what you say when you're with people outside the area. If you're in the area and talking with people from in the area, "I'm from Pittsburgh" doesn't make much sense. You might say "I'm from Highland Park", or, if you want to stir that suburban debate "I'm from Shaler" or "I grew up in Lawrenceville and now I live in West View" because you're looking for that familiarity, something to talk about.

[scottrpriester]

Originally Posted by Katiana

This has come up before. I don't know just where you draw the line on city/suburbs.

I know, how about the city limits?

If you live in areas like Evans City, Cranberry, Bridgeville, Cannonsburg, South Park, etc etc etc etc, and say "I'm from Picksburgh" , you are not a Pittsburgher.

[Joshbarblahblah]

Originally Posted by greg42

But Brentwood is not in the city, come on! ;-) ;-)

In general, taking the place name and adding -er, -ite, -ian, etc. doesn't do much for me. For others who want to say it or write it, that's fine. I think it comes up more in text, wouldn't you think? Or in the third person. I've never heard anyone say such a word out loud about himself. "I'm a Pittsburgher." "I'm a Bostonian." Do people talk like that? Seriously? :-) Not anywhere I've heard, not even here. You say "I'm from Pittsburgh".

I see what you're saying, and you're right in some instances. However, I have been asked several times, "Are you a native Pittsburgher?" This happened a lot when I first moved to the city-proper to go to college. A lot of the older people (as in, not fellow students) asked me.


Anyway, I suppose that I'm not a native Pittsburgher - having spent most of my life in the suburbs. However, my entire family is from Pittsburgh. I'm now my family's 8th generation to live in Bloomfield. I think I can call myself a Pittsburgher.


Not that any of this really matters. No one, that I know of, thinks that Pittsburghers are superior to others.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

I know, how about the city limits?

If you live in areas like Evans City, Cranberry, Bridgeville, Cannonsburg, South Park, etc etc etc etc, and say "I'm from Picksburgh" , you are not a Pittsburgher.

Anyone who says "I'm from Picksburgh" has a lot more problems than which side of the city limits they live on.... ;-)

[Copanut]

To be a real Pgher, you have to be born at Magee Hospital.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Joshbarblahblah

I see what you're saying, and you're right in some instances. However, I have been asked several times, "Are you a native Pittsburgher?" This happened a lot when I first moved to the city-proper to go to college. A lot of the older people (as in, not fellow students) asked me.

In your case, I would have just said "Yes", because clearly you are. :-) But the bigger question is what difference does it make to them? What is the purpose of asking such a question? The answer is not going to tell them anything particularly useful. "Where are you from?" might have been a better discussion, or even just "You from around here?" which is, eh, probably a bit less friendly. It could have been innocent, but it suggests a bias that isn't even useful for much, as it takes quite a lot of different people even to be native Pittsburghers.

Maybe I'm wrong about a real-life city limit issue????

[Bagger]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

I know, how about the city limits?

If you live in areas like Evans City, Cranberry, Bridgeville, Cannonsburg, South Park, etc etc etc etc, and say "I'm from Picksburgh" , you are not a Pittsburgher.

First of all, I grew up in Glenshaw which was 9 miles from Point State Park... I lived closer to the actual city limit.

I went to Pirate games, Steeler games, Hornet and Penguin games... used to go downtown taking the PAT bus for a day trip to shop and see a movie. Went to Carnegie Museum a lot of times because my brother had classes at Carnegie Tech on Saturdays. Went to Buhl... Syria Mosque... you see where I'm going. I may not have been inside the city limit but I Pittsburgh was a huge part of my life and I have no hesitation saying I'm from Pittsburgh.

I'd venture to say that folks in Evans City, Cranberry, Butler would also consider themselves Pittsburghers due to the commonality of experiences we've all had with the city, especially when speaking to folks from other metro areas..

I guess it comes down to commonality of experience rather than physical city limit borders.