Who is a Pittsburgher? (Lebanon, Munhall: living in, law, vs)

[Brookline_sylvia]

Many people call themselves "Pittsburghers", but who can legitimately refer to him or herself as one?

I say that only someone living within the city limits should rightfully call him/herself a Pittsburgh. Someone who moved to North Carolina 25 years ago but still follows the Steelers should give up the title, as should people presently living in the suburbs.

[Katiana]

This has come up before. I don't know just where you draw the line on city/suburbs. I also don't know where you draw the line on how long you can be away and still call yourself a Pittsburgher.

[greg42]

Wow, title snobs? ;-) People always associate with their hometown, the town they grew up in, even when they no longer live there. In a large metro area, within reason, they associate with the big city. That's just the way it is. Also, sometimes we've lived many different places across the metro area, but that doesn't change us enough to need to swap labels.

If I'm talking to someone locally or originally from or otherwise familiar with Pittsburgh, then it might be useful to explain in more detail where I live right now, depending upon the discussion. If I'm talking to someone not from Pittsburgh, then I'm from Pittsburgh, as that frames the discussion better than saying I'm from xyz outlying area of Pittsburgh. In that case, the extra detail is meaningless.

The people the OP wants to exclude are Pittsburghers, if they choose to be. If someone from NC just follows the Steelers but didn't live here, then no. ;-)

[BrianTH]

I'm not aware of a huge problem with too many people claiming the 'Burgher title without justification, so I'm inclined to stick with letting people decide for themselves if the label fits them.

[Chichappens]

I would assume that a Pittsburgher is a person who has a foundation living in the city proper for most of their life. But, if you move for a long period of time hummmmmm well you can title yourself as being a former Pittsburgher transplant..........

[Mugatu]

This city vs suburbs thing on this forum is ridiculous to me. People in Carnegie, Mt Lebanon, Etna, etc. are as much Pittsburghers as those in the city limits. Are people in other cities as defensive over city limit boundaries as they are in Pittsburgh? I came from Florida, where most cities are just big suburbs, so maybe this whole thing is just foreign to me.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Mugatu

This city vs suburbs thing on this forum is ridiculous to me. People in Carnegie, Mt Lebanon, Etna, etc. are as much Pittsburghers as those in the city limits. Are people in other cities as defensive over city limit boundaries as they are in Pittsburgh? I came from Florida, where most cities are just big suburbs, so maybe this whole thing is just foreign to me.

It sometimes comes up in the Denver forum, but in a little different way. There are a few city residents who feel they are superior to the suburbanites. They don't deny that the suburbanites are "Denverites", though.

[Chichappens]

I read this once in NYC. NYC has 5 boro's and they Question is who is a manhattanite and people who were from bronx, queen's Brooklyn, Staten island claimed they are because it is part of the boro....but don't you dare mess with the boy's in Brooklyn and claim you are a brooklynite if you don't live on their turf.........

i am from Paris and we get the same what constitutes of being a true Parisian and really.....now that I think of it if you love the city and you live in the city if it be Paris, Pittsburgh etc then that is what you are.

If you love and live in or around Pittsburgh or lived and still love Pittsburgh then be as it may their is no law that says you can't claim to be a Pittsburgher.

[greg42]

I've never seen an actual city vs suburbs issue in real life Pittsburgh. If it exists in this forum (I'm relatively new, I don't really have a feel for that) then it's entirely an artificial construct, I would say.

[Brookline_sylvia]

I've never encountered it as issue in real life. It's just something I think of from time to time. It's just a theoretical question, I guess. It sounds better than saying "I'm a Munhaller"!