How would Pittsburgh compare with Asheville or Knoxville? (moving, dental)

[creeksitter]

Being from knoxville, I pledge to remain firmly on topic.

I visited your fair city on my last vacation and came away with the impression that Pittsburgh was like Knoxville X 2. The hills south of the river are twice as tall, the Downtown twice as big (at least), 2 rivers instead of one. When I drove up the big incline and turned onto a side street to park, the street had the same name as mine back home! How cool is that?

We are similar in topography and laid back vibe. Cheap housing. Lots of parks.

But Pgh is more urban with bigger houses on smaller lots. Lots more neighborhood commercial areas to walk to. Knoxville proper is moderate politically, but the county votes 2/3 Republican.

[Tiger Beer]

How are the weather differences?

I'm generally of the impression that South is warmer, but viewing yahoo weather, it seems that Asheville and Pittsburgh don't differ that significantly weather-wise.

[Caladium]

The people in the two towns are very different. Pittsburgh has a lot of people who have had family in the area for generations--Asheville tends to attract residents who are passing through and who often have lived in many cities. This may be partly due to it being more of a tourist town than Pittsburgh is. Asheville is significantly more "new agey." At the same time, Asheville is also significantly more southern baptist than Pittsburgh (it's very near Billy Graham's home).

The people in Asheville are quite proud of their Appalachian roots and really know how to capitalize on it and use it as a drawing card for tourists. I've often thought Pittsburgh could do the same but Pittsburghians seem to have too much disdain for Appalachian things to attempt that. Pittsburgh seems more drawn to being "northern" and proud of its industrial roots. Asheville has very little in the way of factories and thinks of itself as an artsy town that began as a summer retreat for people in the larger cities of the south. It has small artsy college but doesn't have the educational infrastructure that a "serious town" like Pittsburgh has.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Caladium

The people in the two towns are very different. Pittsburgh has a lot of people who have had family in the area for generations--Asheville tends to attract residents who are passing through and who often have lived in many cities. This may be partly due to it being more of a tourist town than Pittsburgh is. Asheville is significantly more "new agey." At the same time, Asheville is also significantly more southern baptist than Pittsburgh (it's very near Billy Graham's home).

The people in Asheville are quite proud of their Appalachian roots and really know how to capitalize on it and use it as a drawing card for tourists. I've often thought Pittsburgh could do the same but Pittsburghians seem to have too much disdain for Appalachian things to attempt that. Pittsburgh seems more drawn to being "northern" and proud of its industrial roots. Asheville has very little in the way of factories and thinks of itself as an artsy town that began as a summer retreat for people in the larger cities of the south. It has small artsy college but doesn't have the educational infrastructure that a "serious town" like Pittsburgh has.

Are you referring to Warren Wilson? There's a branch of UNC in Asheville, but I don't think of UNC-A as any artsier than Penn State - Altoona. But there's certainly no section of town that is as much of a student neighborhood as Oakland.

While Pittsburgh and Asheville may share certain physical attributes, my sense is that a lot of people move to Asheville thinking it will be nirvana, only to be disappointed (the real estate is expensive and the job market is poor), whereas some people still move to Pittsburgh with an image of heavy industry in mind only to be happily surprised by how the city is reinventing itself.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Are you referring to Warren Wilson? There's a branch of UNC in Asheville, but I don't think of UNC-A as any artsier than Penn State - Altoona. But there's certainly no section of town that is as much of a student neighborhood as Oakland.

LOL agreed--artsy probably wasn't the best choice of words. I should have said the colleges in WNC seem to focus more on liberal arts. UNCA has a fairly decent engineering program and chemistry program but most of the students I knew there were liberal arts majors. They majored in things like mass communications, French, women's studies. OTOH you'll find a greater percentage of student at Pittsburgh's universities who are interested in science, engineering, medicine, etc. (Of course, this may just reflect the impression I got from students I knew at those schools--if I'm wrong, my apologies.) Pittsburgh strikes me as a place out of state students go to school if they're serious about pursuing a rigorous course of study--out of state students go to UNCA to be near the mountains.

[SPSGuy]

I visited Asheville for work this year twice. I had to do survey work at a very strange bizarre hippie commune college to the east of Asheville.

I know this thread is old, but felt like making a comment. These two cities are not comparable. Asheville has this boutique, liberal, vibrant vibe that attracts many young people from throughout the country. Yet it may seem phony to some, I find it desirable actually and would consider moving there. There are street musicians on every street corner, organic chocolate shops, hipster havens everywhere. It is more comparable to a Colorado ski resort town. Pittsburgh is a large city with urban fabric that has is completely different socially.

Although I heard that Asheville once was a very run down and depressing place that made some sort of remarkable turn around in the 90s. Now it is like a Boulder, CO. Asheville has substantial architecture, but even it's neighborhoods don't have the urban fabric of Pittsburgh. This doesn't deal with size either, because many smaller Pennsylvania cities are still rather urban if so more urban that parts of Pittsburgh.

I have to say, Rednecks, I never really seen any down there. They had this alt-Country thing going on. Mostly what I saw was Alt-country hipsters. I seen more rednecks in Pittsburgh than Asheville. This must have just been some stereotype thought up since it was in the south.

[ML North]

Having recently visited both Asheville and Knoxville, I'm going to add my perspective to this years-old thread.

Asheville is smaller than Pittsburgh in population, size, and feel. Asheville is 40mi2 whereas Pittsbrugh is around 60mi2, though I believe that the urbanized area of Asheville is a relatively small portion of its total area. Walking around downtown Asheville felt much more similar to Greensburg than Pittsburgh; however the city does have a burgeoning arts scene with lots of little shops and galleries. Asheville, like Pittsburgh, is situated among the Appalachian Mountains, but I found the mountains surrounding Asheville to be far more beautiful than those in Southwestern PA. In the early morning they are set off by a purplish glow, which is one of the most spectacular sites I've seen in the US. Due to the downtown corporate center, Pittsburgh has a much more "big city" feel than Asheville, which has a downtown comprised mostly of shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants. Asheville would be more appropriately compared to Shadyside than Pittsburgh.

Knoxville has a really unique feel. It felt decidedly less Appalachian than some of the neighboring cities, though definitely more southern than Pittsburgh. (For instance, a lot of younger people were dressed in what I would call "Chesapeake style" with brightly colored polo shirts, croakies, loafers/boatshoes, etc.). The University of Tennessee has a relatively large footprint, but Knoxville also has a significant business district with a few skyscrapers and corporate headquarters. I thought that its downtown felt more similar to Savannah than Pittsburgh, as it had some really nice southern style squares and lots of tree cover. Knoxville is near the mountains, but they don't add much to it's landscape (though the drive from Asheville to Knoxville is really nice and mountainous). It's a beautiful city, but it doesn't have much in common with Pittsburgh.

[chloride1]

Originally Posted by Katiana

If you want some data on religion, here are some reliable stats.

Map Gallery of Religion in the United States

http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo.../adherents.gif

http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo...rch_bodies.gif

Interesting! Thanks for posting.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by ML North

Knoxville has a really unique feel. It felt decidedly less Appalachian than some of the neighboring cities, though definitely more southern than Pittsburgh. (For instance, a lot of younger people were dressed in what I would call "Chesapeake style" with brightly colored polo shirts, croakies, loafers/boatshoes, etc.).

That's interesting that's the attire in Knoxville. The 'Chesapeake Style'. So, is that basically a fashion choice that comes out of Virginia/Maryland??

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

That's interesting that's the attire in Knoxville. The 'Chesapeake Style'. So, is that basically a fashion choice that comes out of Virginia/Maryland??

I noticed a marked number of bright tucked-in polos, croakies, slightly shorter mens shorts, and boat shoes in Knoxville. That style now seems to be moving across the country, but I've long noticed it in the DC area. Incidentally, I don't believe 'Chesapeake style' is a term that is actually used.

Anyway, I only really noticed it in Knoxville, whereas Nashville was more plaid, belt buckles, and boots, and Asheville was noticeably more 'bohemian'.