Here's a question (Pittsburgh, Denver: home, school, college)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by djd1229

If you all are so in love with Pittsburgh - Why is the city's population dwindling?

I suspect your premise is wrong, mean the population isn't dwindling any more.

In fact if you define "the city" as the City of Pittsburgh and its major suburbs, what the Census Bureau calls an "urbanized area", then it actually was already gaining population as of the 2000 Census.

Edit: I see you lived in Cranberry. Cranberry is part of the urbanized area of Pittsburgh, but not of course the City itself, and again the urbanized area was growing in population as of the 2000 Census. End of edit.

And even if you are talking about just the City of Pittsburgh itself (which I think is arbitrary--I live in Wilkinsburg, but my neighborhood also has parts in Pittsburgh, as well as Edgewood and Swissvale), then I think there are good reasons to believe the Census estimates have been off for a few years and the City started gaining population around 2004 or so. This is a complex topic, but the Census estimates for subcounty units (like the City of Pittsburgh) have some methodological problems, and I think the Census Bureau's annual American Community Surveys are a better source for subcounty population trends. And the ACS data shows the City population bottoming in 2003 and returning to growth since then.

Finally, even if you accept the estimates instead of the ACS data, the rate of population decline has been rapidly decreasing recently. Again, the initial very high rate of decline was caused by the steel bust. But the steel bust diaspora left behind a lot of older people, because it was disproportionately young people who left. So the steel bust diaspora had an ongoing ripple effect as those older people have been dying or moving to retirement areas without being replaced by their grandchildren and great-grandchildren (because when the young people left, they took their future children with them).

But now that excess supply of older people is starting to run out. Meanwhile, new younger people are starting to move into the City and have children. So soon, if it hasn't happened already, the population will achieve a normal enough distribution that it will start growing again.

[dugdogmaster]

Brian, I imagine the response from the OP will be, "so."

[StopSosialism!]

oh hogwash! i live in north caralina now and i run into peeps from pittsburg all the time YOUNG AND OLD. so they are still leavin in doves no mater how much you pittsburgers try to clame they arnt. soon sheets will only have 1 customer left to sell there mtos to.

[creepsinc]

Danger! Despite what the mod said, I recognize that whole "made fun of my kid for being part Asian and made fun of us for being disabled" line. Welcome back, whatever your name used to be! Pittsburgh, City of Bridges, with a troll under every one of them.

Also, StopSosialism rules!

Edit: I take back that last part...I thought for sure after their first post here that they were a brilliant master of satire. Now, I'm not so sure.

City of Bridges!

[creepsinc]

Here's a question: Why is it that people here who defend/like Pittsburgh seem to be intelligent and well-reasoned and so many (not all, of course) of its detractors sound like "Velcro shoe" wearing trolls with double-digit IQs?

[dugdogmaster]

Originally Posted by creepsinc

Here's a question: Why is it that people here who defend/like Pittsburgh seem to be intelligent and well-reasoned and so many (not all, of course) of its detractors sound like "Velcro shoe" wearing trolls with double-digit IQs?

Because I said so. Now agree with me!

[Tinare]

^^^I especially like those who can't even spell Pittsburgh correctly. "I lived there for so many years, but never realized there was an "H" at the end..."

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by StopSosialism!

Oh I agree! When I lived in Pittsburg for 3 years i lived in New Alexander. God i hated livin in that dirty dumpy city.

Where is New Alexander? The only thing a google search brings up is a little Ohio town near Canton.

[Tinare]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Where is New Alexander? The only thing a google search brings up is a little Ohio town near Canton.

Probably meant New Alexandria. Which is a town east of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County.

[dugdogmaster]

Originally Posted by Tinare

Probably meant New Alexandria. Which is a town east of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County.

No wonder the posted couldn't spell Pittsburgh right, they couldn't even get the town they lived in for 3 years correct.