Aussie may be moving to Pittsburgh (Greensburg, Washington: apartments, for rent, neighborhoods)

[sheezymaneezy]

Hi all, I'm 22 and am graduating in a few weeks in business. I'm from Australia, and have lived here since I was born, but because I am graduating, I basically get a no-questions-asked 1 year working visa.

My last trip to the States was from November till February, so I have been there before, but never made it to Penns. I did drive the whole east coast, all the way from Portland to Florida.

I'd love to move to NYC because it is NYC, but the astronomical rent there is stopping me from doing so. So I've narrowed it down, and Pittsburgh is one of my first choices.

What is Pittsburgh like to live for a younger person? I've played sports most of my life, and professionally for about 3 years. So I'm hoping there is a lot of sporting activities there! Another reason I picked Pittsburgh is because of the Steelers. What other professional sporting teams are present in the city? Is there any college/high school teams that are big?

On that note, what are the colleges like? I'm only asking because they'd be close to my age, and I know they're still in the partying phase (which I'm still stuck in )

What areas would I be looking at to stay in? I'd like somewhere right in the heart of everything, because I won't be buying a vehicle. I'd like to be able to walk everywhere. I'd love to bring my longboard. In the heart I mean I can walk a few blocks and be at a grocery store, bar, restaurant/cafe and public transport.
What price range am I looking at in each area? I'd like to get my own 1 bedroom place. Hoping to make my place a nice social spot for the people I meet!

Erm, I'm sure I have lots of other questions, but they're not coming to me at the moment.

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by sheezymaneezy

What is Pittsburgh like to live for a younger person? I've played sports most of my life, and professionally for about 3 years. So I'm hoping there is a lot of sporting activities there! Another reason I picked Pittsburgh is because of the Steelers. What other professional sporting teams are present in the city? Is there any college/high school teams that are big?

Pittsburgh is a big sports and outdoor activity town, particularly among the younger people. As far as big league teams, in addition to the Steelers there are the Penguins (hockey--NHL champions, in fact), Pirates (MLB baseball--very nice stadium, not so good team), Pitt (a college with major football and basketball programs), and Duquesne (another college with a decent basketball program).

As far as Pittsburgh for younger people in general: this has been a controversial subject in the past because I think some young people have not found exactly the sort of scene they were looking for. However, if you are into a university-oriented scene, that we very much do have thanks to many local universities . . . so on to your next question!

On that note, what are the colleges like? I'm only asking because they'd be close to my age, and I know they're still in the partying phase (which I'm still stuck in )

So there are a bunch, including: the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), which is a large public research university and college; Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU), which is a well-regarded medium-sized private research university with a bit of a tech and arts focus in its college; Duquesne University, a medium-sized private Catholic university; Point Park University, an ambitious young liberal arts school with a growing presence Downtown; Chatham, a small private women's liberal arts university (with a lovely campus); Carlow, a small private Roman Catholic university which is technically co-ed but mostly women; and the Community College of Allegheny County, which is a huge 2-year college with several well-regarded programs.

Together these universities and colleges lead to quite a few students living in the City, which leads me to your next question . . .

What areas would I be looking at to stay in? I'd like somewhere right in the heart of everything, because I won't be buying a vehicle. I'd like to be able to walk everywhere. I'd love to bring my longboard. In the heart I mean I can walk a few blocks and be at a grocery store, bar, restaurant/cafe and public transport.

So I think you would end up looking primarily at two areas. The first is the the South Side Flats (also often referred to as just the South Side), which is a long stretch of often Victorian-era buildings just across and a bit down the Monongahela River from Downtown. It has lots of bars and restaurants and other shops and is a very popular nightlife area, particularly but not exclusively for students (the South Side is easy to reach from most of the universities).

The second area is the heart of what is called the "East End", which is the quadrant of the City where Pitt, CMU, Chatham, and Carlow are located. Depending on what you can afford, neighborhoods like Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Bloomfield, Friendship, and Oakland would meet your general description and put you around a lot of students.

What price range am I looking at in each area? I'd like to get my own 1 bedroom place. Hoping to make my place a nice social spot for the people I meet!

So roughly speaking, these are some rent estimates for a decent-sized 1 BR where you could invite people over:

Oakland and Bloomfield: $550-750
South Side Flats, Friendship, and Squirrel Hill: $650-850
Shadyside: $800-$1000

But that is very rough--there is an electic mix of apartments in these areas so you can find all sorts of different deals.

Erm, I'm sure I have lots of other questions, but they're not coming to me at the moment.

Just let us know!

[Internet Superman]

If you went to college - you would know how to research this information yourself.

What I wonder is why everyone from Australia calls themselves Aussies - and expects some sort of preferential treatment - just because where they came from.

Do you think that I could get away with that if I went to your country?

Good Luck finding a job. The Greensburgh Tribune Review has gotten so desperate that they have been printing the jobs section in large type and expanding the ad's so they look bigger so the jobs section won't be 2 pages like it was a couple of months ago. That was for the whole South West part of Pennsylvania.

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by Internet Superman

If you went to college - you would know how to research this information yourself.

What I wonder is why everyone from Australia calls themselves Aussies - and expects some sort of preferential treatment - just because where they came from.

Do you think that I could get away with that if I went to your country?

Good Luck finding a job. The Greensburgh Tribune Review has gotten so desperate that they have been printing the jobs section in large type and expanding the ad's so they look bigger so the jobs section won't be 2 pages like it was a couple of months ago. That was for the whole South West part of Pennsylvania.

Never mind that we have one of the best economies in the country right now. Sorry, didn't mean to get in the way of your constant stream of misinformation on this forum.

Actually, if you went to Australia, you'd probably call yourself an "American", even though you're from the United States of America. Make sense? Probably not. I'm not sure why I bother.

[Hopes]

Don't feed the Internet Supertroll!

[sheezymaneezy]

Brian! Thanks a lot for your reply, it's very in-depth and helps me out a whole bunch! I'm going to start researching into those areas you recommended and see what I come up with! Once again cheers!

Internet Superman, maybe I should have researched it myself. I don't know why we have these forums where people can ask questions. Can I ask why you're on here?
I'm also not sure why I call myself an Aussie. Care to shed some light on that? If you did say you were American in our fabulous country, you'd find a lot of people would be far more interested in helping a foreigner. Mustn't be the case with you, sounds like you got bullied by an Aussie when you were a kid?

[Copanut]

Aussie,

Don't let one poster keep you away, ask away.

Do you know Crocodile Dundee???

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by sheezymaneezy

Brian! Thanks a lot for your reply, it's very in-depth and helps me out a whole bunch! I'm going to start researching into those areas you recommended and see what I come up with! Once again cheers!

My pleasure, and good luck wherever you might end up!

[ScranBarre]

Sheezy, welcome in advance to Pittsburgh! I'm 22, currently live in the suburbs of Washington, DC and am miserable. I view Pittsburgh as being a great compromise at an unbeatable price. Since Pittsburgh used to be twice as large as it currently is you can enjoy many cultural/recreational/entertainment amenities typically associated with much larger cities only with much smaller crowds, much more affordable prices, and much less traffic congestion (despite what some of the sheltered "yinzers" on this forum may say, nobody has battled TRUE traffic until it takes you an hour to go 7 miles, as it often does here in DC).

Pittsburgh is the sort of city where you can work full-time and actually AFFORD to enjoy life. I'm earning $41,210 USD annually here in DC, and immediately 60% of that is devoured to pay for my monthly rent of $1,135 USD for a 1970s-era 1-BR apartment in the suburbs (not including utilities, may I add). Sure, I'll be taking a pay cut to move to Pittsburgh (I'm expecting to request a salary of $35,000 USD when I start hitting the pavement looking for jobs), but for $6,000 USD less per year I could actually live much better with the much lower cost-of-living that Pittsburgh has to offer. I can rent a 1-BR apartment in a safe walkable neighborhood for $600 USD with most utilities included instead of paying $1,250 USD/month now for rent + utilities on a 1-BR apartment in the middle of nowhere. People tell me I'm stupid for wanting to leave Washington for Pittsburgh, but in many ways I view myself as having different priorities. I don't care if I can't afford to drive a BMW or live in a 4-BR/3-BA vinyl-sided piece of garbage McMansion in the suburbs. All I want is a tiny 2-BR/1-BA brick rowhouse in the city and potentially no car at all. I can afford that lifestyle on a $50,000 salary in Pittsburgh---a similar lifestyle would take $150,000 in DC (a figure I'll never be making in my profession).

Sorry to get off-track a bit, but I'm just trying to show you that even though Pittsburgh may not be as "hip" as many other East Coast cities it still has one of the best "bang for your buck" factors that you'll find anywhere because people keep on moving away. I actually hope Pittsburgh's population nosedive continues because the more people who leave, the larger the housing supply (which means the sooner I can afford my rowhouse!)

P.S. I happen to think Aussies are awesome! I'd give my spleen for an Aussie boyfriend! Please don't let the forum troll get you down. I know thanks to President Bush a lot of foreigners don't view Americans very positively, but believe it or not most of us try to be as helpful and accommodating as we can and will gladly go out of our way to help a foreign stranger. The way I've always been told is that a stranger is merely "a friend you haven't met yet" (or maybe that's just my suburban naivety showing).

Welcome in advance to a great city!

[nynjmapa]

South Side, Carson Street area. If you want a reference as to location, google map Sarah St. Pittsburgh, PA.

Walkable to grocery store, bars, restaurants/cafes and public transportation in addition to having a large variety of bars and restaurants. It's also about 45 - 60 minutes on foot to PNC Park (home of the Pirates) and Heinz Field (home of the Steelers).

There is a rugby pub located in the South Side.

If you are into sports, Pittsburgh Sports League is a good place to start.