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You may have seen my last few threads on the PA boards...
It seems like I'd be able to make a good living in Pittsburgh.. That's important to me.. Now I just need to know what it's actually like!?
Some one told me its more like a gigantic town more so than a city. I feel the same way about my current location (phoenix, az). It's like 1 massive town that is never ending.. For some reason I hate that.. No town has it's own identity in my opinion.. I find it annoying.. Strip mall after strip mall.. Sooooo boring.. Please don't tell me that's what Pittsburgh is like..
Anyways, are there a lot of HOA's? To be honest with you, I never heard of a HOA until I came to AZ. I never came across one in Massachusetts.. Although they probably exist somewhere in MA.
Is the weather that bad? I assumed PGH had a similar climate to Boston.. After some research it seems like Pitts may be a little more dreary in that department.
How are the suburbs? Do you have nice little towns with character and little downtowns where you could eat and drink? Or is it like Phoenix, pull into the strip mall parking lot and pray there is a fine establishment in there somewhere?
Are there a lot of lakes? I miss fishing.. In Massachusetts, almost every town had a lake or 2. Out here we have lakes, but they are a haul.. I knew what I was getting myself into, but I never realized how much I took that kind of stuff for granted.
I read a lot of complaints about how boring PGH is.. How bad could it be? I bet Pittsburgh proper isn't along the lines of NYC.. but there really isn't a need for that.. What about the 'burbs?? Are there a lot of corner pubs where "everyone knows your name"?
This may sound stupid.. But I've never been to PA.. What is in between Pitts and Philly?? It looks like an awful lot of space on the map.. I assume that area is really wooded and country side..
How far from "downtown" do I have to live to have a 1300+ sq ft house with a fenced back yard for the dogs for 1G a month (give or take)?
I just want to know everything there is to know.. the good, the bad, the ugly. I know a lot of you will say come for a vacation to see if I like it.. But I'm pretty sure you can go to hell on a vacation and still have a grand old time.. I came out to Phoenix twice before I moved here.. I loved every second of it.. Now I can't wait to get the heck out of here..
I'm not sure what I should do.. I could stay here in AZ, live easy, but not be exactly thrilled about being here.. I could move back home and live 50 miles from boston and still struggle to make ends meet... We are considering Denver, which seemed like an awesome city.. but if we are considering going back into the cold, we might as well see if we can live within a days drive of home .. Pittsburgh seems to meet the criteria.. I want to know everything!!
Thanks for reading this rubbish! I know I've been all over the place, but I'm eager to learn more about your city..
some one on this forum mentioned pollution in PGH.. saying it was one of the worst cities in the country for that... that cant possibly be true can it??
Some one told me its more like a gigantic town more so than a city. I feel the same way about my current location (phoenix, az). It's like 1 massive town that is never ending.. For some reason I hate that.. No town has it's own identity in my opinion.. I find it annoying.. Strip mall after strip mall.. Sooooo boring.. Please don't tell me that's what Pittsburgh is like..
Pittsburgh doesn't feel endless like Phoenix. The area is very hilly with deep ravines. As a result, there are lots of little neighborhoods with their own separate identifies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
Anyways, are there a lot of HOA's? To be honest with you, I never heard of a HOA until I came to AZ. I never came across one in Massachusetts.. Although they probably exist somewhere in MA.
There are very few HOA's in Pittsburgh. Most of us don't like other people telling us what we can do with our property.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
Is the weather that bad? I assumed PGH had a similar climate to Boston.. After some research it seems like Pitts may be a little more dreary in that department.
I think it's fairly similar. The winters aren't as harsh. You'll hear people say it's dark, dreary and overcast, but that's often for just a portion of the day---like when it rains at the beach for a few hours. Pittsburgh might start off cloudy in the morning and become sunny in the afternoon or vise versa. We have plenty of nice sunny days. This year was exceptionally nice. There's even a satire thread where we all complained about the nice weather just to point out to all of the negative people that Pittsburgh does actually have nice weather!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
How are the suburbs? Do you have nice little towns with character and little downtowns where you could eat and drink?
Our city neighborhoods are more like this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
Or is it like Phoenix, pull into the strip mall parking lot and pray there is a fine establishment in there somewhere?
Our suburbs are more like developed neighborhoods in any suburban area. There are shopping malls and strip malls. Fortunately, the restaurants are usually on the side of the highways or nestled on a side road---separate from the malls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
Are there a lot of lakes? I miss fishing.. In Massachusetts, almost every town had a lake or 2. Out here we have lakes, but they are a haul.. I knew what I was getting myself into, but I never realized how much I took that kind of stuff for granted.
There aren't many lakes. There are a few within Allegheny County in the North Hills. You could chose a house in one of the townships that has a fishing lake. Most are man made, but there are a couple of natural ones within the county. Just outside of the count there is a huge one in Morraine State Park. It's about an hour away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
I read a lot of complaints about how boring PGH is.. How bad could it be? I bet Pittsburgh proper isn't along the lines of NYC.. but there really isn't a need for that.. What about the 'burbs?? Are there a lot of corner pubs where "everyone knows your name"?
I'll let others focus on this question. It's not boring. There are things to do. There are events. We do have culture. We do have museums. We do have concerts. We do have art shows, plays, music, etc. People who compalin there's nothing to do are used to big cities. Pittsburgh has an amazing amount of culture for its size.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
This may sound stupid.. But I've never been to PA.. What is in between Pitts and Philly?? It looks like an awful lot of space on the map.. I assume that area is really wooded and country side..
Yes, it's very wooded! Mountains cut right down through the middle of the state. That means that skiing is an hour away from Pittsburgh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bench Warmer
How far from "downtown" do I have to live to have a 1300+ sq ft house with a fenced back yard for the dogs for 1G a month (give or take)?
You can find that anywhere. You can live within the city limits. You can live in a suburb that's 15 minutes away. You can live 30 minutes away. An hour away will have you almost in the middle of farm land.
some one on this forum mentioned pollution in PGH.. saying it was one of the worst cities in the country for that... that cant possibly be true can it??
That's funny. Some people think that Pittsburgh is still a smokey city from the steel mill days where it would get dark before noon due to the pollution. That was well over 50 years ago. Some repuations are hard to lose---especially from people who have never even seen Pittsburgh.
Hey, there is a new television series that is filmed in Pittsburgh. It's running now and called "Three Rivers." Check it out. There are beautiful shots of Pittsburgh. (The acting is bad though. LOL)
Hopes, your giving me hope about the burgh! I'm kinda nervous.. but i think the city could work for me.. Plus it would be nice to have the option to drive home for a weekend.... I bet flights to boston are short and cheap..
I'm not a Pittsburgh resident, but I have lived in about six states (MI, MN, AZ, CA, OR & NYC). So I have a strong sense of western states and the Northeast.
Pittsburgh looks and feels and seems to be very strongly in the construction of cities like New York, Boston, etc. However, Pittsburgh is smaller and not as international anymore - but use to be.
If you view GOOGLE MAPS, you can look at the housing of Pittsburgh. You can see very condensed walkable areas all over the place, and where it isn't dense, you will see woods and mountains and hills all over the place.
Whereas cities like Phoenix are a newer city filled with cars, strip malls, etc. as you mention. Phoenix and Pittsburgh are about as different as you can get from one another. One is an old city built by Europeans and people living in close proximity (like a Boston), and the other built by modern American for CARS and AUTOS and driving massive distances, etc.
From becoming a strong regular on the Pittsburgh forums, it sounds like the entire city is filled with little neighborhoods, and you have pretty much everything you need in them, including your locals bars and such, that most people don't need to EVER drive all across the city to do something somewhere else - unlike Phoenix - which feels like constantly in the car trying to go somewhere.
I am unsure about HOA's in Pittsburgh, but I highly doubt it, and if they do, it probably quite miniscule compared to Phoenix. The cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas have HOA's all over the place.
Regarding complaints about Pittsburgh being boring. I'm not really qualified to answer this, as I'm not a Pittsburgh resident. BUT, in my observation, most of the bored ones are the young recent college graduates, etc. IT SOUNDS LIKE you are more working class, more into fishing, more into a simple existance. I think people complaining it are boring are wanting bars for the young social climbers to mix it up, or for discos and big clubs and such. For me, it seems like local bars (which it sounds like is what reigns supreme in Pittsburgh) is what you prefer, right? (Again, maybe others can correct me I'm wrong on my Pittsburgh observations).
I HAVE driven from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. Very much countryside and going over a lot of hills. I remember it being quite scenic.
Anyways, I'm become basically very strongly attracted to Pittsburgh from the sounds of many of the same reasons you've become attracted to it - i.e. it is still a REAL city (like a Boston, New York, etc.) YET it is as VERY affordable prices. I also prefer proximity/closeness/being in the cities, but I can't pay thousands of dollars for little studios...but from the likes of everything I've read of Pittsburgh, I can actually buy a house quite affordably, and my mortgage each month would cost me significantly less than living in a little studio apartment in a NY, SF, Boston, etc. (Again, anyone feel free to comment on my correctness here).
One last recommendation: View Google Maps and poke around viewing areas. I personally like the area just south of the downtown - Southside Flats, Mount Washington, etc. There are also a lot of photos on this forum of Pittsburgh.
Other people have done a great job covering your questions in depth, so I will just toss in a few specific comments:
(1) First, given what you have told us you should definitely give Pittsburgh a very serious look. In the end you might go a different direction, but if you are looking for an affordable option which is more like Boston/Massachusetts in feel than Phoenix/Arizona and has good access to the outdoors, Pittsburgh is a good place to look.
(2) On the outdoors, there are lots of convenient smaller-scale outdoor recreational options near or even in the city . . . for example, people boat and fish on the rivers in and around Downtown. And if you start looking an hour or so out, you have some really great options.
(3) Finally, on the boring thing--I think a lot of that is young people realizing that life after their college years doesn't seem quite as fun and easy, and when they come to that realization in Pittsburgh they are sometimes blaming it on Pittsburgh when it is really more a universal thing. Of course Pittsburgh isn't a New York or LA and so there are legitimate differences, but these days Pittsburgh pretty much has as much going on as you would expect for a decent-sized city, and in fact more than you would expect in some categories (including everything from fine arts and performing arts to sports and outdoor recreation).
On the nightlife department, and while this is all hearsay, I have never heard anyone say to go to Phoenix either. So I'd think Pittsburgh certainly couldn't possibly be worse!
PARTICULARLY since Phoenix is a car-oriented city with very limited other options for getting home.
Being that Pittsburgh actually has walkable neighborhoods everywhere, I'd think that alone would solve one huge disadvantage of a Phoenix in any kind of nightlife department.
Pittsburgh has plenty of nightlife for the sophiticated adults
were it lacks is
Not alot of "Hood"-style ghetto clubs...being a 31 year old black woman, I'm glad this is lacking in the Burgh to be quite honest, I get soooo sick of the sterotype.
Also not alot of underground clubs - again I'm glad!
Pittsburgh is not a dance club oasis, there's no partying it up until 6am here, if that's the only thing that qualifies as nightlife to anyone, then Pittsburgh will be boring. In my book that does not quailfy as nightlife you can have a good time out until 1-2am in the more lively neighborhoods.
If you like to have a mello evening at a Lounge, Bar, local indi-events, also like to dress causal for a night out, you will have no problem in the burgh. Pittsburgh's nightlife is spread all over the various neighborhoods (I love that about Pittsbugh), meaning you can live in Shadyside, Southside, The Strip, L'ville and others and feel like your in the middle of it all ...Other cities you have to go Downtown to do EVERYTHING! (I hate that), means you have to live downtown in order to have that Central feeling...Not to many cities can offer this, Pittsburgh is really one of the few in this regards.
I say come and visit for a weekend see if you like it...Pittsburgh is truely a hidden gem to many....If you want Big City amenities, but dont want all the negatives that comes with the Big Cities Pittsburgh should be right at the top of the List.
Be prepared for far more civilized, respectful driving overall compared to Phoenix. I have had folks visiting who were SHOCKED that people actually let them merge, even during parkway rush hour! If you are a speedster, tone it down here, as the police are not "warning happy" and speeding tickets can be very $$$.
To me Phoenix/the area seems soulless, unfriendly, and a sea of undifferentiated stucco/tile roof homes without end. I do like the dessert, but the heat... You gotta be kidding! Folks here are forward, but generally friendly, usually unpretentious, but loudly opinionated. Don't find it unusual for folks to strike up a conversation while in line, and be met with eye contact, a smile, and a "how ya doin".
Fishing... Holy moly it's all around! I was catching really nice Bass, Pike, and Catfish last month from lakes and rivers, and fishing is a year round proposition in these parts. Trout fishing is huge in the spring, and great fishing in lakes, streams, and rivers is always close. Erie fishing can be absolutely world class, it's about two hours to the north, and has a very oceanesque feel. Here are a few shots from my trip in October:
Wooded? I'm about 17 miles east of the point (downtown where the rivers meet), and almost daily see deer in my back yard, lots of turkeys, hear lots of Owls, and see all kinds of other varmints and birds. Heck, I even have a rifle/pistol range in my backyard... This place is generally very gun friendly, and hunting is a big part. How big? Kids get the day off from school for opening day of deer season. Not sure if you like pro sports, but obviously if you like football, hockey, and baseball, we got it!
Oh yeah, food. If you like Italian, Polish, Jewish, Indian, you name it, it's here and very good. I hope you visit, have a nice time, and perhaps can call this place home. Good luck!
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