What's Pittsburgh really like? (people, atmosphere, etc...) (Highland Park, Dayton: sales, foreclosure)

[BigSkygirl]

I will try to give you the perspective of a recent immigrant to Pittsburgh. We moved here in July of 09 from Alberta, Canada. My husband works in the Energy industry and their company expanded and purchased a company here, so THEY at least are thriving. I have recently got a job in human resource management and we are actually building our workforce, not shrinking it. Though I was an employment lawyer in Canada I ddin't want to go through the hassle of getting admitted to the bar here so this is a new career for me. We came from a very economically vibrant place in Canada so I think I was expecting a lot of doom and gloom when we moved south of the border. It hasn't been that way for us. I thnk if you have some experience, education and skills, you will have opportunity.

As far as the city goes; we made a point of living in the city, not out in the 'burbs. There are some beautiful communities out there but I thought they would be very isolating and I would have to take up golf...and binge drinking. We are in the East End and love the walkability of the area. Great restaurants, parks, events and amenities (though someone please tell me where to find some great Indian Food)...We are a bit bemused when some folks look shocked that we live in the big evil city....and our kids go to big evil public school....but we have had a great experience and 'burghers, as a rule are incredibly, welcoming helpful and genuinely interested in finding out about you.

To be frank, I did NOT want to move here, and the first time the company brought us here to show us around I was expecting something out of a Dicken's novel...children running around with soot on their faces etc...-but now that we are here I love it, love the wide streets, large trees and the general lack of pretension in a city that has a lot to be proud of. I even pulled my first "Pittsburgh Left" the other day...though I still don't own a Steeler's jersey I do have one of Sidney Crosby's (hey...he IS Canadian!)

Hope this helps, good luck with your choice!

[BrianTH]

I like People's on Penn Avenue for Indian in the East End. Taste of India farther down on Penn is also good. India Garden in Oakland is OK, but I personally think it is a bit overrated. I've heard good things about Udipi in Monroeville, but haven't tried it personally yet.

[onwardandupward]

Originally Posted by BigSkygirl

(though someone please tell me where to find some great Indian Food)...

Everyone seems to have their own preferences for Indian food, but my favorite place is People's Indian restaurant in Garfield; 5147 Penn Ave., (412) 661-3160.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Well, I know a person who has been laid off in Pittsburgh, my brother. In fact, a huge number of people in his company were laid off over a period of several months. And guess what business he was in? He worked for a human resources consulting agency. In other words, the company he worked for did HR for other businesses. So the people doing the hiring have been laid off b/c there's not enough people looking to hire.

Pittsburgh does not have the best job market in the country statistically, Bismark, ND does.

Katiana, those huge human resource agencies contract with companies all over the country. I'm familiar with a few of the human resources consulting agencies located here in Pittsburgh. Many of their accounts were affiliated with the automotive industry. Your brother being laid off isn't really an indication of Pittsburgh's economy, but the overall country. As you can see, BigSkygirl moved here from Canada and landed an human resources management position in Pittsburgh, and she didn't have direct experience in human resources. There are jobs to be had in Pittsburgh. Bismarck ND has a super small population compared to Pittsburgh's metro, and its main employers are healthcare and government.

[Drover]

The atmosphere in Pittsburgh is roughly 14.7 pounds per square inch, give or take a few hundredths depending on what part of town you're in.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Katiana, those huge human resource agencies contract with companies all over the country. I'm familiar with a few of the human resources consulting agencies located here in Pittsburgh. Many of their accounts were affiliated with the automotive industry. Your brother being laid off isn't really an indication of Pittsburgh's economy, but the overall country. As you can see, BigSkygirl moved here from Canada and landed an human resources management position in Pittsburgh, and she didn't have direct experience in human resources. There are jobs to be had in Pittsburgh. Bismarck ND has a super small population compared to Pittsburgh's metro, and its main employers are healthcare and government.

I am familiar with my brother's work, and I know most of the above. Some of his work was for local companies, as well. My point was that there are people getting laid off in Pgh. Just because a few people on this board don't know anyone in that situation, it doesn't mean it's not happening. My point about Bismark, which I am familiar with as well, was that Pittsburgh did not

out shine(d) every sate during the recession in both the job market and real estate market...

In fact, Pittsburgh is 105 on the most recent list of unemployment rates. There are 104 cities with lower UE rates, including several cities of similar size.

[badguykc]

Originally Posted by sahara_gem

We're considering a move to the city this spring. We've never visited the Pittsburgh side of the state. Could you guys please tell us more about the city? Is it difficult to find a job right now? How are most people like? Is it a good walking city?



If you're from Pittsburgh, please leave a message!




Thanks,
Ruth & Jen

You definitely won't regret moving to Pittsburgh. In my humble opinion, it is most definitely THE best city in Pennsylvania to live in. It was even voted "most livable" by Best Places Almanac in 2007.

The economy isn't all peaches and cream right now, but I don't think that's the case anywhere in the Northeast/Midwest regions. Don't let this discourage you though. There ARE jobs in the Steel City.

IMHO, most Pittsburghers are friendly folk (even to Cincinnati Bengals fans such as myself ), and very helpful to newcomers.

Pittsburgh is very walkable. In fact, here is an article about some of Pittsburgh's "walkable" neighborhoods.

What type of neighborhood/surroundings are you looking for?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I am familiar with my brother's work, and I know most of the above. Some of his work was for local companies, as well. My point was that there are people getting laid off in Pgh. Just because a few people on this board don't know anyone in that situation, it doesn't mean it's not happening.

I'm glad we clarified that your brother's job was directly related to the national economy, not Pittsburgh's economy.

I'm extremely familiar with the accounts held by those companies. Those large human resource consulting companies are a different ball game from working in a corporate human resources department. Manufacturing companies outsource that type of human resource work because it's high volume busy work that comes and goes in waves. The outsourcing allows the corporations to employ only critical human resource professionals without extra the hassle of benefits and unemployment compensation of the 'seasonal' type of human resource positions.

The reality is that there are plenty of human resource openings currently available in the Pittsburgh area. PPG, American Eagle, and PNC are just a few. And the openings are at all levels---VP, director and down. I fear your brother might have had difficulty landing a position because his experience was with a consulting firm. Its a shame your brother got tied up in staffing the manufacturing industry. He very well might need to relocate to another city to find a job.

Afterall, manufacturing isn't a big part of Pittsburgh's economy. As a matter of fact, manufacturing and construction are the two industries doing the worse in this recession and neither were a large part of Pittsburgh's economy.

[BrianTH]

Pittsburgh obviously hasn't been completely unaffected by the recession, and it is true there are a handful of other large cities doing as well or a bit better. Nonetheless Pittsburgh is certainly doing much better than the national average, and for that matter better than the state average. Also, as Chris Briem and some other people have pointed out, the cities which have had lower unemployment rates throughout the recession probably have experienced an in-migration of job seekers from higher unemployment areas, which would somewhat boost the local unemployment rates.

[tmorrisn]

Originally Posted by sahara_gem

Hello everyone! Thank you for your responses.



We've lived before in Philadelphia for a few years and know the state a little.
As for jobs, we're looking for something in the medical field. How is the job market for Surgical Technologists, if anyone else happens to be in that field? I know that Pittsburgh has a good number of hospitals.


Thanks
Ruth & Jen

My husband used to be a surg tech and is now a nurse. We used to live in Baltimore which I think is more similar to Philly than Pittsburgh. People in Philly think that Baltimore is more gritty and less cosmopolitan. And I think you'd feel the same about Pittsburgh. It's even more gritty and even less cosmopolitan.

At the same time, I like it here. It's cheap to live. People in the city are nice - there's enough to do, and the best part, it's very safe. It seems like UPMC is your best bet for employment, but if you both scrub, I think your salaries will be a lot lower than in Philly. The scrub techs make about 2/3 what they make in Baltimore. At the same time, it's cheaper to live here than in Philly (specifically if you are a homeowner). Whether it's enough cheaper depends on your way of life I guess.

I can't speak for the suburbs the city itself is very vibrant and surprisingly green. If we had better career options, we would consider staying here for the long haul.