Pittsburgh is great for 20 somethings! (Progress, Rochester: best cities, big house, neighborhoods)

[gallacus]

The population you quoted for Greensburg seems a tad high. I suspect it is closer to 16,000 people at least according to the latest census figures.

You are absolutely correct, I must be going cross-eyed. When I read that number I thought there was an extra zero in there somewhere

[arcadefire]

Originally Posted by birdlady

I think it is a little ridiculous to say how great Pittsburgh is for 20 somethings when there are studies that show the opposite.

Sounds as though you just haven't found what you are looking for in the city. Might I suggest the Aviary? BirdLady....Aviary....

And as far as studies go, I think you could very easily put together a study that would show you just the opposite of the ones that you point out. Your quote from above is a bit funny to me. If a study says that Pittsburgh isn't great, then it must be a fact. It would be ridiculous to say otherwise, right?

As far as nothing to do, well I just can't understand how anyone can say that unless they have no friends and hate just about everything.

The city has great museums, a great symphony orchestra, great theatres for Broadway shows and other cultural ammenities if that is your passion.

It is one of the few cities that allow you to fish, kayak, bike, rollerblade, boat or jet ski right in the middle of the city proper. A real blessing for those that like to get a taste of the outdoors and still have the convenience of city living.

The city has the night club/entertainment districts like the Strip, Southside and The Waterfront. Plus all of the local bars and pubs if you want to wet your whistle, but don't feel like going clubbing.

The strip district offers the urban shopping experience that is treasured in a lot of more upscale cities. You can walk around and get your fresh meats, seafood and produce directly from the wholesalers.

The city has beautiful views and scenery for those that enjoy photography.

If you are into Sports there are the professional teams and college teams that offer ample opportunities for entertainment.

If you want to expand your mind, there are a wide variety of acedemic options from the community college up to Carnegie Mellon.

And I think most importantly the area has a lot of really, great people. People that make spending an evening sitting out on a deck cooking out with a few drinks of your choice a truly great night.

I think Pittsburgh is a great place for young people right now, and I think it will only get better as more and more young people realize it and continue moving into the area.

Moderator cut: personal comments/off-topic

[Pimpy]

Originally Posted by birdlady

I am going to have to politely disagree that this place is great for 20 somethings. I suppose if you are looking to get drunk and laid, then yes this town is excellent for that, but aside from the bars there isn't a whole lot to do here after 7pm.

This town was also rated the worst for singles.
2002
2003
2004
2005 We ranked higher because they changed how their system ranked. Nothing actually changed in Pittsburgh.

Edit: Greensburg only has 15569 according to city-data. It lost people in 5 years like the whole Pittsburgh area.

This study is retarded. Check out the results from 2003 and explain to me how Las Vegas would EVER rank 26th out of 40 for nightlife, five spots below Greensboro/Winston-Salem and FIFTEEN spots below NORFOLK?!?

Yeah, that's some reliable information there...

[birdlady]

The real reason why people live in the suburbs is because they don't want to get screwed on property taxes, sales taxes, and wage tax. Lots of people from Cranberry and even further north commute to Pittsburgh just so they can escape getting taxed to death.

I have lived in Cranberry my entire life up until these past few years when I got married. There is nothing going on in Cranberry after 9 pm on any day of the week. Unless of course, like I said earlier, if you wish to get drunk and picked up by men/women. Obviously I am not looking for a man, so I want nicer restaurants, nicer upscale bars but those don't exist.

Also I doubt people are trying to find their next husband in a bar here. They are just looking for a good one night.

I have seen a lot of you people quote studies, polls, and other information that listed this place as the most livable and whatnot. Did I come in and say your study was wrong? No. So why all of a sudden when the study says something negative, it is no good and you attack me? That is some double think there.

Moderator cut: off-topic

Facts are facts. Studies are studies. You can't twist things to your liking as you have done with the singles study and the # of clear days. The cheerleaders in this board would probably argue that we have the best roads in the nation too.
Pa Second Worst Roads in Nation
Pennsylvania Has Worst Roads in Nation

See why this city has no hope? You first have to admit there is a problem to be able to fix it. Most Pittsburghers won't admit there is anything wrong here so nothing gets fixed. The type of cheerleaders on these boards are the same type of people that hold positions in the city and surrounding areas. They just love Pittsburgh so much they start to lose sight of reality and start to identify with all of the problems with Pittsburgh. Changing anything makes them uncomfortable. They call this Stockholm syndrome.

I am in the process of searching for a place to live, but it takes time. I have a few places in mind but haven't decided completely.

[subdivisions]

Well, usually I'm on board with studies, good or bad.

But you do have to admit that the ranking for Las Vegas WAS a little crazy! Significantly below Salt Lake City? I don't think so...

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by birdlady

The real reason why people live in the suburbs is because they don't want to get screwed on property taxes, sales taxes, and wage tax. Lots of people from Cranberry and even further north commute to Pittsburgh just so they can escape getting taxed to death.

I have lived in Cranberry my entire life up until these past few years when I got married. There is nothing going on in Cranberry after 9 pm on any day of the week. Unless of course, like I said earlier, if you wish to get drunk and picked up by men/women. Obviously I am not looking for a man, so I want nicer restaurants, nicer upscale bars but those don't exist.

Also I doubt people are trying to find their next husband in a bar here. They are just looking for a good one night.

I have seen a lot of you people quote studies, polls, and other information that listed this place as the most livable and whatnot. Did I come in and say your study was wrong? No. So why all of a sudden when the study says something negative, it is no good and you attack me? That is some double think there.

Moderator cut: off-topic
Facts are facts. Studies are studies. You can't twist things to your liking as you have done with the singles study and the # of clear days. The cheerleaders in this board would probably argue that we have the best roads in the nation too.
Pa Second Worst Roads in Nation
Pennsylvania Has Worst Roads in Nation

See why this city has no hope? You first have to admit there is a problem to be able to fix it. Most Pittsburghers won't admit there is anything wrong here so nothing gets fixed. The type of cheerleaders on these boards are the same type of people that hold positions in the city and surrounding areas. They just love Pittsburgh so much they start to lose sight of reality and start to identify with all of the problems with Pittsburgh. Changing anything makes them uncomfortable. They call this Stockholm syndrome.

I am in the process of searching for a place to live, but it takes time. I have a few places in mind but haven't decided completely.

Well -- if you can hold off a few years, you can buy my house in California... it'll sell for a cheap 500K, and a yard so small you can hear your neighbor shower while you eat your breakfast. At 1005 square feet, all this cozy cottage is very used!!! Newer furnace and ductwork, newer electric panel, cute built ins and great new kitchen cabinets. All nine feet of them... that's all the counter space you get! Sorry -- I went with the kitschy 1950's looking boomerang formica... but I sure do love it!

Comes with a Mariachi band across the street.... and the tuba player practices ALL THE TIME -- because he's BAD!! Which reminds me -- I do have a bearing avocado tree -- and the avocados are REALLY good...

[birdlady]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Well -- if you can hold off a few years, you can buy my house in California... it'll sell for a cheap 500K, and a yard so small you can hear your neighbor shower while you eat your breakfast. At 1005 square feet, all this cozy cottage is very used!!! Newer furnace and ductwork, newer electric panel, cute built ins and great new kitchen cabinets. All nine feet of them... that's all the counter space you get! Sorry -- I went with the kitschy 1950's looking boomerang formica... but I sure do love it!

Comes with a Mariachi band across the street.... and the tuba player practices ALL THE TIME -- because he's BAD!! Which reminds me -- I do have a bearing avocado tree -- and the avocados are REALLY good...

I believe that a lot of you think I am looking for somewhere cheaper than Pittsburgh. That is not true. In actuality if a place has nice weather and something going for it, I would spend 2k more a month. I think Pittsburgh is way too expensive for what it offers or lack of what it offers.

It sounds like you are living in my house. Wow! That is amazing. I have a motorcycle shop that is 500 feet from my house that demonstrates them all day long by revving the engines. It's wonderful!

Hmm my husband loves avocados.

[tmorrisn]

How many suburbs of 14,000 people have a happening night life?
Seriously, I'm sorry that your feelings were hurt when people pick apart your posts. It could be that you had a weak argument. I don't think anyone on here are oblivious to the problems in the area - it's just when you make rigid judgements how horrible a city is (without having lived in the city or lived in another city), people tend to think you're full of hot air.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

You know what, though, I do agree with you about one thing. I think Cranberry sucks too.

It didn't used to. Cranberry was a pretty cool place to grow up, when I grew up there. It was so small and so rural, that our local pharmacy sold horse tack (saddles, bridles...) and feed.

We used to ride our bikes down Freedom Rd to go to the fudge lady's and pick up a small bag of fudge to split. We carried Kool Aid with us, in a thermos. After we went to the fudge lady's, we'd get back on our bikes and ride father down Freedom Rd to the little antique store that was in an old house that sat at the corner of Darlington and Freedom -- a little road that doesn't exist anymore, there's condos there now. We'd go down Darlington and catch Powell Rd and ride up to Rochester.

Now -- depending on whether or not my one friend was talking to her other friend, we might go up Powell more to see her -- or just back down on Rochester, down Haine and home... or maybe down Haine and head to the one lane bridge on Freedom Rd -- because someone put a really cool rope swing down a pathway there over Brush Creek, which should have been named Brush Mud. It wasn't much of a creek.

And we'd be gone all day till dinner, and as long as our parents had a general idea of where we were it was fine. Lots of watchful eyes on kids all over, with those watchful eyes that knew who to call when someone got out of line.

I can remember we found this old tree that had fallen over, and we were climbing in the branches and bouncing in them, when, from the field across the street, a buck, a doe and a fawn came bounding out at us. Something must have frightened them out of the cover of the field -- and they didn't notice us. So they jumped over the tree, but under the branch we were sitting on... we reached down and touched the fawn as he passed under us.

In the summer, we'd go to Mr Meeder's farm for fresh picked corn -- he was at the corner of Rochester and Rte 19 -- the farmhouse may still be there, but the land's been sold.... and in the fall that's where we'd get field corn for the blue jays to feed off for the winter, our pumpkins to carve and the best fresh pressed cider ever.

All this stuff is gone, paved over for housing, and stores and family style restaurants..... and every one calls it progress.

Well -- now that I've depressed myself...

[Maaz]

Gallacus, thanks for the positive input. I agree with what you have to say.
Moderator cut: personal

You take anything positive and turn it into negative, whether true or not. Your thoughts on the Waterfront and Station Square are completely false. Both are doing quite well year-round, especially the Waterfront. In fact, developers have found that this is the way to go instead of enclosed malls, many of which are struggling. The development of Settlers Ridge in Robinson Twp is an example of another 'outdoor' type shopping area.

Secondly, the majority of your negativity is about small suburbs and not Pittsburgh itself. For what it's worth, even the Waterfront is not in Pittsburgh (it's in West Homestead, Homestead, and Munhall). I find the nightlife on the South Side to be quite active. Even areas such as the Strip District and Lawrenceville are often busy in the late evening.

Another thing is you compare being 20 something to being single. First of all, there are many people in their 20's who are married and even have children. There are also many single people outside of their 20's (including me). The studies you indicated are low because some people have a harder time finding a date as there happen to be a higher normal percentage of people who are married. This doesn't make it a bad place for 20 somethings. Secondly, as Gallacus said, this is a great adventure town. Many of us appreciate that. Personally, I think the urban neighborhoods are great and have a lot to offer in terms of American and ethnic restaurants, speciality grocery, small shops all over the place carrying anything I am looking for. I also like the bike trails, the hiking trails at Frick Park, not to mention all the trails outside the city. The North Shore riverfront trail is also very scenic!