Pittsburgh Vs. Portland (live, moving, manufacturing)

[meltinjohn]

Pittsburgh if I indeed has spent more time there, I might have grown to like. I look at circumstances tho. I was 2 hrs from there, went once or twice and when I did go, it was downtown which had nothing like out where Sbarros was and the army navy store + it was like a limit since I went with my mom and not by myself. Pittsburgh drivers seemed less courteous than Portland imo and almost a tie to Boston as far as not stopping for people downtown.
Portland drivers were much better with that. I thought mostly all the time tho that when people left an area, it meant employment was worse but it doesnt always mean that after all it seems. It seems the places more people leave will be the ones more people will eventually be coming to. That could even mean Johnstown or Altoona as silly as that sounds subsound. The reasons I mention this is because you may know these places.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

Pittsburgh if I indeed has spent more time there, I might have grown to like. I look at circumstances tho. I was 2 hrs from there, went once or twice and when I did go, it was downtown which had nothing like out where Sbarros was and the army navy store + it was like a limit since I went with my mom and not by myself. Pittsburgh drivers seemed less courteous than Portland imo and almost a tie to Boston as far as not stopping for people downtown.
Portland drivers were much better with that. I thought mostly all the time tho that when people left an area, it meant employment was worse but it doesnt always mean that after all it seems. It seems the places more people leave will be the ones more people will eventually be coming to. That could even mean Johnstown or Altoona as silly as that sounds subsound. The reasons I mention this is because you may know these places.

Ya, people moving to Johnstown or Altoona in droves ain't going to happen, and it does sound "silly"! My man, I've been to both of those places, there ain't a chance in h*ll that's EVER going to happen!

[meltinjohn]

Originally Posted by pittsteelerfan

Ya, people moving to Johnstown or Altoona in droves ain't going to happen, and it does sound "silly"! My man, I've been to both of those places, there ain't a chance in h*ll that's EVER going to happen!

Very safe to say. Weather is sucky there, half the town is empty or more than now probably.

[mdvaden]

When you think of Portland, you have to broaden your thoughts to include suburbs, as well as all the businesses. Likewise with Pittsburg.

Some businesses or jobs are almost immune from bad economy.

[tablemtn]

Pittsburgh had an odd feeling of isolation to me, even though it is technically within a day's drive of a number of big metro areas. Maybe because there is a whole lot of nothing on the drive in, then the city suddenly appears from behind the hills.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by tablemtn

Pittsburgh had an odd feeling of isolation to me, even though it is technically within a day's drive of a number of big metro areas. Maybe because there is a whole lot of nothing on the drive in, then the city suddenly appears from behind the hills.

I understand that isolation feeling. But if you think about it, the same thing could be said about Seattle or Portland. And the terrain of Pittsburgh is similiar to Portland or Seattle. All those hills and valleys can give people a 'closed in' feeling (like Seattle or Portland). Although in Seattle you have the Puget Sound to look at.

And Pittsburgh actually has alot more major metros in a relatively short drive compared to Seattle or Portland. Cleveland, Philly, Buffalo, NYC, DC, Baltimore. The commute to Cleveland would be similiar to commute between Seattle and Portland.

[skrazzle]

You know these are 2 cities my gf and I have considered in the past.... Portland seems awesome with its transportation and its neighborhoods and downtown. The mountains and ocean, etc...

Pittsburgh has a more reasonable cost of living, better job opportunities, more history, and a beautiful city.. I don't know how good its rail/subway system is, but I've never heard much rave reviews(tho the fact they have it means it could be expanded to be better some day).. but the biggest plus I see to it is with that cost of living, think how easily it could be to take a day trip anywhere you want? Philly, NYC, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, Montreal, etc... seriously you leave for a weekend trip you can leave Pittsburgh at 6 AM and get to Montreal by 3PM.... that is pretty nice if ya ask me.

really a tough question... =/

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Portland has people that are more willing to do things and possibly more things to do, but Pittsburgh is quite a bit cheaper with an alright economy. I say pick up the culture in Portland for a while as a student, and then bring it to Pittsburgh when you join the workforce.

That is actually good advice!

[philwithbeard]

I lived in Pittsburgh area (south hills) for 9 years ending a decade ago. Just moved to Portland. As a student, you would do well in Pittsburgh especially and specifically in technical fields. Great sports town, Steelers and Pirates. No basketball, however. Driving during winter takes some getting use to. Very hilly. Take note, there are North Hill Pittsburghers who have never visited the South Hills and vise versa. Very low interest in anything outside their own limited neighborhood.

I did not like Pittsburgh all that much. But that is just me, you may find it just great. So many young people find the Eastern Market is just what they need. A lot of wholesale food comes into Eastern Market where it is sold to retail and restaurants mostly during graveyard shift. A few retail outlets sell, with great bargains, to downtown living students, during the daylight hours. Parking is a pain all day and night long.

Driving a car in the 'burbs around Pittsburgh is really screwed up. Takes a long time to learn the roads and where to turn in order to continue your journey on another road (straight roads don't exist, and roads don't generally go from or to anyplace in particular. ) Learn the color coded belt roads. (blue belt, red belt, yellow belt, etc.)

But Portland has the 'Laid Back' left-coast bit down pat. People are thinner (waist-line) and a bit more fit in Portland, IMHO. Don't even think of using a bicycle in most of Pittsburgh area. Roads are narrow, and the drivers, well at least some of them, think bicycle riders are bonus points.

Parts of Pittsburgh have poverty housing that are way, WAY worse than anything in Portland.

HTH
Phil

[The Cactus Leaguer]

I think people have pretty much hit on all the main points of similarity and differentiation. Pittsburgh is very underrated in my opinion, I like it a lot (we visit in-laws there annually, oh how I wish Portland had a stadium like PNC Park on the Willamette).

That being said, here are some statistics that make you think:

Population shift

Pittsburgh - 2,431,087 (2000 Census); 2,351,192 (2008 Census estimate); 3.3% decrease
Portland - 1,927,881 (2000); 2,207,462 (2008); 14.5% increase

Births, Death, International Migration, Domestic (within US) migration; 2000-2008

Pittsburgh - 205,463 births; 231,834 deaths; 16,119 Int'l migration; -57,928 Domestic migration
Portland - 237,943 births; 122,070 deaths; 71,443 Int'l migration; 103,445 Domestic migration

At this point, Portland is a younger, growing (healthy growth, not massively exploding Phoenix-like growth), while Pittsburgh is an older, dying metro area. I hope this changes because I really like Pittsburgh, but the fact is that Portland is doing much better attracting the young educated people like the person who started this thread.