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While I haven't been to Pittsburgh for some reason I've always had an impression that it's a blend of Philadelphia & Chicago, maybe I'm wrong on that but I've always had that impression of Pittsburgh.
I also read that Pittsburgh is the leading & capital city (and largest city) of a US Sub-Region called "Applachia" which exhibits the culture's and traditions of the Appalachian Region and on the Appalachian Mountain range.
I think Philly and Cinci maybe, not Chicago - Philly probably has more in common with Chicago actually, not they are really that similar.
Appalachia definately has a distinct flavor. I went to college in the rgion (PSU) and have family in WV, Central PA is more similar to WV than to the remainder of PA. Because of the topography it has a distinct feel. Personally I fine the area very pretty but urban it it most definately is not. I think the WV tag line somes it up pretty well "Wild, Wonderful", unfortunatley some severe poverty from mining and manufacturing towns that just lost all their jobs. Pittsburgh I think developed from the railroads and eaternmost port so to speak for the Mississippi, remember the waters (a little) west of Harrisbugh PA flow out to the ocean via the Missippi, today there are still barges that go all the way from Pittsburgh to NOLA. Pittsburgh is a sort of urban oasis in the Appalacian region
Pittsburgh is a really cool city actually, make the visit
Yeah, "half" of NY and Pennsylvania are in the Northeast Corridor and "half" are Great Lakes, but I consider both states to be completely Northeastern, not partly Midwestern like some people might say.
I'm going to get hate for this but I always thought Southeast PA and downstate NY have much more in common with NJ than they do with Western PA and upstate NY, respectively. So I would say yes, those two states are split between two megaregions.
In the last 30 years, Pittsburgh's cultural and socioeconomic ties have strengthened with the Northeast and weakened with the Midwest. That's not to say that there's "no association" between Pittsburgh and the Midwest, just that it's greatly overstated. Ask people in Pittsburgh whether the city is part of the Northeast or the Midwest, and the vast majority will say it's part of the Northeast. It doesn't have to be right on the Atlantic coast to be part of the Northeast.
The vibe I get in Pittsburgh is more Northeastern than Midwestern. I'm not saying that I feel like I'm in New York or Philadelphia, but I feel "closer" to New York and Philadelphia than I do to Chicago or St. Louis. I've been to both Cincinnati and Baltimore in the last two years, and while Cincinnati looked more like Pittsburgh to me, Baltimore felt more like Pittsburgh to me.
Take a look at Megabus. Pittsburgh used to be part of its Midwest network until it was truncated off the Pittsburgh-Chicago route due to insufficient ridership. Since then, Pittsburgh has been part of the Northeast network with service to New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC. (Eventually, Megabus plans to restore service between Pittsburgh and Chicago, but only as a hub between the Northeast and Midwest networks.)
Furthermore, the Great Lakes classification is dubious. It's simply too far away from them to really influence the culture. It's not like Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago or Milwaukee, cities whose "water" identities are based on the lakes. Pittsburgh's identity is based on its rivers. This is why comparisons with Cincinnati and St. Louis are common, but just because those two cities are Midwestern doesn't mean that Pittsburgh is. Pittsburgh is Northeastern and (north) Appalachian, with a slight influence of Midwest "river city" culture.
I live in NYC which is undoubtedly a NE city and I think Pittsburgh feels midwestern like Cincy or Cleveland and not like Philly or NYC
My parents were born and raised in Missouri, and moved to New Jersey for a few years while my father earned his doctorate at Rutgers University (I was born in New Brunswick, NJ). After he earned his doctorate, we moved to Pittsburgh when I was about a year and a half old. My parents, having experienced both the Midwest and the Northeast, say that Pittsburgh is a Northeastern city, as did all my social studies teachers in school. Personally, I think a city's self concept matters most of all, and most people in Pittsburgh consider the city to be part of the Northeast.
One problem is that people in the Bosh-Wash Metro corridor tend to associate the Metro area as THE NORTHEAST instead of just part of the Northeast.
Bosh-Wash definetely contains the most people in the NE but that does not mean it should totally define what the Northeast is. When people in Bosh-Wash say that Pittsburgh or Buffalo is too far away or too different to be part of the NE, that strikes me as being self-centered and maybe having a bit of a superiority complex.
Yeah, "half" of NY and Pennsylvania are in the Northeast Corridor and "half" are Great Lakes, but I consider both states to be completely Northeastern, not partly Midwestern like some people might say.
I grew up in Pennsylvania.......I tend to agree with your statement. Even Scranton, though technically part of the Appalachian subregion.....is definitely a Northeastern city.....and usually considered part of Bosh-Wash...depending on your source of data.
One problem is that people in the Bosh-Wash Metro corridor tend to associate the Metro area as THE NORTHEAST instead of just part of the Northeast.
Bosh-Wash definetely contains the most people in the NE but that does not mean it should totally define what the Northeast is. When people in Bosh-Wash say that Pittsburgh or Buffalo is too far away or too different to be part of the NE, that strikes me as being self-centered and maybe having a bit of a superiority complex.
I agree with that characterization -- some people do act like the Northeast is an elite club to which only certain cities and areas of states belong.
Interestingly, I think this is only a recent phenomenon that has taken root as the Northeast Corridor embarked on a huge ascent, while most interior Northeastern cities lagged behind in terms of prosperity. Here is my theory behind this: Back in the industrial heyday, every city in the Northeast was thriving. Yet as cities/metropolitan areas of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and DC (which, conversely, was not nearly as associated with the Northeast as it is today, if at all, back in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) diversified their economies to remain competitive, there began a distinct trend to disassociate those "other," less-diversified parts of the Northeast (the vast majority of which happened to be in the interior) that began to fall behind. I believe this has been a concerted effort in order for the "Northeast" to continue to remain synonymous with economic prowess and political power.
Bottom line: cities like Pittsburgh and Buffalo are clearly not apart of the BosWash megalopolis, but I think it is quite off-base to associate them with the Midwest. There is certainly a whole interior to the Northeast region away from the coast to which other cities belong, regardless of their differences (which are often overblown for the sake of media sensationalism). Especially when you consider historic, economic and commercial patterns, nothing could be further from the truth.
Last edited by Duderino; 02-20-2011 at 06:10 PM..
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Even Scranton, though technically part of the Appalachian subregion.....is definitely a Northeastern city.
....and usually considered part of Bosh-Wash...depending on your source of data.
