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GregHenry, I'm a transplant to Pittsburgh. I've lived here with my partner, who is also a transplant, for two years now, and we've really enjoyed our experience thus far. The city has some rust to it; however, you can see promising signs of revitalization in nearly every neighborhood. Our economy has diversified nicely, our population of young educated workers is growing, violent crime remains confined generally to a few predictable bad pockets, and cultural options continue to blossom. The population of the city, county, and metro area are all growing for the first time in many decades. The population in the East End is growing so quickly that there is even a housing shortage in a few neighborhoods, including my own. We already have a gorgeous skyline, and the addition of a few more towers during this decade will only enhance that. We're a large city that functions like a patchwork quilt of distinctive and very close-knit neighborhoods, and I think that's incredible. I'm incredulous that you could harbor so much disdain for this place.
So the heavy traffic, the tunnels, the bridges, the narrow twisting up-and-down roads, the long commutes for short distances, the lethal-on-snow hills, the run-down appearance, the lack of a first-rate interstate system, and the absence of modern-America corporate shopping, shiny malls and chain restaurants doesn't bother you?
I'll proudly admit that I'm a suburban-loving, Chili's-dining, driveway-parking, heterosexual Republican. I'm also a very frequent customer of Chick-fil-A. I like things clean and new, my lawns big, and my roads wide, straight and fast.
We might be talking about an artichoke. Some like 'em; some don't.
Cincinnati is often said to be similar to Pittsburgh in the river, hills and city age, but I love Cincy and consider it superior in every regard to Pittsburgh.
So the heavy traffic, the tunnels, the bridges, the narrow twisting up-and-down roads, the long commutes for short distances, the lethal-on-snow hills, the run-down appearance, the lack of a first-rate interstate system, and the absence of modern-America corporate shopping, shiny malls and chain restaurants doesn't bother you?
I'll proudly admit that I'm a suburban-loving, Chili's-dining, driveway-parking, heterosexual Republican. I'm also a very frequent customer of Chick-fil-A. I like things clean and new, my lawns big, and my roads wide, straight and fast.
We might be talking about an artichoke. Some like 'em; some don't.
Cincinnati is often said to be similar to Pittsburgh in the river, hills and city age, but I love Cincy and consider it superior in every regard to Pittsburgh.
Wow. Well, we're obviously polar opposites, and there's nothing wrong with that. With that being said the OP would probably be inclined to like Pittsburgh for the reasons I stated and would not like the same sort of city you like.
Also, the answer to fixing Pittsburgh's admittedly awful congestion issues is not to try to massively widen all of the highways. Pittsburgh needs mass transit beyond buses! Portland has an aerial gondola that links an area near Downtown to a major medical employment campus on a nearby hillside. Portland has streetcars. Portland has light rail. Pittsburgh has buses that sit in traffic beside everyone else. Given how anemic PA's budget currently is, though, the chances of billions being allocated towards building new light rail lines or subways in the city are slim to none. For what it's worth I think the tunnels, bridges, and very steep, windy, and narrow roads all over the city help to give it more of a unique flair. The topography is great and provides many excellent skyline views.
As far as retail/dining is concerned on the suburban scale I find Ross Park Mall, which contains Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Swarovsky, Brookstone, Godiva, and many more high-end stores to be more than adequate. We also have Ikea, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Hard Rock Cafe, and just about every mid-level chain restaurant you could think of (our first Carrabba's is on its way).
As far as Cincinnati is concerned we weren't impressed during a recent vacation there. Mt. Adams was very nice, and we did enjoy Over-the-Rhine and Hyde Park. The rest of the city? Meh.
I feel sorry for the OP. All he asked for was an unbiased comparison for soem cities in which he's considered living, and all he got was a bunch of nerds playing the "my dad can beat up your dad" game, but insert city of choice, of course.
I've got no skin in this game, but I'll tell you (from experience) what I think...
Having lived in both Omaha and KC, I can tell you that both cities are one of the same. KC is larger, obviously larger, but both comparable as to their cosmopolitan-ness. Both very suburban in nature, each having their own areas of concentrated urban density and entertainment districts.
Jobs-wise, Omaha wins, hands down. Sports-wise, KC wins, but only because of pro-level sports. (Their teams are... for lack of a better term... SH*T)
Columbus, I've heard a lot of good things about Columbus. Great private jobs sector, clearly a thriving government sector (not debating whether or not that is a good thing), and, considering its rust belt location, has done extremely well. Entertainment, imo, is better than what I had found in Cleveland, by far.
Lastly, Pittsburgh. Another diamond in the rust-belt-rough. Relatively low unemployment compared to its immediate neighbors, and has some fast growing fortune 500/1000 companies. I also think Pitt has one of the most picturesque downtown city-scapes I've ever seen.
Unfortunately for me, everything I know about Pittsburgh is not from having been there. It's on my places to go, and hopefully sometime soon.
My unbiased picks, Omaha or Pittsburgh. You get decent unemployment rate, great cost of living, and, surprisingly, entertainment will not disappoint in Omaha, and from what I have read, Pittsburgh either.
Omaha wins for cost of living and jobs.
Pitt wins for cosmopolitan, weather and airport.
good luck
Last edited by JMT; 12-15-2012 at 09:57 AM..
Reason: Removed inappropriate language
...Cincinnati is often said to be similar to Pittsburgh in the river, hills and city age, but I love Cincy and consider it superior in every regard to Pittsburgh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
...As far as Cincinnati is concerned we weren't impressed during a recent vacation there. Mt. Adams was very nice, and we did enjoy Over-the-Rhine and Hyde Park. The rest of the city? Meh.
Why not leave Cincinnati out of the debate? Whether you like Cincinnati or not, introducing it now sidetracks this thread and invites an irrelevant and unnecessary pissing contest.
Sh*t, I feel sorry for the OP. All he asked for was an unbiased comparison for soem cities in which he's considered living, and all he got was a bunch of nerds playing the "my dad can beat up your dad" game, but insert city of choice, of course.
I've got no skin in this game, but I'll tell you (from experience) what I think...
Having lived in both Omaha and KC, I can tell you that both cities are one of the same. KC is larger, obviously larger, but both comparable as to their cosmopolitan-ness. Both very suburban in nature, each having their own areas of concentrated urban density and entertainment districts.
Jobs-wise, Omaha wins, hands down. Sports-wise, KC wins, but only because of pro-level sports. (Their teams are... for lack of a better term... SH*T)
Columbus, I've heard a lot of good things about Columbus. Great private jobs sector, clearly a thriving government sector (not debating whether or not that is a good thing), and, considering its rust belt location, has done extremely well. Entertainment, imo, is better than what I had found in Cleveland, by far.
Lastly, Pittsburgh. Another diamond in the rust-belt-rough. Relatively low unemployment compared to its immediate neighbors, and has some fast growing fortune 500/1000 companies. I also think Pitt has one of the most picturesque downtown city-scapes I've ever seen.
Unfortunately for me, everything I know about Pittsburgh is not from having been there. It's on my places to go, and hopefully sometime soon.
My unbiased picks, Omaha or Pittsburgh. You get decent unemployment rate, great cost of living, and, surprisingly, entertainment will not disappoint in Omaha, and from what I have read, Pittsburgh either.
Omaha wins for cost of living and jobs.
Pitt wins for cosmopolitan, weather and airport.
good luck
Haha well the thread I started in the DM forum turned into a bumper sticker thread.
Have you been to the Pittsburgh airport? It's very sad and desolate. The gate complex has four spokes. They have so little traffic that they built walls halfway down each of the gates to make the gates appear more crowded. It's creepy, because the jetways are still in place for the walled-off gates and visible from the runways, but they're sealed off to passengers. Even with sealing off the gates, the airport is still calm and quiet.
Don't forget what a realtor told me when I was looking at a listing she owned. She said: "If you're from somewhere else, it's just not as pretty here."
Last edited by GregHenry; 12-14-2012 at 04:48 AM..
Have you been to the Pittsburgh airport? It's very sad and desolate. The gate complex has four spokes. They have so little traffic that they built walls halfway down each of the gates to make the gates appear more crowded. It's creepy, because the jetways are still in place for the walled-off gates and visible from the runways, but they're sealed off to passengers. Even with sealing off the gates, the airport is still calm and quiet.
Don't forget what a realtor told me when I was looking at a listing she owned. She said: "If you're from somewhere else, it's just not as pretty here."
While comparing Pitt's airport against Omaha's, Pitt wins, hands down, for airfare prices and non-stop connections. So, yes. I don't care if the airport is an old factory converted into a terminal, it wins.
Pittsburgh is an awesome city. I go there often and I just don't see the mass blight and abandonment being described here. Actually the downtown area has really rebounded and it quite vibrant and growing. Needs more residential in the CBD, but I think it will come.
What you have to know is Greg has a massive vandetta against Pittsburgh and he likes to make up or be overly dramatic about it.
Have you been to the Pittsburgh airport? It's very sad and desolate. The gate complex has four spokes. They have so little traffic that they built walls halfway down each of the gates to make the gates appear more crowded. It's creepy, because the jetways are still in place for the walled-off gates and visible from the runways, but they're sealed off to passengers. Even with sealing off the gates, the airport is still calm and quiet.
Don't forget what a realtor told me when I was looking at a listing she owned. She said: "If you're from somewhere else, it's just not as pretty here."
Once again you're wrong! Pittsburgh international was built in 1992 at a fist of nearly $1 billion. Many people who use the airport rank it as one of the best in the country. If it would only get flights which should increase once the landing fees at PIT drop quite a bit over the next few years. What's your intellectual response to that troll?
Omaha is a very nice small-city, especially for a not-a-college-town town.
Des Moines is one of the few nice cities of its size in the Midwest, but is sleepy and small. Basically a big "town", not really a city. A lot of those kind of towns end up with all of the flaws of a city but none of its real benefits, but Des Moines seems able to navigate that transitional size really well, IMO.
Pittsburgh is kind of an outlier, here. Firstly, it's not midwestern. Its a weird mash up of rust-belt and appalachian culture. I think its got its charms, but the rumors of its "rebirth"/"reinvention" seem pretty overblown. It is most comparable to KC of the towns listed, they have a lot of the same level of amenities, but Pittsburgh is more provincial, more established as civic entity and just has more of its own kind of soul. In that way, its a lot like StL or Cleveland.
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