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1960 604,332
−10.7% 1970 520,117
−13.9% 1980 423,938
−18.5% 1990 369,879
−12.8% 2000 334,563
−9.5% 2010 305,704
−8.6%
people are moving out every year. if its so great, why do they?
Ten year increments (ten years is a lot of years), last increment was 2010 and obviously from the deceleration of population drops, the population loss hit an inflection point. Pittsburgh also had a strangely large proportion of elderly and they also do their own sort of population loss.
Anyhow, Pittsburgh had a rough several decades, but it looks like it's back for some good times. They need a grade-separated line going from downtown to Oakland though.
Hillbilly culture? Umm. Pretty much none in the KC area. You will see some of that in far remote areas of rural southern Missouri I guess, but not in the KC area.
Do you mean redneck culture? That is a little different. As far as redneck, I would say KC has very little. I have noticed more of that in the Pittsuburgh and Baltimore areas than in the KC area. But some of the suburbs of KC have more of that.
Now KC does have a sizable blue collar culture which does not mean redneck and especially not hillbilly. Just people that have more of a blue collar background, like to hunt, fish, nascar etc, on weekends rather than go downtown to the opera or art gallery crawls. But I honestly think KC is about the same as most major cities even in that regard. It’s not DC, San Francisco or Boston, but it’s very similar to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Denver etc. I would even say that places like Pittsburgh and Baltimore have a higher percentage of blue collar culture than KC does. KC, especially in urban kcmo and in some of the affluent suburban areas like Overland Park are about as non-redneck / blue collar as you can get.
Now places like Oklahoma City and even Nashville etc are nothing like KC. They have a much more obvious “country culture”. Oklahoma City is off the charts when it comes to that. OKC makes KC feel like Boston a far as urban culture. That’s why I think the name “Kansas” City is what plays with people’s minds. When most people think of Kansas, I think they imagine just about everything except urban or sophisticated.
Bottom line is that KC really is about what you would expect from a major metro area of over 2 million people (and has been a major "urban" city for a long time) and the city has very little southern our country culture despite its central location among rural states and assocation with Kansas which has a terrible national image (or Missouri, who's image is not a lot better). While it has a cowtown heritage (stockyards etc), KC is more like Chicago (which also has a cowtown heritage) than a Fort Worth or OKC or even Dallas or Houston, obviously on a much smaller scale than Chicago though.
Great Post! Really helpful. I'm maybe even leaning more towards Kansas City after this.
1960 604,332
−10.7% 1970 520,117
−13.9% 1980 423,938
−18.5% 1990 369,879
−12.8% 2000 334,563
−9.5% 2010 305,704
−8.6%
people are moving out every year. if its so great, why do they?
Considering you are claiming you know all about Pittsburgh, the city's population bottomed out in 2007 at around 305,000 and has experienced a 1,000 person average increase since 2009. The population estimate of 2012 is 308,090. Projected out 10 years to the next census would be over 320,000. And since 2010 the city has accelerated its new construction of residential projects throughout the city, especially downtown. And to extend the death rate vs birth rate topic, the death rate is still higher so even with a negative trend there we are gaining. Plus the birth vs death rate is expected to change before 2020. So yes, it has reversed.
Great Post! Really helpful. I'm maybe even leaning more towards Kansas City after this.
Before taking advice from somebody that has "KCMO" Kansas City, Missouri, consider that they may be just a bit biased . Pittsburgh has the reputation of being "redneck" and all, but personally after living here for a long time, you would only run into it if you were to travel far past the suburbs into the Pittsburgh countryside, which you would find in just about any major city if you traveled into their more rural areas.
Before taking advice from somebody that has "KCMO" Kansas City, Missouri, consider that they may be just a bit biased . Pittsburgh has the reputation of being "redneck" and all, but personally after living here for a long time, you would only run into it if you were to travel far past the suburbs into the Pittsburgh countryside, which you would find in just about any major city if you traveled into their more rural areas.
The guy said earlier he prefers Pittsburgh more himself. Maybe you should actually read more than one post from somebody before making judgments?
Pittsburgh hands down if you like to pay taxes, live in one of the more corrupt cities in the Nation, it runs more like a police state as the police make the rules as they go. The Pittsburgh Police Review Board (innocent name sounds like it looks out for residents) has been recognized by the US Attorneys Office as an organization whose sole purpose is to cover for the crimes police commit; I know, I'm one of their victims. Who pays for the new stadiums was put on the ballot and the voters voted against it taxes being used, well government said they meant no NEW taxes and taxes paid for the stadiums (then the existing taxes went through the roof); that's how it works there since democrats have run the city virtually unchallenged since dirt. SO they know no matter what bad thing they do, they will get reelected. Yea one night I was on my way to a Bible study, opened my garage door to find 2 cops with 40 caliber pistols pointed at my face...this is the Police Zone that threatened to kill me for turning a cop in...and they have the full support of the Mayor since this is how they get reelected, cover for crooked cops and throw money at the firemen.
The good news is there are jobs there since Pittsburgh loses 10% of its population per year; you can only take it so long.
Oh and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in NOT in the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania State Attorney Generals Office when Corbett knew he was running for Governor. I wonder why...that's the Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police building behind the campaign sign; I asked for help since the Police wouldn't enforce the law at my residence for more than 10 years and rigged my court hearing against tenants. Click on the picture to get a better look.
Pittsburgh; they call it "Someplace Special" sure is, thank God every city isn't like that. And what idiot or how much did they get paid to say Pittsburgh is the most livable city in America??? They obviously never lived there.
Considering you are claiming you know all about Pittsburgh, the city's population bottomed out in 2007 at around 305,000 and has experienced a 1,000 person average increase since 2009. The population estimate of 2012 is 308,090. Projected out 10 years to the next census would be over 320,000. And since 2010 the city has accelerated its new construction of residential projects throughout the city, especially downtown. And to extend the death rate vs birth rate topic, the death rate is still higher so even with a negative trend there we are gaining. Plus the birth vs death rate is expected to change before 2020. So yes, it has reversed.
Well they do have the Carnegie Library which...and this is a perfect example of Pittsburgh's way of doing business, was funded by an inexhaustible foundation left by Andrew Carnegie which was obviously pissed away. The idiots in Pittsburgh voted to fund the library, without the people who pissed away the inexhaustible foundation going to jail for doing so, with an additional real estate tax so the same people who pissed away the foundation could pis away tax dollars now. SO the tax on my house was $8.00 for which they printed a blank bill, printed the tax I owe on that bill, mailed it to me, then mailed a second notice since some genius judge was convinced by the school board (another black hole) into arbitrarily raising home values at least 35% in a declining market which caused everybody to appeal their assessment netting the schools a big time loss of revenue. Anyway back on track...so the sent me 2 notices then I paid the $8.00 which someone had to open and record the payment then send the payment to the Library.
Now tell me, after all that, how much of the $8.00 was left for the library? Any questions as to why the inexhaustible foundation went broke?
Pittsburgh's climate is atrocious IMO. The interior Northeast probably has the worst weather in the US because of the cold, gray, overcast winters (hardly any sunshine from October/November-April/May). The cloudiness is about on par with the PNW. If sunshine matters to you, don't move to Pittsburgh.
However, Pittsburgh has made an awesome comeback for a rust belt city. I was impressed with KC when I visited, it was more vibrant than I expected. I think both KC and Pittsburgh have a lot to offer, it really comes down to preference and what might work better for you.
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. Pittsburgh has the reputation of being "redneck" and all, but personally after living here for a long time, you would only run into it if you were to travel far past the suburbs into the Pittsburgh countryside, which you would find in just about any major city if you traveled into their more rural areas.
