Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Consider...
Population, growth, crime, culture, amenities, unemployment rates, col, housing, metro area, time to get to other nearby cities, and overall living.
Last edited by JMT; 04-30-2014 at 07:49 PM..
Reason: NO SKYLINE COMPARISONS!!!
I like both cities a lot, but I think I'd give the edge to Pittsburgh based on my interests and lifestyle.
Pittsburgh has one of the best bike cultures I've ever seen (not my lifestyle, but one I admire). I was shocked considering how hilly it is and how cold the winters can be.
Austin is one of the more fun cities I've ever been to. Rainey Street is an extraordinarily well done conversion of an old residential neighborhoods.
Consider...
Population, growth, crime, culture, amenities, unemployment rates, col, housing, metro area, time to get to other nearby cities, and overall living.
Population: Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh MSA has more people than the Austin MSA, at least for now.
Growth: Austin
Austin is growing like a weed, and Pittsburgh is flat.
Crime: Pittsburgh
I don't know about Austin's crime rate, but I imagine it's higher than Pittsburgh's, which is one of the lowest of any major U.S. city.
Culture: Pittsburgh
Austin has SXSW and a much more vibrant music scene than Pittsburgh, but Pittsburgh wins in terms of "high culture" and film, and boasts the largest sound stage in the United States outside of Los Angeles.
Amenities: Pittsburgh
For as exciting as Austin is, Pittsburgh has an underrated ambiance with several vibrant neighborhoods, punches above its weight in cultural amenities, and also has professional sports teams. Outdoor recreation is a draw, with Austin having better outdoor weather, but Pittsburgh having a wider variety of recreation.
Unemployment: Austin
Pittsburgh's unemployment rate remains low, but Austin's is even lower, with its built in advantages of being a) a state capital and b) a city in Texas.
Cost of living: Austin
Property taxes in both cities are kind of high, but Pittsburgh has a couple of extra tax layers that Austin does not. Gas and groceries are cheaper in Austin too.
Housing: Austin
Pittsburgh has more historically significant old housing than Austin does, but it also has more ****ty old housing as well. Houses in Austin tend to be newer and better-appointed, and less expensive too, since there's a steady supply of them. New housing in Pittsburgh tends to be relatively expensive because there's a shortage of it.
Metropolitan area: Austin
The Pittsburgh MSA is a tale of two metropolitan areas, with virtually all the growth, money and action occurring in the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, while the rest of western Pennsylvania withers away, including the outlying metropolitan counties. On the other hand, the entire Austin MSA is growing and prospering.
Proximity: Pittsburgh
Here's a list of approximate driving times to other major metropolitan areas, rounded to the nearest hour...
2 hours: Cleveland
3 hours: Columbus
4 hours: Baltimore, Buffalo, Washington DC
5 hours: Cincinnati, Detroit, Philadelphia, Rochester
6 hours: Indianapolis, New York, Richmond
7 hours: Charlotte, Louisville, Virginia Beach/Norfolk
8 hours: Chicago, Hartford, Raleigh
9 hours: Boston, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence
10 hours: St. Louis
11 hours: Atlanta
Assuming an average driving speed of 60 MPH including stops, Pittsburgh is within a 12-hour drive of 24 of the 51 MSAs in the United States with at least 1,000,000 population. It's also within a six-hour drive of Toronto and an 11-hour drive of Montreal if you have a passport. On the other hand, I think Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Kansas City, Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and San Antonio are the only major MSAs within a 12-hour drive of Austin. Monterrey is doable within 12 hours if you have a passport.
....Pittsburgh is not one of the lowest crime rates for a major metro. Where did you get this from? The city of Pittsburgh has a murder rate of about 14 per 100,000 which is higher than a lot of cities (LA, San Fran and NYC included). The metro area also has some pretty bad towns: McKeesport immediately comes to mind.
Austin because of it's thriving economy and very warm friendly people.
Only cons about it would be the hot weather in the summer which compensates when it rains or tropical systems move nearby.
I've never been to Pittsburgh but I've heard nice things about it.. I love the snow and would consider moving up there or more so in the Northwest versus the Northeast if I had no family in Texas.
Consider... Population, growth, crime, culture, amenities, unemployment rates, col, housing, metro area, time to get to other nearby cities, and overall living.
I'm sure both would be great, but for my style I prefer Pittsburgh. That being said, what are some of these categories really trying to prove? (lots of threads have these categories unfortunately...) Population? Ever been to China? There are some seriously massive urban cities that you've never heard of... Growth???? A podunk town in the country can be growing at a faster % rate than NY/London/Paris/etc... and??? Employment? Different than the others, but are you moving there with or without a job/what is your background/education/etc. as this varies a whole lot and gets pretty heavily overplayed...
....Pittsburgh is not one of the lowest crime rates for a major metro. Where did you get this from? The city of Pittsburgh has a murder rate of about 14 per 100,000 which is higher than a lot of cities (LA, San Fran and NYC included). The metro area also has some pretty bad towns: McKeesport immediately comes to mind.
You take a comment about a metro, which you repeat, then pull city...
You take a comment about a metro, which you repeat, then pull city...
Did you look at his comment? Guess not...
He said Pittsburgh... nothing about metro. I brought up metro. But thanks bud.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
