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As I see it, the pros of Pittsburgh compared to the other two are:
- Higher employment rate
At this point, Pittsburgh doesnt have enough of an advantage over the other 2 to make much of a difference.
Once you dip below 6%, the job market is relatively healthy.
Unemployment Rate, Sep 2014
Pittsburgh Metro Area 4.6%
Oakland Metro Division 5.7%
Portland Metro Area 5.7%
- A large and diverse number of fortune 500 company headquarters (as opposed to Oakland where the fortune 500 companies are mostly in the other metropolitan divisions of the MSA or CSA or Portland which has relatively few fortune 500 companies)
Regardless and comparison aside, from the standpoint of access to opportunities, Oaklanders are within commuting distance of 30 Fortune 500 companies. #boom
That alone is breathtaking.
As far as wages, this should come as no surprise: Average Wage Per Job, 2012
Oakland Metro Division $64,625
Pittsburgh Metro Area $48,523
People love to talk about cost of living, but this^ figure represents the "average"-meaning half of the people earn more, many considerably more.
Households Earning $150,000+, 2013
Oakland Metro Division.........197,279....21.5% of all households
Pittsburgh Metro Area.............82,970......8.4% of all households
Oakland is also far more entrepreneureal:
Self Employed Persons, 2013
Oakland Metro Division105,456 8.2%
Pittsburgh Metro Area 52,376 4.2%
And Oakland has a much more robust rate of job creation at this time:
Change in Non Farm Jobs, Sep 2013-Sep 2014
Oakland Metro Division +21,200
Pittsburgh Metro Area +7,500
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- A low cost of living to go along with those jobs which allows for a really great quality of life
Then why , be it city or metro, does Pittsburgh have a higher poverty rate than Oakland?
Last edited by 18Montclair; 10-31-2014 at 09:25 AM..
Didn't Pittsburgh's population finally go back to a net positive?
It has indeed reached an inflection point where the future should be filled with increasing growth. This is happening even while having the nations only natural decline in a large metro area weighing down the overall population growth.
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I wish Pittsburgh had better mass transit. Both Oakland and Portland seem to have significantly more extensive systems. Pittsburgh seems to have an obvious case for a rail line from downtown connecting to Oakland (essentially the second CBD of Pittsburgh) and beyond, but it doesn't look to be happening anytime soon. It seems really sensible for Pittsburgh since these are so close to each other with one hosting a massive student body and because the city has a lot of jobs within those two CBDs.
There is actually a BRT line in the works similar to Cleveland's Health Line That will connect Downtown and Oakland. I know its not as sexy as light rail, but the cost and time to implement are much much more favorable for BRT which is essentially why it is being pursued. However, once all the right-aways are completely established for BRT, plans for putting rail lines in on the BTR lanes would be the obvious next step.
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- An airport without international flights, though with many easy connections through nearby major airports in Philadelphia, DC, and NYC (not nearly the same as a direct flight though)
There is a daily direct flight to Paris offered by Delta both to and from PIT. This makes it very easy to connect to hundreds of places across Europe and the middle east with only one connecting flight from Pittsburgh. So you are not always doomed to having to connect at crowded east coast airports when travelling overseas.
"Cosmopolitan Influence" from where? West Virginia?
Pittsburgh is 86% White and 3% Foreign Born.
Statistical Area........2013 Population.....Non Hispanic White Population....% White
Oakland Metro Division..............2,673,096......1,057,950.... ..39.5%
Pittsburgh Metro Area................2,360,867......2,356,285...... 86.4%
Foreign Born Population, 2013
Oakland Metro Division........753,727.....28.1% of the population
Pittsburgh Metro Area.............88,999......3.8% of the population
And its Metro Area's growth rate is constipated.
Statistical Area................2013 Population......2010-2013 Population Growth Rate
Oakland Metro Division...................2,673,096........+4.16%
Pittsburgh Metro Area.....................2,360,867.........+0.19%
Who cares unless you're that much of a racist to worry about what percentage of a race lives where. Every time I see you post I hear this in my head.
People from West Virginia are typically more interesting than from California. Uniqueness and true individuality trumps Cosmo sheeplehood. Pittsburgh has a copiuos amount of the former...the Bay Area is LOADED with the latter.
Yawns. I am more than willing to indulge the rantings of hokey, flyover people as much as the next charitable person, but eventually they need to put up or shut up.
When you gravitate away from factual attributes you do have like cheapness and delve into Coastal things like "Cosmopolitanism", then you come off as delusional.
I agree, and I think people like spitting out race statistics because it perpetuates positive attributes of a city, when in fact its just a number on paper and one of the many attributes that individuals weight their importance. If someone likes to see a lot of Filipinos and can deal with a higher crime rate, then fine and vice versa.
That being said, if i had to choose of the 3 locations, i would probably choose Oakland since i am in IT, and it would benefit my career being in the Bay Area. However, the high housing cost is an issue. To me high housing cost is beneficial IF i already own a home and I like bragging about a house value like someone brags about their BMW/Rolex/25 Course Meal, but not a reason for me to move there in the first place. Whether a higher salary and higher cost of living would offset that i have not clue, but its not a guarantee, since it didnt offset when i moved from Chicago to NYC.
Yawns. I am more than willing to indulge the rantings of hokey, flyover people as much as the next charitable person, but eventually they need to put up or shut up.
When you gravitate away from factual attributes you do have like cheapness and delve into Coastal things like "Cosmopolitanism", then you come off as delusional.
People from West Virginia are typically more interesting than from California. Uniqueness and true individuality trumps Cosmo sheeplehood. Pittsburgh has a copiuos amount of the former...the Bay Area is LOADED with the latter.
People from West Virginia are basically the Most Interesting Man in the World en masse... They're just amazing people in every aspect of life.
Thats right, Im fine. Its you people whose cities are about to turn into frozen, uninhabitable tundras in a few months. I should be worried about you. Poor dears.
No different than the cold, winter rains of the Bay Area which go for days on end, though I hear that may no longer be an issue.
Anyway, my dad can run faster than your dad.
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Fortune 500 companies. #boom
