Pittsburgh vs. Atlanta (living, cost, state, better)
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Please compare/rank in based on which is better for:
--walkability
--nice downtown area
--public transport
--safety
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)
And which would you general recommend more for a family with young kids?
I don't care about nightlife, and I know that Atlanta is superior in terms of its airport. I also know that Pittsburgh has better public schools than Atlanta, in general. But what about the other categories? Would love to hear everyone's thoughts, as we feel like we're narrowing our options down to these two cities.
I've lived in Pittsburgh for ten years, but have only visited Atlanta, so take this with a grain of salt. Still:
Walkability; Pittsburgh is significantly more walkable than Atlanta. Pittsburgh's walkscore is 60, with 14 neighborhoods having walkscores of over 80. Atlanta is 46, with only 10 neighborhoods over 80. The gap widens when you consider that walkscore really only rates how close a given point is to commercial amenities, not the structure of the road/neighborhood, and that many of the top-rated walkable neighborhoods in Atlanta are sub-neighborhoods of Downtown, or secondary CBDs like Midtown and Buckhead. I don't think Atlanta has anything like South Side Flats, Lawrenceville, or Shadyside - dense largely residential neighborhoods with walkable business districts.
Downtown: Pittsburgh's is obviously smaller overall in extent, and has less tall buildings. And we don't have an accessory downtown like Midtown (although some would argue Oakland kind of counts). Downtown Pittsburgh is unusually densely built for the size of the city however, with almost no surface parking lots remaining in the core of downtown. It feels like a big city through almost all of the 2/3rds of a mile of Downtown, while Atlanta's downtown has more dead spots. Not to mention that Pittsburgh's downtown itself is more scenic given the backdrop of the rivers and hills.
Transit: Pittsburgh doesn't have heavy rail like Atlanta. We have a light rail system, which really only goes around Downtown and to some of the southern suburbs. And we have a few bus rapid transit lines, along with the inclines. But mostly our transit system relies upon buses. That said, our transit system has considerably higher utilization than Atlanta. At last count 18% of Pittsburgh residents used transit to get to work, compared to only 11% in Atlanta. If you work in Downtown or Oakland, it makes sense to take transit, because Downtown parking costs are more expensive than transit costs. In contrast, Atlanta's downtown parking is cheaper than transit.
Safety: Last I checked, Pittsburgh had a violent crime rate which was half of Atlanta's. It may have changed more recently, but I doubt it was a dramatic change.
Culture: As a legacy of past philanthropy of steel magnates, Pittsburgh punches way above its weight in terms of libraries, museums, theater, etc. I don't know enough about Atlanta to compare here.
imo (but i know Atlanta much better than Pittsburgh)
--walkability - is quite even. I'd give Pittsburgh the edge in density and also in connectivity between neighborhoods, but Atlanta has tons of little walkable areas in addition to the handful of larger districts/neighborhoods. The infill is developing like crazy as well.
--nice downtown area - hmm, if you throw in Midtown with Downtown then Atlanta wins though Pittsburgh aint a slouch. But Atlanta has pretty decent working/living downtown amenities in addition to decent tourist attractions.
--public transport - I rode light rail in Pittsburgh but not the buses. Been on MARTA in ATL but not the new streetcar (though I've driven by it many many times). I hear the bus system in Pittsburgh is quite strong for many neighborhoods. Both networks have their issues but overall once again I think this is pretty even. Especially if you consider ATL's larger size.
--safety - don't know. Never felt unsafe in either city, which might tell you I stick to certain areas...although I've spent quite a bit of time in Downtown ATL at night...
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)
Pittsburgh has a lot of excellent cultural opportunities, and indeed because of its history it has great traditions within the fine and performing arts sectors. But ATL on an objective level likely exceeds this. I do not include libraries which I know nothing about in these cities.
Yeah I towed the line pretty evenly cause I find both of these cities to be fairly equal. Considering ATL is so much larger that does say something good about Pittsburgh. In the end, ATL wins out for me.
Please compare/rank in based on which is better for:
--walkability-Atlanta has nicer areas and is more white collar than blue collar Pittsburgh
--nice downtown area-Atlanta has more activities for families to enjoy, I suggest the botanical garden and museums
--public transport-Atlanta
--safety-Atlanta is safe
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)-Atlanta offers much more than Pittsburgh
--shopping- Atlanta is more upscale and the people are friendlier
Please compare/rank in based on which is better for:
--walkability-Atlanta has nicer areas and is more white collar than blue collar Pittsburgh
--nice downtown area-Atlanta has more activities for families to enjoy, I suggest the botanical garden and museums
--public transport-Atlanta
--safety-Atlanta is safe
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)-Atlanta offers much more than Pittsburgh
--shopping- Atlanta is more upscale and the people are friendlier
While I prefer Atlanta, I really don't think you're giving Pittsburgh a fair shake here. For instance, Pittsburgh has successfully transitioned from a largely blue-collar, industrial economy to a more white-collar economy and that's been the case for several years now. Pittsburgh also has an advantage culturally as a legacy city as was mentioned earlier.
While I prefer Atlanta, I really don't think you're giving Pittsburgh a fair shake here. For instance, Pittsburgh has successfully transitioned from a largely blue-collar, industrial economy to a more white-collar economy and that's been the case for several years now. Pittsburgh also has an advantage culturally as a legacy city as was mentioned earlier.
Please compare/rank in based on which is better for:
--walkability-Atlanta has nicer areas and is more white collar than blue collar Pittsburgh
--nice downtown area-Atlanta has more activities for families to enjoy, I suggest the botanical garden and museums
--public transport-Atlanta
--safety-Atlanta is safe
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)-Atlanta offers much more than Pittsburgh
--shopping- Atlanta is more upscale and the people are friendlier
This might be the worst post I've ever seen on city data. Anyone who thinks Atlanta is more walkable than Pittsburgh proves they are a complete Atlanta Homer and/or just hates Pittsburgh.
--nice downtown area Atlantas is larger, Pittsburgh's is denser and more vital to it's region. Both have amenities that should be in a major CBD.
--public transport Atlanta has MARTA which is one of the most underutilized rail systems in the country. Pittsburghs rail coverage is less, but it has 4 BRT lines and the bus network covers the entire city quite well.
--safety Atlanta is one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Pittsburgh is one of the safest.
--culture (libraries, museums, and music/dance, especially)I can't comment on Atlanta I'm not too familiar with it's culture and arts scene. But Pittsburghs rich industrial past had provided a very nice present in this category, as many others have said.
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