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LOL thats funny because if i remember correctly WE have the Prettiest Skyline with the density, buildings, rivers etc. PLEASE! Philly is big yes, its the biggest city in Pa yes, its WAY overrated when it comes to Pittsburgh. if you were to connect the southside the northside AND Oakland (with the world's 2nd tallest educational structure: Cathedral of Learning) downtown Pittsburgh wouldnt be touched by ANY skyline BUT, we are blessed with the beautiful triangle we have soooooo it doesnt matter. there are 10 colleges just in Oakland alone.. as well as the best hospitals PERIOD. so you can keep Philly and its 117 miles of slum. I'll take Pittsburgh for EVERYTHING its worth, the good.... and the bad which isnt even that bad.
Sounds like you have a terrible inferiority complex when it comes to Philadelphia.
Look Pittsburgh is a nice city but its simply not in Philadelphias class. Regionally Pittsburgh is blue collar appalachia. Philadelphia is east coast professional. Relax and cool it with the insults and try to look at things objectively.
Sounds like you have a terrible inferiority complex when it comes to Philadelphia.
Look Pittsburgh is a nice city but its simply not in Philadelphias class. Regionally Pittsburgh is blue collar appalachia. Philadelphia is east coast professional. Relax and cool it with the insults and try to look at things objectively.
Except the economy in Pittsburgh hasn't been "blue-collar" for decades, and it has a notably strong circulation of people with the big cities on the East Coast.
Gross population migration (2009-2010)
As for being Appalachian, you're half-correct. It's northern Appalachian, which is basically a unique mash-up of two cultures that most people consider to be diametrically opposed: the sophisticated, fast-paced culture of the megapolitan Northeast, and the provincial, slow-paced culture of Appalachia. It explains the cultural dichotomies found in western Pennsylvania and upstate New York, and also explains why many in the megapolitan Northeast don't consider the region to be Northeastern, even though you'll only find such a culture in the interior Northeast, and not the Midwest or the South.
Look Pittsburgh is a nice city but its simply not in Philadelphias class. Regionally Pittsburgh is blue collar appalachia. Philadelphia is east coast professional. Relax and cool it with the insults and try to look at things objectively.
LMAO...Oh Rainrock..Between you and KidPhilly, Michael Nutter needs you guys on payroll as ambassadors.
Philadelphia has just as much a Blue Collar past as Pittsburgh....What the hell is East Coast Professional btw?
Sounds like you have a terrible inferiority complex when it comes to Philadelphia.
Look Pittsburgh is a nice city but its simply not in Philadelphias class. Regionally Pittsburgh is blue collar appalachia. Philadelphia is east coast professional. Relax and cool it with the insults and try to look at things objectively.
Pittsburgh of 2012 is not a blue collar city . Less than 10% of all jobs in the Pittsburgh metro are manufacturing. Philly also was pretty blue collar just like Pittsburgh and the rest of PA until recently too.
I think when, ever one looks at a skyline you must keep scales in perspective. As far as numbers of large buildings both city's are very competitive. However, one very important thing is to understand things are not always as they seem. For instance as humans we crave to build higher and higher; because the skys the limit. Large buildings catch our eyes in restiveness to other objects around them we perceive them as such such. So having said that when you are in Philadelphia you will notice that there are approximately eleven buildings at or over 500 ft; while in Pittsburgh there are 10. This small difference may be easily over looked. However, I do realize that there are 3 skyscrapers that surpass that of Pittsburgh's highest by about 100 ft, however one must realize that this height difference although modest relative to surrounding buildings reduces its significance, given sight distances relative to the positioning of the buildings. Now total skyscrapers above 300ft is 28 to 45; Philadelphia in the majority. However, relative to the whole skyline however the average height adding all heights up of each building dividing by how many there are their actually identical almost; with Pittsburgh actually being 441 ft, to Philadelphias 440 ft average height, meaning majority of Philadelphias skyline sets right around 400 ft. Also given the down town area where the skyscrapers occupy; Phildpehias skyline inst as dense as that of Pittsburgh
For instance the area that which most people consider City Center Philadelphia covers area of about 1.7 square miles, while Pittsburgh only covers 1,4 square miles, so as you notice in Philadelphia the streets are well planned and are wider between the buildings. However logically, if you have the money to live in the niece neighborhoods of Philadelphia; you probably could just as well in NYC with far better city scapes than any where else in America, so in away it makes Philadelphia obsolete its a sea port just like NYC with both cites with rich history; I would argue being as close as it is to NYC, Philadelphia is like the little city that couldn't. However, Pittsburgh with its scenic views offer the best vintage point of a city verging on that from the observation deck of the Empire state building; to me Pittsburgh is like the best of both worlds. And; I hate cliches, but Pittsburgh is like a little slice of NYC ; dense and towering, but embraced by the world around them among the hills; one could claim Pittsburgh built NYC one steel beam at a time. There' s no city in America that can claim to have saved its self from destruction as Pittsburgh has done since the collapse of the steel industry. They used steel from old steel mill buildings to build houses. They came together as a community, and rebuilt there selves; what a greater emblem of the American dream, and yes there's room for improvement as in any city scarcity exists, however Pittsburgh has never been a city to give up, or to not embrace everyone, nor to be charitable to those who have less, there not perfect but who is.
^^What are you smoking? There is so much wrong in this post lol.
Pittsburgh's tallest is the 841 foot US Steel tower
Philadelphia tallest is the 975 foot Comcast Center, with the 1,121 foot Comcast Innovation & Technology Center currently under construction.
Pittsburgh has 9 buildings over 500 feet tall with one under construction
Philadelphia has 11 buildings over 500 feet tall with 2 under construction and 2 more in site prep
Pittsburgh has 15 buildings over 400 feet with one under construction
Philadelphia has 29 buildings over 400 feet with 2 under construction and 2 in site prep
Pittsburgh has 29 buildings over 300 feet with one under construction
Philadelphia has 73 buildings over 300 feet tall with 4 under construction and 4 in site prep
Philadelphia has the three tallest buildings in the state. Remember, the reason Philadelphia is lacking in buildings over 500 feet is because of the height limit that you could not build higher than City Hall (548 ft) until it was lifted in 1987. Pittsburgh has had at least 87 years to build tall on Philadelphia, and Philadelphia has now surpassed Pittsburgh and is pulling away quickly. When you start getting into the 400 and 300 foot ranges, you really see how many more highrises Philadelphia has, which makes it feel so so much larger downtown.
Center City is also 2.4 square miles, with University City across the River with more highrises is another 2 square miles. Downtown Pittsburgh is 0.64 square miles. Oakland Pittsburgh, where there are more highrises is 1.22 square miles.
Philadelphia's highrise cluster makes up a total of 4.4 square miles side by side. Pittsburgh's highrise cluster makes up a total 1.86 miles split apart.
Lastly, Pittsburgh skyline is denser? Lol. Since when?
Philadelphia's wipes the floor clean. One of the most shapely skylines in the country, with some good architecture to boot.
NYC
Chicago
Philadelphia
LA/SF/Seattle/Houston/Minneapolis
Atlanta (I'd put it in the tier above if it were a little more full from E-W, but N-S I'd say it's top 4)/Dallas/Miami/Boston/Denver/Pittsburgh/Charlotte
For me it's not always about size, but about proportions and design. Also, angles. A well proportioned skyline looks good from all angles. I ding Miami because I value innovative office tower designs more than I value residential/hotel designs, and I think no skyline is complete without a ton of office towers ("central BUSINESS district"), but otherwise Miami's skyline for me would be top 5 easily.
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