PA population growth (Pittsburgh, Erie, Washington: rent, credit, hotel)

[Pittsburghpride83]

Originally Posted by pman

Newer cities like baltimore?

Nope Baltimore is nice but it is in the same boat as pittsburgh. I mean Charlotte, Raleigh, Columbus ,Richmond and other cities like that.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Pittsburghpride83

Nope Baltimore is nice but it is in the same boat as pittsburgh. I mean Charlotte, Raleigh, Columbus ,Richmond and other cities like that.

There's a ton of space for new construction in Pittsburgh so I don't buy the old homes argument. It's two biggest problems are the negativity of the locals who hang on to the steel bust days and the states business policies/taxes.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

Of the 57 cities in Pennsylvania, at least half should be reclassified as boroughs. The title of city should carry some weight.

Any reason besides nomenclature?

[Pittsburghpride83]

Originally Posted by pman

There's a ton of space for new construction in Pittsburgh so I don't buy the old homes argument. It's two biggest problems are the negativity of the locals who hang on to the steel bust days and the states business policies/taxes.

And the latter of the two problems you mention is why businesses and jobs avoid PA. The state drags the smaller cities/towns down. If it is not philly it doesnt matter to the state.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Pittsburghpride83

And the latter of the two problems you mention is why businesses and jobs avoid PA. The state drags the smaller cities/towns down. If it is not philly it doesnt matter to the state.

Philly isn't exempt from those taxes and under performs it's peer just like the rest of the state. Philly in no way dominates the state the way nyc dominates it's state...and I'd argue that pittsburgh is in much better shape than upstate ny cities

[Pittsburghpride83]

Originally Posted by pman

Philly isn't exempt from those taxes and under performs it's peer just like the rest of the state. Philly in no way dominates the state the way nyc dominates it's state...and I'd argue that pittsburgh is in much better shape than upstate ny cities

You may be right about Philly underperforming and yes the taxes handcuff them as well. A lot of its growth could be due to its proximity to New York and smack dab against New Jersey. And yes it seems to underperform against its peers.

I disagree with your assessment of philly not dominating the state. The state is archaic but Philly is its bread and butter. Pittsburgh is a very distant second and everybody else is just there. You will never see any other part of the state outgrow our outshine the Philly region. The state will never allow it to happen.

Pittsburgh may be better than upstate new york cities, but that isn't saying much. That is like a race between a tortoise and a three toed sloth. Which one is slower or sucks less? In all seriousness though, I do not think downtown buffalo is much, but the smaller city neighborhood business districts seem to be in better shape than Pittsburgh's. Meaning less vacancies and better kept. Their population decline has slowed to that of Pittsburgh's. I would say they are probably near even with Pittsburgh in regards to jobs and wages. I do not know much about Rochester and Albany is about the size of Erie.

[pman]

I'd be very surprised if you were right. Buffalo is a veritable ghost town relative to pittsburgh and jobs are much harder to come by. Why would philly have to tank to benefit the rest of the state? Don't other states have cities? I think you're just rattling off biases

[Pittsburghpride83]

Originally Posted by pman

I'd be very surprised if you were right. Buffalo is a veritable ghost town relative to pittsburgh and jobs are much harder to come by. Why would philly have to tank to benefit the rest of the state? Don't other states have cities? I think you're just rattling off biases

Buffalo's 2010 census was 261,000 people and their new estimate for 2014 was 259,500. Pittsburgh's population is 305,700 according to the 2010 census and the city only grew by 100 persons in 2014 according to estimates. I visited Buffalo in June and it looks and feels very much like Pittsburgh. Nathan's hot dog shop opened in downtown Pittsburgh and closed last year. It was located right next to point park university. It lasted a year and a half before closing. Still, nobody has taken the vacant space. So is Pittsburgh really vibrant and growing? I know it is a small example, but it is in downtown next to a college with 4,000 students. If you read all of the posts gloating about how wonderful the economy is in Pittsburgh, how come a hot dog shop couldn't make it? I see most of western pa's growth in Washington County Southpointe business park, which is south of pittsburgh. They are benefitting from the Shale gas drilling. Office buildings and new homes are going up like crazy.

Philadelphia is defined as a first class city in the Commonwealth of PA. All classes of cities and townships within the commonwealth are by population. It will only ever be the only first class city in the Commonwealth. As it has over 1 million people within the city limits. No other city in PA will ever eclipse the 1 million persons mark and challenge to equal Philadelphia as a 1st class city.

Pittsburgh is the only second class city in the state as defined by by law. There are more restrictions and the mayor has much less power than all first class cities in the commonwealth. They actually tell the city of pittsburgh how to set up its departments and what types of departments can be created. Unless, Pittsburgh's population decline continues and it falls below 250,000 people. Then it would be a 3rd class city (even weaker than a 2nd class) in PA state code and that range is huge as it goes from a few thousand up to 250,000 people.

There are also 1st and 2nd class townships and so on. The reason for these classifications are for the state to pass laws that benefit or exempt cities / townships of a certain class. It also sets laws for how their government can be set up. Allowing them to do or not do certain things. So if they make a state law to allow all first class cities of pennsylvania to increase its wage tax by 1 percent, this would pertain to philadelphia only, because it is the states only 1st class city.

Im not hating, just saying this is how it works.

Yes other states have cities. The state of NY population growth is stagnant. PA grew by 6,000 and probably due to the growth in Philly and its suburbs, WV lost 3,000 people and Ohio gained 24,000 which is mostly due to the high growth going on in Columbus. Columbus is probably the best city for jobs and the economy out of any state that borders PA or any city contained within PA.

[pman]

I've been to buffalo and attest to the inaccuracy of your statements. Pittsburgh has one of the highest job densities of any downtown in the country (it ranks number five). It's downtown job numbers are at multidecade highs and I haven't even talked about the hottest market, oakland, and how it's bleeding into east liberty. While you talk about Nathan you neglect to mention what has happened to market square which was absolutely dead less than a decade ago. Most growth is in the Philly area. Allentown and south central. Recently the pittsburgh area has recovered from a decades long swoon.

I didn't think you're hating, just stretching to make a point. You talk of this wonder that is columbus, what types of employment growth do they have?

[Pittsburghpride83]

Originally Posted by pman

I've been to buffalo and attest to the inaccuracy of your statements. Pittsburgh has one of the highest job densities of any downtown in the country (it ranks number five). It's downtown job numbers are at multidecade highs and I haven't even talked about the hottest market, oakland, and how it's bleeding into east liberty. While you talk about Nathan you neglect to mention what has happened to market square which was absolutely dead less than a decade ago. Most growth is in the Philly area. Allentown and south central. Recently the pittsburgh area has recovered from a decades long swoon.

I didn't think you're hating, just stretching to make a point. You talk of this wonder that is columbus, what types of employment growth do they have?

Columbus Named Among Fastest Growing Cities In Nation - NBC4: Columbus, Ohio News, Weather, and Sports (WCMH-TV)