Possible Move to Pittsburgh or Edison, NJ (Elizabeth, Oklahoma: crime rates, houses)

[nolimits76]

Currently living in the Tulsa, OK area and been doing so my entire life. Kind of looking for a change of scenery. And recently got calls from a few companies about potential jobs in the Pittsburgh and Edison, NJ areas.

Money-wise, the moves would be advantageous, even after accounting for cost of living differences. At least 50% salary increase.

Problem is, I have not been to neither area. Although not long ago I was able to make a trip to DC and NYC and really liked it. So I'm relying on the Pittsburgh natives to tell me what life would be like if I were to move here. What is there to do? What are the attitudes of the locals? What about safety? If I accept, my office would actually be located about 30 mins south of the city. And finding a good high school for our 16yr old is a requirement.

Thanks for any and all help.

PS - Oh yeah, already a Steelers fan, so that part is uber cool.

[nolimits76]

Also I forgot to ask, what is the current gun control laws? And is anything on the horizon that may change? Being an Oklahoma native, having firearms is a way of life. I have both handguns and rifles and obviously would want to keep them and be able to find a range where I could safely shoot them.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by nolimits76

Also I forgot to ask, what is the current gun control laws? And is anything on the horizon that may change? Being an Oklahoma native, having firearms is a way of life. I have both handguns and rifles and obviously would want to keep them and be able to find a range where I could safely shoot them.

I lived in NJ, so for me this is an easy decision. Edison, and all of NJ, sucks. The job situation sucks, the cost of living sucks, the housing sucks, etc. The ONLY advantage they have over Pittsburgh is better public transportation to NYC and better roads.

Pennsylvania is a pretty gun-friendly state. Gov. Corbett recently signed the Castle Doctrine here, so you can invite the Verizon Fios guy into your house, then legally blow his brains out if he screws up the installation. It's very easy to get a concealed-carry permit. You do not have to have a permit for open-carry. You would have better luck winning the lottery in NJ than getting a gun permit there. I don't know how things might have changed with Chris Christie as gov, but NJ has a very, very long history of ignoring 2nd amendment rights.


So, the gun situation would be a lot easier here in Pittsburgh. You already have a job lined up, so that's good. I don't know exactly where your job is, but I would guess that it's in a much better district than Edison. From what I remember, Edison can be a big "rough", sort of like Elizabeth, NJ. I'd avoid NJ entirely.

[BrianTH]

Pittsburgh is broadly similar to DC and NYC--somewhat smaller, of course, and with some variations in local culture, but they are all cousins within the Northeast family. There is everything to do you would expect in a larger city, and so how you spend your time would be up to you--arts, sports, outdoor activities, family stuff, and so on is all part of the mix. Of course individual people vary in attitude, but generally people here are friendly and live and let live. Crime rates are on the lower side for a major metro. There are a variety of very good public high schools, including south of the City. Hunting is big in the state and it is generally pretty tolerant of carrying handguns (although local law enforcement doesn't always understand the law), and I don't think any of that is likely to change soon.

[paddy205]

I just moved to Pittsburgh from Roselle Park, NJ which is just a little further north on the parkway from Edison. Expect the cost of housing to be at least double in NJ vs. Pittsburgh. You will not find anything under $200K there. And everything under $300K would be under $150 in Pittsburgh. And the taxes are outrageous. Pweople think they are bad in Pittsburgh they have no idea! There are houses in Essex County NJ that are $250K with taxes of $12K a year! Almost all areas in Pittsburgh will be at least half that even in the best school districts. Like a previous poster mentioned, its very hard to get a carry permit in NJ. Pretty much have to be military or police. I had a pistol there but never took it out of my house.
Edison is predominantly Indian. If that doesn't matter to you, then you'll be fine. It has good transportation to NYC, its on a direct train line to Manhattan.

[Bong477]

Be it urban or suburban, Pittsburgh is a great place to live, especially considering the cost. It isn't NYC, but you can get a lot of the benefits of a big city without many of the drawbacks. For me, its a great compromise. The weather isn't great, but its not that terrible either. You can get a pretty good idea of whats its like to live here from about 1,000 different threads in this forum.

Given similar job prospects and salary, I can't imagine someone choosing Edison over Pittsburgh unless they are relocating to be near family or some other particularly compelling reason. Most of NJ is horribly expensive and a lot of it isn't that nice.

[Craziaskowboi]

Weird. After my father got his doctorate at Rutgers University, my family moved from Edison, NJ to Pittsburgh.

[Blackbeauty212]

I noticed a lot of NJ plates in the Burgh while home this week, more than usual....I guess Pittsburgh is on the Radar of many Jersians....

There also a lot of Steelers and Pens fans living NJ too, I chalked it up to ex-Pittsburgh displaced to New Jersey during the mass exodus in the 80's but maybe there's more to the story.

[pman]

Philly.com : NY, NJ commuters sound off on toll hikes (http://m.philly.com/phillycom/db_41097/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=LE7t3FiB - broken link)

[Blackbeauty212]

^^^ Talk about Robbery