My two year anniversary in McKees Rocks / Stowe (Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg: crime, chapel)

[PreservationPioneer]

Just wanted to give a shout-out to all the naysayers who said it couldn't, or shouldn't, be done. Today is my birthday and marks my two year anniversary of living in a $10k house in Stowe.

I hope others will start thinking outside of the box, and give some of Pittsburgh's disinvested neighborhoods and suburbs more consideration.

Now, can I get a diploma or something, because I'm ready to move back to Shadyside. Just kidding

Anyway, after two years of urban pioneering, here are some of the pros and cons of living in a poor neighborhood:

Pros:

1. It's extremely cheap to live here. You can save a lot, and have money to do other things besides pay rent.
2. There are lots of beautiful old buildings.
3. The friendly old-timers
4. You're close to town, or already in town
5. Walk to local businesses and cafes, if you're near the local business district as I am.
6. The rewarding feeling of helping revitalize a community, and leading by example, of being the change you want to see. This is the greatest reward, in my opinion, the pride you get when you do something you care about.
7. Pride in owning your house and having it paid off.
8. Community. There are great community organizations, such as the McKees Rocks Historical Society, that get together and work to fix and appreciate the community. You can be part of something.

Cons:

1. Litter. You have to pick it up frequently.
2. Riff-raff neighbors. You might have a drug-dealer neighbor.
3. Other buildings in community not maintained; blight and deterioration
4. Poverty. People may ask you for change on your street.
5. Crime. There may or may not be a crime and drug problem.
6. Stigma/ snobbery. People judge you based on the common perception of the neighborhood you live in.

But these are issues even in some of the more prosperous urban neighborhoods. For example, I know that East Liberty has more of all of these problems than my neighborhood, even though East Liberty is considered hip and "up-and-coming" while Stowe is considered "declining."

[onwardandupward]

Best wishes on your birthday! And I want to say thank you for all of your great photos and commentaries on the hidden gems and forgotten neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. You're really an inspiration for many of us!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Anyway, after two years of urban pioneering, here are some of the pros and cons of living in a poor neighborhood:

Pros:

1. It's extremely cheap to live here. You can save a lot, and have money to do other things besides pay rent.
2. There are lots of beautiful old buildings.
3. The friendly old-timers
4. You're close to town, or already in town
5. Walk to local businesses and cafes, if you're near the local business district as I am.
6. The rewarding feeling of helping revitalize a community, and leading by example, of being the change you want to see. This is the greatest reward, in my opinion, the pride you get when you do something you care about.
7. Pride in owning your house and having it paid off.
8. Community. There are great community organizations, such as the McKees Rocks Historical Society, that get together and work to fix and appreciate the community. You can be part of something.

Happy Birthday! Thanks for debunking the myth that Pittsburgh's poorer neighborhoods and elderly populations are closed-minded, homophobic conservatives.

[jay5835]

Happy birthday and anniversary, J.

[Caladium]

Congratulations, and thanks for keeping us posted as this project continues.

It's been really interesting to read about a part of town that doesn't usually get much attention (or at least not much positive attention). Plus, your experience encourages others and I honestly think your posts and your photo threads are making a measurable contribution to saving some beautiful old houses.

I hope you mark this anniversary every year--it's a good way to watch how a project progresses.

[SteelCityRising]

Happy Birthday, fellow Scorpio! At least for me you've served as an inspiration, as I hope to purchase my own first home in a "declining" neighborhood (i.e. Esplen, Hazelwood, Wilkinsburg, Millvale, Sharpsburg, Fox Chapel, etc.) to reap many of the same benefits you currently enjoy---primarily being able to rapidly pay off your own home, live mostly debt-free, and have ample discretionary income to spend on the finer things in life (like Chick-Fil-A!)

I would love to actually see just how "retro" the interior of your rowhome is sometime. You have exterior photos of your home posted on your Facebook profile, but some more interior ones would be most excellent as well!

[escilade18]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Happy Birthday, fellow Scorpio! At least for me you've served as an inspiration, as I hope to purchase my own first home in a "declining" neighborhood (i.e. Esplen, Hazelwood, Wilkinsburg, Millvale, Sharpsburg, Fox Chapel, etc.) to reap many of the same benefits you currently enjoy---primarily being able to rapidly pay off your own home, live mostly debt-free, and have ample discretionary income to spend on the finer things in life (like Chick-Fil-A!)

I would love to actually see just how "retro" the interior of your rowhome is sometime. You have exterior photos of your home posted on your Facebook profile, but some more interior ones would be most excellent as well!

Fox Chapel is declining?
Congrats on your project, nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishing something that many perceive as an impossible task. If we had more people like you, I imagine urban decay would be much less of an issue, Happy b-day btw

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by escilade18

Fox Chapel is declining?
Congrats on your project, nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishing something that many perceive as an impossible task. If we had more people like you, I imagine urban decay would be much less of an issue, Happy b-day btw

Gotta be a dig at Mr. Fox Chapel.

[BrianTH]

Happy birthday and happy anniversary!

And thank you in general for reporting on your experiences as an urban pioneer.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Gotta be a dig at Mr. Fox Chapel.

Me taking a dig at someone? Naw.