Moving to Pittsburgh - husband wife early 30s

[groar]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Political correctness in overdrive in this thread, goddamn.

you're right, using "diverse" as a synonym for "too many black people"is pretty pc in the classical sense, isn't it? oh wait, you're actually saying that the people bothered by someone saying they don't want to live around black people are the pc ones, aren't you? i wonder what you'd consider actual racism, maybe someone asking for a neighborhood with a nice active kkk chapter?

you seem very concerned with pointing out to minorities what they should and shouldn't be bothered by. maybe you should think about how patronizing and dismissive that is. you seem like a reasonable guy otherwise.

the commenter on blackbeauty's post summed it up nicely. the op is saying to minorities "i don't want to live around your kind". put that way, is it really just a reasonable preference? certainly people have a right to feel that way but that doesn't mean other people have to approve.

oh and saying you wish there was more of a middle to upper class black community in your city is not the same thing as saying too many white people ruin a neighborhood.

[Yac]

I swear, if I see yet another thread hijacked and turned into a race discussion, and by the usual suspects at that, it will get nasty. Go find a "race" forum somewhere, the Internet is vast, and argue there. Here, only focus on it when it's actually important and contributes to the topic, not when you need a platform to launch rants from or promote your agenda, whatever it might be.
Please.
Yac.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm gay. There are some people who would prefer to limit their exposure to gays by not living near dense concentrations of us. Does this offend me? No. We're all entitled to our own personal preferences when it comes to where we would like to live. I would be drained of my vitality living in a place like Cranberry Township. Others who live in Cranberry Township would scratch their heads wondering why there weren't any cul-de-sacs here in Polish Hill.

The OP obviously had negative experiences living in a "diverse" environment, and if he wants to limit the possibility of those experiences recurring in a new city that's his choice. Racism can occur from any angle. I fell in love with a duplex in Larimer that was in need of TLC. If I could have afforded to buy it I would have done so and would have then proceeded to renovate it to its former grandeur as a single-family home. With that being said I can just about guarantee our predominantly older and African-American neighbors would have things to say "behind closed doors" about the new gay Caucasian couple who was planting sunflowers and putting in a new patio down the street from them. I grew up in a subdivision in suburban Scranton. Even as recently as the early-2000s there were people with the "there goes the neighborhood" mentality when a lesbian couple was pondering purchasing a home in our community. Racism, classism, sexism, elitism, etc. are still pervasive in American society.

I, for one, won't grill the OP on his personal preferences. With that being said I do find it to be ironic that Downtown Pittsburgh's housing prices are astronomical (hopefully more developers will finally start to step up to the plate and bring us more condos/apartments), yet the sidewalks are replete with the very same people he's trying to avoid as they wait for bus transfers. Shadyside is amongst the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, and it is home to the densest concentration of LGBT individuals/couples that I've ever seen. Squirrel Hill is sought-after for its walkability and safety, yet it has a very high population of Jews, Asian-Americans, and, yes, even blacks. Highland Park has historically been upper-middle-class and is home to a harmonious mixture of whites and blacks.

If I were the OP I'd consider looking to rent a unit in a large single-family home that has been converted into a duplex or triplex in Aspinwall, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Friendship, Mexican War Streets, South Side Flats, Point Breeze, or Lawrenceville. Some of these neighborhoods are predominantly "middle-class" vs. being predominantly "affluent", but I think the OP doesn't care if his neighbors are "wealthy" as long as they have class. Having lived in the city for a year-and-a-half now I have a sense of what he's talking about. I have neighbors who scream expletives at each other on the sidewalk at 2:30 AM when those of us with "class" are trying to sleep so we can work our two jobs to try to provide a better life for those whom we love. I have neighbors who blast rap music at 2:30 AM from their junker cars while those of us with "class" are trying to sleep for that aforementioned reason. If gentrification means that "those people" (regardless of race) are pushed out to Penn Hills, then so be it.

[thepacifist20130]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm gay. There are some people who would prefer to limit their exposure to gays by not living near dense concentrations of us. Does this offend me? No. We're all entitled to our own personal preferences when it comes to where we would like to live. I would be drained of my vitality living in a place like Cranberry Township. Others who live in Cranberry Township would scratch their heads wondering why there weren't any cul-de-sacs here in Polish Hill.

The OP obviously had negative experiences living in a "diverse" environment, and if he wants to limit the possibility of those experiences recurring in a new city that's his choice. Racism can occur from any angle. I fell in love with a duplex in Larimer that was in need of TLC. If I could have afforded to buy it I would have done so and would have then proceeded to renovate it to its former grandeur as a single-family home. With that being said I can just about guarantee our predominantly older and African-American neighbors would have things to say "behind closed doors" about the new gay Caucasian couple who was planting sunflowers and putting in a new patio down the street from them. I grew up in a subdivision in suburban Scranton. Even as recently as the early-2000s there were people with the "there goes the neighborhood" mentality when a lesbian couple was pondering purchasing a home in our community. Racism, classism, sexism, elitism, etc. are still pervasive in American society.

I, for one, won't grill the OP on his personal preferences. With that being said I do find it to be ironic that Downtown Pittsburgh's housing prices are astronomical (hopefully more developers will finally start to step up to the plate and bring us more condos/apartments), yet the sidewalks are replete with the very same people he's trying to avoid as they wait for bus transfers. Shadyside is amongst the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, and it is home to the densest concentration of LGBT individuals/couples that I've ever seen. Squirrel Hill is sought-after for its walkability and safety, yet it has a very high population of Jews, Asian-Americans, and, yes, even blacks. Highland Park has historically been upper-middle-class and is home to a harmonious mixture of whites and blacks.

If I were the OP I'd consider looking to rent a unit in a large single-family home that has been converted into a duplex or triplex in Aspinwall, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Friendship, Mexican War Streets, South Side Flats, Point Breeze, or Lawrenceville. Some of these neighborhoods are predominantly "middle-class" vs. being predominantly "affluent", but I think the OP doesn't care if his neighbors are "wealthy" as long as they have class. Having lived in the city for a year-and-a-half now I have a sense of what he's talking about. I have neighbors who scream expletives at each other on the sidewalk at 2:30 AM when those of us with "class" are trying to sleep so we can work our two jobs to try to provide a better life for those whom we love. I have neighbors who blast rap music at 2:30 AM from their junker cars while those of us with "class" are trying to sleep for that aforementioned reason. If gentrification means that "those people" (regardless of race) are pushed out to Penn Hills, then so be it.

Thanks SteelCityRising, I could not have worded it better.

I was in Pittsburgh last weekend. Unfortunately, the rental prices are so high, and the kind of places available were not "worth" the money we were ready to spend on it. Hence, plans to move to Pittsburgh have been postponed for a couple of months. I saw a lot of rentals becoming available in July/Aug timeframe. Maybe it is because of the higher student percentage, o maybe there simply is a 2-3 month lead time in Pittsburgh. I don't know for sure.

Having said that, I absolutely loved the city. It has a charm which lends it a personality. I didn't find the character in either Chicago or NY - the only 2 places I have spent a considerable amount of time in in the states. To be honest, I felt a bit sad we couldn't move in. And felt weird as well, as my wife had done her grad from University of Pittsburgh, and we were in a long-distance relationship at that time. I visited all the places where she would call me from, where she would go in the evening for a cup of coffee or where she would play tennis with her friends (Schenley Park). It's funny but I felt nostalgic.....hard to explain. We took quite a few snaps as well.....duqesne incline, shadyside, monroeville, schenley park. Didnt have time to visit everything.


Thanks for your all your help folks......it was really helpful to know the neighborhoods to see beforehand. I hope I can relocate one day.....can somebody vacate a nice apartment and let me know please?? :-)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by thepacifist20130

I was in Pittsburgh last weekend. Unfortunately, the rental prices are so high, and the kind of places available were not "worth" the money we were ready to spend on it. Hence, plans to move to Pittsburgh have been postponed for a couple of months. I saw a lot of rentals becoming available in July/Aug timeframe. Maybe it is because of the higher student percentage, o maybe there simply is a 2-3 month lead time in Pittsburgh. I don't know for sure.

It's cheaper to buy than rent here. But there will be more rental options in a few months. Most leases don't end in the winter months because people prefer to move when the weather is nice.

[vashdown]

By the way, how is Lincoln's Place area?