Pittsburgh Friendliness: Hoax! (Philadelphia, California, Homestead: 2013, homes, neighborhood)

[Eugo]

Originally Posted by ctoocheck

Turns out, according to pedestrian fatality data, that Pittsburgh might actually be the 160h least friendly city instead.

Compare that to brimcmike's former cities of residence:

Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population

#8 Detroit, MI --------5.05
#47 San Antonio, TX -- 2.56
#72 New York, NY ----- 2.24
#88 Boston, MA ------- 2.09
#160 Pittsburgh, PA -- 1.39

Originally Posted by brimcmike

Underneath this deceptively placid veneer simmers a dangerous, kick-the-dog sort of rage.

AutoVantage used to do an annual Road Rage Survey, which seems to have ended in 2009. How did the mouth-foaming, ear-steaming Yinzers measure up?

Most Courteous Cities (Least Road Rage):

2007
1. Portland, OR
2. Pittsburgh
3. Seattle
4. St. Louis
5. Dallas

2008
1. Pittsburgh
2. Portland, OR
3. Seattle
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul
5. Cleveland

2009
1. Portland, OR
2. Cleveland
3. Baltimore
4. Sacramento
5. Pittsburgh

[groar]

In my personal experience, I do find pittsburgh to be friendlier than other places I've lived (NYC, Connecticut, Westchester county NY) and a lot of places I've visited. Stuff like people smiling and/or saying hi on the street, saying hello to bus drivers (I got some weird looks when I went back to NYC and did this!), offering help, etc. NYC is friendlier than it gets credit for too, but Pgh is still friendlier. I feel like I'm a friendlier person for living here, I'm much better at talking to strangers than I used to be. I've been to friendlier places in the Midwest and south, but I think Pgh is just as Midwest as it is east coast.

Drivers are pretty terrible here but as a frequent urban pedestrian, while I do think what brian is saying is true, i've been to plenty of places that are just as bad as pittsburgh when it comes to crossing the street.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Actually, Los Angeles is one of the friendliest cities I've ever lived in.

This was my experience too. From the day I arrived in LA, people were friendly. I was there less than a week and had been invited to parties and even to be in a volleyball tournament at the beach. In my experience, the cities with the friendliest people are the ones where lots of people are new arrivals who don't have an established network of family and friends. Pittsburgh is a great city, but everyone already has their network of friends and family established, so they don;t need to go out of their way to be friendly. When I visit my already established friends there, the people they introduce me to are friendly. On the other hand, I've certainly met people who weren't all that friendly, too. I'd say Pittsburgh is more or less the same as most other cities

[okaydorothy]

Oh that is so not true. Since we moved here I cannot get over how courteous people are. I commute 45 mind daily and everyone is great. They leave people merge and wave thanks and let walkers cross. I work downtown and only saw one accident when a car tried to cut off a bus.

[SteelCityRising]

I've personally found people here in Pittsburgh, overall, to be quite considerate, polite, and friendly. I had limited difficulty engaging near-strangers in mutually-beneficial discussions in my most recent sales role, and people often race to be the first to say "hello" to me when passing on a neighborhood sidewalk. I've had similar difficulty having people yield to me as a pedestrian, but I chalk that up to people here being horrible drivers. You can be a friendly and wonderful person while still being awful behind the wheel. The elderly woman who became confused and veered into my boss's SUV, costing me a menial job in the process, acted like she had known me for years as we exchanged information.

Yes, native Pittsburghers can be classified as somewhat entrenched within their own deep social circles, but that hasn't stopped me from having great success in making new friends since moving here. Maybe you should make more of an effort to step outside of your comfort zone to heighten your chances of making new friends?

[gg]

Originally Posted by Eugo

How did the mouth-foaming, ear-steaming Yinzers measure up?

Yinzers were some of the most polite drivers on the road if you were in another car/pickup. Not if you were on a bike, but if walking, they usually were pretty polite about that. It is this new self absorbed generation that has made Pittsburgh change. I was thinking of getting a bumper sticker saying, "Slow down, you are not that important", but I hate bumper stickers. People may think Pittsburgh is friendlier than other cities, and it may still be, but believe me it isn't like it used to be. It is way more aggressive now than before, but not like driving around NYC Metro.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Yinzers were some of the most polite drivers on the road if you were in another car/pickup. Not if you were on a bike, but if walking, they usually were pretty polite about that. It is this new self absorbed generation that has made Pittsburgh change. I was thinking of getting a bumper sticker saying, "Slow down, you are not that important", but I hate bumper stickers. People may think Pittsburgh is friendlier than other cities, and it may still be, but believe me it isn't like it used to be. It is way more aggressive now than before, but not like driving around NYC Metro.

Society OVERALL is much more aggressive and self-absorbed than it was back in "the good 'ole days". People left tight-knit city neighborhoods where people walked everywhere and knew and cared about one another and flooded out to insular newer subdivisions in the suburbs where people wave and smile from their SUVs before pulling into garages and lying on the couch. People now have much longer commutes and have to sit in traffic just to get to the grocery store, which gives them less free time to destress. Sure, some people's suburban enclaves certainly break the mold, but I'd wager $5,000 that the Homewood of 1953 was 10 times more desirable from the socialization perspective than the Cranberry Township of 2013.

[Goodjules]

People in Crafton have been very neighborly to me. I only spent a few weeks there in Dec, but I'm coming back for an extended stay next Tues. I'll let you know how it goes.

I have noticed that drivers there tend to zip out in front of you from side streets and driveways with little regard for traffic conditions. Have had to slam on my brakes more than a few times. Considering how little time I've spent there, it seems significant.

[SorryIMovedBack]

...Underneath this deceptively placid veneer simmers a dangerous, kick-the-dog sort of rage.

Put them behind the wheel of a car, and Pittsburghers become unforeseeably and actively hostile to pedestrians. Pedestrians, in a crosswalk, who have a "Walk" signal. Pedestrians crossing residential streets with or without "Stop" signs...

I know you're probably still getting over the shock of that discovery, but have you even begun to notice just how frequently they run into buildings?? At least a pedestrian or motorist has some chance of evading them. But all of those poor buildings, stuck there like that, on foundations... not an ice cube's chance, whatsoever.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Society OVERALL is much more aggressive and self-absorbed than it was back in "the good 'ole days". People left tight-knit city neighborhoods where people walked everywhere and knew and cared about one another and flooded out to insular newer subdivisions in the suburbs where people wave and smile from their SUVs before pulling into garages and lying on the couch. People now have much longer commutes and have to sit in traffic just to get to the grocery store, which gives them less free time to destress. Sure, some people's suburban enclaves certainly break the mold, but I'd wager $5,000 that the Homewood of 1953 was 10 times more desirable from the socialization perspective than the Cranberry Township of 2013.

What is it with you people that hate Cranberry so much? Envy, perhaps? I have quite a few friends in that area, one that lives in a house built, are you ready, in 1968. wow, that old. And he built it himself from brick, no vinyl. Hardwood floors, real hardwood, not that fake stuff Maronda installs. And it's on 2.5 acres, has trees n'at. Another friend had a child with a health problem and the entire neighborhood pitched in 24/7 to help the parents. I think only one side of their house is vinyl.

Obviously a lot of people like the area, as it continues grow rapidly. And it's very easy to avoid.