I am tired of hearing how great Pittsburgh is! (Aliquippa: real estate, restaurant)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Just to nit-pick, 15219 includes the entire Hill District and Uptown, both are undesirable. Polish Hill was never a bad area, and I'd guess she didn't know you meant there.

15208 also includes the wealthiest (Point Breeze South) and poorest (Homewood) parts of the city. You can't really judge an area here based upon zip code alone.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Little would she know that by 2014 Polish Hill would be such a trendy and expensive place to live (for reasons still unknown to me, but I digress).

Are you kidding me?! You rave about Polish Hill at least a few times a week on here! Surely you can understand why it's a desirable neighborhood.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Are you kidding me?! You rave about Polish Hill at least a few times a week on here! Surely you can understand why it's a desirable neighborhood.

It's desirable because it's close to other desirable neighborhoods, but in and of itself it is almost exclusively residential and has very steep terrain. It's sort of like a ritzier Beechview I suppose.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Just to nit-pick, 15219 includes the entire Hill District and Uptown, both are undesirable. Polish Hill was never a bad area, and I'd guess she didn't know you meant there.

Not only that, there are places within downtown that have the 15219 zip code. But apparently it's indelibly associated with the Hill or something. Because I distinctly remember some years ago, I took something over to a customer who was across the street. And we had gotten their zip code wrong. It was almost like an insult: "I can't believe you could have thought we were in the zip code for the other side of Grant Street." "Uh, sorry ma'am, we're across the street from you and that's our zip code." "Oh, really?" The street in question that we were across was not Grant. We were both "below" (towards the Point) Grant.

And 15222, the other downtown zip (and the correct one for the office in the story above) is equally weird, going way up into the Strip.

[FreightTrainRunning]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

It's desirable because it's close to other desirable neighborhoods, but in and of itself it is almost exclusively residential and has very steep terrain. It's sort of like a ritzier Beechview I suppose.

Or in other words "location, location, location"?

[mecatee]

Born and raised in Western Pa and currently for the last 25 years living up in the Cleveland area.....let me tell you ...Pittsburgh when entering the city from 279 off of the PA turnpike in Cranberry..............oh what a sight....beautiful....The skyline is absolutely breathtaking. Try that on 77 S going into Cleveland it just does not compare. Cleveland has a few nice spots don't get me wrong and I have learned to tolerate the area but how I wish I could move to the Pittsburgh area. And don't get me started with sports....my heart will always belong in Western PA, and I think if some of the people that think Pittsburgh is so terrible....move out believe me your opinion will change..........I would move back in a heartbeat if given the chance!

[trackstar13]

We're From The Burgh - YouTube

[slavicamerican]

I wonder if some of the anti-Pittsburgh, anti-DC, etc-thing comes from people who grew up with the notion that middle and upper class people live in the safe burbs and scary poor people live in deadzone cities. They simply cannot internalize the changes that have taken place, even if you show them the stats (there is more poverty now in suburbs than inner cities) and take them on a tour. I drive my parents through DC -- past block after block of high end restaurants and stores -- and they notice the one check cashing place and say it's too dangerous to be there. I have friends who are the same way. It will probably take a generation before we, as a culture, equate cities with wealth, safety, amenities and desirability.

[Coseau]

Originally Posted by slavicamerican

I wonder if some of the anti-Pittsburgh, anti-DC, etc-thing comes from people who grew up with the notion that middle and upper class people live in the safe burbs and scary poor people live in deadzone cities. They simply cannot internalize the changes that have taken place, even if you show them the stats (there is more poverty now in suburbs than inner cities) and take them on a tour. I drive my parents through DC -- past block after block of high end restaurants and stores -- and they notice the one check cashing place and say it's too dangerous to be there. I have friends who are the same way. It will probably take a generation before we, as a culture, equate cities with wealth, safety, amenities and desirability.

Fear is used by the powers that be to the keep the general public in ignorance and division.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by Coseau

Fear is used by the powers that be to the keep the general public in ignorance and division.

Phobias can only be extinguished in the environment they were learned. And since the 1950s don't exist anymore I agree with slavam that it will take the current generation and next to rid of the "all cities are dangerous" phobia.