For those who left PGH looking for greener pastures... (Pittsburgh: homes, new construction)

[slamont61]

Originally Posted by slamont61

My Greener Pasture was a pay-check. Some 18 years back I was transferred first to Michigan for a year and then to Wisconsin for 11. Been in Northern Minnesota for the past six years, small town of 700 and no desire to leave it. Up until MN I felt I would return to Pittsburgh eventually. Now I doubt it.

As I was growing up in the burgh, I wanted the opportunity to live on Mt Washington and I did accomplish that. Found out Grandview Ave isn't so grand, in the summer it's crowded and noisy. Stupid idiots with their loud stereos cruising back and forth. After almost a year I had to get off the summit. Did find a few places on the Mountain Side overlooking the city, East Sycamore Terrace, Arlington Ave and Hartford St, the last one there was on SS Slopes. All were great places to live. Before leaving town I lived in Highland Park for a year and really liked that. Never did I feel I would leave Pittsburgh - nor did I want to. It just happened.

By chance I landed in rural MN where the grass IS greener indeed. Always nice to run into other former Pittsburghers, they are out there.

Greener Pastures are Whiter Pastures for much of the year.

I was initially worried I'd hate Minnesota Winters but found that was incorrect. Turns out I hated Pittsburgh Winters. They go from Snow and Cold to Eh and slushy, back and forth all winter long. In Minnesota it gets cold and stays cold. We get used to it and use common sense. Now it's darn near my favorite time of year, back in PA that was NOT the case.

Another thing that surprised me, at 18 working for USX in and around the Steel Mills I developed asthma and lived on inhalers... until I moved to Minnesota. I'm symptom free here.

The topography around here is Lakes surrounded by Glacial Drumlins. Rolling hills, lush greenery and much farm land.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Greener Pastures are Whiter Pastures for much of the year.

I was initially worried I'd hate Minnesota Winters but found that was incorrect. Turns out I hated Pittsburgh Winters. They go from Snow and Cold to Eh and slushy, back and forth all winter long. In Minnesota it gets cold and stays cold. We get used to it and use common sense. Now it's darn near my favorite time of year, back in PA that was NOT the case.

Another thing that surprised me, at 18 working for USX in and around the Steel Mills I developed asthma and lived on inhalers... until I moved to Minnesota. I'm symptom free here.

The topography around here is Lakes surrounded by Glacial Drumlins. Rolling hills, lush greenery and much farm land.

Glad you found the right place to settle. It really makes a difference when you're happy with where you live. So far I'm enjoying my new life here in Pittsburgh. I hate to admit it, but other than the restaurants and the hot humid days (not today, it's lovely now) I actually like it better than SF, so far.

[Stijl Council]

Originally Posted by juliegt

I don't know about Pittsburgh, but where I came from many of the lackluster public high schools had excellent AP programs. If you broke out the numbers you'd find that kids in those programs had high test scores and went on to college, many to Ivy League schools. Is that the case in any Pittsburgh high schools?

Allderdice and CAPA are in the top 20 statewide on this year's US News High School rankings -- ranked #5 and #7 among schools in this region. That's a measure that's come in for a lot of criticism, but one of the reasons for that is that it uses AP tests (the percentage of students who take and pass them) as a proxy for a lot of the good things you can get from a high school education, and that measure is very relevant to your question.

Obama isn't ranked on that measure, but with them having the IB program it's fair to say that kids who come through that program, make good grades, and do well on the IB exams will be competitive for selective colleges. I don't know about SciTech either way -- I am guessing they're too new to be on the list? The other high schools in the district have very, very few kids taking AP exams and even fewer passing.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Not every middle-class family wants a $300,000 4-BR/2.5 BA 3,000 square foot new construction vinyl box on a cul-de-sac in Cranberry. For the family that wants to simplify their lives and buy a $60,000 3-BR/1.5 BA 1,300 square foot older home in a place like Troy Hill the city really CAN be a great place to raise a family.

Seems like extreme comparisons. Is every house in Cranberry that expensive? AFAIK there also plenty of older and smaller houses in Cranberry that are much less than $300,000, like this one that is $81,000 and 1386 sf.

329 Bonnie Vue Dr, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 - Zillow

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Seems like extreme comparisons. Is every house in Cranberry that expensive? AFAIK there also plenty of older and smaller houses in Cranberry that are much less than $300,000, like this one that is $81,000 and 1386 sf.

329 Bonnie Vue Dr, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 - Zillow

"Call Linda Blair because that house has no sooouuulllllll"

Am I doing that right?

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Also no, Pittsburgh is not totally boring if you dig really really deep to find things that interest you.

We have no trouble finding far too many interesting things to do in Pgh than time ever allows. Digging deep for us means mostly looking in City Paper each Wednesday ....

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Seems like extreme comparisons. Is every house in Cranberry that expensive? AFAIK there also plenty of older and smaller houses in Cranberry that are much less than $300,000, like this one that is $81,000 and 1386 sf.

329 Bonnie Vue Dr, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 - Zillow

With all due respect you're comparing a mobile home to a regular home. Let's set all things equal. Show me a no-frills single-family-detached dwelling (non-mobile home) in Cranberry Township at the same price point as a no-frills single-family-detached dwelling (non-mobile home) in a safe yet non-trendy city neighborhood like Troy Hill.

[sealie]

Anyway, a lot of those "nice places to raise a family" are not that exciting to singles in their twenties for the most part. This was really the point, not some long drawn out argument over whether or not suburbanites should give up their back lawn they can play croquet on for the greater good of the city. Areas where every house has children are less fun to people who want to talk about something else. "Nice place to raise a family" is really just a codephrase for that lifestyle, it in no way implies that other places are substandard. I have no idea why this is such a hot button issue.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Another thing that surprised me, at 18 working for USX in and around the Steel Mills I developed asthma and lived on inhalers... until I moved to Minnesota. I'm symptom free here.

I was dealing with terrible sinus pain since February. i didn't have any pain when we were on vacation on the west coast. Now my pain is returning.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

With all due respect you're comparing a mobile home to a regular home. Let's set all things equal. Show me a no-frills single-family-detached dwelling (non-mobile home) in Cranberry Township at the same price point as a no-frills single-family-detached dwelling (non-mobile home) in a safe yet non-trendy city neighborhood like Troy Hill.

You weren't comparing equivalent homes, why should I? You were implying that people who want to live simply (which I presume means live inexpensively) are required to live in Troy Hill or else be forced to live in a brand new $300,000 house in Cranberry. Simply pointing out that this is not the case, that there are homes in Cranberry that are less expensive than what you were inferring.