For those who left PGH looking for greener pastures... (Pittsburgh: neighborhood, utilities)

[Katarina Witt]

Moving around is a good way to get a broad experience of life. Staying in one place is the only way to get a deep one.

I'm not so sure about that. I work with a woman who has never lived anywhere else, and she hasn't traveled much either. She's anything but deep. She's literally ignorant of the rest of the country.

[Mugatu]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I'm not so sure about that. I work with a woman who has never lived anywhere else, and she hasn't traveled much either. She's anything but deep. She's literally ignorant of the rest of the country.

I think that's a "chicken or the egg" scenario. Is she shallow because she's never been anywhere else? Or does she have no interest in going anywhere else because she's so shallow?

I think there's some people that just have no desire to go anywhere. I can't comprehend it, but I guess they are content with a simple life. It still blows my mind to meet someone that's lived their whole life, for example, in the North Hills, that has never set foot in the South Hills. I didn't even know how that is possible.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Mugatu

I think there's some people that just have no desire to go anywhere. I can't comprehend it, but I guess they are content with a simple life. It still blows my mind to meet someone that's lived their whole life, for example, in the North Hills, that has never set foot in the South Hills. I didn't even know how that is possible.

My child has a few friends who are young adults and will not leave the township. They'll go other places but they will not move somewhere else to live. They are afraid of leaving everything familiar. I really don't want to say it, but they aren't the brightest of my kid's friends. I'm sure a few will eventually have the courage, but one or two will probably never leave. It takes a certain degree of confidence to have the wherewithal to move away from somewhere comfortable. At the same time, people who never settle down have their special issues too.

[SteelCityRising]

I think being mobile helps you to appreciate the assets an area had once you are on the outside looking back in. I grew up in a small suburb midway between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in NEPA. Everyone seemed to know everyone else. To me that level of intimacy was stifling, and I fled the coop at age 22 once I received an attractive out-of-town job offer just before college graduation. When I moved to Northern Virginia, which is an immensely different area, I realized how much I missed the subtle nuances and the various facets that truly make Pennsylvania unique. I became intensely homesick, but, at the same time, I didn't want to move back to my "home" area. I drastically cut ties to Northern Virginia after living there just shy of two years and took a leap of faith on Pittsburgh, relying upon intensive Internet research (including you helpful forum folks), the positive rankings the city was garnering at the time, and a lot of soul-searching. I'm so happy I've found this place, but I do admit I'm not sure if this is where I'm going to live my last breath.

In my particular case I'm sort of like Goldilocks. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre? Too small, suffocating, stifling, and "nosy" for me. Northern Virginia? Too large, haphazard, transient, sprawling, and socially aloof for me. Pittsburgh? Just right. We have a mixture here of urban rednecks wearing Steelers pajama pants to church (yinzers) and the young progressives who leap-frogged Bill Peduto to his likely mayorship with their love of bike lanes, transit, food trucks, diversity, etc. We have decaying yet beautiful (in their own way) historic city neighborhoods like Spring Garden and East Deutschtown along with well-planned newer neighborhoods like Summerset at Frick Park. Here I can immerse myself within the "urban experience" for a fraction of the price I'd pay in NoVA (Arlington/Old Town Alexandria). Such an experience wasn't even possible in the area I grew up within. The other day I ran from Millvale down to Heinz Field and back. I also walked recently to Rivers Casino and back from Polish Hill. Despite our crumbling infrastructure that is the effect of taxes that are too low I live in an amazingly walkable city for a bargain-basement price.

I'm naturally curious about other areas, though. Next year I'd really love to drive the entire length of the Pacific Coast of the U.S. from San Diego northwards to the Canadian border in Washington (or vice-versa). I want to visit Minneapolis/St. Paul for a long vacation. I want to tour the Great Smokies. I want to visit Vermont in Autumn. I want to see Traverse City, MI. Do I want to relocate to any of these areas? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Only time will tell.

As Caladium pointed out while Pittsburgh's cost-of-living has been sharply rising over the past few years it's still relatively inexpensive. If you have the "itch" to move somewhere else why not try it out? Pittsburgh isn't going anywhere.

[Tinare]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I'm not so sure about that. I work with a woman who has never lived anywhere else, and she hasn't traveled much either. She's anything but deep. She's literally ignorant of the rest of the country.

I think the quote is more about having a deep rooted-ness to a place and people and family, and an inner richness to that life, versus traveling and experiencing and meeting a lot of people and the broad experiences that brings. Both valid experiences, both personal experiences. There is book on my list to read (if I ever find time to read again...) that kind of explores that thought.

Amazon.com: The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life (9781455521913): Rod Dreher: Books

[gg]

Originally Posted by Katiana

^^I agree with Hopes!

I left Pittsburgh to get married and never came back (to live). All the places I've lived have enriched my life. My kids are now grown. A few years ago I proposed moving back to Pittsburgh, but DH said he doesn't want to ever look for another job again. Now that our kids are getting married, and one just bought a house here in CO (today!), I think we'll stay here.

Why did you propose to move back to Pittsburgh? Do you miss it? You live in an area with way more sunshine, amazing mountains, a ton of outdoor people with massive amounts of bike paths and way better public transportation. Why move back? Family?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Why did you propose to move back to Pittsburgh? Do you miss it? You live in an area with way more sunshine, amazing mountains, a ton of outdoor people with massive amounts of bike paths and way better public transportation. Why move back? Family?

We were there in the fall and it was just sooo pretty when I said that. Family, yeah, but that's all changed now. The only one there any more is my brother and we (his kids, me) would like him to live near one of us.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Mugatu

I think that's a "chicken or the egg" scenario. Is she shallow because she's never been anywhere else? Or does she have no interest in going anywhere else because she's so shallow?

I think there's some people that just have no desire to go anywhere. I can't comprehend it, but I guess they are content with a simple life. It still blows my mind to meet someone that's lived their whole life, for example, in the North Hills, that has never set foot in the South Hills. I didn't even know how that is possible.

Well, who really knows, but the fact is she's just clueless about other parts of the country. Most adults here in CO have lived somewhere else, some of them several places. Most of the other people I know from here have either lived elsewhere, or have a spouse from elsewhere, and they travel to visit the spouse's family.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I'm not so sure about that. I work with a woman who has never lived anywhere else, and she hasn't traveled much either. She's anything but deep. She's literally ignorant of the rest of the country.

LOL there's a branch of my husband's family that's like that. Everybody has lived within a 5 mile radius of each other for their entire lives. Are they deep? Well, they have deep rooted friendships, but as far as being deep I think the opposite is true. They're actually pretty insular and rarely try new things or think about anything outside the same old same old.

Seriously, my husband and I sometimes place bets as to what we can predict will happen and what will be discussed when we visit. They always shop at the same stores, eat at the same restaurants, cook the same things for dinner, drive the same roads, talk about the same things. They don't know much about current events (outside of what happens in their neighborhood), although they know all the gossip about Mrs. Murphy's divorce. They all read the same books, trading them back and forth, and when someone gets new books they're usually written by the same authors they've read before. Same goes for tv shows, movies, music--they watch the same sorts of things over and over. They hang out with the same people they've known all their lives, and this reinforces the tendency to think the same thoughts without considering other possibilities. They're nice people but I wouldn't call them deep--they're narrow.

My conclusion--it's good to live in the same general area all your life, but try new things once in awhile. And try to live in a few different neighborhoods.

At the same time--also agree with Hopes that people who move constantly or are constantly changing jobs/attitudes/spouses never become deep, either. You have to spend time with things to really get any depth of knowledge.

[Goinback2011]

A guy at work told me enviously how lucky I am to have only a 30 minute commute. He said this as if he were being held prisoner and had no alternative but to endure his daily travels.

I pointed out that he could move somewhere with a better commute, but he couldn't even conceive of it.

I've talked to other people who have never travelled out of SW PA at age 35 or 40.

In some ways, Pittsburgh is like an antique world, where some of the way of life that existed when I was a kid still exists.