One thing that really is Pittsburgh's fault (Philadelphia, Allentown: middle-class, school district)

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

So you honestly don't find the East End to be overwhelmingly liberal?

It seems that you are lumping young people, DIY culture, artsy folk, hipsters, and yuppies as those who follow a particular political philosophy (in this case liberalism). You've come to this conclusion because "vegan something something Prius". A bit of a broad brush to paint.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

My own Polish Hill has a vegan hangout coffeeshop, records store, and comic book store

It's "record store." Singular. You don't say "coffees shop," do you? Or "comic books store"?

[trackstar13]

Why do people stereotype liberals and conservatives so much?

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by Devout Urbanist

The OP makes a point that ties in with the "priced out of the city" thread. A lot of people in Pittsburgh, view the city as nothing more than a quaint little town (with some big city amenities) and want it to stay that way. They don't want a huge influx of people into the city proper or an expansion of its borders, even though that would probably give the city a bigger voice at the state level. Pittsburgh does not command as much power and respect at the state level as, say, Chicago, Philadelphia, or NYC, not to mention the huge sprawling megalopolises of the South and West, for a very simple reason: it only has 300,000 people. What kind of power can you really expect to wield with those numbers? Come on.

Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia don't command as much power as Rural PA at the state level. Philadelphia while 3 times larger than Pittsburgh has NO MORE State Clout than Pittsburgh does. Harrisburg treats both cities as equals, even if Pittsburghers tends to think Philadelphia gets more because of the population size alone.. Trust me it does not.

and neither Philadelphia nor Pittsburgh has any near the NYC or Chicago levels of political influences.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

This urban vs. rural/liberal vs. conservative argument is played out in most states---not just PA. Even in notably "red" states (i.e. Texas) most of the city propers (i.e. Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio) are either solidly blue or at least lean blue while suburbs/exurbs and rural areas trend more conservative. In Texas more people live in the suburbs/exurbs and rural areas than in the core cities. That's no different here. Pittsburgh's city proper (especially here in the East End) seems to be a limousine liberal's paradise with hybrid vehicles, Obama bumper stickers, Human Rights Campaign (=) stickers, rainbow flags, etc. abounding whereas just venturing out to Cranberry Township or even to a place like Findlay Township (within our county) turns the table nearly 180 degrees in the opposite direction. I mean, there's a reason why the people of Cranberry Township keep electing an anti-gay bigot to our state legislature, is there not? It's not because he's handsome.

Even within the rural "T" of PA you have larger cities like Scranton, Erie, and Allentown that are die-hard Democratic. There are a myriad of reasons to suggest why urbanites lean left. They're exposed to more diversity and, therefore, tend to be more sympathetic towards minority-related causes championed by Democrats and ignored by Republicans. Working-class urbanites are largely union adherents, and they reliably vote Democratic because they view Republicans as being "union busters". Cities are becoming increasingly expensive places, and it requires greater levels of wealth (and typically correspondingly higher levels of educational attainment) to afford them. Educated higher-income people tend to vote Democratic. We saw this even with our recent mayoral primary where most liberal, younger, and educated people went crazy for Peduto while Wagner, who was admittedly conservative, carried "grayer" neighborhoods dominated by those with limited educational attainment.

Your descriptions of Pittsburgh and the East End are so ridiculous and over dramatic half of the time.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

It seems that you are lmping young people, DIY culture, artsy folk, hipsters, and yuppies as those who follow a particular political philosophy (in this case liberalism). You've come to this conclusion because "vegan something something Prius". A bit of a broad brush to paint.

I agree. And the way steelcity posts, he makes it sound like everyone is like that over there when I know plenty of East Enders that aren't like that or liberal political junkies. Pittsburgh and not everyone in the east end is in some liberal paradise like SF like you may think (or wants to be) You seem to be thinking anyone who voted for Obama is automatically some big lefty.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia don't command as much power as Rural PA at the state level. Philadelphia while 3 times larger than Pittsburgh has NO MORE State Clout than Pittsburgh does. Harrisburg treats both cities as equals, even if Pittsburghers tends to think Philadelphia gets more because of the population size alone.. Trust me it does not.

and neither Philadelphia nor Pittsburgh has any near the NYC or Chicago levels of political influences.

About 3/4 of Illinois' population lives in the Chicago MSA. Frankly, downstate kind of ignores Chicago.

[eschaton]

Personally speaking, I hate the equation of liberal and left. I'm a left winger, but when people call me a liberal I want to punch them.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Contrary to popular belief not all of we liberals in the East End are enamored with having a fro-yo place, hot yoga studio, artisan mini-cupcake bakery, store that exclusively sells metrosexual attire to 5-year-old boys, and a place to get psychotherapy for your pet poodle on every other corner while gas stations, laundromats, and other essentials are scarce and overcrowded. Whenever I try to get gas (ya know...to get to WORK...which it seems like many East Enders don't do) at GetGo I cringe and hope I don't get hit while trying to avoid playing bumper cars in their parking lot. My own Polish Hill has a vegan hangout coffeeshop, records store, and comic book store, yet if you want to grab a slice of pizza or do a load of laundry you need to drive elsewhere. I'm guessing the lack of laundromats in this part of town explains why so many people in the "hipster belt" smell funny?

My partner and I drive to the Cheswick Sheetz every couple of months just because the city still doesn't have one.

So you want all the benefits of the suburbs while living in a dense urban area? Good luck with that.

[trackstar13]

SteelCityRising

We are now getting a Sheetz right near the entrance to Presque Isle in Erie come on up and enjoy the MTOs n'aht.