Why you should NOT move to Pittsburgh (Washington, Sewickley: crimes, neighborhoods)

[Stagger Lee]

no, anything invented by Myron Cope is not retarded. Its original!

[guylocke]

no, anything invented by Myron Cope is not retarded. Its original!

Alright, was just wondering.

[Katarina Witt]

Everyone (well, the Rockies) seems to have copied that towel-twirling bit. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Yesh, the Broncos are not on target. Wati till next year. LOL!

[gswpa]

Here are some more colleges (not already mentioned) in outlying counties, not in Allegheny county:
Washington & Jefferson, California University, Indiana University of PA, Slippery Rock, St. Vincent, Seton Hill, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, and Penn State New Kensington.

[JoeP]

The original post should have clarified that they were speaking of the city proper. In most terms, speaking of a city means speaking of a metro and in terms of in living within one, most people look to the burbs anyway. Although there are plenty of fine neighborhoods in the city and obviously they wouldn't be looking at a high crime area to move in the city so it's just silly really...............

[kpoeppel]

I agree...back on page 1 of this thread I mentioned that the original post did not clarify city vs. metro area.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by gswpa

I am writing this because I am a realist. Unfortunately, certain citizens of Pittsburgh believe that their city is great and everything is turning around. It's not. It's actually getting worse. Property taxes and crime are high. The schools are terrible. Parking fees are the highest in the country. The high paying jobs are located in outlying counties. The city is facing a financial [SIZE=2]bankruptcy within the next few years. The population numbers are dwindling. Pittsburgh is still a Rust Belt city. [/SIZE]
(We can't even get family and friends to go to Pittsburgh when they come to visit because they think it's a slum.)

Therefore, I plead with you to move to an area outside of Allegheny county. Property taxes and crime are low. It's a quick drive to shopping and work. The public and private schools are excellent. Great colleges are located in surrounding counties. Even the Catholic church has seen greener pastures and is building new schools in Butler county and closing ones in Pittsburgh. Again, I suggest a move to Westmoreland, Washington, Beaver, Armstrong, or Butler counties. Please keep the home appreciations rising in the outlying counties! Thanks!

Well you have just described about 65% of the cities in America. Once cars became affordable, people started to imgrate out into the suburbs. Many inner cities are struggling and I find it doubtful they will make much of a come back.
Phoenix is a prime example. For a "city" that is the 5th largest in the United States, its "downtown" area is no better off than Pittsburghs'!
Too much "preservation" and not enough knock downs and rebuilds in the dying (Pittsburgh) cities.
Scottsdale (in Arizona) is rebuilding its downtown and is flourishing. Why? Because they are tearing down the older areas and replacing them with new buildings, shops and condos. Also, they are building UP which in the Phoenix area is almost unheard of.
Pittsburgh needs to make the city safer by having more of a police presence and then bonds or funds to help tear down and rebuild some of the really gritty, dirty areas. A few things have been done, but it is scattered throughout the city that there is no real "good" side of town. Shadeyside has a street - one street that makes it nice.
Take one section at a time and rebuild, redo, and knock down the crap and rebuild something new in its place, even if it's the same type of establishment that was already there. So many buildings in Pittsburgh are just gross and they are falling apart. It looks worse than parts of Philly! (I remember someone once mentioned that the insides were being redone but people were leaving the outsides go to fend off theives. Great, but it still looks like crap on the outside, so unless you have actually been inside, it all still looks like sh*t.) Parts of Miami have recently been torn down - whole blocks and are being redone - it actually seems to be working - even with it's real estate problems!)
I agree with Pittnurse when she said that many areas are ghetto looking, because they ARE!
I love being in Pittsburgh, I prefer my suburban home in Pittsburgh to my home in suburban Phoenix.
However, "pretending" that the city is beautiful all over the place is just stupid. Look at it for what it is and start cleaning it up! Especially since the "trend" at this time is to move west to the "new stuff."
The suburbs of Pittsburgh are really nice.
That being said, the last time I went to the Strip district, it was a real turnoff. It was run down and dirty with garbage all over the place. I could not see the attraction in it.
I find the entire situation confusing because obviously Pittsburgh has a highly educated population (even if many are transient students - downtown Pittsburgh has some of the nation's finest learning institutions!) that one would think the city would be able to figure out a way to clean up it's act.
I'm not dissing on Pittsburgh, I really like the place, I'm just talking about what my eyes see.....

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by Stagger Lee

That is the nature of this forum I think. I admit that I get angry sometimes because I am very proud of being a Pittsburgher, and get upset when people come in and say really ignorant things about the city. Especially when they either moved away 20 years ago, live in the suburbs, or just say flat out lies about it.

But living in the suburbs is still considered living in Pittsburgh, IMO. When I tell people I live in Venetia, I say, it's a suburb of Pittsburgh. Therefore I am associated with the city and feel I have a say in what happens there also. Kapeesh?

[kpoeppel]

Don't tell that to Stagger Lee...he might cut his wrists or something...

[Stagger Lee]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

But living in the suburbs is still considered living in Pittsburgh, IMO. When I tell people I live in Venetia, I say, it's a suburb of Pittsburgh. Therefore I am associated with the city and feel I have a say in what happens there also. Kapeesh?

No it is not! Kapeesh?