anyone know what division of google is located at bakery sq? (Pittsburgh: 2013, homeowners insurance)

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

You can buy me a drink. Certainly! If you want to cop a feel, though, you'll need to buy me dinner!

lol! sorry i don't swing that way lol. but a drink ,sure!

[zip95]

Originally Posted by greg42

Not this generation. Heading out is only for Pittsburgh lifers; a lot of these people did not grow up here and don't have family around to say "OMG you can't live in the CITY!"

Hmmm? You know all those McMansions in Peter's, Robinson, Wexford, North Huntingdon, Upper St Claire, and Murrysville... who do you think is buying them?

Let me explain the dynamic. Everyone under 40 loves the city and city life. Then you have children and realize one can get a new house with a three car garage and walk in closets bigger than most 1950's bedrooms, in a exception school district, with zero crime and lower taxes. This is easily affordable for a highly skilled worker in the new economy. What is not affordable is $30k per year tuition at Shadyside Academy, a $5k per month mortgage on a nice house in Squirrel Hill, and a $1k per month energy bill to heat and cool said house...

The decision is easy to make, but has nothing to do with people being afraid of, or not liking, the city? In this new economy education is absolutely critical to success (this is especially clear to highly educated people at places like Bakery Square) and even somewhere like Shaler is woefully inadequate in this regard.

If Pittsburgh really wants to attract young educated families it's needs to fix the school system. For example, in the cesspool of a district that is Philadelphia there are two exception public (ie FREE) high schools. Central which is ranked 6th in the state and Masterman which is ranked 1st (I kid you not). If Pittsburgh has schools like this the East End would be overrun within a year.

[trackstar13]

Sorry I can't resist, I think it is the Pittsburgh division of Google

[wyoh]

Are you under or over 40 zip?

[greg42]

Originally Posted by zip95

Hmmm? You know all those McMansions in Peter's, Robinson, Wexford, North Huntingdon, Upper St Claire, and Murrysville... who do you think is buying them?

People who grew up in Pittsburgh, and transplants who went there directly. Not too many who moved out of the city but didn't want to, that is my suspicion.

Originally Posted by zip95

Let me explain the dynamic.

I am well aware of that dynamic. I'm talking about the people for whom that will not fit.

Originally Posted by zip95

If Pittsburgh really wants to attract young educated families it's needs to fix the school system.

Chicken, meet egg. Basically, anyway. Really, first you need a decent number of people who want more than anything to stay in the city. That does not describe the people who follow the move out dynamic to the places you mentioned. (A few of them may move to places like Mt Lebanon or Aspinwall.) We maybe haven't seen it enough yet, these people just staying. But I am suggesting we will now. I think you can find examples of it happening, if you look for it.

[Geeo]

There's a difference between what one "wants" as opposed to what one "needs." In our culture, we're used to getting everything that we "want," because we feel that we deserve it. When one looks at what one really "needs," it changes the whole pespective. You finally realize that you can be perfectly happy fulfilling your needs rather than everything you want. But most people probably aren't like that anymore.

[EveKendall]

Originally Posted by zip95

Hmmm? You know all those McMansions in Peter's, Robinson, Wexford, North Huntingdon, Upper St Claire, and Murrysville... who do you think is buying them?

Let me explain the dynamic. Everyone under 40 loves the city and city life. Then you have children and realize one can get a new house with a three car garage and walk in closets bigger than most 1950's bedrooms, in a exception school district, with zero crime and lower taxes. This is easily affordable for a highly skilled worker in the new economy. What is not affordable is $30k per year tuition at Shadyside Academy, a $5k per month mortgage on a nice house in Squirrel Hill, and a $1k per month energy bill to heat and cool said house...

I know it is anecdotal, but the majority of my firends are Pitt or CMU professors. Many of us live in Squirrel Hill. Most of us have children that we send to Minadeo, Colfax, and Allderdice, although some do send their kids to private/religious schools. Few have houses that require $5,000 mortgages or anything close to that. The majority of the older faculty (>50) do seem to live in the suburbs, but I know very few younger people who want to move out of the city, despite having chidlren and wanting the best opportunities for them.

[wyoh]

We moved into Highland Park with a one year old and aren't planning on going anywhere when he reaches school age. He'll either go to a magnet school or one of the two HP elementary schools (Fulton, Dilworth). I have a good software engineering job (though not at google). We love living in the city.

The only person I know directly that works at Google lives in Squirrel Hill with several young children.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by EveKendall

Few have houses that require $5,000 mortgages or anything close to that.

Sure... Those Pittsburgh potty houses south of Forbes. The nice bigger ones with modern amenities are much more expensive (and have $1000 heating and cooling bills). Or you can spend under $3k a month for 3000 sq ft in the suburbs and a $150 dollar heating and cooling bill. So again... it's not that this younger transplant crowd doesn't like the city, it's just not economically sensible. In my opinion, the city is overwhelmingly for the working poor and the really rich.

Lets see what kind of housing they build at Bakery Square 2.0? If they can keep units around $300k things might start to change. BTW, those units better be in Alderdice school district because i promise you no one at Google can easily afford $18k per year at The Ellis School for Girls.

[EveKendall]

Originally Posted by zip95

Sure... Those Pittsburgh potty houses south of Forbes. The nice bigger ones with modern amenities are much more expensive (and have $1000 heating and cooling bills). Or you can spend under $3k a month for 3000 sq ft in the suburbs and a $150 dollar heating and cooling bill. So again... it's not that this younger transplant crowd doesn't like the city, it's just not economically sensible. In my opinion, the city is overwhelmingly for the working poor and the really rich.

Lets see what kind of housing they build at Bakery Square 2.0? If they can keep units around $300k things might start to change. BTW, those units better be in Alderdice school district because i promise you no one at Google can easily afford $18k per year at The Ellis School for Girls.

I do not understand this idea that it is horrible once you go south of Forbes. I don't know anyone in South Squirrel Hill who has a Pittsburgh potty (although I am not sure why that would be a deal breaker). I do know a lot of people who own nice, well built houses, with interesting details purchased in the $175,000-300,000. For some reason some people cling to the idea that the East End, especially Squirrel Hill, is highly expensive. I guess I should be happy for this bias as it probably helped me snap up my 3 bed/1.5 bath house for under $200,000 three years ago.