Cranberry is definitely on the decline. (Pittsburgh, Houston: real estate, crime, new house)

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

It's obvious you have NEVER been to Detroit.

Copy that.

[zman63]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

It's obvious you have NEVER been to Detroit.

I have been to detroit a dozen times. Pittsburgh is not much of an upgrade.

Its pretty sad when Cranberry is the most desirable area of the region. Cranberry represents how American was pre recession. The Cranberry Townships in other metros have peaked and the trends favor inner cities repopulating and rejuvenating. This region always seems to be a few years behind the rest of the country when it comes to the economy and population trends.

The Trib article has a different headline regarding this and actually notes the fact that Allegheny County will get a good amount of jobs as well.

PPG Industries to add 300 jobs in Butler, Allegheny counties | TribLIVE

They probably wouldn't be moving to western pa at all if it wasn't for the taxpayer purses being opened to fund a $4 million dollar meal ticket.

[Jukesgrrl]

Cranberry, just remember 25 years ago Monroeville was thriving. Collecting beaucoup taxes from some of those very same businesses that will abandon you when a better deal comes along. Get it while you can.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by zman63

I have been to detroit a dozen times. Pittsburgh is not much of an upgrade.

Its pretty sad when Cranberry is the most desirable area of the region. Cranberry represents how American was pre recession. The Cranberry Townships in other metros have peaked and the trends favor inner cities repopulating and rejuvenating. This region always seems to be a few years behind the rest of the country when it comes to the economy and population trends.

The Trib article has a different headline regarding this and actually notes the fact that Allegheny County will get a good amount of jobs as well.

PPG Industries to add 300 jobs in Butler, Allegheny counties | TribLIVE

They probably wouldn't be moving to western pa at all if it wasn't for the taxpayer purses being opened to fund a $4 million dollar meal ticket.

Not true. Ask people in the East End that question.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Jukesgrrl

Cranberry, just remember 25 years ago Monroeville was thriving. Collecting beaucoup taxes from some of those very same businesses that will abandon you when a better deal comes along. Get it while you can.

The two places are very different. Monroeville started getting the bad crowds from nearby ghettos and that made people with money feel unsafe, so they went elsewhere and the place starting looking a little like the poor old East Hill's Shopping Center that is now all boarded up. Of course Monroeville isn't that bad and won't get to that level, but still it took a big hit. Cranberry is too far away from the bad areas and there are no busses up that way that I know of. Even if there were, it is just too far. They will continue to build and it is pretty much its own city in many ways. I don't like it at all, but I certainly don't hate it like so many do here for some reason.

[pghdude28]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

I know Cranberry has been discussed a ton on this board but I gotta say more jobs or not, Cranberry is still a hellhole. I was just up there for the first time in a very long visiting a friend this weekend. One parking lot and strip mall after another... Some strip malls that looked barely 15 years old already looked out of fashion and in decline because some newer "flashier" strip mall had been built. Ironically, these newer ones seem to mimic a real town. Why not just go to a real town then, I wonder?

I was also struck by how quickly it turns rural after you leave the main strip mall area (can hardly call it a town...) It must have been very beautiful when it was all rural and filled with farmland and pastures. How going from that to strip malls can be considered progress is beyond me... I know it's not the only place in the world or even the region where such poor zoning and planning standards have occurred so we shouldn't pick on it exclusively, but it certainly seems like an appropriate poster child.

Cranberry is such a hellhole compared to urban Pittsburgh. People rather live where there's trash everywhere, rusty old brides falling into the river, poorly designed streets, a plethora of run down neighborhoods, rude bus drivers, pot hole filled roads, people putting lawn chairs out to claim parking spots, financially distressed local govt, etc.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

Not true. Ask people in the East End that question.

And this East End person says "I'll drink to that.... hic"

I've never been to Cranberry, but it sounds like exactly where I lived in before moving here. Spacious, comfortable, drive everywhere and dull. Many people like that kinda stuff - that's fine, we're all different - but give me the East End and inner city neighborhoods anytime.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by pghdude28

Cranberry is such a hellhole compared to urban Pittsburgh. People rather live where there's trash everywhere, rusty old brides falling into the river, poorly designed streets, a plethora of run down neighborhoods, rude bus drivers, pot hole filled roads, people putting lawn chairs out to claim parking spots, financially distressed local govt, etc.

Honestly I really think you're on to something here. Considering that Pittsburgh has 10 times the population as Cranberry Township I guess people do prefer what you describe in a 10:1 ratio.

On a serious note I understand that city living is not for everyone, and the city of Pittsburgh certainly does have infrastructure problems and its fair share of run-down neighborhoods as does any city in the world. Cranberry will certainly not be immune to infrastructure problems in its future either. The question is will planners allow it to age in the same way as a city, or will they continue to build newer developments and strip malls while the older ones fall in to disrepair? I guess that remains to be seen.

When I call Cranberry a hellhole, clearly I'm expressing my personal opinion. If I didn't live in an urban area, believe it or not, my second choice would be a completely rural area where I would have a lot of land and privacy. (Having a large yard in a housing development with another McMansion in the back is not really private.) But if I am going to fight traffic and commute, for example, I would rather do it in a city where there are countless more amenities that appeal to me than can ever exist in an autocentric suburb that still has traffic problems even with a smaller population due to lack of proper zoning and planning. I don't want to do my shopping by driving from one strip mall to the next. Or worse yet leaving a store and moving the car five rows down in a giant parking lot to go to another store. This is all just personal preference.

Since you loathe the filthy city, why is your screen name "pgh"dude? Seems like CrnbyDude would be more appropriate. Serious question.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

When I call Cranberry a hellhole, clearly I'm expressing my personal opinion. If I didn't live in an urban area, believe it or not, my second choice would be a completely rural area where I would have a lot of land and privacy. (Having a large yard in a housing development with another McMansion in the back is not really private.) But if I am going to fight traffic and commute, for example, I would rather do it in a city where there are countless more amenities that appeal to me than can ever exist in an autocentric suburb that still has traffic problems even with a smaller population due to lack of proper zoning and planning. I don't want to do my shopping by driving from one strip mall to the next. Or worse yet leaving a store and moving the car five rows down in a giant parking lot to go to another store. This is all just personal preference.

Since you loathe the filthy city, why is your screen name "pgh"dude? Seems like CrnbyDude would be more appropriate. Serious question.

or DoomAndGloomDude28 - that'd be 100% accurate

Your description of Cranberry above almost perfect describes where we lived in Eastern WA. We used to call the 3 car garages that had no room for cars 'GarageMahals', and laugh at people who drove 300 feet to go to the local bar. To be honest it was hardly an unpleasant place to live, but it was certainly dull compared to inner city living. Each to their own - diversity has many dimensions, not just the one usually referred to on this site.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

There truly is no "perfect setting to live". Many US cities are plagued with crime, infrastructure, and bad politics to a degree. Many US suburbs don't have much in the way of things to do and value generic sameness. Many rural places just don't have jobs. If you can somehow have a balance of different settings that would be ideal, but until then I can't really see how one way of living is superior to another.