Most of Pittsburgh's poor are young and in the suburbs (Aliquippa: section 8, 2014)

[zman63]

PG had an article this morning. More than 60 percent of those that are impoverished in the the pittsburgh region live in the suburbs....

Majority of Pittsburgh's poor are young, in suburbs - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[Goinback2011]

Isn't that the goal of Section 8?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Goinback2011

Isn't that the goal of Section 8?

Could be. The poor then become the problem of another city.

[ny789987]

Well, this is the new economy. Tech, finance, and an educated workforce are attracted to vibrant, green urban centers. That is just the way it is. It would be foolish to put Section 8 in the city. We should be putting in bike lines, more pretentious restaurants, and have a clean, sanitized business district where there are no homeless people around. Greater economic activity in the urban center benefits the entire region.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Lived near Aliquippa for awhile, can confirm.

[bradjl2009]

Doesn't surprise me with all of the older towns along the rivers.

[Copanut]

The best part of the article was the author stating that $15/hr jobs at the mills in Homestead have been replaced with 8-10/hr at the Waterfront. Pretty much the cause for the downfall of all the towns along the rivers.

[Caladium]

This is yet another example of why you shouldn't generalize about suburbs. There are all kinds. Some attract the poor, others attract the rich and get wealthier and wealthier as the years how by.

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by zman63

More than 60 percent of those that are impoverished in the the pittsburgh region live in the suburbs....

I'd be interested in knowing how they calculate this (what's a "suburb", etc.). The article says that 61% of Allegheny county's poor live in the suburbs and not the city, but how surprising is that considering that 80% of total people in Allegheny County do not live within city limits?

Again, I'm assuming for a second here (probably wrongly) that almost everything in Allegheny County that isn't the city is a suburb. But this seems on the surface to say that the 'burbs are outperforming the city.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Copanut

The best part of the article was the author stating that $15/hr jobs at the mills in Homestead have been replaced with 8-10/hr at the Waterfront. Pretty much the cause for the downfall of all the towns along the rivers.

To be fair, this is the story of America in general. There just aren't many decent paying working-class jobs left. And deindustrialization alone is not the reason. Grocery store cashiers made good money back in the 1970s.