Pittsburgh rents might be rising, but they're still the cheapest in the country! (Troy: low crime, house)

[norcider]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

From what I can gather he bets on exurbs that retain that “Old Pittsburgh” vibe in regards to prices, people, and an abundance of bars rather than craft distilleries.

Or something he or she saw in Flashdance when they dreamt of coming here and meeting Dominic and Eugene.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by norcider

Or something he or she saw in Flashdance when they dreamt of coming here and meeting Dominic and Eugene.

I was thinking more of The Deer Hunter, but any of them are pretty much what I imagine.

[norcider]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

I was thinking more of The Deer Hunter, but any of them are pretty much what I imagine.

I grew up when pittsburgh was like that and I will take modern Pittsburgh any day over those gloomy days.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by norcider

Some people wait until it's too late and then they miss the boat and come here to complain how yet another neighborhood is now out of their price range.

100%


I want to add that not all of the first-ring suburbs and outer ring city neighborhoods are in decline, and not all inner-city neighborhoods are on the upswing, either.


It's not that simple.


For one thing, a lot of people still don't think downtown is "cool," in spite of the strides and progress and revitalization that has happened there. A lot of the neighborhoods near downtown, particularly Uptown and the Hill, are still not very desirable or pretty.


A lot of the first-ring suburbs have functioning business districts, well-kept old homes, and their own neighborhood organizations and services, which is more than you can say for a lot of "city" neighborhoods.


I am a huge champion of city living, but my pet peeve is people who pit the city against the mill towns and older boroughs. These are also "cities" in their own right. They aren't stealing city dwellers, because they face their own population decline. We should be supporting all of these classic, established communities.


I would say there are certain "suburbs" where you can enjoy more of a walkable, urban lifestyle than certain "city" neighborhoods. I think a lot of these neighborhoods, including Crafton, Millvale, Dormont and Bellevue, and even Sharpsburg, Swissvale, Verona, and Etna (and more), will retain some level of modest appeal that keeps them afloat as affordable working class or middle class communities, as opposed to becoming gentrified or bombed-out slums.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

I think comparing Greentree to Lebo is like comparing apples to oranges. Lebo is decently walkable, with a great school district, many more large houses, with some pretty decent public transportation while Greentree is more suburban in nature, with limited public transportation, a decent school, and with much smaller housing. All things equal outside of housing stock, and they still wouldn’t command the same prices.

I would agree with Castle Shannon as it is a pain to navigate even in a car. Overall I would agree that these are declining visually, as they were not designed to look all that great over time. Not everyone (although I am one that does) values the presence or the feel of an area.

Yeah. I wasn't arguing these areas were turning into ghetto. Only that they're becoming more lower-middle class, losing relative allure as newer suburbs with lower taxes and "better" school systems come to the fore.

Hell, you can even find houses for under $100,000 in the Ross/West View area. And there's no way that area is going bad. It just can't compete with the outer North Hills when it comes to suburban appeal, and of course it's way too far out to appeal to urbanites. It's got the first-ring suburb curse.

[BrassTacksGal]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Did people in San Francisco ever envision they'd one day become more expensive than NYC? Did people in Lawrenceville ever envision they'd one day become more expensive than Shadyside? Did people in Polish Hill ever envision they'd one day have homes selling for $400,000?

I'm not sounding the alarms just yet; however, if Apple, Google, Facebook, Uber, Microsoft, Intel, etc. all decide to expand here and/or if a CMU makes some sort of major breakthrough and decides to launch a venture here, then rents can certainly spike very quickly.

Do any of those places have the perfect weather that San Fran has? Are any of them as geographically limited as the area of SF with no way to expand? Yes, many people in San Francisco believed their weather and their location far superior to NY. Seriously, a place like the landlocked city of Pittsburgh, with terrible weather, will never be San Francisco. Rents may go up in Pittsburgh, but you will still be able to rent a one bedroom apartment for under $3,500 which is virtually impossible in the city of San Francisco.

You do realize that none of the companies you mentioned, Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, have offices in the city of San Francisco? Some of their employees live in the city, but they commute out of the city for work.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by lettert

So what areas are you betting your money on?

I would follow the others. I would purchase either in the Laurel Highlands or the counties of Washington, Beaver, and Butler. As it stands, Pittsburgh is becoming a commuter city.

[RogersParkTransplant]

SF has crappy weather. Just sayin.

[erieguy]

Originally Posted by RogersParkTransplant

SF has crappy weather. Just sayin.

I guess if you're comparing it to San Diego or LA.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by erieguy

I guess if you're comparing it to San Diego or LA.

It never snows in San Francisco, but it's never warm either. If your favorite Pittsburgh month is October, you'll love it there, since it's essentially that temperature 12 months out of the year. Less rain of course - none at all in the summer. Still, you will virtually never want to break out short sleeve shirts.