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Old 06-12-2016, 12:20 PM
 
6 posts, read 8,568 times
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cost of living... i had been leaning towards NC and even parts of ohio. looks like the highway infrastructure is better
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Old 06-12-2016, 12:29 PM
 
6,357 posts, read 5,008,150 times
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Originally Posted by t43432 View Post
cost of living... i had been leaning towards NC and even parts of ohio. looks like the highway infrastructure is better
You said it. I have a good friend in Youngstown. I've gotten to know better that no man's land north of, say, Beaver falls, east and NE of Youngtown, south of cleveland, and west of I-79. The driving is NICE once you get out of the Allegheny Mountains' foothills. It's almost a relief to see flattness...people in Youngstown are actually quite lovely, although it does have its nasty areas.
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Old 06-12-2016, 04:57 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
3,298 posts, read 3,857,802 times
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Originally Posted by szug-bot View Post
You said it. I have a good friend in Youngstown. I've gotten to know better that no man's land north of, say, Beaver falls, east and NE of Youngtown, south of cleveland, and west of I-79. The driving is NICE once you get out of the Allegheny Mountains' foothills. It's almost a relief to see flattness...people in Youngstown are actually quite lovely, although it does have its nasty areas.
Ditto to that.
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Old 06-18-2016, 12:56 PM
 
5,722 posts, read 5,772,870 times
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If you're looking into lower cost of living areas an hour from Pittsburgh, the Wheeling area (less than an hour really) is very hard to beat. I70 and I79 are two of the best highways for commuting just for starters. I can't imagine commuting to Pittsburgh from Johnstown, especially in the winter. There's no need to with much better options closer.
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Old 06-18-2016, 03:31 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,287,663 times
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I would never advise Johnstown to you. I went there earlier in the year for a historically-based day-trip to explore the Johnstown Flood Museum and the actual National Park site to the northeast of the city, and I felt like I was never going to get there from my apartment near Downtown Pittsburgh. The most direct route is to take U.S. Route 22 to PA Route 56 at Armagh, PA. The drive is about 75 minutes each way, but it feels much longer (to me at least). Johnstown itself is dirt cheap, has some historic charm, and is relatively safe despite a large drug problem. It's just not in a very easily-accessible location to other points of interest---even Altoona is a hike away.

New Castle would be okay, but, to be quite frank, if cost-of-living is your ultimate driver I might consider buying a home in Youngstown, OH or Wheeling, WV. Both cities are often derided for being "dumpy", but I find both to be just fine despite their seedy reputations. Both are about 75 minutes from Pittsburgh (don't know how wanderlust makes it in under an hour unless he's speeding and counts the suburbs as being "Pittsburgh"), but because they're not enshrouded in topography as rugged as Johnstown they feel closer. Wheeling has the added bonus of having Washington, PA as a medium-sized city halfway to Pittsburgh while Youngstown has the added benefit of also being just 75 minutes to Cleveland.

We just got back from a day-trip to Erie and enjoyed our visit there immensely, too. Being closer to Lake Erie is another advantage of Youngstown vs. Wheeling or Johnstown.
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Old 06-18-2016, 04:37 PM
 
6,357 posts, read 5,008,150 times
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Originally Posted by SteelCityRising View Post
...if cost-of-living is your ultimate driver I might consider buying a home in Youngstown, OH or Wheeling, WV. Both cities are often derided for being "dumpy", but I find both to be just fine despite their seedy reputations...

It is understandable why people believe this about Y-town. For the same reason they may think that of Pittsburgh - because decrepit urban decay surrounds destinations (Consol, etc.), although this is becoming less so for Pittsburgh.

In defense of Youngstown, though (and to keep it short, since this is off-topic) - the city proper there contains huge swaths of sprawling neighborhoods laid out in 1950s suburban fashion. It still has that Glassport/Hazelwood aesthetic (small homes, usually in disrepair, some urban savannas, etc.), but I believe people probably think they've left that city when they are actually in it, yet had wandered into one of its numerous neighborhoods that are low density and wooded.
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Old 09-07-2016, 04:05 PM
 
Location: Yucaipa, California
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When I lived in Johnstown I used to travel often to Pittsburgh which is 60 miles west. I also lived in penn hills when I was 9 years old & I remember it well.
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Old 09-07-2016, 06:31 PM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 8,988,628 times
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Johnstown has a lot more charm and natural beauty than New Castle. New Castle is like a smaller, less impressive version of Youngstown. If you're into these kinds of depressed, rust belt cities (as I am), you should also check out McKeesport. It's only a half hour commute to Pittsburgh, and you can find liveable houses for under $15,000. I second the nomination of Wheeling. It's a great little city, but definitely could use some TLC. Another place you might like is Cumberland, Maryland. It has the charm of Johnstown and Wheeling, without as many of the problems, and lots of cheap homes.
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Old 09-08-2016, 12:48 PM
 
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New Castle. You can find some areas there that aren't that bad and the housing is cheap. As far as "bad areas", I hear pretty bad things about Johnstown too.
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Old 09-09-2016, 07:53 AM
 
5,110 posts, read 7,110,507 times
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I'm not sure why Wheeling is brought up. It's not that close. Steubenville and Weirton are closer, and for getting to the airport or western burbs, it's an easy 25 minute or so drive.
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