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I agree with everything your're saying, but thinking the way you're saying it could use some work. The "Yinzers" that are holding the city back are really a vocal minority. I know many, many natives who are just as, and more, progressive than new-comers like me. Anyway, being as caustic as they are won't help the cause. You catch more flies with honey.
Yes, I want those progressive to be louder. The Yinzers mindset that you marginalize to "vocal minority" are still a significant population in the region. Yes they have mostly left the City and are moving in greater number to the outer fringes of Allegheny County or leaving the county all together, but they still leave a stain that this region is trapped in 1980's time warp, because they are shouting their dis-taste with the change that is happening.
Which is why I've decided I'm going to play the Yinzers game right here on this forum. If they can Hijack this Sub-forum with their Pessimistic All Is Doom Cloud, I will counter that with a Progressive Hijacking of my own.
Yes, I want those progressive to be louder. The Yinzers mindset that you marginalize to "vocal minority" are still a significant population in the region. Yes they have mostly left the City and are moving in greater number to the outer fringes of Allegheny County or leaving the county all together, but they still leave a stain that this region is trapped in 1980's time warp, because they are shouting their dis-taste with the change that is happening.
Which is why I've decided I'm going to play the Yinzers game right here on this forum. If they can Hijack this Sub-forum with their Pessimistic All Is Doom Cloud, I will counter that with a Progressive Hijacking of my own.
Hey, you do you. I've enjoyed reading all the articles, anyway.
The problem is American's as a whole aren't making enough to afford these places, not that Rent is too high. American's are blaming the wrong side of the Capitalism Coin.
I absolutely agree. I know you think I'm a socially regressive yinzer because I'm an educated BosWash Corridor transplant who can't afford $1,500/month to rent a 1-BR in the East End because so few Pittsburgh employers pay their employees what they're truly worth. Nevertheless I was a die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter for a reason, and that reason is that for years now I've been watching median rent increases outpacing median wage increases for industrious blue-collar and lower-middle-class service-sector workers (like me and my partner) NATIONALLY to the point where the lower-middle-class won't be able to live semi-comfortably in the coming years without government subsidization soon unless wages are dramatically increased.
My partner and I both work full-time. We both have sub-$30,000 salaries and are pushing 30. We're both college-educated. Instead of calling out and belittling those in Pittsburgh who are truly struggling financially maybe you should have "Felt the Bern" to push for a higher minimum wage? HRC is only just now pushing for a higher minimum wage after feeling pressure from Bernie supporters to earn our votes.
Pardon me for being bitter. I absolutely love Pittsburgh, and I want to be a part of helping it to realize its fullest potential. I'm not going to do that at the expense of us being priced out to a cheaper major U.S. city, though, if salaries here don't get a kick upwards soon. UPMC and PNC pay notoriously low salaries to very dedicated and well-qualified people. My current employer's paychecks leave me with very little to make a dent in my student loan debt, let alone save ANYTHING for retirement.
I absolutely agree. I know you think I'm a socially regressive yinzer because I'm an educated BosWash Corridor transplant who can't afford $1,500/month to rent a 1-BR in the East End because so few Pittsburgh employers pay their employees what they're truly worth. Nevertheless I was a die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter for a reason, and that reason is that for years now I've been watching median rent increases outpacing median wage increases for industrious blue-collar and lower-middle-class service-sector workers (like me and my partner) NATIONALLY to the point where the lower-middle-class won't be able to live semi-comfortably in the coming years without government subsidization soon unless wages are dramatically increased.
My partner and I both work full-time. We both have sub-$30,000 salaries and are pushing 30. We're both college-educated. Instead of calling out and belittling those in Pittsburgh who are truly struggling financially maybe you should have "Felt the Bern" to push for a higher minimum wage? HRC is only just now pushing for a higher minimum wage after feeling pressure from Bernie supporters to earn our votes.
Pardon me for being bitter. I absolutely love Pittsburgh, and I want to be a part of helping it to realize its fullest potential. I'm not going to do that at the expense of us being priced out to a cheaper major U.S. city, though, if salaries here don't get a kick upwards soon. UPMC and PNC pay notoriously low salaries to very dedicated and well-qualified people. My current employer's paychecks leave me with very little to make a dent in my student loan debt, let alone save ANYTHING for retirement.
This is a very real problem. I agree with everything you're saying with regard to wages.
I absolutely agree. I know you think I'm a socially regressive yinzer because I'm an educated BosWash Corridor transplant who can't afford $1,500/month to rent a 1-BR in the East End because so few Pittsburgh employers pay their employees what they're truly worth. Nevertheless I was a die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter for a reason, and that reason is that for years now I've been watching median rent increases outpacing median wage increases for industrious blue-collar and lower-middle-class service-sector workers (like me and my partner) NATIONALLY to the point where the lower-middle-class won't be able to live semi-comfortably in the coming years without government subsidization soon unless wages are dramatically increased.
My partner and I both work full-time. We both have sub-$30,000 salaries and are pushing 30. We're both college-educated. Instead of calling out and belittling those in Pittsburgh who are truly struggling financially maybe you should have "Felt the Bern" to push for a higher minimum wage? HRC is only just now pushing for a higher minimum wage after feeling pressure from Bernie supporters to earn our votes.
Pardon me for being bitter. I absolutely love Pittsburgh, and I want to be a part of helping it to realize its fullest potential. I'm not going to do that at the expense of us being priced out to a cheaper major U.S. city, though, if salaries here don't get a kick upwards soon. UPMC and PNC pay notoriously low salaries to very dedicated and well-qualified people. My current employer's paychecks leave me with very little to make a dent in my student loan debt, let alone save ANYTHING for retirement.
I agree with you, but I think your anger with Pittsburgh housing is a little misguided. You could easily achieve lower rent if you move out of the east end, but you don't want to do that because you like being near all of the amenities. Sorry to say but tough sh*t. Pittsburgh has a long way to go before there are no affordable areas left. The reason average rents are rising in areas like the east end is due to luxury condos being built that weren't there before with higher prices. Obviously this will bring the average upwards.
As it related to wages in general, i do agree that the wealth gap is growing and something needs to be done. But raising wages for everyone is going to do nothing for inequality as everything will simply get more expensive, leaving you in the same place as before.
I absolutely agree. I know you think I'm a socially regressive yinzer because I'm an educated BosWash Corridor transplant who can't afford $1,500/month to rent a 1-BR in the East End because so few Pittsburgh employers pay their employees what they're truly worth. Nevertheless I was a die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter for a reason, and that reason is that for years now I've been watching median rent increases outpacing median wage increases for industrious blue-collar and lower-middle-class service-sector workers (like me and my partner) NATIONALLY to the point where the lower-middle-class won't be able to live semi-comfortably in the coming years without government subsidization soon unless wages are dramatically increased.
My partner and I both work full-time. We both have sub-$30,000 salaries and are pushing 30. We're both college-educated. Instead of calling out and belittling those in Pittsburgh who are truly struggling financially maybe you should have "Felt the Bern" to push for a higher minimum wage? HRC is only just now pushing for a higher minimum wage after feeling pressure from Bernie supporters to earn our votes.
Pardon me for being bitter. I absolutely love Pittsburgh, and I want to be a part of helping it to realize its fullest potential. I'm not going to do that at the expense of us being priced out to a cheaper major U.S. city, though, if salaries here don't get a kick upwards soon. UPMC and PNC pay notoriously low salaries to very dedicated and well-qualified people. My current employer's paychecks leave me with very little to make a dent in my student loan debt, let alone save ANYTHING for retirement.
I voted for Bernie as well. I felt he was at least more honest and he wanted to break up the banks, which is way more important than a wage increase. Banks are feeding on our young and it is pretty sick. They want everyone in debt as soon as a baby takes their first breath.
Anyway, there are a lot of cheap places to live and young people are taking notice. Sharpsburg and Etna are two places that will be "cool" at some point. People just don't want to pay Lawrenceville's rent. River access, parks and a brewpub opening in Sharpsburg are going to help. I see it continuing, but it won't happen overnight. If you didn't have that college debt, you would probably be fine. Shame what the banks/government did to our young folks. Makes me sick college rates increased the way they did due to easy access to debt funds. Governments are supposed to protect its citizens from things like that happening, but they are in cahoots with the banks. Their thinking is very short sided of course, because what you end up with are young people in mass debt and they won't consume anything, so the economy will not be very good. It is what it is.
Anyway, there are a lot of cheap places to live and young people are taking notice. Sharpsburg and Etna are two places that will be "cool" at some point. People just don't want to pay Lawrenceville's rent. River access, parks and a brewpub opening in Sharpsburg are going to help. I see it continuing, but it won't happen overnight.
This is true. I mean, it sucks that people cannot afford to buy in the city core at the prices that they did ten years ago. But at the same time the continued slow growth of our metro is an asset - it means you can always find affordable digs somewhere, even if it's not where you want. If you want to see bad, look at areas like the Bay area, where not only working class, but middle class people like cops, construction workers, and teachers need to commute 2-3 hours because they cannot afford to live any closer in.
Sharpsburg and Etna are two places that will be "cool" at some point. People just don't want to pay Lawrenceville's rent.
You really think so?
I don't see Etna becoming cool in the near future - no gentrification at all is happening, but beyond that there are very few businesses to even speak of. Scare House is our most famous, but thats entirely seasonal. There is a Pizza Hut, a gym, an auto store, two convenience stores, martial arts and a dance place, a swordfighting place, a barber shop, a Chinese place, a smattering of very low-class bars and three ok ones (Alioto's, Porky's, and E-Town), a beer distributor, and an old school hardware store that I think I'm going to have to start patronizing more.
The butcher that brought people to Etna went under in the last year or two. The PNC branch pulled out and the building is up for sale - the ATM is all that remains (which is fine with me). The Blarney Stone, which apparently used to be quite the lively place, has sat vacant for years and years. The business district along Butler Street is particularly sad - either empty storefronts or being occupied by just absolute junky thrift stores.
The location is good though - it's not too bad to get into Oakland or into downtown, and there are 3 bus routes that do go downtown. Housing is also still very cheap (and seeming to appreciate - houses in worse condition than my own seem to have much higher asking prices than for what I paid for mine just 2.5 years ago) - particularly compared to the premium people pay to live just on the other side of the river in Lawrenceville.
I think we will really have to wait and see how much the extension of the bike trail changes things. That is the only game-changer I see coming to Etna for the foreseeable future, but even then I see Etna's "coolness" being a long ways away.
I think we will really have to wait and see how much the extension of the bike trail changes things. That is the only game-changer I see coming to Etna for the foreseeable future, but even then I see Etna's "coolness" being a long ways away.
You'd know better than I would, but my understanding is Etna has more conservative (in a small c sense) political leadership than either Millvale or Sharpsburg. Both of those boroughs want to revitalize their communities, while the leaders (and voters) of Etna are happy with things the way they are and don't see any reason to change things.
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