From Richmond to Northern VA to Pittsburgh (Sewickley, Aspinwall: transplants, homes)

[ersterli]

My wife and I have lived in Northern Virginia for the past three years and are considering leaving within 2017-2018. We originally lived in Richmond, VA up until a few years ago. At that time, we left for Northern Virginia to be closer to family because children were soon coming into the picture. Compared to Northern VA (Prince William County, in particular), we really loved Richmond for many reasons, including the ease of access to fun festivals / concerts / arts activities, more relaxed demeanor of people in general who actually want to make friends and spend time together, less congested traffic, interesting restaurants, a feeling of community, churches that align more with our progressive values, cost of living, and less suburbia-ish.

Overall, we've decided our desired lifestyle doesn't match well with where we're living now. We don't want to move back to Richmond since we feel our chapter there has ended and want a new experience. We've done some research and found that Pittsburgh seems like it could be a good fit for what we're looking for...Sewickley or Aspinwall seem interesting so far, for example. Apart from meeting the criteria above, it seems like there are lots of activities for young children to get involved in, too. And it's also about halfway between my wife's family and my family. I've made some short work-related visits 5 years ago to the downtown, but we haven't really explored the city together yet in person.

Also, as an amateur musician, I'd love to get involved with a musical group of some kind to keep pursuing my love of percussion / drumming.

I do like my job right now and am making a pretty decent earning, but that's one of the only factors preventing us from moving sooner. My job is in the manufacturing / process improvement field, and it seems like there could be good opportunities in Pittsburgh, as well.

What I really want to know is, am I off-base in thinking that Pittsburgh could be a fit for us? I guess I'm just looking for some good confirmation based on anyone's experiences. Thanks!

[Burghboy1]

Originally Posted by ersterli

My wife and I have lived in Northern Virginia for the past three years and are considering leaving within 2017-2018. We originally lived in Richmond, VA up until a few years ago. At that time, we left for Northern Virginia to be closer to family because children were soon coming into the picture. Compared to Northern VA (Prince William County, in particular), we really loved Richmond for many reasons, including the ease of access to fun festivals / concerts / arts activities, more relaxed demeanor of people in general who actually want to make friends and spend time together, less congested traffic, interesting restaurants, a feeling of community, churches that align more with our progressive values, cost of living, and less suburbia-ish.

Overall, we've decided our desired lifestyle doesn't match well with where we're living now. We don't want to move back to Richmond since we feel our chapter there has ended and want a new experience. We've done some research and found that Pittsburgh seems like it could be a good fit for what we're looking for...Sewickley or Aspinwall seem interesting so far, for example. Apart from meeting the criteria above, it seems like there are lots of activities for young children to get involved in, too. And it's also about halfway between my wife's family and my family. I've made some short work-related visits 5 years ago to the downtown, but we haven't really explored the city together yet in person.

Also, as an amateur musician, I'd love to get involved with a musical group of some kind to keep pursuing my love of percussion / drumming.

I do like my job right now and am making a pretty decent earning, but that's one of the only factors preventing us from moving sooner. My job is in the manufacturing / process improvement field, and it seems like there could be good opportunities in Pittsburgh, as well.

What I really want to know is, am I off-base in thinking that Pittsburgh could be a fit for us? I guess I'm just looking for some good confirmation based on anyone's experiences. Thanks!

Thank you for your interest in our city! I will give you some important points to consider when thinking about Pittsburgh.

1. This is a beautiful city with a lot of charm Have you visited here yet? I suggest taking a long weekend and seeing what Pittsburgh is really about. I'd arrive on a Thursday and leave on a Monday. Experience the city during the work week and on the weekend. Drive around and look at the neighborhoods. It takes some skill to navigate the city as the topography is very hilly. Roads are windy and narrow compared to other cities. Look at some homes. We have an older housing stock in the region. View some homes so you don't experience shock just moving here on a whim without looking.

2. There are jobs but again it will depend on the field you work. Manufacturing jobs have disappeared in great numbers for the region. There is some growth in the high tech manufacturing sector. The natural gas drilling will be providing the most job growth in the near future. They are putting a gas cracker plant about 35 miles west of the city. I expect other manufacturers to set up there, but that plant is not supposed to open till 2022. Beware of the salaries here though. This can be a "cheap" salary city. Depending on where you work they may expect you to take a hometown discount to live here. Most people that live here are from here originally. Employers know that and have a reputation to low ball offers or give you the runaround when it comes to salary and compensation. One last thing when you get a job, don't expect to jump from company to company here. Pittsburgh isn't that type of city and recruiters won't be banging down your door to lure you away to another local company for more money. Make sure the job you take you will like to work for a long time.

I'd visit here first. If you like it then start to look and apply for jobs and go on interviews. And finally do not move here unless you have a job lined up!

Good luck!

[Knepper3]

Pittsburgh can definitely be a good fit. My wife is a fulltime Realtor and I assist her when I can (PT Agent but I have a FT job) so we have seen alot of the area in detail. We both only moved here 10 years ago, NJ then FL to PA. It really has such a low cost of living compared to many areas that it affords us to do more and own more home. In the area there is something for everyone and compared to many cities you can get to most anywhere in 30 min (aside from rush hour). We live between sewickley and the city in Ben Avon. From where we are west is pretty suburban but you can also be in the city in 15 min though you'd never know. As for all the cultural things, I will say as you go north and west from the city there is less of that.

Employment is a little harder here though like the above said except for certain industries but alot of companies are moving out this way

[SteelCityRising]

I moved to Pittsburgh from Northern Virginia in 2010, and it was the best decision I ever made. I've met many other DC Area transplants in/around the East End of the city, many of whom moved here because they tired of the suburban rat race of that area. I don't miss much about Fairfax County.

Welcome in advance!

[robrobrob]

We lived in Aspinwall for 3 years and loved it. We moved almost 10 years ago. We still have lots of friends that live there. However, it is by no means cheap these days. Same goes for Sewickley. Frankly, you picked two of our more expensive areas. So, it is by no means as inexpensive as you will read online.

Aspinwall is definitely family friendly.

Good luck with the decision.