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I've been doing some research on popular cities for millennials. Philly and Pittsburgh often appear on these lists. I know one of the positives is housing affordability. If you were to sell Pittsburgh to Millennials as the place to be, what would you say are the pros.? Please feel free to include any cons that way the picture isn't too rosy.
I haven't been to Pittsburgh but I like that everything doesn't look so brand new and that there is history. I think all the bridges might add a nice tough. I also like how affordable it seems for people who may not earn a lot (i.e., 15-20 dollars an hour).
I've been doing some research on popular cities for millennials. Philly and Pittsburgh often appear on these lists. I know one of the positives is housing affordability. If you were to sell Pittsburgh to Millennials as the place to be, what would you say are the pros.? Please feel free to include any cons that way the picture isn't too rosy.
I haven't been to Pittsburgh but I like that everything doesn't look so brand new and that there is history. I think all the bridges might add a nice tough. I also like how affordable it seems for people who may not earn a lot (i.e., 15-20 dollars an hour).
Could you share some of these lists so we can have a reference as to what you are referring to?
I am going to sum this up with a very short description.
Pittsburgh is a unique city. Unlike any other in the US with its topography, neighborhood setup and road network. It is a niche city. Certain fields pay well for the region and most others don’t. Overall there is a good chance you will still make less here than peer cities in the rust belt and Midwest. It typically isn’t a city where you move to make loads and loads of money. Depending upon the job you are in will probably determine if you will end up on the higher end or working lower middle class and be overqualified for the job you are in. One other thing this is not a job hopping type of city. Make sure you have the job you want to work for a long time. Don’t expect headhunters to beat down your door for other Pittsburgh jobs. It isn’t that way in this town. It is a beautiful city with the hills and mountains. PA is very good for outdoorsy stuff. Pittsburgh has a lot of character but Housing overall is very old. We don’t have new developments like most other cities. You will pay out the ear for an updated home in a desirable area. That’s reality. Taxes can be high, utilities, gasoline and grocery prices can be very high as well. You can get a 50,000 dollar house. Expect to put in 100K plus to update it with a modern kitchen, windows and bathrooms tho. Unless you are ok living in the 1960s or older era. And if it’s 50,000 and updated it probably has a lot to do with the quality and desirability of the surrounding neighborhood. Just being frank.
Above all what you see with your eyes is truly what you get in this city. There are no hidden gems or diamonds or a great big surprise if you move here. This will be either a city you grow to love or grow to dislike. There won’t be an inbetween. It’s either a love it or hate it place. Those that love it realize what it is and make it work to their advantage. Those that hate it refuse to accept it for what it is and have an unrealistic view of what it should be.
This is just straight blunt advice. I have no idea of your tastes.
My suggestion would be come here and spend a week. Drive rush hour during the week. Drive around and get a good feel for the city and surrounding neighborhoods. Spend time here on the weekend and partake in activities. After that you would have a very good idea of the place and what life would be like here. What you think you may like in the city may fit better in the suburbs here. It just depends.
Above all visit and spend time here. What you see is what you get. If it’s your cup of tea do not move here unless you have a job lined up. That is the best advice I can give you.
Otherwise we would be happy to help and give you tips and pointers on where to explore and where to live depending upon where your job would be. Good luck and let us know
Above all what you see with your eyes is truly what you get in this city. There are no hidden gems or diamonds or a great big surprise if you move here. This will be either a city you grow to love or grow to dislike. There won’t be an inbetween. It’s either a love it or hate it place. Those that love it realize what it is and make it work to their advantage. Those that hate it refuse to accept it for what it is and have an unrealistic view of what it should be.
I personally fall in the middle ground and I know a lot of people that feel the same. Theres plenty I love here, but lots of things that could be better, so I have to disagree that its love it or hate it only city.
can you provide some data that shows there is no in-between and is only love or hate? Id love to see/read some stats on the matter.
The weather suck unless you like rain. It is becoming a whiny hipster town though, so it has changed a lot from the tough man days. It has become expensive for what you get if you go out to eat.
I personally fall in the middle ground and I know a lot of people that feel the same. Theres plenty I love here, but lots of things that could be better, so I have to disagree that its love it or hate it only city.
can you provide some data that shows there is no in-between and is only love or hate? Id love to see/read some stats on the matter.
Middle ground is much more common than love or hate it. Most enjoy what the area offers but know it's far from ideal. I'm middle ground as well, more toward the love it side but I miss being able to drive to the ocean easily.
It typically isn’t a city where you move to make loads and loads of money. Depending upon the job you are in will probably determine if you will end up on the higher end or working lower middle class and be overqualified for the job you are in. One other thing this is not a job hopping type of city. Make sure you have the job you want to work for a long time. Don’t expect headhunters to beat down your door for other Pittsburgh jobs. It isn’t that way in this town.
You will pay out the ear for an updated home in a desirable area. That’s reality. Taxes can be high, utilities, gasoline and grocery prices can be very high as well. You can get a 50,000 dollar house. Expect to put in 100K plus to update it with a modern kitchen, windows and bathrooms tho. Unless you are ok living in the 1960s or older era. And if it’s 50,000 and updated it probably has a lot to do with the quality and desirability of the surrounding neighborhood. Just being frank.
The job piece, it just depends on what your career is. There are plenty of oppertunities, I do actually get contact by headhunters fairly regular. I also know many many people who change careers/employers.
As for the homes, I just never understand when people say it is not cheap. Ok property taxes are higher than some areas but we are nothing crazy, take a look at the map below. I've yet to hear someone give an example of another majorish city that has housing within 15 miles from the city near our prices. I feel like that is the draw, you can have a quality of life level here you could not others. I talked to a young engineer (was looking for a house in lawrenceville) who moved here 2 years ago because of work and likes the area. If money was no object very few would likely pick Pittsburgh but money is needed and for many people you can simply live a lifestyle here you couldnt in other cities.
We moved here 2+ years ago and have no regrets. I don't know anyone I have met, yokels or transplants, who say they hate it, but I am sure they are out there. My gripes are with the weather (cloudy and wet in just about every season since we arrived) and the general litter scattered in a lot of areas. I guess I knew about the weather and 'tis what 'tis, but there really needs to be a campaign to clean up the roadsides. I did read that this is an issue across much of PA and a task force in Harrisburg has been asked to study and make recommendations. I do think a lot of it is from improperly tarped trash/recycling haulers and general contractors.
To answer question posed, for me, Pros:
1.) COL (as said above I live 9 miles from the CBD and paid less than $175 for an awesome house - in excellent condition)
2.) Access to outdoor recreation - great parks and the Laurel Highlands and Allegheny National Forest are easy day trips, not to mention W. Maryland and much of W Va.
3.) Awesome cultural amenities and outdoor festivals in summer
4.) Good local food and beverage (beer and distilled spirits) scene
Life long resident, lived in the East, South, and currently in The Great White North. Spent a year living in the City, luckily, not long enough to develop Urban Smugness.
This area is not everyone's cup of tea. The weather sucks, this time of year especially. Still affordable IMHO, sure, it's expensive to live in the high end areas, but that's true everywhere. And what really sucks is being a baseball fan.
Life long resident, lived in the East, South, and currently in The Great White North. Spent a year living in the City, luckily, not long enough to develop Urban Smugness.
This area is not everyone's cup of tea. The weather sucks, this time of year especially. Still affordable IMHO, sure, it's expensive to live in the high end areas, but that's true everywhere. And what really sucks is being a baseball fan.
Bingo, especially the weather. It’s 77 degrees here in Ft Myers with predicted 80’s the next few weeks. I won’t be back home until probably May unless the weather is nice or I have to come home sooner. If I wasn’t born in and still had family and friends in the Pittsburgh area, or was offered an extraordinarily high salary, I’d never choose to move there.
Could you share some of these lists so we can have a reference as to what you are referring to?
I am going to sum this up with a very short description.
Pittsburgh is a unique city. Unlike any other in the US with its topography, neighborhood setup and road network. It is a niche city. Certain fields pay well for the region and most others don’t. Overall there is a good chance you will still make less here than peer cities in the rust belt and Midwest. It typically isn’t a city where you move to make loads and loads of money. Depending upon the job you are in will probably determine if you will end up on the higher end or working lower middle class and be overqualified for the job you are in. One other thing this is not a job hopping type of city. Make sure you have the job you want to work for a long time. Don’t expect headhunters to beat down your door for other Pittsburgh jobs. It isn’t that way in this town. It is a beautiful city with the hills and mountains. PA is very good for outdoorsy stuff. Pittsburgh has a lot of character but Housing overall is very old. We don’t have new developments like most other cities. You will pay out the ear for an updated home in a desirable area. That’s reality. Taxes can be high, utilities, gasoline and grocery prices can be very high as well. You can get a 50,000 dollar house. Expect to put in 100K plus to update it with a modern kitchen, windows and bathrooms tho. Unless you are ok living in the 1960s or older era. And if it’s 50,000 and updated it probably has a lot to do with the quality and desirability of the surrounding neighborhood. Just being frank.
Above all what you see with your eyes is truly what you get in this city. There are no hidden gems or diamonds or a great big surprise if you move here. This will be either a city you grow to love or grow to dislike. There won’t be an inbetween. It’s either a love it or hate it place. Those that love it realize what it is and make it work to their advantage. Those that hate it refuse to accept it for what it is and have an unrealistic view of what it should be.
This is just straight blunt advice. I have no idea of your tastes.
My suggestion would be come here and spend a week. Drive rush hour during the week. Drive around and get a good feel for the city and surrounding neighborhoods. Spend time here on the weekend and partake in activities. After that you would have a very good idea of the place and what life would be like here. What you think you may like in the city may fit better in the suburbs here. It just depends.
Above all visit and spend time here. What you see is what you get. If it’s your cup of tea do not move here unless you have a job lined up. That is the best advice I can give you.
Otherwise we would be happy to help and give you tips and pointers on where to explore and where to live depending upon where your job would be. Good luck and let us know
Thanks for the advice. It's a reminder not to be too jumpy. I should consider Philly a little bit more and visit both. About your question, forewarning...I don't know the quality of the research that was done for each link I am about to post:
There were maybe two other lists, but I can't find them. Pittsburgh wasn't in the top 10, but that's okay because most of the links I came across have major cities in the top ten that aren't affordable anymore for someone like me lol.
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