Why is Pittsburgh losing population even though it's economy has been transformed? (Washington: construction, high school)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Much of New England is also like this. Unless you move there during your school years and make friends with the natives at school, you will have a tough time finding friends as an adult.

I may be moving to a community near Pittsburgh but thankfully, being a native New Englander I am not all that worried about finding and making friends. I already have one in the area and plenty around the country.

There are some midwestern towns like that also. I think it's less prevalent in bigger cities there.

[BrianTH]

Here is a recent commentary on job growth in Pittsburgh (based on 2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics):

Pittsburgh's Future: Pittsburgh's Economy Is Doing Better Than Many Other Regions

The article is short and interesting, but the basic highlights are that Pittsburgh is losing jobs in two population-dependent sectors, retail stores and local government, but adding jobs right at the U.S. average in non-retail private sectors. As for where those jobs are coming:

The primary contributors to job growth in 2007 were Professional and Business Services (6,000 net new jobs), Health Care (2,100 net new jobs), Construction (1,900 net new jobs) and Leisure and Hospitality (1,200 net new jobs). Those 6,000 new professional and business services jobs were spread across a range of businesses, such as law firms, engineering firms, R&D centers, and the headquarters of our major firms.

The author also comments on manufacturing:

Although the manufacturing sector here added “only” 200 jobs in 2007, most of the top 40 regions and the U.S. as a whole lost manufacturing jobs. In fact, Pittsburgh was one of only 8 of the top 40 regions that added manufacturing jobs in 2007. Since manufacturing is our largest economic sector in terms of income generation, and since it supports many of our professional and business service jobs, this stability is good news for the region.

Finally, the author comments on how Pittsburgh is positioned with respect to the current recessionary environment:

More than one out of every five (22.2%) of our jobs is in higher education or health care, and those are sectors that typically don’t decline in a recession. In fact, we have the second highest proportion of jobs in education and health care of any of the top 40 regions, making us more resistant to recessionary downturns than other cities.

Anyway, I thought that would be helpful.

[fleetiebelle]

Unless you move there during your school years and make friends with the natives at school, you will have a tough time finding friends as an adult.

We've had several posters on here lamenting that there's nothing to do for young people, but I have to wonder if that's just an effect of being used to being in a school situation, where you're surrounded by people your own age all the time, and there's a built-in infrastructure for activities, whether it be sports, music, drama, art, or whatever. Once you leave the school universe, you live and work with all kinds of people, many of whom are in different stages of life than you are, and you have to work a little to find your niche. It might have nothing to do with the region, and everything to do with a transition to adulthood.

[goodgirl49]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

We've had several posters on here lamenting that there's nothing to do for young people, but I have to wonder if that's just an effect of being used to being in a school situation, where you're surrounded by people your own age all the time, and there's a built-in infrastructure for activities, whether it be sports, music, drama, art, or whatever. Once you leave the school universe, you live and work with all kinds of people, many of whom are in different stages of life than you are, and you have to work a little to find your niche. It might have nothing to do with the region, and everything to do with a transition to adulthood.

I think you've made a good point. It's hard to find your niche initially when you get out of school.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

Tallysmom is a relatively neutral, often gentle poster, who goes out of her way to see both sides of an issue. Beyond that, she has expressed interest in moving back here someday. She comes across to me as being someone who primarily posts here for social reasons, not to criticize or argue endlessly about a place she doesn't live and doesn't want to move back to. And that isn't weird to me.

Oh, great. I'm the Town Talk bread of the City Data forums....

I'll have you know, once -- in a parking lot where two guys were blocking the drive way as they were squaring off for a fight, I got out of the truck, raised my fists over the hood of the one guys car and threatened to "kill his car", if he didn't move it...

He moved it -- fast.

I can be scary.

[pghcleak]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Oh, great. I'm the Town Talk bread of the City Data forums....

I'll have you know, once -- in a parking lot where two guys were blocking the drive way as they were squaring off for a fight, I got out of the truck, raised my fists over the hood of the one guys car and threatened to "kill his car", if he didn't move it...

He moved it -- fast.

I can be scary.

LOL, were you in Pittsburgh when you did that? Maybe that's why it took so long for us to get the friendliest drivers ranking

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they were referring to the_soul_controlla and a few other posters from this forum (//www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...tsburgh-3.html). I think they were more having trouble finding their personal interests in Pittsburgh, rather than finding people their age. Most of them said they weren't into the bar scene and were looking for more of a live music scene as well as goth scenes and some other stuff a smaller city like Pittsburgh would most likely be lacking.

[bikerjoan]

Many people do not fully appreciate the many amenities available in Pittsburgh, because it is not in a geographical area that is near the ocean, high mountains, or other heavily populated areas. And of course it has a reputation of being a dirty industrial town.

Pittsburgh is losing population because like many cities across the country, the inner cities tend to be losing people who choose to move out to the surrounding suburban communities in something called urban sprawl. Pittsburgh has room surrounding it for people to do this and the city boundaries do not include the metropolitan and/or suburban areas.

The high cost of gasoline may be the salvation of our inner cities. If this happens Pittsburgh may be one of the first cities to profit. Why? Because the basics are there. Beautiful city parks(it's a city full of trees) , solid housing stock to be gentrified, recreation on and alongside the many rivers, close proximity to the Laurel Highlands, a growing technological job market, a great center for universities and medical research, an extremely active cultural scene including the world class Pittsburgh Symphony, old ethnic neighborhoods. And in case you haven't noticed we have the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. In other words it has a great quality of life. It wasn't named the most livable city in 2007 for nothing.

Pittsburgh is not perfect. We still have a very cumbersome government which they keep trying to change, so that there is a unified, less costly governmental system. We need better public schools in the city. Etc.

I have been noticing recently when I say I'm from Pittsburgh, they don't feel sorry for me any more. Instead they say "Oh, yes, that is a beautiful city!" But I sure hope it isn't discovered too quickly because we want it to stay livable.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by bikerjoan

Pittsburgh is losing population because like many cities across the country, the inner cities tend to be losing people who choose to move out to the surrounding suburban communities in something called urban sprawl. Pittsburgh has room surrounding it for people to do this and the city boundaries do not include the metropolitan and/or suburban areas.

Like guylocke, I kind of get tired of these threads, yet I continue to participate. The above is not the case, except for Butler and Washington Counties. You can do the math yourself.

Originally Posted by PeterRabbit

Census Bureau 2000-2006

- 4.5% Allegheny - 58,000

+ 1.7% Washington + 4,000

- 1% Westmoreland - 3000

+ 5% Butler + 8,000

- 3% Beaver - 6,000

- 3% Armstrong - 2,000

[BrianTH]

I believe the City did in indeed lose people to the suburbs starting after WWII, and probably that effect was continuing even as the region in general was losing population due to the contraction of the industrial sectors. But I have seen some recent indications that this effect may be diminishing or even reversing (such as the City gaining population among younger adults, even as the suburbs are losing population in those age groups).

[Katarina Witt]

There may well be some individuals moving in/out of Pittsburgh to/from the suburbs. However, the numbers indicate the general trend is down in all but Butler and Washington Counties. The next census will be very interesting.