Help us decide if Pittsburgh is right for us =) (Philadelphia: apartment, how much)

[skrazzle]

Hello all-

My girlfriend and I have been trying to decide for awhile now where to relocate. We currently live in Kansas City. We do like it here, the city has done a lot and the midwest hospitality is very nice. We are very urban.

That said, we want to be able to get around more by transit (sick of the gas prices) and having more walkable neighborhoods, and we just want to try something new.


So we are considering Portland, OR.. and recently decided to check out Pittsburgh also.

We would definitely head out to anyplace before we moved, but wanted to check with some residents and see if they think Pittsburgh is right for us.

We want to find a neighborhood with a bit of character, in a good walkable area, close to transit. Normally we would just get an apartment downtown, but we have 2 dogs and would like a house with at least a small yard for them. Are there any areas like this in Pittsburgh? Just a cozy house with a yard close to transit.

And how is the rail transit there? Does it cover a good portion? I like the history that Pittsburgh has also.

What are the fun areas? We are a young couple, she is actually turning 21 just next week.

From pictures, the city looks beautiful. Also we like it's placing around other cities, we like to take road trips and it seems Chicago, DC, New York are all under 8 hour drives.

No offense to some here, but one of the things some people seem to say is Pittsburgh is a lot of older people. We are a young fairly liberal couple and hope it wouldn't be hard to meet new people.


Thanks in advance!

[AshantaeG]

Hello! I live in Atlanta and and I have lived in Pgh my WHOLE life. There are some nice places but overall it wasn't for me anymore. I will say that Mt. Washington is BEAUTIFUL, it sits on a hill that overlooks the whole city. It also sits on top of an area called the Southside which is full of party life and right on the river. DOwntown is five minutes away from this area and there are huge parks around the city which consist of many festivals and fun times. You have to be careful of different areas because of the crime, but mostly, if you look into the areas that I mentioned, you will be pleased. Mt. Washington seems like a good place for you and your wife. It's right near downtown without being Downtown and close to all the major cities. Hope I helped you out and if you have any other questions, feel free to write me

[BrianTH]

We want to find a neighborhood with a bit of character, in a good walkable area, close to transit. Normally we would just get an apartment downtown, but we have 2 dogs and would like a house with at least a small yard for them. Are there any areas like this in Pittsburgh? Just a cozy house with a yard close to transit.

It turns out there are quite a few neighborhoods like this in Pittsburgh. There are two general areas where you will find most of them, particularly given your public transit requirement. One is the inner suburbs to the south (places like Dormont and Mt. Lebanon), many of which are served by the T, Pittsburgh's modest light rail system. The other is the "East End", where many of Pittsburgh's hospitals and universities are located along with lots of former "streetcar suburbs", mostly now absorbed into the City limits. The streetcars are gone, but the East End is served by a lot of good bus routes, many using the East Busway, a dedicated busway which provides express service from Downtown out through the East End and into the closest suburbs.

What are the fun areas? We are a young couple, she is actually turning 21 just next week.

This makes me think you should further focus a bit on the East End, since in some ways it resembles a large "college town" given the presence of the universities. There are several different neighborhoods that might fit your needs, at various price points. To get you started, Squirrel Hill is a relatively large and very popular neighborhood along the lines you suggested, with a relatively large dining, retail, and entertainment district, and easy access to two of Pittsburgh's big city parks (Schenley and Frick). Point Breeze is right next to Squirrel Hill, and also has a very small commercial area of its own. I'd also mention my neighborhood, Regent Square--it is much smaller than Squirrel Hill, but along the same lines and generally a bit less expensive. Regent Square has an increasingly popular little "downtown" area, plus is basically nestled in a corner of Frick Park, and Squirrel Hill is just across the Park. Finally, there is a little informal neighborhood sometimes called "Park Place" just north of Regent Square, which is more transitional but also more affordable than these other areas, and again it has good access to Regent Square, the Park, Squirrel Hill, and some local stuff of its own. All these places have good bus service and are popular with university people.

[PeterRabbit]

I moved from here to Kansas City when I was 18. It was an easy transition except people there don't know what a gumband or shrimp cocktail is. It was easy to get around because KC is built on a grid while in Pgh. you have to learn the particulars about anywhere you go. You had Big Boy restaurants called Elby's and here they are called Eat 'n Park. Gas was 25 cents a gallon here and the same there. We don't have chili houses nor many Mexicans. Overall, the quality of life is much better here. If you need to work make sure you have a job before moving here.

[MissShona]

When it comes to young people in Pittsburgh, a key factor is usually employment. Although the cost of living is great, the economy can be a little unforgiving -- especially if you work outside of the healthcare, technology, financial services, or retail fields. Most of the young people that I personally know that left Pittsburgh did so mainly for economic/professional reasons (and still comment how much they liked the city).

You should definitely come visit though. If you decide to make the move, I would suggest already having employment in place or, if not, 6 months worth of living expenses saved up (it can sometimes take a while to find work here).

[zip95]

I would say that Pittsburgh has a great cost-of-living vs quality-of-life ratio and is a pretty good place to raise a family. That said, a young person would find other cities much more exciting, hip, and cool.

[creepsinc]

My fiancee and I narrowed it down to Pittsburgh and Portland a year ago. I'm familiar with Portland, but Pittsburgh won out and we haven't looked back. We both immediately got good-paying (for Pittsburgh) temp jobs. I'm in a long term one now and she's permanently hired. We're in the process of buying a house which wouldn't be happening in Portland. Pittsburgh is the most underrated city in the country.

[Katarina Witt]

And how is the rail transit there? Does it cover a good portion? I like the history that Pittsburgh has also.

What are the fun areas? We are a young couple, she is actually turning 21 just next week.

From pictures, the city looks beautiful. Also we like it's placing around other cities, we like to take road trips and it seems Chicago, DC, New York are all under 8 hour drives.

No offense to some here, but one of the things some people seem to say is Pittsburgh is a lot of older people. We are a young fairly liberal couple and hope it wouldn't be hard to meet new people.

BrianTH referred to Pittsburgh's rail transit as "modest" and that may be an understatement. It goes from some of the southern suburbs to downtown. The rest of the transit system is buses.

Chicago and NY are about 8 hrs, depending on how fast you drive and how often you stop. DC is closer, maybe 5 hrs?

Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania have a higher percentage of elderly than the national average. Pittsburgh's and Allegheny County's is higher than PA's. That said, numerically, there are a lot of young people in Pgh.

[guylocke]

Pittsburgh is truly a centralized city if you like to travel, especially for weekend trips. Here is a rundown of places you can be in a less than 8 hours starting from the furthest. I don't make stops and tend to make good time, so these are rough estimates. If you follow the speed limits diligently, you make make a bit worse time, if you have a foot made of iron, you may make better time. But these are my own personal times.

Boston, MA: 10.5 hours
Montreal, QC: 10.5 hours
Chicago, IL: 7.5 hours
Charlotte, NC: 7 hours
New York City: 6.5 hours
Indianapolis, IN: 6 hours
Detroit, MI: 5 hours
Philadelphia, PA: 5 hours
Cincinnati, OH: 5 hours
Toronto, ON: 4.5 hours (Don't forget this one! Pittsburgh is just about the closest major American city to this Canadian metropolis which happens to be one of my all-time favorite cities!)
Baltimore, MD: 4.5 hours
Washington DC: 4.5 hours (my dad does it in 4)
Buffalo, NY: 3.5 hours
Columbus, OH: 3 hours
Cleveland, OH: 2.5 hours

From a purely statistical standpoint, I imagine you would be hard pressed to live in a city that is more centrally located (in terms of mileage and elapsed time) than Pittsburgh is to as many other large cities, including our country's capital and two out of the only three alpha- world cities in the United States, New York City and Chicago. That's not even mentioning being 4.5 hours from Canada's premiere city (although Toronto is not an alpha- city, no Canadian city is). I will confess, I have not been to 3 of those cities so I had to call my ex who does major traveling.

[BrianTH]

By the way, the latest estimates I have seen indicate that the City of Pittsburgh itself has recently been gaining population among young adults.