Pittsburgh- Compare And Contrast (Erie, Carnegie: crime, neighborhoods, college)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hehe, I don't think anyone wants to chew on this, yet, because you are being too broad. Why don't you ask more specific questions and browse the forum in which there are a plethora of comparison threads and pro's and con's of Pittsburgh.
1. Everyone's obsessed with the Steelers.
2. Traffic is congested during rush hour... but is a total breeze compared to larger cities!
3. Practically every neighborhood has crime/drug problems, but you'll be perfectly safe living anywhere (unless you're walking down a dark alley at 2AM screaming "I NEED CRACK" and waving your gun around at others).
4. Everyone's obsessed with the Steelers.
5. There aren't really any gangs - mainly just redneck white guys that cause trouble.
Much about Pittsburgh has to do with its geology: Surrounded by hills (or eroded plateaus) , downtown Pittsburgh is packed into a small dense area. Neighborhoods around Pittsburgh are seperate and unique, again because of the hills which divide them.
The legacy of coal and steel production is still evident in the middle class, blue collar folks who live in these neighborhoods. Mostly friendly , trusting people; very family oriented. This is changing as it has everywhere.
Commutes from the south and east are hampered by the tunnels- the hills again. But off hours, its hard to find anyplace in the county that is more than 30 min. from downtown.
The weather is not so great- rainy and grey a lot!
Outdoor recreation is readily available. Its a city where it is not uncommon to see people fishing for bass on the rivers downtown, or a car with a deer on the roof.
'Hard to drive around here- neighborhood names sometimes known only to the locals, street signs often missing, and irregular street patterns.
Fairly large minority and ethnic populations- eastern euros, african americans, indians.
Beautiful 19th century architecture downtown and in some suburbs. Quality arts venues comparable to those of a larger city. World class symphony orchestra.
Rabid football fans.
The problems here have mostly to do with the economy- high taxes (because of redundant services, not unrelated to those hills and isolated communities, and inrastructure designed for a much larger populace) and a lack of jobs as a result.
Banking is a major industry.
Neighborhoods: Better then other cities I lived. They are more diverse, more clean, and very unique. Great restaurants, shops, and are very walkable.
People: Better then other cities. Less snobby, more down to earth, more chill, and overall friendly.
Area:Worse then cities I lived in, better then others. The Mon Valley and Allegheny Valley are still depressing and run down, though the city is changing for the better, these places are far behind, and decades away from being nice again. The beach is far, however West Virginia is awesome and there is a lot of recreation two hours south of here.
Commmute: Ever since college I worked downtown and lived in the city. Don't know what a commute is. The suburban people seem to have trouble getting through the tunnels though.
After living in Richmond, VA, Atlanta, San Francisco and Seattle, I have a pretty diverse group of cities to compare Pittsburgh to. So far, after a year, it has them all beat. Quality of life, cost of living, outdoor and cultural opportunities, natural beauty...it compares favorably to all of them. It doesn't have the Asian and Mexican food of the West Coast, but I'm sure it makes up for it in other areas. You can't find pierogies in Seattle either, what's your point? I thought I'd miss the ocean, but I don't. Lake Erie is only two hours away. Rush hour traffic easily seems to be as bad as anywhere I've lived, but I don't live in the suburbs so I rarely have to deal with it, and any other time of day the roads are totally clear.
The main downsides I've found are the potholes and the fact that in a lot of neighborhoods, people don't believe in trash cans.
I've been all over the country and lived all over the country too, and I'm staying put in Pittsburgh. I think people are starting to trickle back in too, let's hope when the growth starts back up it never gets out of hand.
BASIC INFORMATION ON PITTSBURGH PLEASE...
neighborhoods, people, the area, culture, commute, how it compares to other cities!!
thanks!
Pittsburgh v Denver:
Neighborhoods: Both have numerous distinct neighborhoods, sometimes defined by geography (hills, rivers) IMO, Denver's suburbs are more compact, more "walkable", have better access to public transportation.
People: Same kind of people in both: nice, awful, rich, poor, liberal, conservative, etc.
Area: Pittsburgh is in the northeastern US at the foothills of the Allegheny Mts. It is separated from the east coast by said mtns. Hilly, big rivers, lush, heavily forested. Denver is situated at the foot of the Rockies. The east side and the eastern suburbs are pretty flat, the west side a little hillier. The mtns rise up abruptly to the west. Dry, not a lot of native trees. Grasses, turn brown by early summer.
Culture: Pittsburgh - has a lot of cultural facitlites. It is often said it has a lot for a city of its size; that is because it used to be a much larger city, and it had a "sugar daddy", Andrew Carnegie, who donated a lot of buildings incuding a music hall, a museum, and numerous libraries. Very pro sports oriented, thus geared mainly to watching sports on TV or in person. Denver: Has a number of good cultural facilities. Most have been built with tax money, though the Coors family and the Boettcher family (sugar beets) have made some donations. Actually has a couple of Carnegie libraries around, as Andrew built them all over the world. Also pro sports oriented, but not as passionate as Pittsburgh. Lots of outdoor enthusiasts who hike, bike, climb mountains, ski.
Commute: I haven't done the Pittsburgh commute in a long time. The last time we were driving in rush hour traffic, it seemed typical for a city of its size. Denver: I actually don't commute much there, either as I live 4 1/2 miles from my job. Not *too* bad.
I can't compare Pittsburgh with any other cities. The other places I have lived have been much smaller.
BASIC INFORMATION ON PITTSBURGH PLEASE...
neighborhoods, people, the area, culture, commute, how it compares to other cities!!
thanks!
Like so many Americans these days, especially native Pittsburghers who've had good incentive to see what's on the other side of the hill, I've lived in a handful of American cities, probably know another handful well enough to have a perspective, but the two I know best are Pittsburgh and L.A., two cities that couldn't be less alike.
What I don't miss about Pittsburgh is the smallness, in the people and in the geography of the city; I don't mean the compactness, because to my way of thinking that's a plus. I mean the fact that the city itself is limited to the point of running the danger of dropping off the end of the world if you're not careful; and the fact that beyond Grant Street it's still the same nothingness it always was.
I hate the summers in L.A. I hate the sunshine that burns unobstructed by clouds everyday for months at a time, and even though Pittsburgh has too many clouds, probably too many rainy days, I prefer it to this. I can't tell you what I'd pay for just one brief fifteen minute, a hot, summer rain!
Also I hate the inaccessiblity of L.A. Yeah, you can find a great pizza or a great jazz club or the just right office space somewhere in this sprawl, but it's usually on the other side of the world, and that's without traffic! Pittsburgh, you can live in the East End or on the North Side and get over to West Liberty Avenue for your favorite pizza in no time at all. The city may not have the abundance that L.A. has, but at least you can get to it!
But in L.A., I have to be fair and say I never feel like I'm out of it, action wise. Growing up in Pittsburgh I felt like I was living on the outskirts of somehwere, even though I was pretty much in the inner city my entire time there. I think it's the geography. Pittsburgh is a town in the woods. Much more off-the-beaten-path than NYC, Philly, Boston and D.C., that corridor; even a little moreso than, (I know it's a dirty word), Cleveland, and the cities of the Great Lake region.
That said, Pittsburgh is an easier city to manage, livable I guess is the terminology we're using these days and that does have its attraction. Neither my wife nor I, neither one of our kids for that matter, has ever lived anywhere but in a city, but when we talk about making our final stand in Pittsburgh and we do, we usually think of a place a little out of town, maybe an hour North or East. I have no grasp of what that would be like in actuality, but sometimes the thought of it is tempting.
No perfect city I guess, just all things considered the best option for you, is what we're talking about. The problem is all the cliches have a basis in truth, and it's the flip side of the coin that can do us in.
The crime may be higher than other cities, but the crimes that happen in pittsburgh are mostly blue collar misdemeanor crimes. There aren't any noteable gangs that go on shooting sprees!
Like so many Americans these days, especially native Pittsburghers who've had good incentive to see what's on the other side of the hill, I've lived in a handful of American cities, probably know another handful well enough to have a perspective, but the two I know best are Pittsburgh and L.A., two cities that couldn't be less alike.
What I don't miss about Pittsburgh is the smallness, in the people and in the geography of the city; I don't mean the compactness, because to my way of thinking that's a plus. I mean the fact that the city itself is limited to the point of running the danger of dropping off the end of the world if you're not careful; and the fact that beyond Grant Street it's still the same nothingness it always was.
I hate the summers in L.A. I hate the sunshine that burns unobstructed by clouds everyday for months at a time, and even though Pittsburgh has too many clouds, probably too many rainy days, I prefer it to this. I can't tell you what I'd pay for just one brief fifteen minute, a hot, summer rain!
Also I hate the inaccessiblity of L.A. Yeah, you can find a great pizza or a great jazz club or the just right office space somewhere in this sprawl, but it's usually on the other side of the world, and that's without traffic! Pittsburgh, you can live in the East End or on the North Side and get over to West Liberty Avenue for your favorite pizza in no time at all. The city may not have the abundance that L.A. has, but at least you can get to it!
But in L.A., I have to be fair and say I never feel like I'm out of it, action wise. Growing up in Pittsburgh I felt like I was living on the outskirts of somehwere, even though I was pretty much in the inner city my entire time there. I think it's the geography. Pittsburgh is a town in the woods. Much more off-the-beaten-path than NYC, Philly, Boston and D.C., that corridor; even a little moreso than, (I know it's a dirty word), Cleveland, and the cities of the Great Lake region.
That said, Pittsburgh is an easier city to manage, livable I guess is the terminology we're using these days and that does have its attraction. Neither my wife nor I, neither one of our kids for that matter, has ever lived anywhere but in a city, but when we talk about making our final stand in Pittsburgh and we do, we usually think of a place a little out of town, maybe an hour North or East. I have no grasp of what that would be like in actuality, but sometimes the thought of it is tempting.
No perfect city I guess, just all things considered the best option for you, is what we're talking about. The problem is all the cliches have a basis in truth, and it's the flip side of the coin that can do us in.
You summed it up perfectly, and illustrated how subjective everything is. I first came through Pittsburgh on a train from L.A (I had been staying with a friend and checking it out) and I immediately knew it was the place I'd been looking for after living in so many "spotlight" cities. It feels like I'm in West Virginia, and I love it! Give me deer and wild turkeys any day over velvet rope nightclubs and celebrity sightings.
Mark Twain said it best, even though he said it about Cincinnati, and I paraphrase: "That's where I"m going for the Apocalypse because it's 20 years behind everywhere else."
The rest of the country can have their earthquakes and hurricanes and terrorist bombings. The aftermath of the steel collapse really isn't all that bad.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
