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My husband and I are looking to relocate to a new city. We currently live in Tampa, and really want a change of pace. One of the cities we are interested in is Pittsburgh, but we have a few questions first.
1. We are teachers. What are the schools like, and how is the job market?
2. Is Pittsburgh still an industrial city, or is it more "technology based"?
3. Do many people relocate to Pittsburgh from other parts of the country?
Any advice/info you could give us would be helpful. Thanks!
naturelover, I don't know about the schools or jobs in the area as I left there 20 years ago (in Clearwater now) but I do know that it used to be kinda of a dirty, smoggy place , but all the steel mills have shutdown quite a while ago and Pittsburgh has done alot to change the city. From what I've read, it's more "tech" now, and it is an area that has always been known for being the top in the medical industry. I can guarantee you will have a different change of pace. It's not so much like "NYC" like Tampa Bay is. You might consider looking around the surrounding counties for a home. Allegheny has very high tax rates but it's not a difficult commute up there. In Tampa, 10 miles will take you 40 minutes... in PA 10 miles takes you 10 minutes. Granted, downtown Pitt I'm sure is more congested, but I'm sure it's nothing like here.
About five years ago, I was hearing from teachers that the market is saturated.
No, people don't move to Pittsburgh as much as you think. It's a great area, but I heard a statistic about ten years ago that western PA has the highest stagnant rate in the country (i.e., people that
are born there, are also raised there, remain there, and die there...this could be considered a positive attribute as it might indicate that people don't want to leave the area).
Pittsburgh isn't the smokey city anymore...very much into medical industry.
I pasted this elsewhere:
The schools are good in Pittsburgh. I looked at high school data once & saw that Mt. Lebanon high school was nationally ranked. Fox Chapel School district also gets excellent scores. Fox Chapel has a lot of nice houses (where deceased governor John Heinz used to live...all of his money is with Teresa Heinz Kerry...real estate is high in that area). Mt. Lebanon & Sewickly areas have "older" money.
North Hills and North Allegheny are good schools (and large schools) in more affordable areas (still nice areas, though).
Pgh is in Allegheny county and the taxes are high. Some people choose to live in neighboring Butler or Beaver counties.
Here are some scores (I think based on SAT's?) rated among other PA high schools:
99 mt lebanon
99 north allegheny
98 fox chapel
97 upper saint claire
97 hampton township
96 freedom
95 somerset
94 bethel park
94 peters township
93 north hills
93 sewickley
93 greater latrobe
91 penn hills
90 greensburg salem
89 butler
Quote:
Originally Posted by naturelover
My husband and I are looking to relocate to a new city. We currently live in Tampa, and really want a change of pace. One of the cities we are interested in is Pittsburgh, but we have a few questions first.
1. We are teachers. What are the schools like, and how is the job market?
2. Is Pittsburgh still an industrial city, or is it more "technology based"?
3. Do many people relocate to Pittsburgh from other parts of the country?
Any advice/info you could give us would be helpful. Thanks!
nirvana is right.... it is NOT the smokey city any longer! Actually it has changed drastically.
naturelover, i'm here in Clearwater and am planning a move north also. I'm from Beaver Co. It's really worth your while to take a trip up there to look around. There are some very cheap flights to Pitt (like $69.00!) so you could realistically pop up for a long weekend here and there. It's not as big a problem commuting from other counties into town like down here I don't think. Many people drive from way outside the city. BeaverCo. is only like 30 min from there.
I know if you go there and look at some homes, you will be amazed. There are just beautiful homes with large rooms and nice woodwork everywhere for VERY afforable prices. And don't count out the houses that look bland... once you walk inside, many of them are gorgeous (awesome wood floors, fireplaces...). There is also alot of land around and homes with very large properties.
We will be going up in the next month or so to scope it out and will give ya our impressions when we get back. I know we are SO TIRED of this Tampa Bay big city lifestyle and really miss the woods, lakes seasons, empty country roads, QUIET...
Western PA seems to be coming back around just like NE Ohio. Pittsburgh and Cleveland's markets are changing and becoming more diversed. People are starting to move back to the areas if they moved away. Not just because it is less expensive but because the jobs are getting better. I use to live in Monroeville a suburb of Pittsburgh. I love Pittsburgh. No other city like it. I now live in Westlake, Ohio a suburb of Cleveland and i love the Cleveland area. I have made many new friends. Since my job moved me here about 2 years ago. And its not a long ways to go to see my friends in Pittsburgh and my family. Anyway Pittsburgh is a great city with many friendly people. Good luck with your move.
I will paste the post that I placed on another thread.
I moved here from Miami. I was raised here. If you really dont know what to expect here, it will be nothing like Florida. It is changing quickly now, but not like Florida has in the past decade. For me this is a good thing. It is a comfortable, affordable place to live. Not a huge party town but enough going on to satisfy. It has much more cultural activity than I found in Florida. It has a very robust art scene for a city of this size. It is old and the infrastructure is in need of redevelopment, but compared to when I was growing up here it has made huge strides. It seems to be attracting alot of attention nationwide, and I believe rightfully so. I can compare it to what it was and say wow. You might compare it to something else and say eh. But it has progressed in a phenomenal way. It has survived 3 decades of absolute abandonement and depression. It seems to have moved past that now and has really become a place of interest and beauty. I believe it will be a good investment. Here's to the pioneers!
Oh, if youre in need of sun, this is not the place, but when it breaks through it is worth the wait.
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