Want to Move to Pittsburgh (how much, to buy, live in)

[toosie]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

By "close-minded people" what do you mean? We are trying to find a place that is more tolerant than the bible belt that we live in now, but I am worried with Pittsburgh's proximity to Ohio and the Midwest that there may be some narrow-minded views. To what extent is that true? Do people look down on gay couples or interracial families? Are you scorned for thinking liberally? I appreciate your help, as I saw what you posted and my husband and I were just discussing this subject today! We are visiting Monday for the first time and would like to be prepared! We were hoping for a little more New England liberalism, and not so much Midwestern/Southern close-mindedness.....

It's a little bit of both. There is lots of art, science and higher education here. You'll find the most liberal people around those areas and in city neighborhoods. Even conservatives tend to be secretly socially more liberal than they like to talk about with "just anybody". BUT, this city does still have a segregation problem, IMO, and is tolerant but not openly accepting of gays and other minorities. There's an undercurrent of everyone thinking that everyone else should be just like them. Well, this is a totally bi-polar paragraph but that's sort of how the city is when it comes to liberal/conservative. People are usually friendly and respectful of other's opinions, though. You won't feel browbeaten or scorned and you will find plenty of like minded people - plus lots who aren't who could end up being your closest friends.

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

What do you mean by "doesn't happen all that often"?! Is it overcast and dreary with only 40 sunny days a year like Seattle? I need sun...

More like 52 sunny days. Seriously. It's not sunny - the weather report is almost always wrong when calling for sun. I grew up here but I swear it's giving my husband seasonal affectiveness disorder.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

Don't sweat the traffic, it's nothing compared to other cities. When I visit friends in Phoenix, Philly, and Boston, you have to plan your day around traffic, not here. Only during rush hour and even then it's not that bad.

Not that bad during rush hour?

We went to dinner at Pasta Too near the Bethel/South Park border. It took us over an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from Point Breeze. Yes I took the chance at going there at rush hour, but an hour and fifteen minutes to go 18 miles is ridiculous.

We spent part of our honeymoon in the Boston area and agree they are suicide drivers there, but that doesn't make Pittsburgh traffic any better to me. It's unbelievable how many people insist in sitting in the traffic around here seven days a week instead of taking advantage of public transit.

I also disagree about not planning your day around traffic. I-376 starts backing up west to east around 2-2:30pm.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

We went to dinner at Pasta Too near the Bethel/South Park border. It took us over an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from Point Breeze. Yes I took the chance at going there at rush hour, but an hour and fifteen minutes to go 18 miles is ridiculous.

Which route did you take?

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Which route did you take?

South Braddock to I-376, through Fort Pitt Tunnel, exit on to Banksville Road, left on to Mcfarland Road, right turn on to West Liberty, left turn on to Scott Drive, right turn on to Castle Shannon Blvd, right turn on to Route 88/Library Road to Pasta Two.

[Copanut]

Shoulda gone thru the Liberty tubes, left on 51, right onto 88, an'at.

Still say rush hour traffic is nothing compared to other cities.

[CortlandGirl79]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

Ah, the more things change...


Being as old, sadly, as your parents, I tend to disagree. Remember we baby boomers were the ones that did the sit-ins to stop the war and maybe your Mom burnt her bra.

I think racists and bigots are still around, regardless of age. I sat at a local watering hole the other night and listened to a group of 20 somethings throwing around the N word. It's usually the uneducated that are prejudiced, but, that's just my opinion.

Oh, i totally agree with you. My mom is 55 dad is 56, they weren't really into the whole anti-war, bra burning thing, but i don't think of them as old either. Let's just say i know a lot of practicing catholics my parents age and older and a lot of retired union people that are in that same range.

As for people my age, i know very few that go to church at all and many don't care how people live their lives. I guess i'm a little different because i raised with conservative christian values, worked in a factory for 7 years, belonged to a union, and i have a bachelor's degree. I'm a little more conservative on certain issues, but i respect people's opinions. I don't have a problem with gay people or them having rights to see their partner, whatever. I'm a registered democrat, but in reality i'm a moderate, i think both parties suck and i voted for Obama.

So, you're right, it really doesn't matter how old someone is, you will always have racists and ignorant people. You will always have die hard republicans and die hard dems. You know, now that i think about it, many of my republican friends are actually quite liberal, they're just fiscal conservatives. They could care less about god, church, gay, straight, whatever.

Let's just put it this way, most people aren't going to openly make a big deal about your political convictions.

[Luv4ThePaws]

Originally Posted by toosie

It's a little bit of both. There is lots of art, science and higher education here. You'll find the most liberal people around those areas and in city neighborhoods. Even conservatives tend to be secretly socially more liberal than they like to talk about with "just anybody". BUT, this city does still have a segregation problem, IMO, and is tolerant but not openly accepting of gays and other minorities. There's an undercurrent of everyone thinking that everyone else should be just like them. Well, this is a totally bi-polar paragraph but that's sort of how the city is when it comes to liberal/conservative. People are usually friendly and respectful of other's opinions, though. You won't feel browbeaten or scorned and you will find plenty of like minded people - plus lots who aren't who could end up being your closest friends.

More like 52 sunny days. Seriously. It's not sunny - the weather report is almost always wrong when calling for sun. I grew up here but I swear it's giving my husband seasonal affectiveness disorder.

Thanks for your informative post! I must say that I am saddened by the lack of sun, but now that I think of it, I have seen alot of pictures of Pittsburgh with grayish clouds always in the background... I suppose it never occured to me that the sunny and clear picture on the front of my Pittsburgh travel guide may not be the everyday norm for around there....

I make friends with everyone so it's reassuring to know they will probably be my friend back, regardless of my views! I am open-minded and have dealt alright with some of the more ignorant things I have heard while living here, but I want our kids to grow up in an area that doesn't condemn and preach against certain things like they do here. Southern baptists like to keep things the way they were 50 years ago...... It's a little tiring after awhile!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

South Braddock to I-376, through Fort Pitt Tunnel, exit on to Banksville Road, left on to Mcfarland Road, right turn on to West Liberty, left turn on to Scott Drive, right turn on to Castle Shannon Blvd, right turn on to Route 88/Library Road to Pasta Two.

Originally Posted by COPANUT

Shoulda gone thru the Liberty tubes, left on 51, right onto 88, an'at.

Nope, at that time of day, he should have gone across the Homestead Greys Bridge or the Glenwood Bridge and made his way to Lebanon Road to Lebanon Church Road, under the 51 underpass at the cloverleaf, etc.

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

Still say rush hour traffic is nothing compared to other cities.

Agreed. People who move here from other cities are amazed at how quickly they can get around, even during rush hour. It takes my NYC coworkers over an hour to commute to work. They're only traveling 5 miles from Brooklyn!

[toosie]

Oh yeah - the conservative-ism you'll deal with in Pgh is a whole different animal than what you're talking about. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it - you and the kids will be just fine as far as that's concerned.

The grey days...hope it's ok to post this link...Cloudiest Cities in the US I googled cloudiest cities in the us to get it. Feel free to PM me or post more questions. I'll be away for a few days but will reply asap next week.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

Thanks for your informative post! I must say that I am saddened by the lack of sun, but now that I think of it, I have seen alot of pictures of Pittsburgh with grayish clouds always in the background... I suppose it never occured to me that the sunny and clear picture on the front of my Pittsburgh travel guide may not be the everyday norm for around there....

The weather is not that bad, but I'm so tired of fighting the stigma.

I'd say a third of the year has dreary days. The other third is completely sunny. The last third is sunshine with fluffy white clouds. If you consider consider sunshine with fluffy clouds, sunny, then you'll enjoy plenty of sunny days in Pittsburgh.

Just last week someone from Roanoke VA was worried about lack of sunshine in Pittsburgh. When they looked up the data, they discovered it rains more in Roanoke than Pittsburgh.

Here's an old city data thread citing a newspaper article that says Pittsburgh has 145 days of sunshine, not 59.

//www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...-not-59-a.html

The discrepancy exists because many people consider partly cloudy days as cloudy days. Those people shouldn't chose to live in Pittsburgh, and those locals should probably move because they'd clearly be happier somewhere else.