Why would you & why would you not move to Pittsburgh? (Washington: live, shop)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by AfKy

I'm thinking about attending college in the US next year. And, I'm looking for a nice city where attending college will be a good experience. Pittsburgh seems to have most of the ingredients that I'm looking for in a city, plus it has all these great colleges.
. . .
My only question would be that some people have mentioned hiking & kayaking; how easy is it to those places? How far are those places from, say, U of Pitts?

How is the weather? Sunny? Cloudy? Humid? I can't wait to leave the heat & humidity of my own city.

By way of background, my wife and I both came to Pittsburgh originally for the universities, and after meeting here (and a lot of other details that are not particularly relevant) we decided to settle here.

Anyway, I think Pittsburgh can be a nice compromise as far as the college lifestyle is concerned: the East End itself (the area around the biggest universities) feels a lot like a college town, but it is also part of a medium-sized city, which actually has some amenities you would expect from an even larger city. And it is relatively affordable (at least as compared to cities of its size and larger--some of your small college towns could be cheaper).

As others noted, there is a lot of hiking and kayaking you can do within two hours or less of the City. You'll probably want to make some friends with people who do that stuff and have cars (you could offer to pay for gas).

I think of the weather overall as moderate: usually not terribly hot in summer, usually not terribly cold in winter, not a lot of droughts, not a lot of torrential rain, some snow but usually not that much, and so on. It does have a relatively high number of cloudy days for a city of its size, however. Of course that doesn't mean it is cloudy all the time, and it turns out the extra cloudy days don't bother me (I'd definitely take that over, say, much hotter weather, or the humidity I suffered through living in DC), but they can bother some people. By the way, that relative cloudiness goes along with the fact that our precipitation is relatively steady, which is part of why the area is known for being so green, and it is a good place to keep a garden (probably not relevant when you are a student, but you never know).

[patvet2009]

...the part about people treating "out of towners" badly is definitely a true thing in my opinion. I was born and raised here but after leaving to serve in the military...I foolishly returned to think that this region was the best for me. It's not.....I feel like an outsider in a city I have spent my entire life in. I have virtually nothing in common with people here anymore. I lived and worked in different cities and countries and I feel like I grew as a person and experienced different people and different cultures. There has been a few comments on here saying that this place has an old mentality and is resistant to change....I agree 100 percent. If you try to talk about different experiences people here will despise you. There is only one mentality here....it's the Pittsburgh Way or no way. If you try to mention different cities...or countries...or different foods...or god for bid another sports team....people here will be insulted. There is no room for change here. The quote "We have always done it that way." comes to mind when talking about the Burgh. I can tolerate this place because of family and old friends but I would never move here if I didn't have a solid reason. The nightlife sucks...the food is blah...the traffic is horrible...and the dating scene is terrible. I don't plan on staying here...but if you really want to move here...do it, noone is stopping you.

[raynist]

Originally Posted by patvet2009

...I have virtually nothing in common with people here anymore..... ...I can tolerate this place because of family and old friends ...the food is blah...the traffic is horrible.

I don't find a lot of credibility in your statements. You have nothing in common with people here but you would stay because of family and friends (that you have nothing in common with, or do you have nothing in common with complete strangers )

The food is blah??? Where do you eat, Eat N Park? Ever heard of Abate? Amel's? Kaya? (I could go on and on). Expand your horizon's a little, there are some amazing restuarants around this City.

Traffic is horrible? Please list the cities you have lived in of comparable size that have better traffic. Making blanket statements with nothing to back them up is a little suspicious coming from someone as their first post (at least your name isn't Pgh$ucks or something like that!! )

[user_id]

I have spent a number of years in Pittsburgh, currently I'm not in the city, instead rather nomadic, but I'm thinking of returning to Pittsburgh to "settle down" at least for a while. Here are my cons/pros both in order of strongest to weakest:

Cons:

-Run down infrastructure, from streets and highways to commercial and residential properties.
-High taxes, especially for businesses
-Lack of diversity
-Missing of some amenities (This one is relatively minor to me).

Pros:
-Good costs vs benefit.
-Interesting architecture throughout the city.
-Good proximity to a lot of other areas.
-Not a lot in terms of natural disasters.

People always talk about the weather and I really don't get what all the fuss is about. I was raised in California and I did not find Pittsburgh weather that bad. The thing that bothered me the most was the Humidity in the summer, but its something you tend to get use to after a bit. But, as is usually the case with humid areas you get some nice lightning storms and things of that nature as a result.

I don't think the cloudiness is a bit deal either. Although it is often cloudy it does not rain much in terms of hours/days. Its almost ironic too, but I found myself doing more outdoor stuff in Pittsburgh than I do in more sunny areas. When its always sunny you always say "Oh I'll do it tomorrow".

And traffic is bad? Drive on the 101, 405, or 5 in Los Angeles at 4 pm and get back to me....that is if you ever actually get back.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

It does have a relatively high number of cloudy days for a city of its size,....

I thought this was funny or hmm...odd. What does weather have to do with the size of a city!?

[mlh1981]

WHY:
-great food
-not too far from several other major cities
-great architecture
-good summers

WHY NOT:
-dreary winters
-overly pessimistic sports fans/no tolerance for those who aren't Steelers fans
-Mark Madden
-one way streets

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by user_id

I have spent a number of years in Pittsburgh, currently I'm not in the city, instead rather nomadic, but I'm thinking of returning to Pittsburgh to "settle down" at least for a while. Here are my cons/pros both in order of strongest to weakest:

Cons:

-Run down infrastructure, from streets and highways to commercial and residential properties.
-High taxes, especially for businesses
-Lack of diversity
-Missing of some amenities (This one is relatively minor to me).

Pros:
-Good costs vs benefit.
-Interesting architecture throughout the city.
-Good proximity to a lot of other areas.
-Not a lot in terms of natural disasters.

People always talk about the weather and I really don't get what all the fuss is about. I was raised in California and I did not find Pittsburgh weather that bad. The thing that bothered me the most was the Humidity in the summer, but its something you tend to get use to after a bit. But, as is usually the case with humid areas you get some nice lightning storms and things of that nature as a result.

I don't think the cloudiness is a bit deal either. Although it is often cloudy it does not rain much in terms of hours/days. Its almost ironic too, but I found myself doing more outdoor stuff in Pittsburgh than I do in more sunny areas. When its always sunny you always say "Oh I'll do it tomorrow".

And traffic is bad? Drive on the 101, 405, or 5 in Los Angeles at 4 pm and get back to me....that is if you ever actually get back.



I thought this was funny or hmm...odd. What does weather have to do with the size of a city!?

No offense but what's the big deal about diversity? I've lived here my whole life and no native i know really gives a damn about diversity but many transplants do.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

No offense but what's the big deal about diversity? I've lived here my whole life and no native i know really gives a damn about diversity but many transplants do.

Regarding the natives, its a lot like saying someone that has never tasted ice cream is not interested in it. Many of the natives don't know what they are missing. The transplants on the other hand have other experiences.

Anyhow, personally I like more diverse regions because they offer more. There is a greater selection of foods, a greater selection of activities, you are able to talk to people from all over the country/world, etc.

In Pittsburgh the actual city has a fair amount of diverse (especially, in the triangle), but there is not much outside of it.

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by AfKy

Hello all,

I have been reading mix reviews about Pittsburgh. I have read that it's got air pollution problem and the crime rate is high. On the other hand, it's called one of the best (livable) cities in the US. Can our Pittsburgher friends share their experience and help me get over my confusion?

And oh yeah, how's it like living in Pittsburgh? The goods and the bads?

Thanks..

The air pollution is exaggerated and the crime rate is low for a city this size.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by user_id

Regarding the natives, its a lot like saying someone that has never tasted ice cream is not interested in it. Many of the natives don't know what they are missing. The transplants on the other hand have other experiences.

Anyhow, personally I like more diverse regions because they offer more. There is a greater selection of foods, a greater selection of activities, you are able to talk to people from all over the country/world, etc.

In Pittsburgh the actual city has a fair amount of diverse (especially, in the triangle), but there is not much outside of it.

I just see the negative aspects of it such as people not able to speak English. I just don't feel it's that big of a deal, minus the food I love Italian, German, Irish, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese. I don't like how some think that you can't include Europeans in diversity at least that's how some I've seen on the city data forum feel.

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by sr1234

We have lived here several years and more than hate it - we loathe it. We are definately moving away. Reasons we hate it...traffic infrastructure (worst in all the cities we have visited or lived in), lack & cost of parking, taxes always on the rise, air pollution, dirty city, crime, vagrants wandering the streets, lack of shopping, lack of development downtown, bad and violent schools, and 70 years of democratic ignorance that lives on. Positives...the zoo and museums.

Can't wait for it to get that much better.

Hurry up!