Why would you & why would you not move to Pittsburgh? (McKeesport: neighborhood, school)

[Agbor]

I agree that Pittsburgh has been innovative in some areas...as far as trends..for example Cleveland has had
a Rapid Transit light rail system for years...that goes thru Shaker all the way to the airport..Pittsburgh
has yet to get one..eventhough they have been talking about it for years..

The new Market on Forbes..was touted as a new style supermarket..Chicago and New York has had those
for years..

Socially..Pittsburgh has started having Pride In the Streets festival..Cleveland and other cities have had those for years..

One thing I can say about the South...you have a LARGE content of EDUCATED middle/upper-class black people..of course you have the hood-rats too..but at least there is a balance...Here,you have a
small amount...here it is working class/poor white areas..middle class/upper class white areas...working
class/poor black areas...no discernible middle class/upper class black areas...segregation here is based
on class patterns...just an observation in Western Pa. compared to other areas of the country I have been in..

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Well, you just named a lot of the areas I had in mind by including the East End and the nearer east suburbs. However, I think some of the mill towns along the river also still have a mix. Edit: oh, and as another person noted, the North Side.

Conversely, I was also thinking of suburbs like Mt. Lebanon when I noted a lot of the City and suburbs are segregated.

Not trying to start an argument with you, Brian. I looked up some stats on the mill towns along the rivers in Beaver County (Beaver and Ohio Rivers), and except for Aliquippa and Beaver Falls, all are over 80% white, with many in the high 90s. In fact, Beaver County as a whole is 92% white.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Not trying to start an argument with you, Brian. I looked up some stats on the mill towns along the rivers in Beaver County (Beaver and Ohio Rivers), and except for Aliquippa and Beaver Falls, all are over 80% white, with many in the high 90s. In fact, Beaver County as a whole is 92% white.

Not only are you not starting an argument with me, you are just confirming what I wrote, which is that some of the mill towns are still mixed. You just identified two:

Aliquippa, 62.59% White, 35.52% African American (2000 Census data)

Beaver Falls, 78.82% White, 17.53% African American (same)

[Katarina Witt]

Then there are these old mill towns in Beaver County:

Rochester 83.4% white (Actually not too bad, IMO)
Ambridge 84.7% (Ditto)
New Brighton 86 % (Ditto)

then,
Freedom 92.6
Fallston 93.5%
Beaver 95.8%
Monaca 96.7
Baden 98.1%

And take a look at the townships surrounding these cities, considered by some more "desirable" areas to live:

Chippewa Twp (Beaver Falls) 97.4% white
Patterson Twp (BF) 96.8%
Patterson Hts Borough (BF) 95.8%

Hopewell Twp (Aliquippa) 97%
Center Twp. (Aliquippa-Monaca area) 95.4%
Brighton Twp. (Monaca area) 97.5%

All data from City-Data

[BrianTH]

Yep. Like I said, parts of the area are very segregated, and some are more mixed.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Yep. Like I said, parts of the area are very segregated, and some are more mixed.

But none as mixed as where I live....

White 30%
Black 34%
Asian 14%
Hispanic 22%

I think I get why people like the ideal of diversity -- they feel exposed to different ideas and different cultures, broadens the mind...

But in my opinion, if you are not open to diversity, living in a diverse area will do nothing for you.

And if you are open to diversity, living in a mostly white (Or mostly like race) area won't close your mind.

It's really all in how you were raised, and how you think. This isn't TV. Archie Bunker may have loved the Jeffersons at the end before they moved, but if a black family is living next to a racist, that racist isn't going to change his feelings regardless of what happens. If that family somehow saves his life, they'll just be "one of the good ones".

The other thing is in my opinion "neighborhood" is more important that diversity. A neighborhood sort of has core values -- most people keep up their places (or don't), most people have brand new higher end cars or older cars they keep working on -- they have money or they don't, and they have strong families or they don't.

Where I live, the single family homes are pretty much all owned, not rented. All kept up, but not fancy. Solid families that care about each other. We all keep an eye out for each other, but we don't butt in.

Maybe I'm wrong, but that to me is more important than the color of their skin. And I got all colors here. But diverse? I don't know -- we all get up in the morning and go to work and relax on the weekend... somehow I see far more similarities than not.

[Katarina Witt]

I hear what you're saying, Tallysmom. I will add, having lived in the NE, the mid-Atlantic states, the midwest and the west, I'd say there is less overt racism in the west. Heck, Aurora, CO (suburban Denver) has a larger black population than Denver proper.

That said, when one of my dad's neighbors had his house up for sale in Patterson Hts (95% white), he told my dad he was going to sell it to some blacks, though that's not the word he used. My dad, no great liberal by any means, said "I hope they are good neighbors". That is what is important.

[BrianTH]

Speaking just for myself, I value the opportunity to raise our son in an environment where he has regular informal contact with lots of non-white people. Of course that doesn't mean I think it is impossible to raise nonprejudiced children in a less diverse environment (nor, regrettably, is it impossible to raise prejudiced children in a diverse environment). I just think it helps.

[rapchef2]

Originally Posted by highway29south

We must not talk to the same people! I hear these comments all the time. My MIL still calls black people "those people" or "colored people". It's so weird to hear. I was shocked the first time I heard it.

Can't help but butt in on this one. My parents still use the term "colored" once in awhile, and they certainly don't mean it in a derogatory way. They are in their early sixties (and live two hours north of Pitt by the way), and I think it's really just their generation. They grew up with the "N" word used very commonly, and the term "colored" was the more polite term to use. Black or African American just wasn't the term back then. My parents are honestly afraid that saying "black" is offensive. Those who were part of the transitional generation and the civil rights movement seem to get lost on the new politically correct terms to use for any minority (heck, so do I sometimes). If you happened to watch "30 Rock" during the episode where Jack didn't know how to refer to his Latina girlfriend, it's obvious that there are enough of us who get confused for Hollywood to pick up on it and elaborate.

Just my thoughts....not trying to be judgmental or anything.

[scottie31994]

Originally Posted by Mr Siegal

I would say neither of those negatives you heard were true. air pollution is not noticeable compared to larger cities and the crime is restricted to very small pockets of the cities worst neighborhoods.

i would say move here if you get a job or want to go to a good university (there are several). dont move here if you hate traffic or require sophisticated environs

Traffic? Traffic in Pittsburgh is a joke compared to Chicago or NY. in Pitt there might be a rushhour jam on the major highways coming in to the city. in Chicago, there will be the same plus these highways will be full during the day. in NY, similar to Chicago traffic plus in downtown you can't even drive at all