Gay Black Male, Mid 30's Moving to Pitt in 2011 (Pittsburgh: best neighborhoods, neighborhoods) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

carolinaguy321 · 04-09-2010, 08:39 AM

Hey all future neighbors. I will be applying to U-Pitt for the summer semester for 2011. I really need some help with information on the city. I don't want to live on campus, but I think it will be a pretty good school. I think if I could find a roommate, I can make it just fine. But what about living on my own. I'm sure I can find enough financial aid to live alone; the cost of living between Pitt and Charlotte isn't that much different from my research. But I'm not used to cities with so many different ethnicities(sp?). When I was growning up, it was just black and white; that's it. No "ethnic" whites or "ethnic" blacks, asians, hispanics etc.

Are there any neighborhoods in the city a black male should avoid? are they any that a gay male should avoid? are their liberal open-to-all areas in the city? If so, can you tell me? I know Northeastern Cities will be different than most southern cities, and I'm in for a culture shock, but I'm sure I can adapt.

I would like blunt honesty, political correctness is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with my safety. I'm not asking for a lack of decorum, but please, if willing, answer my questions as best you can. Thanks so much for the help, and I'll be there in 2011!

Renaldo5000 · 04-09-2010, 09:18 AM

Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, or Regent Square.

sleeptodream138 · 04-09-2010, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwonderwhy2124

Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, or Regent Square.

Those are areas to avoid or liberal, open areas?

To the OG post:

I'm planning on moving there next year also and while I do not live there now, my family does and I have been there many many times. I live in the south right now. The biggest difference I notice is that people are friendlier than where I live now. There also isn't so much...southerness (haha obviously). The accent might trip you up a bit with odd words such as "yinz" and the like. My mom always says she can pick out someone from Pittsburgh by the way they talk and vice versa. It's this subtle accent that is kind of hard to describe on a message board.

Other than that I really don't think it's that different. I mean, there aren't BBQ shacks on every corner and no confederate flags but other than that, it's pretty cool. I might not notice a difference since I've spent a lot of time there and here but I think you'll do alright.

BrianTH · 04-09-2010, 09:59 AM

Pittsburgh has a kind of live-and-let-live attitude that makes some of these issues less pressing than you might otherwise expect. Still, if you want to actually be around a more liberal/open community, I think looking in the neighborhoods most closely associated with the universities/hospitals is a good start. Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, and Regent Square all count, and I'd add Friendship and some of the neighborhoods right next to Regent Square (Park Place, Whitney Park, and Edgewood west of the Busway).

Renaldo5000 · 04-09-2010, 09:59 AM

Those areas have lots of college students and are the most liberal parts of the city. Shadyside has younger people and it's really preppy. There are a lot of gay dudes there too. Squirrel Hill is preppy, but more mature (more families and such). Regent Square and Point Breeze are more quiet and residential but full of young families, people with money, and students.

BrianTH · 04-09-2010, 11:27 AM

The Regent Square area (and other neighborhoods nearby) also has quite a few gay couples.

Geeo · 04-09-2010, 01:20 PM

As others have said, check out the East End, which includes Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Highland Park, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, East Liberty, Friendship, and some other nearby areas. It's a pretty diverse area racially and ethnically and has a good percentage of single gay men and women as well as couples. Welcome!

PreservationPioneer · 04-10-2010, 01:15 AM

This is coming from a young gay male:

Places to avoid: Honestly, everywhere I have been in Pittsburgh has been very accepting. I haven't encountered any homophobia at all, and it's not hard to figure out that I'm gay. I have been all over the city. I originally lived in the eastern suburbs (Chalfant), then I lived in the East End (Shadyside), now I live in McKees Rocks, west of the city. People do have a live and let live mentality here. As far as which neighborhoods a black male should avoid, I really have no idea.

The east end neighborhoods, for the most part, are upscale and trendy, but there are plenty of other options. The whole city is full of beautiful neighborhoods. Mexican War Streets, Allegheny West, and Deutschtown on the North Side are beautiful. The South Side Flats is one of the best neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, vibrant and full of young people. West End neighborhoods like Mt. Washington offer a quieter lifestyle in the city, not to mention the views!

So drive around and see what you like before deciding.

carolinaguy321 · 04-10-2010, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

This is coming from a young gay male:

Places to avoid: Honestly, everywhere I have been in Pittsburgh has been very accepting. I haven't encountered any homophobia at all, and it's not hard to figure out that I'm gay. I have been all over the city. I originally lived in the eastern suburbs (Chalfant), then I lived in the East End (Shadyside), now I live in McKees Rocks, west of the city. People do have a live and let live mentality here. As far as which neighborhoods a black male should avoid, I really have no idea.

The east end neighborhoods, for the most part, are upscale and trendy, but there are plenty of other options. The whole city is full of beautiful neighborhoods. Mexican War Streets, Allegheny West, and Deutschtown on the North Side are beautiful. The South Side Flats is one of the best neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, vibrant and full of young people. West End neighborhoods like Mt. Washington offer a quieter lifestyle in the city, not to mention the views!

So drive around and see what you like before deciding.

Everyone is pretty much saying the same thing, that's great. I plan to visit Pittsburgh at least twice between now and next year. I will actually be leaving around this time next year. I think I will get a relocation package from the Chamber of Commerce as well. I just looking for a nice, easy going city to live in. Charlotte is becoming that way, thanks to all the newbies comming from N.Y. and N.J., but it has been a slow process. I'm getting older, and "live and let live" has always been my way of thinking; though it hasn't gone over well here in the south. But I'm still young enough (38 when I move) to still enjoy livining. I suppose a person can enjoy living at any age really.

I have heard there are some areas of the city that can be considered "racists". Of course, this is hearsay; I have never been there so I can't say if it is or not. That's why I asked the questions about neighborhood safety. I do know that in some ethnic neighborhoods I have been in up north, the people are territorial. I had people yell at me as I drove through South Boston back in '03; I really do not want a repeat of that, that was almost scary. I just wanted to tour a historic district (I'm a history major.) A similar incident happened to me in Providence when I got off I-95 and found myself in an all Italian neighborhood. No one said anything offensive, but there quietness really said it all. I made my purchases, and got the hell out of there. So if there are neighborhoods I should avoid based on race, please let me know. I will defenitely check out the neighborhoods y'all listed above, and appreciate the information. :-)

Renaldo5000 · 04-10-2010, 09:45 AM

The more upscale places (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, etc..) are filled with students, educated minorities, and diversity. Nobody is going to bat an eyelash at a black man or a gay man for that matter.

If you are striving to avoid racial hostility then I can't think of any neighborhoods in the city proper that you should avoid per se. I have observed an element of minor racism in some of the white working-class people of the city, but it is usually harmless bluster. Nobody is going to try to lynch you. The rural areas around the city are very white however. Some of those towns haven't seen a black person in years. If you find yourself in one of those places (which nobody has any reason to be anyway) you will probably get some stares but that's it.