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Hi all I really wanted to see if any one on here grew up in or around pgh, moved to the dc area and back PGH again. I am just trying to gauge people's feelings and whether the move back to PGH was positive or not.
A little about me I have a wife and 3 children and currently live in a single family home in rockville md. I moved from pgh in 1993 on a whim and have done pretty well. That being said, I am really getting tired of the traffic and the people in this area. I may have the potential to make a really great career move back to pgh where I am making comparable money which really isn't the issue. My problem is I just don't know if I can make the move back after being gone so long.
I know the city of pgh has changed drastically for the better since the early 90s, but if any of you lived in bethesda/chevy chase/rockville you know these areas are pretty darn nice. I have been back a few times over the years, and the thought of having a nicer house, no mortgage, friendlier people (neighbors that actually say hi)is very appealing to me. My kids go to private school in this area and I would probably do the same in pgh. As for my wife she said as long as there was a nordstrom nearby she would move..... thank goodness there is one in ross park mall.
So after all this anyone else on here make the move to dc and come back?? If so please be honest and lmk what your experience was like. thanks!
The cost of living is alot cheaper, traffic is easier to deal with (depending on where you live) less serious crime, if you can make the money that you want you will be ok here. I used to live in D.C (northwest) and moved here in the seventies but I go back and forth every so often. I miss the diversity and activities D.C has to offer but I could not get Steeler games
By way of background, I'm not from Pittsburgh originally, but came here in 1993, then from 2006 to 2008 worked in DC before making the move back to Pittsburgh (my wife and our baby son were living in Pittsburgh, and we would see each other on weekends).
So we generally liked DC and explored the idea of living there, but housing prices (and private school prices for that matter) were a dealbreaker for us. Basically, in Pittsburgh we could buy a really nice house in a very convenient location (and afford private schools if that is what we end up wanting to do), all while not necessarily killing ourselves at work and indeed maybe saving enough to retire pretty early. In DC, anything remotely comparable in terms of housing (factoring in location as well) was simply out of our ability to afford, and even much more modest places in semi-decent locations were so much more expensive it would have really changed the equation as far as our possible career tracks. So we just weren't willing to do that.
Also, and this is just my opinion, but I ended up thinking DC is actually less distinct from Pittsburgh than some other larger cities. Of course DC has great museums and monuments and such, but other than that stuff, DC never really felt like a huge world city to me in the same sense as a New York, Chicago, or even a Boston. Again, we generally liked DC, but I just couldn't see why we would want to pay so much more for essentially the same lifestyle on a daily basis.
By the way, this is all with us likely making more money as a household in DC--in our case, that still wasn't nearly enough to make up for the housing/education cost difference. If you could actually make comparable money either way, then financially Pittsburgh will come out WAAAAAAY ahead.
After graduation, I had offers in both Pittsburgh and DC at roughly the same salary. After one look at apartment prices, I knew exactly which offer to take. I don't think Pittsburgh has a suburb like Rockville. Your best bet might be to look at Mt. Lebanon, but it really depends on what you're looking for.
Thank you both for your responses. Financially, my family and I are doing ok since we bought our house here way before the housing boom. We have a lot of equity in our home and would make out like bandits by moving to pgh. Brian, as you stated, dc has superb museums and a geat zoo. I remember pgh's zoo was really good too although i haven't been there in over 2 decades.
I know pgh has alot to offer.........but, to me its the ALL the small towns around it that are still in a time warp to 1950. That is where I am having this block in my head. I grew up in these small towns and although the experience was good, I think the opportunities for my kids here outside of dc would be better...more exposure to the world..... does that make sense? I have a friend here that grew up in Alliquippa and when I mentioned the possiblity of moving back to pgh he was like..it's really improved the people are nice, but you know...its pittsburgh. Its funny I have it all figured out, but I don't know if I can commit to it. It kind of feels that I'm failing by moving back...... I don't know that's why I want to see what others think who may have had similar experiences.
BTW. I've looked at houses online and the franklin park or mccandless look like the best places to move for me and the family.
Thank you both for your responses. Financially, my family and I are doing ok since we bought our house here way before the housing boom. We have a lot of equity in our home and would make out like bandits by moving to pgh. Brian, as you stated, dc has superb museums and a geat zoo. I remember pgh's zoo was really good too although i haven't been there in over 2 decades.
I know pgh has alot to offer.........but, to me its the ALL the small towns around it that are still in a time warp to 1950. That is where I am having this block in my head. I grew up in these small towns and although the experience was good, I think the opportunities for my kids here outside of dc would be better...more exposure to the world..... does that make sense? I have a friend here that grew up in Alliquippa and when I mentioned the possiblity of moving back to pgh he was like..it's really improved the people are nice, but you know...its pittsburgh. Its funny I have it all figured out, but I don't know if I can commit to it. It kind of feels that I'm failing by moving back...... I don't know that's why I want to see what others think who may have had similar experiences.
BTW. I've looked at houses online and the franklin park or mccandless look like the best places to move for me and the family.
If you like diversity, you'll probably have to move to the city. Squirrel Hill is quite nice, and if you're using private schools than Winchester-Thurston or Shadyside Academy should be where you're looking. There's new construction in the "Summerset at Frick Park" development that could be worth looking at. There are also small colonies of Asian and Hispanic immigrants in the south hills.
Franklin park and McCandless are pretty whitewashed, they don't have as much diversity, nor do they have a private school relatively close by(Getting to Sewickley Academy would require using mostly back roads). I did know people from Franklin Park who went to Sewickley Academy anyway though, so it's certainly possible.
The whole "but it's Pittsburgh" thing actually really bothers me. I have friends who are CMU graduates in CS, and Pitt grad students in Medicine (top10) and Philosophy (top 5). I don't think of any of them as being nebby-debbies who never left their hometown.
Last edited by gameguy56; 01-23-2010 at 10:39 PM..
I grew up in these small towns and although the experience was good, I think the opportunities for my kids here outside of dc would be better...more exposure to the world..... does that make sense?
I think I understand what you are saying: we don't have fairly large and relatively cosmopolitan satellite cities such as Rockville in the Pittsburgh area--Sewickley is the closest thing that comes to mind but really isn't on the same scale. However, I guess my view is that if you are looking for a more cosmopolitan experience then you don't have to live in a small town, because the nicer neighborhoods in or near the City have a similar feel and are reasonably affordable (particularly if you are fine with private schools and so don't have to worry too much about school districts).
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Its funny I have it all figured out, but I don't know if I can commit to it. It kind of feels that I'm failing by moving back...... I don't know that's why I want to see what others think who may have had similar experiences.
This is probably where us being non-natives is less than helpful. We've chosen to live in Pittsburgh because it offered us the best overall balance of attributes. So to us it would be strange to suggest we ended up here through failure, but I understand that people who grew up here, particularly during the steel bust, may have different attitudes.
Well, I've not lived in the DC area. I spent a month there for work, and still go there for work often. I grew up a bit farther out than you are, in Shepherdstown, WV. So while the details of actually living in the place are missing, I know a bit about the suburban MD area of which you speak. I'm trying to think what you would miss by coming to a similar area here. Nope, at this point you wouldn't even have to miss Nordstrom! I think you might miss some variety in your dining and grocery shopping options.
gameguy brings up good points in the last post too. Although Franklin Park, McCandless, parts of Marshall Township, etc. may look appealing from certain convenience standpoints and the suburban areas you're used to now, it won't be convenient to any likely private schools. I guess if you start looking at Franklin Park west of I-79, you're a little closer to Sewickley via aforementioned back roads. But typically we point out these towns because they're in one of the top few public school districts in the entire region (North Allegheny). People will probably start whining about that word diversity again, but suffice to say you won't find too many non-whites living out in the north hills suburbs. But then, compared to DC this will be true essentially all over around here.
I'd say it's worth exploring living in the city. In DC you are priced out of living in the city, but that would not likely be the case here for you. Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, other fine neighborhoods would be open to you. Schools are not a consideration anyway and the only thing left is, what? You want a really huge yard? It gets old, lemmee tell you. And we're not just talking condos but single-family houses in the city. Something to consider.
And yeah the zoo here really is good. I haven't been to the DC one in ages though. The zoo is serious about their work; the elephant breeding program has been so successful that they have opened an annex out in the country to handle some of it.
I don't think the opportunities for the children will be significantly lessened by moving here. I really don't see that. A few less different types of activities? Maybe, perhaps, but somehow I don't really think there will be a huge gap here.
I don't know why you'd think you're failing. Because you moved back to the place you grew up? Sometimes I think that would be nice myself! Have you spent any time here recently? That would be a good idea. It's not as if you're moving off into some godforsaken land. It sounds totally logical to me, hey, look at the finances, look at the cost of housing, etc. and now you're asking here about some of the final pieces. Will those few possible differences be worth the financial drain of staying where you are? That you'll have to decide on your own, but moving back sure as heck isn't failing.
No offense to your friend, but judging by Aliquippa isn't exactly a great yardstick either. That place was hit much harder and has stayed down much longer. I dunno. I moved here in 1991, and even then it didn't seem that bad, and it's only gotten better since then. I'm not sure what Pittsburgh has to do to be good instead of just improved, ya know? The only thing that might trigger the "but it's Pittsburgh" to me is the attitude of some people about some things. With any luck, it's not the people you'd run into or have to deal with too often.
I think I understand what you are saying: we don't have fairly large and relatively cosmopolitan satellite cities such as Rockville in the Pittsburgh area--Sewickley is the closest thing that comes to mind but really isn't on the same scale. However, I guess my view is that if you are looking for a more cosmopolitan experience then you don't have to live in a small town, because the nicer neighborhoods in or near the City have a similar feel and are reasonably affordable (particularly if you are fine with private schools and so don't have to worry too much about school districts).
This is probably where us being non-natives is less than helpful. We've chosen to live in Pittsburgh because it offered us the best overall balance of attributes. So to us it would be strange to suggest we ended up here through failure, but I understand that people who grew up here, particularly during the steel bust, may have different attitudes.
Thank you all for all your post so far! You got it on both accounts. You are 110% correct about sewickley I really love that town. I used to take walks there with my mom when I was younger. I even like it better than bethesda! That being said right outside the town either way on ohio river blvd or across the bridge are depressed 1950 era towns. That is what is at least stuck in my head....
On the 2nd part you are also correct. I am by no way trying to imply that people who decide to move to pgh cannot succeed anywhere else or for lack of a better word are failures. This is my own issue that I have and something I personally need to overcome and come to terms with. I know someone has done this same move I just would like to get their opinion.
Well, I've not lived in the DC area. I spent a month there for work, and still go there for work often. I grew up a bit farther out than you are, in Shepherdstown, WV. So while the details of actually living in the place are missing, I know a bit about the suburban MD area of which you speak. I'm trying to think what you would miss by coming to a similar area here. Nope, at this point you wouldn't even have to miss Nordstrom! I think you might miss some variety in your dining and grocery shopping options.
gameguy brings up good points in the last post too. Although Franklin Park, McCandless, parts of Marshall Township, etc. may look appealing from certain convenience standpoints and the suburban areas you're used to now, it won't be convenient to any likely private schools. I guess if you start looking at Franklin Park west of I-79, you're a little closer to Sewickley via aforementioned back roads. But typically we point out these towns because they're in one of the top few public school districts in the entire region (North Allegheny). People will probably start whining about that word diversity again, but suffice to say you won't find too many non-whites living out in the north hills suburbs. But then, compared to DC this will be true essentially all over around here.
I'd say it's worth exploring living in the city. In DC you are priced out of living in the city, but that would not likely be the case here for you. Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, other fine neighborhoods would be open to you. Schools are not a consideration anyway and the only thing left is, what? You want a really huge yard? It gets old, lemmee tell you. And we're not just talking condos but single-family houses in the city. Something to consider.
And yeah the zoo here really is good. I haven't been to the DC one in ages though. The zoo is serious about their work; the elephant breeding program has been so successful that they have opened an annex out in the country to handle some of it.
I don't think the opportunities for the children will be significantly lessened by moving here. I really don't see that. A few less different types of activities? Maybe, perhaps, but somehow I don't really think there will be a huge gap here.
I don't know why you'd think you're failing. Because you moved back to the place you grew up? Sometimes I think that would be nice myself! Have you spent any time here recently? That would be a good idea. It's not as if you're moving off into some godforsaken land. It sounds totally logical to me, hey, look at the finances, look at the cost of housing, etc. and now you're asking here about some of the final pieces. Will those few possible differences be worth the financial drain of staying where you are? That you'll have to decide on your own, but moving back sure as heck isn't failing.
No offense to your friend, but judging by Aliquippa isn't exactly a great yardstick either. That place was hit much harder and has stayed down much longer. I dunno. I moved here in 1991, and even then it didn't seem that bad, and it's only gotten better since then. I'm not sure what Pittsburgh has to do to be good instead of just improved, ya know? The only thing that might trigger the "but it's Pittsburgh" to me is the attitude of some people about some things. With any luck, it's not the people you'd run into or have to deal with too often.
Honestly, THANK YOU for taking the time to write this! You have written a lot of good stuff here. This is exactly what I needed to hear!
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And we're not just talking condos but single-family houses in the city. Something to consider.
I haven't been to the DC one in ages though. The zoo is serious about their work; the elephant breeding program has been so successful that they have opened an annex out in the country to handle some of it.
