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I'm not sure I would classify Pittsburgh as midwestern, but it's certainly not the northeast as it is generally understood. "Appalachian" might describe it best, but I have seen the depths of Appalachia, and it's not Pittsburgh. There are certainly some areas of Beaver County that are quite Appalachian, and BC is in the Pittsburgh MSA. Probably Washington County is Appalachian, too, but I am not very familiar with it.
The lack of diversity is not a midwestern thing. There are many Asians and Hispanics in Chicago, Omaha, Minneapolis and other midwestern cities.
Pittsburgh "busted" about 30 yrs ago. It has neither boomed nor busted since.
We are relocating from Boston and have jobs waiting for us when we get to Pittsburgh. We were talked into taking lower salaries because "the cost of living is about 70% of what it is in the Boston area." In our research of housing and living costs, we have not found that to be the case. The tax situation is incredible (and this coming from a Massachusetts and California person!) and we haven't found costs to be much less for power or food or education.
We're still coming and hope to enjoy our lives there. Here's hoping there's something a lot cheaper that we haven't found yet!
We are relocating from Boston and have jobs waiting for us when we get to Pittsburgh. We were talked into taking lower salaries because "the cost of living is about 70% of what it is in the Boston area." In our research of housing and living costs, we have not found that to be the case. The tax situation is incredible (and this coming from a Massachusetts and California person!) and we haven't found costs to be much less for power or food or education.
We're still coming and hope to enjoy our lives there. Here's hoping there's something a lot cheaper that we haven't found yet!
Yes this place looks great at first glance, but you have to check out the other stuff as you have seen. I would rather live somewhere expensive with something going for it.
To the one poster picking apart my thread. I don't wish to get in a fight with the posters in this board. There are a lot of you who spew Pittsburgh propaganda and I do not know why. You are giving a LOT of people false information about costs of living, the job situation, and the overall attitude in this town. I feel this place is a cancer eating me alive, so I am getting out.
There are things in San Diego that are cheaper than in Pittsburgh, but that isn't what you want to hear. Back to the Pittsburgh propaganda. I never said San Diego was cheap. In fact, I NEVER even brought up San Diego, you did.
As you feel this town is the best thing that has ever happened, I feel the complete opposite. My choice with where I wished to live is really none of your business.
To the one poster picking apart my thread. I don't wish to get in a fight with the posters in this board. There are a lot of you who spew Pittsburgh propaganda and I do not know why. You are giving a LOT of people false information about costs of living, the job situation, and the overall attitude in this town. I feel this place is a cancer eating me alive, so I am getting out.
That is certainly your choice, and nobody will stop you. Not every city is good for every person. However, you need to recognize that your feelings are only that: your feelings. What is wrong for you might not be wrong for someone else. And those of us who like Pittsburgh are not "spewing false propaganda" but rather expressing our own feelings about it, which are just as valid as yours. I personally love Pittsburgh. How sad would it be if I had read this forum before I moved here 4 years ago and had been scared off from moving here because someone like you said that all of the Pittsburgh-lovers lied? How do you know that some other person reading your post isn't someone like me, someone who would love the city once they got here? I'm not asking you to shut up. I'm asking you to recognize that viewpoints other than your own might be just as valid as your own (i.e., stop assuming that opinions which don't match your own are lies or propaganda). Also recognize that they may contain information that is valuable to some people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by birdlady
There are things in San Diego that are cheaper than in Pittsburgh, but that isn't what you want to hear. Back to the Pittsburgh propaganda. I never said San Diego was cheap. In fact, I NEVER even brought up San Diego, you did.
Having lived in California myself, I doubt that the parts of San Diego that are as cheap as Pittsburgh are places people want to live. I also have friends who live in California currently, and I have talked about their experiences previously on this board. But frankly, I'm tired of writing the same thing over and over again every time some new poster compares Pittsburgh to the "paradise" that is apparently California, but maybe I can sum it up in a few words again this time: illegal immigration, high cost of living, rude natives, traffic. Or you can start with this thread on the San Diego forum here: //www.city-data.com/forum/san-d...ice-house.html If you get through that one, look at some of the threads about LA and read about how much the natives love California. It'll be an eye-opener, guaranteed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by birdlady
As you feel this town is the best thing that has ever happened, I feel the complete opposite. My choice with where I wished to live is really none of your business.
You were the person who brought it up. You put all of your stuff on a public internet site, so in a sense it's all of our business now. If you don't feel like discussing aspects of your posts, you could always, well....leave the forum.
Now...is it just me or is there a new poster-hater every week or so and don't they all sound exactly alike? They use the same words (accuse other people of spreading "propaganda", for instance) and all want to move to California (any day now...really...they're moving VERY soon....as soon as they can drag themselves away from posting on City-Data Forum). There just seems to be a never-ending stream of them, all new, one at a time. You'd think they'd rather sign up all at once during the same week so they could truly overwhelm the rest of us with negativity and FINALLY make us optimists shut up about how much we like Pittsburgh. Or maybe just make us change our minds and go over to the dark side and start sitting behind our keyboards bitching instead of actually working to make the city better (because contrary to popular belief, most of us actually realize that Pittsburgh isn't perfect - we just see the potential here and want to help achieve it)
Something else I've noticed in the last month or so is the number of people who recently moved here after asking questions about Pittsburgh on City-Data Forum, and came back to say they like the city. There's been at least a couple - I think one guy from Florida who bought a Victorian (in Edgewood?) and likes it except for the taxes or something, and a lady who moved to Regent Square from the Midwest and likes the neighborhood and her son's elementary school but wishes the newcomers' club was in the city. And a couple of others I'm forgetting now? But I haven't seen a post yet from someone who moved here and came back to say that the pessimists were right. Chew on that one, haters...
We are relocating from Boston and have jobs waiting for us when we get to Pittsburgh. We were talked into taking lower salaries because "the cost of living is about 70% of what it is in the Boston area." In our research of housing and living costs, we have not found that to be the case. The tax situation is incredible (and this coming from a Massachusetts and California person!) and we haven't found costs to be much less for power or food or education.
I can buy that commodities like groceries and utilities may be no cheaper than in Boston and that taxes need to be factored in as well, but I have a hard time believing that you can't tell the difference in housing prices between one of the most expensive metro real estate markets in the country and one of the least expensive. Either you're not looking very hard or you're making apples-to-oranges comparisons.
For me another major difference in cost between Pittsburgh and other metro areas besides housing was insurance, particularly car insurance. When I moved to Pittsburgh I actually priced car insurance against a comparable area in Philadelphia. The Philly quote was about three times higher. I'd speculate it would be similar comparing it to Boston. Maybe the differences aren't so stark in suburban-area comparisons -- who knows. It shot up quite a bit when I moved to Chicago, but was still cheaper than it would have been in Philly.
Another thing I noticed about Pittsburgh is that, unlike other metro areas, stuff doesn't automatically become more expensive the closer you get to the city center. A pair of jeans or a pint of beer is going to cost just about the same in Oakland as it is in, say, Jeanette.
We are relocating from Boston and have jobs waiting for us when we get to Pittsburgh. We were talked into taking lower salaries because "the cost of living is about 70% of what it is in the Boston area." In our research of housing and living costs, we have not found that to be the case. The tax situation is incredible (and this coming from a Massachusetts and California person!) and we haven't found costs to be much less for power or food or education.
I can buy that commodities like groceries and utilities may be no cheaper than in Boston and that taxes need to be factored in as well, but I have a hard time believing that you can't tell the difference in housing prices between one of the most expensive metro real estate markets in the country and one of the least expensive. Either you're not looking very hard or you're making apples-to-oranges comparisons.
For me another major difference in cost between Pittsburgh and other metro areas was insurance, particularly car insurance. When I moved to Pittsburgh I actually priced car insurance against a comparable area in Philadelphia. The Philly quote was about three times higher. I'd speculate it would be similar comparing it to Boston. Maybe the differences aren't so stark in suburban-area comparisons -- who knows. It shot up quite a bit when I moved to Chicago, but was still cheaper than it would have been in Philly.
Another thing I noticed about Pittsburgh is that, unlike other metro areas, stuff doesn't automatically become more expensive the closer you get to the city center. The same pair of jeans or pint of beer is going to cost just about the same in Oakland as it is in, say, Jeanette.
I did a comparison using a salary of $150,000 and here's what came up for moving FROM Boston TO Pittsburgh:
Salary in Boston MA: $150,000
Comparable salary in Pittsburgh PA: $102,365.59
If you move from Boston MA to Pittsburgh PA...
Groceries will cost: 24.613% less
Housing will cost: 44.111% less
Utilities will cost: 16.161% less
Transportation will cost: 18.007% less
Healthcare will cost: 37.137% less
Salary in Pittsburgh PA: $150,000
Comparable salary in San Francisco CA: $266,596.64
If you move from Pittsburgh PA to San Francisco CA...
Groceries will cost: 55.351% more
Housing will cost: 184.814% more
Utilities will cost: 19.91% less
Transportation will cost: 23.241% more
Healthcare will cost: 48.671% more
Saving 20% on utilities is a drop in the bucket compared to the other higher costs in California.
You might want to find out now about the taxes, ask police about crime in area, also ask about sewar and association bills, etc. and ask township about any issues. if all are satisfactory to you, then maybe it's just cheap. we bought in two different areas of PA, while one seems reasonable, the other kills us with the association dues.
Salary in Pittsburgh PA: $150,000
Comparable salary in San Francisco CA: $266,596.64
If you move from Pittsburgh PA to San Francisco CA...
Groceries will cost: 55.351% more
Housing will cost: 184.814% more
Utilities will cost: 19.91% less
Transportation will cost: 23.241% more
Healthcare will cost: 48.671% more
Saving 20% on utilities is a drop in the bucket compared to the other higher costs in California.
Once again -- you ain't whistlin' Dixie.... We drink lots of milk, and two weeks ago I went and picked up our local two-fer -- 2 gallons for 4.49. Three days later I picked up the two-fer -- 5 bucks. In three days price went up 51 cents....
Yuban on sale -- 5.99 about 6 months ago (I'm a bulk buyer/stocker upper...) -- now? 8.99. Regular price 11.49 now -- 8.99 then.
Ever get the hankering for a home cooked filet mignon? 16.99 a pound. Bagged salad -- 3.99, and you can't believe how gross it is. Half of it is slimey (I don't buy it anymore) Rainer cherries -- 7.99 a pound. And my favorite -- yellow onions -- 99 cents a pound -- but the individual ones are all the size of a newborn's head and weigh over a pound. Can't find small individual onions.
In the past month or so, food has gone up an average of 7% around here...
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cheaper?
False Information and Propaganda?
