Considering relo to Pittsburgh - pros/cons?

[Anonymous]

A lot less sunshine than DC. Easy car trips to the East Coast vs. other low-COL metro areas. Wildly steep topography, which impacts real estate. I think houses on broad plateaus (see for instance highlands above Sewickley) probably are more desirable than living on a steep hillside or down in a hollow.

[Anonymous]

I grew up there and loved it. Has everything within 20 minutes. Would move back in a heartbeat if DH agreed.

[Anonymous]

It can be very insular. It can take decades to be accepted as a non-foreign interloper. People aren't mean to you, you just aren't accepted.

Strongly disagree. We lived there for several years, and our experience was terrific. Our neighbors included us in family get togethers, etc. People get out and talk to their neighbors. Like anywhere else, it can depend on your situation, but our experience was great. Across the board, people were very friendly and helpful.

We lived on the South side of Pittsburgh (not the neighborhood of Southside, but in the burbs). I would agree with PP who mentioned Mt. Lebanon and Upper St Clair. There are lots of other good communities there, as well. DH easily went into the city on public transportation. He drove to one of the lots and parked and took the train in. Parking in the city is quite limited.
I love the terrain, but agree with Pp who mentioned the hillsides. Generally, you walk up steps to get in the front door or (on the other side of the street) you must walk down steep steps to get to your backyard.

I think it is a beautiful and interesting city.

[Anonymous]

We live there now -- moved from an expensive MoCo suburb and the housing is much less expensive. One thing you have to be careful of, though, is the property taxes. Allegheny County does not reassess on a regular basis so you have an original owner who is paying $5,000 a year in property taxes. Do not assume that you will pay that on your home b/c as soon as you close the school district will ask that your house be re-assessed and you will likely lose. So look at recently sold houses in the areas where you are looking to find out what you can expect to pay.

I agree with the pp that everyone is kind and friendly. There are more and more transplants coming every year. I also live south of the city (referred to as the South Hills) and I live in one of the suburbs frequently mentioned in this thread (USC/Mt. Lebanon). Many transplants flock to these suburbs b/c of the schools. One thing that you have here that you don't have in the DC area is local control of the schools. In our suburb, some parents were upset about a change to the curriculum for one of the arts courses in the middle school. They expressed their views directly to the superintendent and the board and a compromise was worked out.

I work from home and my dh takes the T. If you go further south to Peters Township, you can get more house for your money (and lower property taxes as you are in Washington County, not Allegeny) but you have a longer drive to the T, as the last stop is in USC and a longer drive to the city. Although we sometimes wish we had a newer, bigger house (which we could have gotten in Peters), we are thankful we do not have to deal with the additional traffic as it is a very quick drive to the city from where we are. Also, we love our school which is our top priority right now.

Depending on where you will be working, you may want to look in the North Hills. North Allegheny is also a very well regarded school district. It is the largest suburban school district and is comprised of many areas. I could not get a handle on that area and personally felt more comfortable in the South Hills. But perhaps if I had a longer time to look, I would have ended up there. There are more stores and restaurants in the North Hills (nicer mall, etc.). Hampton is smaller than North Allegheny but I didn't know anyone there and had met people in the South Hills and that made a difference too. Fox Chapel and Sewickley are also very nice -- definitely swankier but you will likely not get the cost savings on a home that you would get in the other areas so we crossed them off the list.

In terms of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, there are mixed reviews and you may want to check out city data if you are considering living in the city. There are magnet schools that are well regarded but I understand it is hard to get a slot if you do not apply before kindergarten. There are some private schools but considering the quality of the suburban publics and the fact that they are so close to the city, it did not seem worth the money to us.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP! I was born in raised in PGH. It's a great city! I think you could easily love it.

(By the way, Pitt refers to the University of Pittsburgh. PGH is the correct acronym.)

Cons: Schools in Pittsburgh apparently don't teach the correct definition of "acronym."

Pros: Fewer assholes who'd ding people for substituting "acronym" for "abbreviation" when dashing off a post on a web forum.

[Anonymous]

Another one born and raised in Pgh here. If my kids weren't biracial, I would move back there in a heart beat. It's not a terribly diverse place.

BUT it's very family friendly, and I couldn't disagree more with the PP who said it takes a long time to be accepted. Maybe that person is a Ravens fan, I don't know. Otherwise, people seriously get along.

Public schools - burbs. Mt Lebonon, Fox Chapel, etc. If you want to live in the city there are great private schools (Falk, Carlow, Ellis, Winchester) and wonderful walkable neighborhoods (Oakland, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, etc).

[Anonymous]

I vehemently disagree with "provincial," takes a long time to assimilate, less sunshine. I lived in Pgh for many years and think it is one of the most warm, accepting places around. Winters are a little chillier than DC but overall the climate is pretty similar, minus DC's humidity. A city filled with smart, friendly people. Agree that Mt Lebo, USC and Sewickley are best for schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I vehemently disagree with "provincial," takes a long time to assimilate, less sunshine. I lived in Pgh for many years and think it is one of the most warm, accepting places around. Winters are a little chillier than DC but overall the climate is pretty similar, minus DC's humidity. A city filled with smart, friendly people. Agree that Mt Lebo, USC and Sewickley are best for schools.

I don't think there's anything wrong in calling Pittsburgh provincial. It's a mid tier American city like Baltimore and Minneapolis and Columbus and Atlanta and Denver and so forth, and all those cities that are not NYC or LA or DC and a few other places form the great hinterlands of America. In other countries they'd be called the provinces.

[Anonymous]

CONS:

The sun rarely shines
The roads are terrible
It takes a while to be accepted. There are a LOT of people who have grown up in the area and do not leave and tend to socialize with their high school friends.
Not the best dining scene
A tad redneck
Buying beer/wine is such a hassle

PROS:
Cheap
Good sports

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CONS:

The sun rarely shines
The roads are terrible
It takes a while to be accepted. There are a LOT of people who have grown up in the area and do not leave and tend to socialize with their high school friends.
Not the best dining scene
A tad redneck
Buying beer/wine is such a hassle

PROS:
Cheap
Good sports

I like PGH. Sure you're not talking about the Detroit area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I vehemently disagree with "provincial," takes a long time to assimilate, less sunshine. I lived in Pgh for many years and think it is one of the most warm, accepting places around. Winters are a little chillier than DC but overall the climate is pretty similar, minus DC's humidity. A city filled with smart, friendly people. Agree that Mt Lebo, USC and Sewickley are best for schools.

I don't think there's anything wrong in calling Pittsburgh provincial. It's a mid tier American city like Baltimore and Minneapolis and Columbus and Atlanta and Denver and so forth, and all those cities that are not NYC or LA or DC and a few other places form the great hinterlands of America. In other countries they'd be called the provinces.

Nice try to work DC in there with NYC and LA, but no dice. DC is Baltimore, kept afloat with the tax dollars of people who live elsewhere and in its own way very provincial.

[Anonymous]

OP, the issue with less expensive areas is they usually have way fewer professional jobs. There is no such thing as something for nothing. What if one of you gets a position that doesn't work out? Will you have a network thet helps you get an equivalent role?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CONS:

The sun rarely shines
The roads are terrible
It takes a while to be accepted. There are a LOT of people who have grown up in the area and do not leave and tend to socialize with their high school friends.
Not the best dining scene
A tad redneck
Buying beer/wine is such a hassle

PROS:
Cheap
Good sports

What is this about the sun rarely shining?!? So wrong.

[Anonymous]

If you are ok with the burbs, North Allegheny schools are great

[Anonymous]

I've always like Pittsburgh and spent a few months there for work training. I always think of it as the perfect blend of the East Coast (in terms of amenities, culture, restaurants) and the Midwest (in terms of the pace of life and nice people). And Primanti Brothers---definite pro!