A slower pace life is much more enjoyable than around here. If work took me there, we would definitely go. Or in the areas beyond northern VA. VA is so big. If you can do it, go for it.

Just moved back to the DMV after 5 years in the PGH area. Recent college grad DD stayed and is working there.

PGH has remade itself into a medical, edtech, biotech and tech hub. Aside from CMU and Pitt, you have Duquesne, Chatham, Point Park and Carlow in the city. You also have a ton of colleges within an hour drive. Thus over the last few years, there has been a significant influx of young professionals. They do not get paid much but there is an energy there now that was not there when we first moved there – and the COL is cheaper. That is why DD decided to stay. She lives with some college friends in Sq. Hill near Chatham. Works for the UPMC system. Loves it.

The people were fine. Friendly. A mix of natives and relos. If you have kids who are active, you will get to know a lot of people just because of that. It is a very family-centric city. We are AA and the area lacked the overall diversity we have here although there was some. However, we were able to meet similar people through church and other organizations. We never felt isolated in that regard.

I would say the major con was the weather. It was always cloudy and dreary except for the heart of summer. However, if you can deal with that, there is still a lot of outdoors stuff to do. The other con was that for us, the PGH area was sort of an island. The further you got from the city, it seemed to get more “regressive” and a bit more bigoted. My DD went to college about an hour away and while the other students were fine, the “townies” were a little bit much to take (i.e. flying Confed flag in the front yard, anti-Obama signs, etc.).

My job brought me back here, but I would have been perfectly fine staying there. Oh, and we had a fantastic house not too far from Schenley Park that cost us a fraction of our smaller house here. Schools were not an issue for us as we were empty nesters at that point.

I actually just moved to PGH from Bethesda a couple of months ago. The first thing that struck me about PGH was that people seem genuinely happier here. Second, even though we live in the city (Point Breeze), the kids here have much more freedom that anything I could have imagined in Bethesda. The kids actually spend 4 hours going from house to house to house playing (it's been cold, so I imagine it will morph into outside time in the summer). And yes, I know all of their parents and where they are. And my street has already had a block party.

If you like old houses, the houses are great here too (I'm talking about Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Point Breeze). My kids go to public school and there's lots of diversity (racial and socio-economic). There are a lot of kids here though that go to private or public charter, but that doesn't prevent them from playing together on the weekend.

The downside is that it is so gray here. It drizzles, rains, or snow showers almost every day. I do miss the sun, but we agreed before we moved here that we would go on a sunny vacation every Feb.

There's lots to do for kids - tons of museums, lots of outdoor spaces, and the food is really great (as is the beer).

The amount of Steelers paraphernalia is truly stunning.

Let me know your concerns and I'll check back later to see if I can offer any assistance.

Good luck with your decision!

Anonymous wrote:The Steelers obsession would annoy me. I think it is a nice college town but no way could I live there.

LOL...I am a die hard Ravens fan but actually love the city of Pittsburgh. I've traveled there numerous times for work and also football games. There are a lot of fun things to do, great places to eat, and a decent cost of living. I'd live there, but I'm a Rust Belt girl since birth so I'm not at all pretentious. If you're a pretty easygoing person and not status obsessed like half the people on these forums I think you will like it.

The Steelers obsession would annoy me. I think it is a nice college town but no way could I live there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Team attire, particularly Steelers gear, is considered appropriate for almost any occasion. I leave that to you to decide if that is a pro or con.

Way to stereotype.

Not the PP, but if you visit frequently, you'll notice that more adults wear NFL team clothing than they do here. It's just a fact. It's especially pronounced in the winter, since lots of people have Steelers outerwear. No stereotyping -- just an observation from someone who has spent a lot of time there.

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."

How about B-I-T-C-H

Bet you're overly familiar with that one.