Pros and Cons of living in Pittsburgh, PA (Harrisburg: apartment, prices)

[Katarina Witt]

WRT: historic architecture, unique history, and general historicalness (sic?), I think Boston is at least Pittsburgh's equal.

WRT: humidity, Pittsburgh is a very humid place. I haven't spent enough time in Boston to know if it's comparable.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by Katiana

WRT: historic architecture, unique history, and general historicalness (sic?), I think Boston is at least Pittsburgh's equal.

WRT: humidity, Pittsburgh is a very humid place. I haven't spent enough time in Boston to know if it's comparable.

Pittsburgh is not a humid place. It has some humidity in the summer, but a "very humid" place would be Memphis, Atlanta, Charlotte, anywhere in the south or east coast. I've been to Boston a few times, only in the summer though, and I'd say its close to the same as Pittsburgh or maybe a bit more humid but not terribly different.

Back to the OP. I like AlleghenyAngel's list, but a lot of the cons on the list aren't always cons to everyone. Everyone has specific tastes. I'd say the only con in Pittsburgh is the public transportation issue. Its definitely not the best. But then again I love Pittsburgh, I'd give it a 9.9 out of 10.

[sskink]

I lived in Quincy (or Quinzee, if you're from there) for a couple of years. Had a sweet job, rented a 2BR condo for $1200/mo (this was 99-01). Loved it. Moved from there to here. So here are some quick impressions, by no means a comprehensive list:

In Boston's favor:
Both have walkable downtowns. But Boston's downtown actually has stuff to see and do :-)
Boston T system >>>>>> Pittsburgh T system (or all mass transit for that matter). You can get most anywhere in and around Boston and near burbs using the T.
Cambridge > Oakland.
There's an ocean nearby.
You can buy six packs of beer at normal prices and just about anywhere.
More direct flights that get you places you actually want to go (and alternative airports w/i an hour).
Closer to skiing (although it's definitely New England ice skiing).
Many more interesting day trips possible.
More and better music venues.
An active theatre/cultural district that's alive at night.
Better restaurants - more diversity of cuisines. Certainly much better Asian. And arguably better Italian.
More higher-paying jobs (now - although Boston got clobbered post 9/11).
Golf is cheaper on the county-owned courses (although they mostly suck).
Better public use of waterfront areas.
Dunkin Donuts coffee > Starbucks.

In Pittsburgh's favor:
Much cheaper to buy a home. Lots of other stuff also cheaper (gas, groceries).
PNC Park > the dump that is Fenway as far as creature comforts.
Any fan of any Pittsburgh area college team > BC fans.
Less traffic. Particularly on Friday nights as there's no 2 hour backup trying to get to the Cape.
A bit more 'steampunk/DIY' ethos in the emerging neighborhoods.
While both cities have cold, wet, winters w/o a ton of snow, the wind coming off the Atlantic makes Boston seem 10-20 degrees colder.

About the same:
Provincialism/parochialism.
Use of chairs to hold parking spaces.
Annoying sports radio that pays no attention to out-of-town sports.
Yinzers = Southies
Microbreweries.
Bars/bar food (although the sirloin tips sandwich at The Fours beats anything in Pittsburgh).

FWIW, the housing expense pretty much trumps everything else. But if you can afford Boston, it's a great place to be. Just my opinion, YMMV.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Pittsburgh is not a humid place. It has some humidity in the summer, but a "very humid" place would be Memphis, Atlanta, Charlotte, anywhere in the south or east coast. I've been to Boston a few times, only in the summer though, and I'd say its close to the same as Pittsburgh or maybe a bit more humid but not terribly different.

Back to the OP. I like AlleghenyAngel's list, but a lot of the cons on the list aren't always cons to everyone. Everyone has specific tastes. I'd say the only con in Pittsburgh is the public transportation issue. Its definitely not the best. But then again I love Pittsburgh, I'd give it a 9.9 out of 10.

Surely you jest!

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The two ciites are comparable. I didn't look up those southern cities you named, but we're comparing Pittsburgh to Boston, not Memphis, etc.

[ferraris]

When comparing to Boston I think it comes almost entirely down to money. Boston has better public transit, but in Pittsburgh you can probably afford to live withing walking distance or a very short bike/bus/T ride to work. I had a friend in a Boston 'burb who took a train almost 60 minutes each way (not including commuting to/from the station) and still felt like he was going broke paying for rent, despite making significantly more than me. Boston may have better flying options, dining options, shopping options etc, (haven't been, so I'm just saying hypothetically) but does any of that matter if you don't have enough money left over to enjoy it or make use of it often enough?

I've often considered moving to New York City and always have decided against it unless the move would at least triple my income. What's the point of A+ amenities that I can seldom use? I'd rather have a bunch of B- amenities that I can use on a regular basis.

[wanderlust76]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Naturally these are all subjective and will be up for scrutiny:

CONS:

-Litter (the litter here is absolutely out of control)
-Public smoking (I can't walk to or from my primary employer without having an allergic reaction from all of the chain-smokers that hang out on the sidewalks in Central Oakland).
-Public transit (we'll invest hundreds of millions to build a tunnel and a very short light rail extension to be used primarily by north/south commuters while those in the highly-populated east still have to rely on the bus).
-Obesity (unlike national trends, though, most in my under-30 generation seem to be in much better shape overall than many Baby Boomers here).
-Urban sprawl (we're not as bad as most cities, but there's no way anyone will EVER get me to see the positives in permitting places like Peters Township or Adams Township to grow unchecked with cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac while many historic city neighborhoods continue to decay).
-Cost-of-living rising faster than increase in real wages (Pittsburgh's cost-of-living has risen from being "bargain basement" to being "average" over the past several years while most employers are still paying wages commensurate with that "bargain basement" cost-of-living. I'm a college-educated financial consultant earning a sub-$30,000 salary. It's extremely difficult for someone like me to afford a liveable home here now in a safe urban neighborhood).
-Steelers obsession (people here eat, drink, drool, and stool football).

Gotta agree with you on most of these...Pittsburgh companies are milking the heck out of the whole "America's Most Livable City" thing. The cow is dry give her a break already. The number of job postings paying 11 bucks an hour but they still want a degree and years of experience is astounding.
You can make 11 bucks an hour at the same job in a lower cost of living area.

Urban sprawn is definitely subjective some people just like newer houses and don't want an 80 year old two to three story fixer upper.

[PreservationPioneer]

If you were in Wheeling or Toledo, for instance, an $11 an hour job (full time) would be gold. You could make that stretch quite a bit in those places. There are still parts of the Pittsburgh metro (Uniontown, McKeesport, etc.) where you could make it stretch really far.

[LIRefugee]

Having lived in both, I'd say the differences between the two come down to 150 or so years of history, size difference, cost difference, and what bodies of water are nearby. In fact, after moving to Pittsburgh, I was surprised by the little similarities here and there that made Pittsburgh seem something like a smaller, cheaper Boston.

Boston and Pittsburgh both have all the amenities I would want in a city. The Boston metro area, being bigger, has more of them. Boston is also somewhat richer, which gives it more of a gloss than Pittsburgh has, but it also has a very high cost of living. Also, Pittsburgh, being smaller, feels a little cozier and you'll generally be a lot closer to everything than you would be living in a similar part of Boston. It never takes terribly long to go anywhere else in the metro area in Pittsburgh, while for Boston it could take some time, depending on where it is, time of day, etc.

Boston has several toll roads and bridges. Pittsburgh only has the Penn Turnpike in the outskirts.

On the whole, I'd say the people in Pittsburgh are friendlier than those in Boston, though I met a number of good people in both.

As for coffee, you have more options than just Starbucks or DD in both.

[heartchya]

Honestly I can't find many cons to living here so I won't even attempt a list. The pro's include nice scenery, four seasons, affordability, lots of very good schools, and the job market.

I know others feel they are underpaid here. I however have gotten pretty lucky. I will admit I did not graduate college. I started working at Highmark as a customer service rep when I was 21--I did that for a few years and was able to find many job opportunities when I decided to start looking. Now I am 28 and am making about 40k a year--which isn't that great but considering I don't have a degree not that bad. If your career path is at all medical or insurance related there are tons of opportunities here.

Overall I just love it here. I am able to find lots of outdoors stuff to do and a lot of indoor stuff as well. I have a 3 year old and there is so much for children to do that we never get to hit everything on our list.

[eschaton]

I never lived in Boston, but I spent five years of my life living in Western Massachusetts, and spent many a weekend visiting friends in Boston or somewhere nearby (like Cambridge). Thus I think I can compare the two pretty well.

Overall, I'd rank Boston as superior to Pittsburgh in all but three ways.

1. Architecture. Boston just isn't that attractive for a city of its size. There are a few beautiful neighborhoods in the core (Beacon Hill, Back Bay, North End, etc), but the city fell to ugly architectural styles pretty soon after this.
2. People in Pittsburgh are undoubtedly friendlier than Boston.
3. It is far, far, far cheaper to live in Pittsburgh than Boston. This is the all important great equalizer.

Pittsburgh has less of a lot of things than Boston. Less people. Less good restaurants. Less clubs and local music. A less extensive public transportation system. But even so, in Boston, the average house is $500,000. In Pittsburgh, $143,000. Meaning home ownership is out of the range of most young professionals in Boston, but very doable in Pittsburgh.

Bottom line? If cost is no object, I'd suggest Boston. Otherwise, Pittsburgh is the way to go.