Pros and Cons of living in Pittsburgh, PA (Carnegie, Oakland: cul-de-sac, house)

[AngeloSLS]

Just that, im planning to move to there or to Boston, MA. Just would like to know the pros and cons of Pittsburgh.

[cheezit34141988]

Well...you couldnt have picked two more polar opposite cities...

[PreservationPioneer]

Pros:

Affordable compared to Boston
Unique history and heritage
Beautiful scenery, hills, and rivers
Nice skyline
Many urban and suburban neighborhoods to choose from
Handsome old architecture
Plentiful jobs, compared to other places
Four seasons
Not too far from the East Coast cities.

Cons:

Affordable now, but getting more expensive every day
Plenty of sprawl
Public transportation leaves something to be desired
Jobs may pay more in some other cities
Unpredictable weather
People of different income groups are segregated by neighborhood
City might still be shrinking
Blight affects most areas of the city at some level

[Copanut]

Much cheaper to live in Pittsburgh. My good buddy has a house in Worchester that would be worth about 200K in the North Hills. 700K in that area. NUTS

[okaydorothy]

Much cheaper to live here. Our friends live in Swampscott and boy is it expensive. Also the schools are great here.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

Much cheaper to live here. Our friends live in Swampscott and boy is it expensive. Also the schools are great here.

My friend lived in Swampscott years ago. He was lucky, he worked for GE, lived in a triplex that the owner under-rented to all GE employees. Right on the ocean, it was great.

[SteelCityRising]

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

PROS:

-Friendlier-than-average people for a major U.S. city (we feel like the nation's biggest small town instead of the nation's smallest large city).
-Distinct neighborhoods
-Four seasons of varied weather
-Abundant civic pride (the majority of those surveyed rate the city's quality-of-life as "Excellent" or "Very Good")
-Relatively low cost-of-living (although this has risen noticeably even since I moved here in 2010).
-Relatively stable economy (PNC, UPMC, Federated Investors, American Eagle, Dick's Sporting Goods, Google, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Bayer, U.S. Steel, PPG, ALCOA, GrayBar, BNY Mellon, PwC, K&L Gates, Highmark, and many other "big dogs" employ tens of thousands locally).
-Population that is trending younger and more educated (at least within the city proper).
-Historic architecture (and historic appeal in general---blight included).
-Increasingly diverse population (very high LGBT population, rapidly growing Asian-American population, and gradually increasing harmony between whites and blacks).
-Socially liberal populace (of course this one is very subjective, but I see rainbow flags, pro-choice, and Obama/Biden signs or bumper stickers everywhere here).

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).

[Fran66]

I don't live in Pittsburgh, but I have visited Boston a few times for 1-2 weeks. Altho' I think Pittsburghians are much more friendly, I have found Bostonians (or, perhaps, the college students -- of all ages) friendly. And there is SO MUCH TO DO in Boston. You don't need a car to get around; Boston is not spread out, very walkable and public transportation is excellent.

The bad things:

If there are social class divisions in Pittsburgh, you ain't seen nothin' until you've lived in Boston; however, that's mostly around the rich family names who have been there since Columbus -- LOL -- and will be there until the end of the world. Boston, due to all the colleges and universities [it has the highest concentration of colleges and universities in The US -- I think it's something like 38 of them within a 30-mile circumference (sic)], has become a real melting pot. Stand on any street corner around Harvard and Cambridge and you'll think you're in The United Nations. Same thing downtown on any night. Of course, once the kids graduate, most of them move on. Too bad. They are so full of life, SO smart, SO interesting.

If you're not used to humidity, the summer humidity will drown you. I really don't like Boston's weather any time of year. Just too humid all year round, for me.

It is VERY expensive to live there. It's not all that inexpensive to visit there. LOL

However, since being on this board, I know that, if I move, it's going to be Pittsburgh. I've heard Pittsburgh really is as friendly as the natives on this board are.

[thepacifist20130]

We moved in from Chicago a couple months back and love it here. I know Chicago and Boston are 2 different cities - but from a big vs small city point of view, we like it here. Everything's cheaper and more commutable. In Chicago, I was considered lucky to have a 45 minute one-way commute from office to my home. That is not the case here.

Just my perspective.

[AaronPGH]

Alleghenyangel's list is pretty spot-on. I'd add to it that Pittsburgh is much more of a "get your hands dirty" type of place than Boston. There are a lot of people here dedicating their lives to improving the city in some way, and there's a large support network to help them accomplish it. If this appeals to you, Pittsburgh is probably where it's at.