Downtown Population increased 25% since 2000 (Pittsburgh: zoning, homeowner, deals)

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

So find a non-trendy, cheap neighborhood that is as far away from trendy neighborhoods as possible. Buy a cheap house, stay there, and be happy.

Thats what we chose to do. I wanted to stay in the city and have access to public transportation. I live in a stable section of a not so stable city neighborhood. I have a nice home on a nice street and can afford to enjoy what the city has to offer.

[PghYinzer]

And as I spent the past half hour painting the woodwork in my kitchen (no worries eschaton, it has always been painted, since 1919, so there is no sinning going on, although I think of your disdain for painted trim each time I pick up the brush) I have to say I actually look forward to the day I can grab a nice cold craft beer while my dog speaks to a therapist. That is why I bought in a neighborhood that was cheap, but had good bones, hoping that someday I would get to enjoy the walkability of it.

Also, in response to the comments concerning using housing as an investment. Until this recent economic downtown, housing was long considered the best investment you can make. So should we shame those who bought in areas of Pittsburgh 20 years ago, when it wasn’t as nice of a place, lived there, raised their children there, maintained their homes, and were part of a community, who now own an asset that is worth a lot of money. That is their payment for doing their part and sticking it out. Why shouldn’t they get a big return on their lifetime of investment not only in that “shelter” but also the community they helped hold together and build?

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

Thats what we chose to do. I wanted to stay in the city and have access to public transportation. I live in a stable section of a not so stable city neighborhood. I have a nice home on a nice street and can afford to enjoy what the city has to offer.

I did something similar by buying in non-trendy Crafton. It's a very stable area. I have great neighbors, all of whom agree with me that we are so lucky to have the kind of houses we have with our very ordinary incomes. We'd like to have a bustling shopping district and better dining options, but not enough to pay double the home prices to be on the east end of town.

I think that it's easy to forget that when the now trendy neighborhoods were more affordable, they lacked many of the amenities they now have. Because Crafton never had much of a retail district, I doubt that it will ever be as popular a place to live as other neighborhoods such as Bellevue, Brookline, and Beechview, among others, have the potential to be. Those areas are safe, have walkability, retail, and relatively low home prices. That said, home sales on my block over the past year have been brisk. Lots of young families moving in. If I could just get all my friends and family in the Bay Area to move here...

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Pittsburgh used to be touted for its housing affordability on a NATIONAL scale. Now it's just affordable compared to the coasts while we've plowed over our "flyover country" peers. We've lost that edge, and since so many on this sub-forum were used to a "normal" for rent that was OBSCENE in the SF Bay Area, Long Island, NYC, NoVA, etc. they view $1,500/month for a 1-BR as a "bargain". No offense, but the main thing that lured me here was the low cost-of-living. If I'm going to be attributing a progressively greater part of my paycheck each year towards rent we're going to look into moving to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Detroit, or a multitude of other large cities that offer comparable amenities at a lower price point.

Amen to that. I called on a place and a 1br started at $1,200. This is freakin' Pittsburgh. I could understand if I lived closer to the Boston-NY-Philly-DC corridor, but Pittsburgh? Really? It astounds me that residents are so willing to accept the change and encourage the gentrification.

I look at Ohio and see that I can rent a house for almost half that much. I can buy a house with land for the same amount a lot would cost in some areas of this region. I now understand why so many people in NY and NJ are flooding in to the eastern part of PA. Pittsburgh doesn't offer enough amenities to warrant the price point. People will start leaving or choose other cities that are affordable.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Amen to that. I called on a place and a 1br started at $1,200. This is freakin' Pittsburgh. I could understand if I lived closer to the Boston-NY-Philly-DC corridor, but Pittsburgh? Really? It astounds me that residents are so willing to accept the change and encourage the gentrification.

I look at Ohio and see that I can rent a house for almost half that much. I can buy a house with land for the same amount a lot would cost in some areas of this region. I now understand why so many people in NY and NJ are flooding in to the eastern part of PA. Pittsburgh doesn't offer enough amenities to warrant the price point. People will start leaving or choose other cities that are affordable.

It’s all about perception. You look at Pittsburgh in a way that leaves you saying things like ...This is freakin’ Pittsburgh...or It’s just Pittsburgh, but to a whole lot of people, many that are from here, love it here, have full and enriching lives, and would easily pay that to live here. The thing is others have also found out about it, and are also willing to pay for it.

I am not so sure what is lacking in Pgh that makes some say makes it a place that doesn’t warrant these prices. Tell me what it is please, with an actual list of things you would like here. There is a good chance if you can’t afford our current rents you couldn’t afford those things anyway. Please tell me what you would like to do today, that you can’t because you live in Pittsburgh. Also, if people hate it so much, LEAVE! But that does alleviate the ability to b*tch about living in Pittsburgh, and no one would want that. Also, remember, you don’t magically become a new person by moving to a new city. If you are an @sshat in cloudy Pittsburgh, you are still going to be an @sshat in sunny Dallas.

[Craziaskowboi]

Somebody give the post immediately above this one some reputation points, please. Thanks.

[pman]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Making urban areas unaffordable for the majority means that more urban sprawl will occur, which translates to longer commutes, more stress, more congestion, and worse air pollution for the entire region, including for those affluent enough to live within city limits in the coming years.

This isn't an area noted for having a good transit system to begin with, and now we're going to work to decentralize the residential population to make traffic worse in the coming years?

Decentralizing employment centers throughout the region doesn't help traffic or pollution, either, as we can see in a place like Northern Virginia where there are so many suburb-to-suburb commuters that the entire region sucks, and many rents are still unaffordable to the middle-class.

in order to keep urban areas affordable you need to allow density and require less parking

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

It’s all about perception. You look at Pittsburgh in a way that leaves you saying things like ...This is freakin’ Pittsburgh...or It’s just Pittsburgh, but to a whole lot of people, many that are from here, love it here, have full and enriching lives, and would easily pay that to live here. The thing is others have also found out about it, and are also willing to pay for it.

I am not so sure what is lacking in Pgh that makes some say makes it a place that doesn’t warrant these prices. Tell me what it is please, with an actual list of things you would like here. There is a good chance if you can’t afford our current rents you couldn’t afford those things anyway. Please tell me what you would like to do today, that you can’t because you live in Pittsburgh. Also, if people hate it so much, LEAVE! But that does alleviate the ability to b*tch about living in Pittsburgh, and no one would want that. Also, remember, you don’t magically become a new person by moving to a new city. If you are an @sshat in cloudy Pittsburgh, you are still going to be an @sshat in sunny Dallas.

I'm sorry my opinion hurt your feelings, but it is my opinion and I am entitled to it. I have lived in many larger cities. I didn't move around because I was unhappy. I wanted to have a more worldly experience. Pittsburgh ain't all that. I moved here because it was cheap, bearable, and I got a great deal on a house. Now it is expensive and bearable.

Only one reason I am moving - I kept getting letters from the town/school district about my property taxes being raised for this or that. One of the best decisions I ever made was to sell the house.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

I'm sorry my opinion hurt your feelings, but it is my opinion and I am entitled to it. I have lived in many larger cities. I didn't move around because I was unhappy. I wanted to have a more worldly experience. Pittsburgh ain't all that. I moved here because it was cheap, bearable, and I got a great deal on a house. Now it is expensive and bearable.

Only one reason I am moving - I kept getting letters from the town/school district about my property taxes being raised for this or that. One of the best decisions I ever made was to sell the house.

Did you move away from the Pgh. area?

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

I'm sorry my opinion hurt your feelings, but it is my opinion and I am entitled to it. I have lived in many larger cities. I didn't move around because I was unhappy. I wanted to have a more worldly experience. Pittsburgh ain't all that. I moved here because it was cheap, bearable, and I got a great deal on a house. Now it is expensive and bearable.

Only one reason I am moving - I kept getting letters from the town/school district about my property taxes being raised for this or that. One of the best decisions I ever made was to sell the house.

My feelings are doing just fine, but thank you for your concern.

That is a valid reason for you to leave. A reason. That’s all I was asking for. People always talk in these obscure...it’s not coastal....it’s not NYC...

I do wish to know though where you are going, if you don’t mind me asking, that can offer a more worldly experience and is cheaper than here?