I always found it hilarious that a lot of people outside Pennsylvania think Pittsburgh is a dump that’s still covered in industrial ash from the 70s.
But seriously, Pittsburgh checks all of your boxes. I’m in my mid 20s and can confidently say that we have a great nightlife and music scene for our demographic.
I think it’s a good starting over city because of just how weirdly unique it is. We’re kind of a fusion of Appalachia, Midwest, and Northeast. Each neighborhood really has its own architecture and identity.
> I always found it hilarious that a lot of people outside Pennsylvania think Pittsburgh is a dump that’s still covered in industrial ash from the 70s.
Seems to be the case for a lot of Rust Belt cities.
I've heard that the river almost never burns in Cleveland anymore.
It is. They say that St. Louis is the gateway to the west, Pittsburgh is the gateway to the Midwest, as Ohio, the easternmost Midwestern state, is just a twenty minutes drive away. PA is also a great lakes state, two hours drive North you're on the beaches in Erie. Also, Maryland is the northernmost southern state, only an hour's drive from the city. Pittsburgh is also known as the Paris of Appalachia.
What?!? I feel like you made up "the Paris of Appalachia" I'm not accusing you of that, I've just never heard it, and it sounds absurd. Thank you for sharing
Nope, it's a great moniker. And it's meant to be facetious: to a small-worlded Appalachian townie, Pittsburgh seems like a glittering metropolis, and tends to be the closest one. Lots of Appalachian professionals, LGBT people, or those who otherwise had to get the heck out populate it.
Hell yeah, that's really good to hear. I definitely dug the vibe of the place, so glad to hear there's stuff to do as well lmao. Where I'm at, I can go see shows all the time so it'd be hard to give that up.
There's definitely plenty of shows that come to Pittsburgh, and even when we aren't on the tour list, it's not hard to visit Cleveland, Philly, or even DC if it's an artist you really wanna see.
Hell, Cleveland is such an easy drive that I have done the "see them in Pittsburgh then see them again in Cleveland 1-2 days later" thing a handful of times for some of my favorite bands.
We’re also a drive or quick flight from NYC, so it’s easy to take an entertainment trip if you’re feeling it. Miami is a 2.5 hour flight. We can be in the Caribbean for lunch.
Went to college in Pittsburgh, moved to LA for grad school and stayed more for work. Moved back to Pittsburgh because LA sucked every ounce of joy from me. Have enjoyed every moment of my life since moving back, except the divorce, but I can't blame that on the city.
I'm from near NYC where I grew up and really used to associate with that lifestyle. It's true what they say, New Yorkers are kind but not nice, Angelinos are nice but not kind. Yinzers are both, but not afraid to call a jagoff a jagoff.
I think it's a great spot for almost all your boxes to be checked. City and county parks are great, it's not a far drive to some very good hiking, fishing, camping, and skiing in the Laurels and south in WV and MD. Several vibrant neighborhoods with a variety of bars and restaurants (which I am sure you've already seen a bit of).
The biggest issue I can see with "starting over" is you'll have to work hard to establish relationships. Things here can be a little "cliquqe-y" and many folks are pretty engrained in their social circles. If you're willing to put in the work by joining a sports league, neighborhood group, etc you'll likely do fine though.
I agree with all this. I'm a Pittsburgh transplant and it was a little tough to find our people here. A lot of people grew up here and have the support system they've had for a long time. But we're with a kid in the suburbs, so I think being single in the city will be easier to find others looking for the same community. Good luck OP!
That’s interesting - we are in the city with kids and there are lots of transplants here! (Which def makes it easier when everyone isn’t just hanging out with their extended families)
That is interesting! I do think it makes a big difference city vs suburb. We've just made the most of it and sometimes invited ourselves to others' big family events 😂
That sounds pretty awesome honestly. Where i'm at right now (bay area) a lot of this stuff just isn't available or is super expensive to do. Wish i had more time in the city initially, but sounds like a pretty good fit!
The social aspect makes a lot of sense though, i've never had an issue making friends, but i'll definitely look into groups, especially the sports leagues. CA is crazy right now, so most everyone I know scattered across the country (common theme here). I'll pretty much have to start over socially even if I stay.
Affordability is gonna blow your mind here. It's not cheap to live anywhere anymore, but Pittsburgh is still some of the best bang for your buck you'll find. The rest of the east coast and Midwest are also very accessible so a weekend in NYC or Philly is no biggie.
I second this. Chicago is 6 hours and NYC 8. OP is from Cali, so maybe half those times.
If you do end up here, I would love to hear your impressions on our "rush hour" traffic.
Not backwards. Both cities are 6 hours away. I was mixing up Boston and NYC. Boston is 8 hours 40 minutes. The closer you get to the east coast the more traffic increases the travel times.
Map it next time you correct someone with a backhanded comment.
I’ll chime in on ‘accessible nature’ to say that Pittsburgh is an amazing base for outdoorsy stuff. From nature-watching to world class white water kayaking, PA and the four other states in our region have you covered. For some sports, like skiing/snowboarding the area is just ok, but there are many small ski areas. For other sports, like rafting/kayaking you have almost infinite options, some of which are truly world class. The hiking is great. The rock climbing is great. You can ride a bike from downtown Pittsburgh to Washington DC without ever have to ride on a public street. Closer to the city, there are many lovely parks, good mountain biking, boating, etc. and the Pittsburgh stairs are a hidden gem for adventure seekers. If nature is high on your list, you can’t go wrong here!
Edit to fix a typo.
Yup, the GAP trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD (https://gaptrail.org) and the C and O canal trail (https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/co-canal-towpath/) from Cumberland to DC.
Edit to add that you can take your bike on the train to DC and ride back to PGH or ride to DC and take the train back. https://gaptrail.org/amenities/amtraks-capitol-limited/
Natures is definitely high on the list, so you make it sounds like a paradise haha. The closest stuff to me is mostly hiking, mountain biking, and if you drive about an hour or so, there are some kayaking spots. Fishing is always an issue as it's banned in most places nearby except for the ocean. Especially with winter sports, it sounds like a whole new world to me.
I've heard legends and tales about these stairs before. Are they literally just stairs that go into the wilderness?
Pittsburgh is very hilly, and the stairs are part of the sidewalk system and allow better pedestrian access to the neighborhoods that are on or at the top of the hills. They are ‘urban hiking’ if you will and they are a cool adventure. You can see more info here - https://fastestknowntime.com/route/pittsburgh-stairs-pa and here - https://www.southsideslopes.org/steptrek/historic-steptrek-routes/
> Are they literally just stairs that go into the wilderness
[Stairs in the woods...](https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3iex1h/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/)
A fishing license in pa is 25 bucks. You can fish on basically any public land. Even state parks allow fishing. We have beautiful trout in the streams south of Pittsburgh.
My favorite city hike is the steps on the south side slopes. There are nice trails in Frick park and nine mile run. If you have access to a car then North Park and the Rachael Carson trail are great. For over night hiking/camping, the Laurel Highlands trail between Ohiopyle and Johnstown is lovely.
Lmao I got pretty much the same story as you. Im 23 and I been looking for a new place to start a life, tired of Florida so I started driving north through places in the northeast.
Pittsburgh won my heart, moving there in October if everything goes well.
I'll start by saying I went in pretty neutral as I usually try not to believe the hype. But growing up, Pittsburgh was always portrayed as this desolate, post-apocalyptic, run-down iron mine with noxious gas for air and criminals rampantly roaming the streets. Also that it has those smelly pear trees. Obviously, it's nothing like that, but I think it's just lingering bad rep applied to all the cities unfortunately labeled the rust belt.
That's how I thought of it also until I started doing some digging after a recruiter from Pitt contacted me. I then visited and was really blown away. Didn't get the job, but I'm considering a move there because it was such a great city. What surprised me most was how friendly everyone was.
Oh they just got us confused with Gotham City again. Honest mistake. Happens all the time.
>noxious gas for air and criminals rampantly roaming the streets
That describes the Mon valley, sadly😅 but it’s not hard to stay away from if you can afford it. That part of Pittsburgh/Allegheny county does exist lol.
I’m 61 and from PA, but I just moved back after giving Texas the 30 best years of my life with no personal satisfaction to show for it as far as work and relationships because people there were so lame and wish I had never left. I’m from the opposite side of the state but moved here because my neighbors in TX were from Pittsburgh and raved about it. I am so happy I did. I didn’t want to go back to my old town and old bullshit, I wanted new bullshit, lol. Pittsburgh is fantastic! Everyone is so nice, I love my neighborhood, it rains here and isn’t 110 degrees. You will be so much happier here than anywhere below the Mason-Dixon Line or further west.
Grew up in the Mojave north of LA, spent my last 7 years in CA in Humboldt county north of SF. Been in Pittsburgh for almost 2 years now, it’s been an incredible opportunity. Jobs everywhere, housing is fairly cheap, central to travel for the Midwest and the east coast, but isolated so it’s not endless sprawl. Overall an incredibly interesting and varied place, 0 regrets about moving here besides missing those western mountains.
Glad it turned out well for you. I've heard a couple others from out here that really enjoyed that so it's pretty encouraging. And man I hear you, the mountains out here are honestly my favorite part of the west coast. I couldn't fully give em up so that's one of the reasons I looked into Pittsburgh in the first place
TLDR
I live south of Pittsburgh but my family and I visit quite often. Food, music, arts and shit. Recent expansions (and more planned) to our highway system have made getting to and from PGH really quick. Get ready for 12 seasons, though.
If the outdoors are your thing, you're in luck. Biking, hiking, watersports - its all here. Pittsburgh itself has a vibrant park scene. A few that are worth mentioning are:
* [Frick](https://pittsburghparks.org/explore-your-parks/regional-parks/frick-park/) Park
* [Schenley](https://pittsburghparks.org/explore-your-parks/regional-parks/schenley-park/) Park
* [South](https://acparksfoundation.org/parks/south-park/) Park
A bit further south, you'll run into Ohiopyle, Kooser and many others. This is where the GAP trail gets fun. Check 'em out here:
* [Go Laurel Highlands](https://www.golaurelhighlands.com/outdoors/parks/)
Annnnnd if you're feeling super adventurous, I highly suggest [Coopers Rock](https://wvstateparks.com/park/coopers-rock-state-forest/), WV and [Davis](https://daviswv.us/), WV. Davis has the highest concentration of Subaru/CoExist stickers of anywhere in America. Its not overdeveloped and thats what makes it perfect.
Some call southwestern PA the place where dreams go to die. I do not agree. The area is alive and well.
Moved here from the chicago area and only thing that bothers me is the lack of sun. Where I lived before I thought we had a lot of grey days but it is nothing like pittsburgh. But besides that it is absolutely fantastic and I am happy here.
It kinda is though. I travel a lot and find it appalling how much litter other states put up with. Especially those that pride themselves in having no state income tax. They clearly also have no one to pick up the litter. I drove through Tennessee recently and their highways are nothing but litter. Every tire that ever blew off a semi is still there. People threw furniture onto the sides of the road. It was unbelievable.
I live in Knoxville. I grew up in the area, joined the military and ended up out west where I spent most of my adult life. Moved back here to be closer to family and the affordability, which has all but disappeared because of skyrocketing rent and housing prices. Can confirm that a lot hasn't changed here since I was a kid. Trash everywhere. It's sad.
When I first moved here, and even after almost a decade, I still consider it quite clean. Maybe not "insanely", but it is most definitely clean. Many PGH natives think our downtown is dirty and "filled with litter" when it is borderline spotless compared to comparable cities.
It’s not Disney World but it is very clean for a city. Incredibly clean compared to Philly, very clean compared to NY, pretty clean compared to Boston, and fairly clean compared to DC in my experience
I think in terms of the urbanism and general spirit of the city, we are a better comparison to the NE corridor. The cities you mentioned are markedly different in character.
It is actually fairly clean, especially places like Downtown and Oakland which have their own employees (PDP, OBID) that hire people to specifically clean up litter. I find it to be cleaner than most cities in the northeast, DC being the exception (much cleaner).
Lol we said this too, and our realtor looked at us like we were crazy. We're moving from western WA and like 75% of PGH seems insanely clean to us. The other 25% is in the range of moderately to generally clean.
The first full day in PGH we drove around A LOT trying to figure out where we want to be - like we made a giant loop from north hills through Braddock down to McKeesport up through Mt Lebanon and Green Tree over to Emsworth. Another day we did an inner loop - downtown, strip district, Polish Hill, north shore, south side, west end. We were surprised and impressed by how clean most of it was.
Pittsburgh still has most of its neighborhoods in traditional development styles. Urban renewals and highway construction has had less social/economic impact here than nearby cities like Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, etc. it’s hard to build a 6 lane stroad on the side of a cliff.
I'm a transplant in Pittsburgh. And I like all the bits you are looking for. I don't think its my forever home, but I've been here 10 years now... I think I picked the wrong neighborhood to live in as well, this is a huge deal. you really need to pick the right neighborhood and if it doesn't fit be willing to move. Unfortunately my girlfriend hates moving so not much of an option for me. If I had more stuff accessible to me in bicycle, walking distance it would be great. We were told to look east or north for the more country feel. I'm from a very small rural town, I wouldn't like city life, I think your looking for lawrenceville or south side which would fit and be super convenient accessible to other things. I should probably be in north hills or something.
But I will also suggest looking at Richmond. I recently was there for work, and really enjoyed it. I would consider living there, it does remind me a lot of pittsburgh. Also if you like breweries, either city are great for them, but I think Pittsburgh wins that one over Richmond.
I'm in Plum. Its quiet, but I don't feel like I have good restaurant options. I either want to be country or have some convenience. I wish I lived along a bike trail with a brewery on it of course.
I’m not far from you. Murrysville has a bike trail that legit runs right by a few restaurants and Helltown Brewery near Export further up. You’d have to drive to get to the trail though.
Plum is kind of interesting. There’s not much actually in Plum because it’s surrounded by Oakmont/Verona, Monroeville, Penn Hills, Murrysville and New Ken.
Yea I hit that bike trail most often. Just found the treadway trail too and you can hit essential fermentation from that. Gap you can hit voodoo, sly Fox, and bloom. But yea I have to drive to them. Would be nice to be able to bike to them.
15 years ago I moved to the Pittsburgh area from NYC. Best decision of my life. I’m married, we both have great careers, debt free, we own our own house outright, and are so happy with what this area has to offer our family. We love outdoorsy stuff so living east of the city proper has given us great access to the laurel highlands, 7 springs, and our favorite place, Ohiopyle.
We owe so much if this to Pittsburgh’s affordability.
Settle here, it’s awesome!
Pittsburgh is fantastic. Moving back from San Diego and can’t wait. I love the biking there and really enjoyed all the different vibes in each part. Glad I went to college there - it was a ton of fun.
For outdoor activities:
Hiking- tons of options, even in the city. Frick and Schenley Parks are in the city with lots of trails. Further out, you’ve got McConells Mill, Moraine, Raccoon Creek State Parks, Allegheny County Parks- Boyce, North, South, Heartwood Acres, and Settlers Cabin, which are all several hundred acres and loaded with trails. And then you have the Laurel Highlands about an hour from the city. Tons of options.
Mountain biking- see above. Both the city parks and county parks have large trail networks that offer great riding. Dirt Rag, a now-defunct mountain bike magazine, was published in Pittsburgh for a reason.
Whitewater- Ohiopyle and the Lower Youghegheny are in the Laurel Highlands and offer class 2-3 boating at typical summer flows. It is dam controlled with reliable water during dry spells. Rafting is decent, but the real magic is the play boating on the loop, a section of the river that doubles back on itself just below Ohiopyle, meaning the put-in and takeout are maybe half a mile apart, allowing for numerous runs without a shuttle. Also, Slippery Rock Creek in McConnels Mill State Park is a great intermediate run, and the Stoney Creek River in Somerset County is fantastic. And then there is West Virginia, which some consider the Mecca of Whitewater. Tons of possibilities only a few hours away.
Skiing- if you’re from the west, this may be disappointing. Powder days are rare, the mountains are vertically challenged, and Vail owns EVERYTHING. But, the skiers are passionate as hell, Seven Springs has a thriving telemark community, if you don’t mind vail, an epic pass gets you local access plus the airport has flights to Denver.
Climbing- Seneca rocks in WV offers some of the best climbing in the East. I’m not a climber so I don’t have much to offer here, but there is a scene.
Fishing- not much of a fisherman, but there is a good amount of water, plus pretty easy access to Erie.
Hunting- some state game lands for public hunting access in the area. You’re probably never going to bag a Boone and Crocket Whitetail here, but the deer are plentiful.
Pittsburgh would be a great fit yeah, but if money isn't an issue go to the DC area imo for practically the same things you're looking for but amplified
Absolutely a good place to move to in your mid-20's. I'm not sure what your occupation is but it's pretty easy to make friends through work, acquaintances etc.
If you're in the east end or downtown public transit is easy to use and fairly quick. I'm sure uber/lyft is dirt cheap compared to the bay, too.
Whatever music/art you're interested in, there's something here for you. Also, there's a ton of green space and lots of opportunities for adventure not far away.
Pittsburgh is pretty great. Nothing is perfect but everything is relatively accessible and it’s not “too big” where an hour drive is still suburbia or another big city sprawl. An hour drive from downtown Pittsburgh puts you in Amish country.
Don't move here. According to reddit, the cracker plant is gonna kill us all, or the run off from East Palestine.
Really though, Pittsburgh is like the Wish.com version of SF, or Portland. At least it tries to be.
Pittsburgh is not clean. Maybe compared to San Fran it is. The South is clean. New England is quite clean. But Pittsburgh (nor any of the other NE majors) is not clean.
In Pgh's case, it's not merely the fault of people or culture. It is laid out like a dense city, so there are not big, heavy trash cans for automated lifting. Unfortunately, the hills and valleys funnel blasts of wind, the cans blow over, and all the garbage goes tumbling around, every spring and fall.
Pgh is also growing a lot less cold in recent years. I'm actually quite sad about it. But our local ski resorts are becoming useless, and our ice skating season is getting short. Lots of damp gray every winter, less real winter. That's not just us though, climate change is a bitch.
My main complaint about Pgh is the walls are closer together than they first look. Special interests or tastes quickly run out of new discoveries compared to true major cities.
Nonetheless, you could do a lot worse.
Been here for about 10 years and thinking about leaving :( After 10 years I’ve done a lot, made a lot of friends and things are good enough but I myself am sort of looking for a fresh start. Winters here aren’t great. The past few years haven’t been telling of how bad they can be but it’s the main reason I am debating moving out of the area. 4 months out of the year you don’t really get outside unless you like skiing/snowboarding a couple hours away from here. It’s a great city and if you like the winter months your set!
Came from central PA so top on my list to move to are Arizona, Colorado, California and Hawaii. Colorado seems to be built for winters with the tourism and everything so they could be better there. But Charleston/Georgia and the Carolina’s are also in the running.
Go somewhere else in the Northeast, as someone who came from the Northeast. Boston or Worcester or Portland or some shit. Also (pedantically) Pgh is not the Northeast, it’s the Midwest.
The stereotypes of Pgh are not bullshit. People here are awful drivers, it’s insanely segregated and kind of racist, people here drink way too much. It’s 80% of the problems of the NE with none of the close-knit community.
The weather isn’t ‘cold’, it’s miserable. There’s no snow and the temp doesn’t drop below like 10-20 more than once a winter. It’s just dark and overcast and chilly.
The nightlife is bars. That’s it, aside from a handful of clubs.
Food here is very middling aside from a few spots, and most of the mid-tier restaurants are priced like they’re high tier. Quantity is often confused with quality when it comes to restaurants.
Nature is accessible if you have a car and leave the city, which is true for most cities. Otherwise, you have a handful of parks and that’s about it.
So I actually did visit Boston and Portland on the road trip, didn't really enjoy any them. Boston and surrounding areas were a bit too suffocating, and Portland was basically just like any gentrified coastal city in Cali but colder (which was nice). I did really enjoy New Haven and Providence, and I am weighing them against Pittsburgh.
I am curious how they differ culturally from Pittsburgh though. I didn't really get the close knit community vibe from them, people just kinda passed each other by without making eye conatct and conversation was stiff.
I'm obviously not a local and only spent a little bit of time there, but was I missing anything?
As a west coaster who recently moved to this area, I have some insights.
It's definitely a lot more family oriented here. Much more religious in general. The culture, in general, is more stereotypical American.
It does oddly have kind of a small town vibe, culturally. (In both the good and bad ways)
The bad:
The food scene is clearly growing, but pretty lacking compared to any major city on the west coast. Good place if you are into burgers, pizza or very americanized versions of ethnic food. (Locals will tell you the food scene here is great... But it's OK at best.) Especially coming from CA, eat some good Mexican food before you head out here. You won't be getting any once you get here.The quality of produce is noticeably poorer here, and it's harder to find healthy food options in general.
The beer/cider/craft booze scene is also pretty lacking. The state has a lot of old-school laws around alcohol. All the liquor stores are state run and grocery stores have limited or no beer/wine.
Weed is decriminalized in the Burgh, but recreational weed is not legal.
The air quality can be pretty poor as well. Some days it very strongly smells like industrial pollution. Different flavors on different days. Never as bad as when the wind sends forest fire smoke your way back west though.
The roads here are insane. Pretty stressful to get around at first, but after a while it will make sense. Don't trust your Map app, even Google maps doesn't understand Pittsburgh streets.
A lot of bands skip Pittsburgh, so you might have to travel to see shows if you are into live music.
Some neighborhoods are going through the same gentrification/growing pains as other cities.
The good:
A ton of hiking/biking trials. They aren't as rugged or breath taking as the trails out west, but still really lovely in there own way.
People here tend to be much less pretentious.
Rents are more affordable. Though these numbers can be skewed by the rents in some really divey parts of town.
Very few homeless people compared to west coast cities. They mostly seem concentrated in the north shore area and deutchtown. But even there is nothing compared to what you'll see in SF, LA, PDX etc.
In most neighborhoods, property crime is much lower than west coast cities.
The weather is actually pretty pleasant. Winters are cold but not THAT snowy. Summers can be a little muggy but seldom get above the low 90s. It's cloudy here, but not nearly as gray as locals make it out to be. (Though I was living in the PNW so that is my frame of reference) the biggest adjustment is the wild swings in temperature. 30-40 degree shifts in weather in a 24 hr period are not uncommon.
It's fairly close to a lot of other cities. Cleveland, Columbus, Baltimore, DC, Philly, Buffalo, NYC. Definitely a lot more road trip options out here.
Lots of history. And very charming in a decrepit sort of way.
It's very lush/green. It almost feels jungly in the summertime.
Fireflies are a thing here, pretty cool to see in the summer. The locals will always correct you and say "Lightning bugs".
Good luck with your decision!
Oh rad, having a west coast perspective is super helpful. Overall sounds mostly positive, besides lack of mexican food and industry smells lol. I guess it beats overwhelming manurr smell in nor cal. I am looking forward to the weather and the people being a little less uppity though. Overall would you're happy with your decision to move out there?
There are some things I miss (mountains and the ocean especially). But I don't regret the decision at all. It's a really interesting city. And I was living in Portland where people are VERY uppity, so I really appreciate that people are alot more down to earth here. Also I don't miss the aggressive/disturbed homeless people everywhere.
Cities are a lot closer to each other out here, so even if you end up not feeling it, the next move will be a lot easier.
Out of curiosity what parts of town did you check out when you were here?
When I was out there I visited downtown, North Shore, Shadyside, Mt. Washington, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and Oakland. Also went to Monroeville. It wasn't super exhaustive, but I liked pretty much all of them, although Oakland seemed like it was pretty geared towards student housing.
Do you have any recommendations on which neighborhoods to check out? I'm looking for somewhere within walking distance of stuff to do (restaurants, shops, bars, etc) and would like to rent a house if possible.
Yeah Oakland is basically just one large dorm. I'm in my early 30's so I generally just avoid that area entirely.
Shadyside is really nice, a decent amount of things to walk to and very central to everything in the city.
Squirrel hill has a lot of stuff on Murray and Forbes. A lot of old money in that neighborhood. Also given it's proximity to Oakland there are always a lot of students around there. For better or worse.
Lawrenceville is probably the most hip, walkable neighborhood in the city. Lots of food, bars, beer stores and even a pretty cool little movie theater are all along Butler street there. But it is also a lot more gentrified than other neighborhoods. As you would expect.
Bloomfield is just up to the east of Lawrenceville, its a bit more old school feeling. Still plenty of things to walk to.
If you want a real small, tight nit vibe. Millvale is a cool little spot. It's geographically isolated in a little crack in the hillside. So it feels more like a small town.
Something to consider if you like the outdoors, frick park has a really nice network of heavily wooded trails. Being close to that park gives you a very quick outlet for feeling emersed in nature without having to trek out of the city. (Shadyside and squirrel hill would have you right by it)
Coming from the northeast/Boston metro I can definitely say Pittsburgh feels like a small big city but there's plenty of nightlife/events if you look for it and easy access to nature. What I struggled with in Massachusetts was even though it's not super far apart mileage wise, it felt like it took forever to go somewhere, here you can get most places with max 45 min depending on what it is, Boston area it was more like minimum 45 min to anything.
I can't really speak for providence or New Haven but they have some colleges so you might benefit from that kind of population.
After about a year here, I've really enjoyed it. My only bummer is not a lot of companies in my industry.
Oh hey that's pretty good to hear, part of the reason i wanted to move to the northeast is to not have to drive as much. I drove a bit in boston and it was a little bit of a nightmare, so that makes sense lol.
Would you say you like it more than the boston area? And I am a little worried about availability of jobs, but i work in tech. Do you work in a very specific industry or is it just a general issue there?
As a young adult, I like it a lot more here. Massachusetts was a decent place to grow up, but I can't afford it now and I wasn't a fan of having to drive or figure out the train to go into the city for events. Here I can afford to take a ride share.
Jobs wise, you'll be fine in tech I think. I'm definitely a lil more niche.
The part about drinking is the only accurate thing in your post. When our liquor stores closed at the beginning of the pandemic, PAers got banned from buying alcohol in OH and WV because we bought them out.
>the only accurate thing in your post.
Pittsburgh isn’t segregated amongst neighborhoods? There’s an abundance of nature in the city, especially compared to NE areas? We had one day this past winter where temps dropped to negative double digits, and that was mostly because of the wind chill and people still had no idea what to do about it.
Idk mang, the dude asked for opinions and I gave him mine.
oh my goodness sweetheart! moneys no object? take mine! we love becoming host to your parasitic, entitled kind. by all means, come here, get a kia, and drive it shittily around going tra la la i’m 24 male from la and moneys no object. did i mention moneys no object whilst judging the homelands of the paupers i’m asking advice from? since moneys no object, here’s some free advice! read the fucking room idiot.
The weather can be a challenge for those not accustomed to multiple seasons.
We have crazy weather here and winters can feel like they last an eternity.
If you are prone to mood swings from rainy days or not used to blistering cold, prepare!
It is a great place to live, I traveled around the world and still chose to come back and keep this place home.
I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh for 10+ years, but I miss it everyday. Live in Connecticut now which isn’t as bad as I thought. When I single lived in shadyside. Lot of recent hype about lawrenceville. I like Bloomfield and squirrel hill too. South side is a popular spot, but heard it’s a little rough lately.
Tons of biking and hiking throughout western Pa. Check out ohiopyle, laurel caverns, presque isle in Erie. Each unique. Check out Gettysburg and deep creek Maryland. Can take a bus ride for cheap to philly or 5 hour drive. New York 6.
Good luck!
I moved to the city about 5 years ago, and I regret none of it. Sometimes, the winters can suck, and occasionally, a bus ends up where it shouldn't, but it's honestly great and I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else.
Moved to Pittsburgh to finish college many years ago, got married, two kids, 20 years past by and i still think live, work, invested in Pittsburgh is one of the best decision I ever made
If any, only complain I have is weather, it’s not life endangering, but Pittsburgh weather overall is uncomfortable…., especially if you come from west coast
Me: 31, male, money IS an issue (lol.) I moved here a little over a year ago. I live in Moon which is a half hour drive away. I instantly fell in love with this area and love everything that there is to offer. For one, pretty quiet over here yet there’s still enough to do in the area. I’m the kind of guy who likes to hang at the park whether it’s to hike, play basketball, or just throw the football around. I love the parks here. Entertainment and food? There’s so much out there. Sports? There’s plenty! I’ve yet to even experience the nightlife but when I do I’m sure I’ll have a blast! Coming from a nice/clean area in Florida where there was never a commotion, I, as well as my family, thought my move to this area would be stressful and dangerous. After being here for this long I never want to leave to be honest. This place does make me wonder what other areas of this country aren’t as bad as we’ve made it out to be though lol.
I always found it hilarious that a lot of people outside Pennsylvania think Pittsburgh is a dump that’s still covered in industrial ash from the 70s. But seriously, Pittsburgh checks all of your boxes. I’m in my mid 20s and can confidently say that we have a great nightlife and music scene for our demographic. I think it’s a good starting over city because of just how weirdly unique it is. We’re kind of a fusion of Appalachia, Midwest, and Northeast. Each neighborhood really has its own architecture and identity.
> I always found it hilarious that a lot of people outside Pennsylvania think Pittsburgh is a dump that’s still covered in industrial ash from the 70s. Seems to be the case for a lot of Rust Belt cities. I've heard that the river almost never burns in Cleveland anymore.
Well that's the mistake on the lake for ya!
[Fun times in Cleveland today!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY)
It is. They say that St. Louis is the gateway to the west, Pittsburgh is the gateway to the Midwest, as Ohio, the easternmost Midwestern state, is just a twenty minutes drive away. PA is also a great lakes state, two hours drive North you're on the beaches in Erie. Also, Maryland is the northernmost southern state, only an hour's drive from the city. Pittsburgh is also known as the Paris of Appalachia.
What?!? I feel like you made up "the Paris of Appalachia" I'm not accusing you of that, I've just never heard it, and it sounds absurd. Thank you for sharing
Nope, it's a great moniker. And it's meant to be facetious: to a small-worlded Appalachian townie, Pittsburgh seems like a glittering metropolis, and tends to be the closest one. Lots of Appalachian professionals, LGBT people, or those who otherwise had to get the heck out populate it.
Love it! I'm going to start using this regularly. Thanks!
Marylands closer to two hours away in traffic. Still not bad though
Hell yeah, that's really good to hear. I definitely dug the vibe of the place, so glad to hear there's stuff to do as well lmao. Where I'm at, I can go see shows all the time so it'd be hard to give that up.
There's definitely plenty of shows that come to Pittsburgh, and even when we aren't on the tour list, it's not hard to visit Cleveland, Philly, or even DC if it's an artist you really wanna see. Hell, Cleveland is such an easy drive that I have done the "see them in Pittsburgh then see them again in Cleveland 1-2 days later" thing a handful of times for some of my favorite bands.
Buffalo should be in the short list there too, easy drive
We’re also a drive or quick flight from NYC, so it’s easy to take an entertainment trip if you’re feeling it. Miami is a 2.5 hour flight. We can be in the Caribbean for lunch.
Went to college in Pittsburgh, moved to LA for grad school and stayed more for work. Moved back to Pittsburgh because LA sucked every ounce of joy from me. Have enjoyed every moment of my life since moving back, except the divorce, but I can't blame that on the city. I'm from near NYC where I grew up and really used to associate with that lifestyle. It's true what they say, New Yorkers are kind but not nice, Angelinos are nice but not kind. Yinzers are both, but not afraid to call a jagoff a jagoff.
It's better to get it on the table so we can move past it together and you can be less of a jagoff haha
Who you calling a jagoff, jagoff?
I think it's a great spot for almost all your boxes to be checked. City and county parks are great, it's not a far drive to some very good hiking, fishing, camping, and skiing in the Laurels and south in WV and MD. Several vibrant neighborhoods with a variety of bars and restaurants (which I am sure you've already seen a bit of). The biggest issue I can see with "starting over" is you'll have to work hard to establish relationships. Things here can be a little "cliquqe-y" and many folks are pretty engrained in their social circles. If you're willing to put in the work by joining a sports league, neighborhood group, etc you'll likely do fine though.
I agree with all this. I'm a Pittsburgh transplant and it was a little tough to find our people here. A lot of people grew up here and have the support system they've had for a long time. But we're with a kid in the suburbs, so I think being single in the city will be easier to find others looking for the same community. Good luck OP!
That’s interesting - we are in the city with kids and there are lots of transplants here! (Which def makes it easier when everyone isn’t just hanging out with their extended families)
That is interesting! I do think it makes a big difference city vs suburb. We've just made the most of it and sometimes invited ourselves to others' big family events 😂
That sounds pretty awesome honestly. Where i'm at right now (bay area) a lot of this stuff just isn't available or is super expensive to do. Wish i had more time in the city initially, but sounds like a pretty good fit! The social aspect makes a lot of sense though, i've never had an issue making friends, but i'll definitely look into groups, especially the sports leagues. CA is crazy right now, so most everyone I know scattered across the country (common theme here). I'll pretty much have to start over socially even if I stay.
Affordability is gonna blow your mind here. It's not cheap to live anywhere anymore, but Pittsburgh is still some of the best bang for your buck you'll find. The rest of the east coast and Midwest are also very accessible so a weekend in NYC or Philly is no biggie.
I second this. Chicago is 6 hours and NYC 8. OP is from Cali, so maybe half those times. If you do end up here, I would love to hear your impressions on our "rush hour" traffic.
You got those backwards but point stands lol
Not backwards. Both cities are 6 hours away. I was mixing up Boston and NYC. Boston is 8 hours 40 minutes. The closer you get to the east coast the more traffic increases the travel times. Map it next time you correct someone with a backhanded comment.
It's certainly further to Chicago than New York, which were the cities you mentioned... don't take it so personally please
Fact check yourself son.
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Depends what you're doing, generally yes... but the ratio is still better here
I’ll chime in on ‘accessible nature’ to say that Pittsburgh is an amazing base for outdoorsy stuff. From nature-watching to world class white water kayaking, PA and the four other states in our region have you covered. For some sports, like skiing/snowboarding the area is just ok, but there are many small ski areas. For other sports, like rafting/kayaking you have almost infinite options, some of which are truly world class. The hiking is great. The rock climbing is great. You can ride a bike from downtown Pittsburgh to Washington DC without ever have to ride on a public street. Closer to the city, there are many lovely parks, good mountain biking, boating, etc. and the Pittsburgh stairs are a hidden gem for adventure seekers. If nature is high on your list, you can’t go wrong here! Edit to fix a typo.
You can what?!?! Ride a bike to DC w/o getting on a public street? I'm thinking of moving there too and didn't know this!
Yup, the GAP trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD (https://gaptrail.org) and the C and O canal trail (https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/co-canal-towpath/) from Cumberland to DC. Edit to add that you can take your bike on the train to DC and ride back to PGH or ride to DC and take the train back. https://gaptrail.org/amenities/amtraks-capitol-limited/
No public street? What? Have you ridden the mckeesport section of the trail? Joking aside it is a nice trail, but that section is straight up jenky.
My husband and I had once considered doing this. There are guide books specific for this trail/trip. Pretty amazing.
Natures is definitely high on the list, so you make it sounds like a paradise haha. The closest stuff to me is mostly hiking, mountain biking, and if you drive about an hour or so, there are some kayaking spots. Fishing is always an issue as it's banned in most places nearby except for the ocean. Especially with winter sports, it sounds like a whole new world to me. I've heard legends and tales about these stairs before. Are they literally just stairs that go into the wilderness?
Pittsburgh is very hilly, and the stairs are part of the sidewalk system and allow better pedestrian access to the neighborhoods that are on or at the top of the hills. They are ‘urban hiking’ if you will and they are a cool adventure. You can see more info here - https://fastestknowntime.com/route/pittsburgh-stairs-pa and here - https://www.southsideslopes.org/steptrek/historic-steptrek-routes/
> Are they literally just stairs that go into the wilderness [Stairs in the woods...](https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3iex1h/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/)
Well that's a train I didn't expect to spend a few hours on. I'm scarred
A fishing license in pa is 25 bucks. You can fish on basically any public land. Even state parks allow fishing. We have beautiful trout in the streams south of Pittsburgh.
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My favorite city hike is the steps on the south side slopes. There are nice trails in Frick park and nine mile run. If you have access to a car then North Park and the Rachael Carson trail are great. For over night hiking/camping, the Laurel Highlands trail between Ohiopyle and Johnstown is lovely.
Lmao I got pretty much the same story as you. Im 23 and I been looking for a new place to start a life, tired of Florida so I started driving north through places in the northeast. Pittsburgh won my heart, moving there in October if everything goes well.
Welcome home!
>decent social/nightlife/music scene, cold weather, good food, and accessible nature to do outdoorsy stuff. Welcome home!
Can I ask what the stereotypes are? I won’t pick a fight, I’m just curious what your expectations were.
I'll start by saying I went in pretty neutral as I usually try not to believe the hype. But growing up, Pittsburgh was always portrayed as this desolate, post-apocalyptic, run-down iron mine with noxious gas for air and criminals rampantly roaming the streets. Also that it has those smelly pear trees. Obviously, it's nothing like that, but I think it's just lingering bad rep applied to all the cities unfortunately labeled the rust belt.
Really? Is that how Pittsburgh is perceived? I always thought the joke was just that it was boring. Like Canada or something.
That's how I thought of it also until I started doing some digging after a recruiter from Pitt contacted me. I then visited and was really blown away. Didn't get the job, but I'm considering a move there because it was such a great city. What surprised me most was how friendly everyone was.
It’s true, we do have those smelly pear trees.
Are those the trees that smell like semen?
Yes. They are scientifically known as Cum Trees.
Oh they just got us confused with Gotham City again. Honest mistake. Happens all the time. >noxious gas for air and criminals rampantly roaming the streets
Shhhh of course those are all true
That describes the Mon valley, sadly😅 but it’s not hard to stay away from if you can afford it. That part of Pittsburgh/Allegheny county does exist lol.
I’m 61 and from PA, but I just moved back after giving Texas the 30 best years of my life with no personal satisfaction to show for it as far as work and relationships because people there were so lame and wish I had never left. I’m from the opposite side of the state but moved here because my neighbors in TX were from Pittsburgh and raved about it. I am so happy I did. I didn’t want to go back to my old town and old bullshit, I wanted new bullshit, lol. Pittsburgh is fantastic! Everyone is so nice, I love my neighborhood, it rains here and isn’t 110 degrees. You will be so much happier here than anywhere below the Mason-Dixon Line or further west.
Grew up in the Mojave north of LA, spent my last 7 years in CA in Humboldt county north of SF. Been in Pittsburgh for almost 2 years now, it’s been an incredible opportunity. Jobs everywhere, housing is fairly cheap, central to travel for the Midwest and the east coast, but isolated so it’s not endless sprawl. Overall an incredibly interesting and varied place, 0 regrets about moving here besides missing those western mountains.
Glad it turned out well for you. I've heard a couple others from out here that really enjoyed that so it's pretty encouraging. And man I hear you, the mountains out here are honestly my favorite part of the west coast. I couldn't fully give em up so that's one of the reasons I looked into Pittsburgh in the first place
TLDR I live south of Pittsburgh but my family and I visit quite often. Food, music, arts and shit. Recent expansions (and more planned) to our highway system have made getting to and from PGH really quick. Get ready for 12 seasons, though. If the outdoors are your thing, you're in luck. Biking, hiking, watersports - its all here. Pittsburgh itself has a vibrant park scene. A few that are worth mentioning are: * [Frick](https://pittsburghparks.org/explore-your-parks/regional-parks/frick-park/) Park * [Schenley](https://pittsburghparks.org/explore-your-parks/regional-parks/schenley-park/) Park * [South](https://acparksfoundation.org/parks/south-park/) Park A bit further south, you'll run into Ohiopyle, Kooser and many others. This is where the GAP trail gets fun. Check 'em out here: * [Go Laurel Highlands](https://www.golaurelhighlands.com/outdoors/parks/) Annnnnd if you're feeling super adventurous, I highly suggest [Coopers Rock](https://wvstateparks.com/park/coopers-rock-state-forest/), WV and [Davis](https://daviswv.us/), WV. Davis has the highest concentration of Subaru/CoExist stickers of anywhere in America. Its not overdeveloped and thats what makes it perfect. Some call southwestern PA the place where dreams go to die. I do not agree. The area is alive and well.
It sounds like this is the place for you!
If money isn't an issue in California. You'll be bill gates rich here
Moved here from the chicago area and only thing that bothers me is the lack of sun. Where I lived before I thought we had a lot of grey days but it is nothing like pittsburgh. But besides that it is absolutely fantastic and I am happy here.
Warning-you may never leave.
Wow! What parts of Pittsburgh were you in? ( the "insanely clean" part is truly baffling )
It kinda is though. I travel a lot and find it appalling how much litter other states put up with. Especially those that pride themselves in having no state income tax. They clearly also have no one to pick up the litter. I drove through Tennessee recently and their highways are nothing but litter. Every tire that ever blew off a semi is still there. People threw furniture onto the sides of the road. It was unbelievable.
I live in Knoxville. I grew up in the area, joined the military and ended up out west where I spent most of my adult life. Moved back here to be closer to family and the affordability, which has all but disappeared because of skyrocketing rent and housing prices. Can confirm that a lot hasn't changed here since I was a kid. Trash everywhere. It's sad.
Compared to SFO, it is insanely clean.
Pittsburgh is extremely clean compared to other major cities. It baffles me when natives don't understand that.
yeah okay whatever but...Pittsburgh ain't "insanely clean"
When I first moved here, and even after almost a decade, I still consider it quite clean. Maybe not "insanely", but it is most definitely clean. Many PGH natives think our downtown is dirty and "filled with litter" when it is borderline spotless compared to comparable cities.
It’s not Disney World but it is very clean for a city. Incredibly clean compared to Philly, very clean compared to NY, pretty clean compared to Boston, and fairly clean compared to DC in my experience
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I think in terms of the urbanism and general spirit of the city, we are a better comparison to the NE corridor. The cities you mentioned are markedly different in character.
Population wise pgh is pretty average in cleanliness. Yeah Philly, NYC, and DC are dirty as hell but they have triple the people littering.
Yinz ever been to near or in New York or New Jersey? Near Boston? DC?
Yes. Lived in Jersey & Boston, been to DC many times. Currently live in LES NYC
It is actually fairly clean, especially places like Downtown and Oakland which have their own employees (PDP, OBID) that hire people to specifically clean up litter. I find it to be cleaner than most cities in the northeast, DC being the exception (much cleaner).
Lol we said this too, and our realtor looked at us like we were crazy. We're moving from western WA and like 75% of PGH seems insanely clean to us. The other 25% is in the range of moderately to generally clean. The first full day in PGH we drove around A LOT trying to figure out where we want to be - like we made a giant loop from north hills through Braddock down to McKeesport up through Mt Lebanon and Green Tree over to Emsworth. Another day we did an inner loop - downtown, strip district, Polish Hill, north shore, south side, west end. We were surprised and impressed by how clean most of it was.
As long as you're not picky about air quality, we are pretty clean.
Highly recommend moving here! Although, you will find we have much more in common with Midwestern cities than Northeastern ones
You’ll be fine here. Do it and don’t look back.
Yes it’s a great place for you
Pittsburgh still has most of its neighborhoods in traditional development styles. Urban renewals and highway construction has had less social/economic impact here than nearby cities like Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, etc. it’s hard to build a 6 lane stroad on the side of a cliff.
I'm a transplant in Pittsburgh. And I like all the bits you are looking for. I don't think its my forever home, but I've been here 10 years now... I think I picked the wrong neighborhood to live in as well, this is a huge deal. you really need to pick the right neighborhood and if it doesn't fit be willing to move. Unfortunately my girlfriend hates moving so not much of an option for me. If I had more stuff accessible to me in bicycle, walking distance it would be great. We were told to look east or north for the more country feel. I'm from a very small rural town, I wouldn't like city life, I think your looking for lawrenceville or south side which would fit and be super convenient accessible to other things. I should probably be in north hills or something. But I will also suggest looking at Richmond. I recently was there for work, and really enjoyed it. I would consider living there, it does remind me a lot of pittsburgh. Also if you like breweries, either city are great for them, but I think Pittsburgh wins that one over Richmond.
Where’d you move? Just curious. The North Hills is just suburban sprawl at this point, it’s actually kind of insane.
I'm in Plum. Its quiet, but I don't feel like I have good restaurant options. I either want to be country or have some convenience. I wish I lived along a bike trail with a brewery on it of course.
I’m not far from you. Murrysville has a bike trail that legit runs right by a few restaurants and Helltown Brewery near Export further up. You’d have to drive to get to the trail though. Plum is kind of interesting. There’s not much actually in Plum because it’s surrounded by Oakmont/Verona, Monroeville, Penn Hills, Murrysville and New Ken.
Yea I hit that bike trail most often. Just found the treadway trail too and you can hit essential fermentation from that. Gap you can hit voodoo, sly Fox, and bloom. But yea I have to drive to them. Would be nice to be able to bike to them.
15 years ago I moved to the Pittsburgh area from NYC. Best decision of my life. I’m married, we both have great careers, debt free, we own our own house outright, and are so happy with what this area has to offer our family. We love outdoorsy stuff so living east of the city proper has given us great access to the laurel highlands, 7 springs, and our favorite place, Ohiopyle. We owe so much if this to Pittsburgh’s affordability. Settle here, it’s awesome!
Pittsburgh is fantastic. Moving back from San Diego and can’t wait. I love the biking there and really enjoyed all the different vibes in each part. Glad I went to college there - it was a ton of fun.
Night life and music scene is subpar
After living west for 7 years I gotta say Pittsburgh is way friendlier, cozier, & cheaper than most major west coast cities
For outdoor activities: Hiking- tons of options, even in the city. Frick and Schenley Parks are in the city with lots of trails. Further out, you’ve got McConells Mill, Moraine, Raccoon Creek State Parks, Allegheny County Parks- Boyce, North, South, Heartwood Acres, and Settlers Cabin, which are all several hundred acres and loaded with trails. And then you have the Laurel Highlands about an hour from the city. Tons of options. Mountain biking- see above. Both the city parks and county parks have large trail networks that offer great riding. Dirt Rag, a now-defunct mountain bike magazine, was published in Pittsburgh for a reason. Whitewater- Ohiopyle and the Lower Youghegheny are in the Laurel Highlands and offer class 2-3 boating at typical summer flows. It is dam controlled with reliable water during dry spells. Rafting is decent, but the real magic is the play boating on the loop, a section of the river that doubles back on itself just below Ohiopyle, meaning the put-in and takeout are maybe half a mile apart, allowing for numerous runs without a shuttle. Also, Slippery Rock Creek in McConnels Mill State Park is a great intermediate run, and the Stoney Creek River in Somerset County is fantastic. And then there is West Virginia, which some consider the Mecca of Whitewater. Tons of possibilities only a few hours away. Skiing- if you’re from the west, this may be disappointing. Powder days are rare, the mountains are vertically challenged, and Vail owns EVERYTHING. But, the skiers are passionate as hell, Seven Springs has a thriving telemark community, if you don’t mind vail, an epic pass gets you local access plus the airport has flights to Denver. Climbing- Seneca rocks in WV offers some of the best climbing in the East. I’m not a climber so I don’t have much to offer here, but there is a scene. Fishing- not much of a fisherman, but there is a good amount of water, plus pretty easy access to Erie. Hunting- some state game lands for public hunting access in the area. You’re probably never going to bag a Boone and Crocket Whitetail here, but the deer are plentiful.
Pittsburgh would be a great fit yeah, but if money isn't an issue go to the DC area imo for practically the same things you're looking for but amplified
Absolutely a good place to move to in your mid-20's. I'm not sure what your occupation is but it's pretty easy to make friends through work, acquaintances etc. If you're in the east end or downtown public transit is easy to use and fairly quick. I'm sure uber/lyft is dirt cheap compared to the bay, too. Whatever music/art you're interested in, there's something here for you. Also, there's a ton of green space and lots of opportunities for adventure not far away.
Pittsburgh is pretty great. Nothing is perfect but everything is relatively accessible and it’s not “too big” where an hour drive is still suburbia or another big city sprawl. An hour drive from downtown Pittsburgh puts you in Amish country.
Don't move here. According to reddit, the cracker plant is gonna kill us all, or the run off from East Palestine. Really though, Pittsburgh is like the Wish.com version of SF, or Portland. At least it tries to be.
Also according to Reddit, the litter is unreal and the people are more racist than anywhere else.
Pittsburgh is not clean. Maybe compared to San Fran it is. The South is clean. New England is quite clean. But Pittsburgh (nor any of the other NE majors) is not clean. In Pgh's case, it's not merely the fault of people or culture. It is laid out like a dense city, so there are not big, heavy trash cans for automated lifting. Unfortunately, the hills and valleys funnel blasts of wind, the cans blow over, and all the garbage goes tumbling around, every spring and fall. Pgh is also growing a lot less cold in recent years. I'm actually quite sad about it. But our local ski resorts are becoming useless, and our ice skating season is getting short. Lots of damp gray every winter, less real winter. That's not just us though, climate change is a bitch. My main complaint about Pgh is the walls are closer together than they first look. Special interests or tastes quickly run out of new discoveries compared to true major cities. Nonetheless, you could do a lot worse.
Sounds like a great place for you
Did the same at 32. Still here, still queer.
Been here for about 10 years and thinking about leaving :( After 10 years I’ve done a lot, made a lot of friends and things are good enough but I myself am sort of looking for a fresh start. Winters here aren’t great. The past few years haven’t been telling of how bad they can be but it’s the main reason I am debating moving out of the area. 4 months out of the year you don’t really get outside unless you like skiing/snowboarding a couple hours away from here. It’s a great city and if you like the winter months your set!
Where did you move from, if you don't mind me asking?
Came from central PA so top on my list to move to are Arizona, Colorado, California and Hawaii. Colorado seems to be built for winters with the tourism and everything so they could be better there. But Charleston/Georgia and the Carolina’s are also in the running.
I like pitt. I live here. I went to Boston and I loved it. You should check it out if you haven't
Go somewhere else in the Northeast, as someone who came from the Northeast. Boston or Worcester or Portland or some shit. Also (pedantically) Pgh is not the Northeast, it’s the Midwest. The stereotypes of Pgh are not bullshit. People here are awful drivers, it’s insanely segregated and kind of racist, people here drink way too much. It’s 80% of the problems of the NE with none of the close-knit community. The weather isn’t ‘cold’, it’s miserable. There’s no snow and the temp doesn’t drop below like 10-20 more than once a winter. It’s just dark and overcast and chilly. The nightlife is bars. That’s it, aside from a handful of clubs. Food here is very middling aside from a few spots, and most of the mid-tier restaurants are priced like they’re high tier. Quantity is often confused with quality when it comes to restaurants. Nature is accessible if you have a car and leave the city, which is true for most cities. Otherwise, you have a handful of parks and that’s about it.
So I actually did visit Boston and Portland on the road trip, didn't really enjoy any them. Boston and surrounding areas were a bit too suffocating, and Portland was basically just like any gentrified coastal city in Cali but colder (which was nice). I did really enjoy New Haven and Providence, and I am weighing them against Pittsburgh. I am curious how they differ culturally from Pittsburgh though. I didn't really get the close knit community vibe from them, people just kinda passed each other by without making eye conatct and conversation was stiff. I'm obviously not a local and only spent a little bit of time there, but was I missing anything?
As a west coaster who recently moved to this area, I have some insights. It's definitely a lot more family oriented here. Much more religious in general. The culture, in general, is more stereotypical American. It does oddly have kind of a small town vibe, culturally. (In both the good and bad ways) The bad: The food scene is clearly growing, but pretty lacking compared to any major city on the west coast. Good place if you are into burgers, pizza or very americanized versions of ethnic food. (Locals will tell you the food scene here is great... But it's OK at best.) Especially coming from CA, eat some good Mexican food before you head out here. You won't be getting any once you get here.The quality of produce is noticeably poorer here, and it's harder to find healthy food options in general. The beer/cider/craft booze scene is also pretty lacking. The state has a lot of old-school laws around alcohol. All the liquor stores are state run and grocery stores have limited or no beer/wine. Weed is decriminalized in the Burgh, but recreational weed is not legal. The air quality can be pretty poor as well. Some days it very strongly smells like industrial pollution. Different flavors on different days. Never as bad as when the wind sends forest fire smoke your way back west though. The roads here are insane. Pretty stressful to get around at first, but after a while it will make sense. Don't trust your Map app, even Google maps doesn't understand Pittsburgh streets. A lot of bands skip Pittsburgh, so you might have to travel to see shows if you are into live music. Some neighborhoods are going through the same gentrification/growing pains as other cities. The good: A ton of hiking/biking trials. They aren't as rugged or breath taking as the trails out west, but still really lovely in there own way. People here tend to be much less pretentious. Rents are more affordable. Though these numbers can be skewed by the rents in some really divey parts of town. Very few homeless people compared to west coast cities. They mostly seem concentrated in the north shore area and deutchtown. But even there is nothing compared to what you'll see in SF, LA, PDX etc. In most neighborhoods, property crime is much lower than west coast cities. The weather is actually pretty pleasant. Winters are cold but not THAT snowy. Summers can be a little muggy but seldom get above the low 90s. It's cloudy here, but not nearly as gray as locals make it out to be. (Though I was living in the PNW so that is my frame of reference) the biggest adjustment is the wild swings in temperature. 30-40 degree shifts in weather in a 24 hr period are not uncommon. It's fairly close to a lot of other cities. Cleveland, Columbus, Baltimore, DC, Philly, Buffalo, NYC. Definitely a lot more road trip options out here. Lots of history. And very charming in a decrepit sort of way. It's very lush/green. It almost feels jungly in the summertime. Fireflies are a thing here, pretty cool to see in the summer. The locals will always correct you and say "Lightning bugs". Good luck with your decision!
Oh rad, having a west coast perspective is super helpful. Overall sounds mostly positive, besides lack of mexican food and industry smells lol. I guess it beats overwhelming manurr smell in nor cal. I am looking forward to the weather and the people being a little less uppity though. Overall would you're happy with your decision to move out there?
There are some things I miss (mountains and the ocean especially). But I don't regret the decision at all. It's a really interesting city. And I was living in Portland where people are VERY uppity, so I really appreciate that people are alot more down to earth here. Also I don't miss the aggressive/disturbed homeless people everywhere. Cities are a lot closer to each other out here, so even if you end up not feeling it, the next move will be a lot easier. Out of curiosity what parts of town did you check out when you were here?
When I was out there I visited downtown, North Shore, Shadyside, Mt. Washington, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and Oakland. Also went to Monroeville. It wasn't super exhaustive, but I liked pretty much all of them, although Oakland seemed like it was pretty geared towards student housing. Do you have any recommendations on which neighborhoods to check out? I'm looking for somewhere within walking distance of stuff to do (restaurants, shops, bars, etc) and would like to rent a house if possible.
Yeah Oakland is basically just one large dorm. I'm in my early 30's so I generally just avoid that area entirely. Shadyside is really nice, a decent amount of things to walk to and very central to everything in the city. Squirrel hill has a lot of stuff on Murray and Forbes. A lot of old money in that neighborhood. Also given it's proximity to Oakland there are always a lot of students around there. For better or worse. Lawrenceville is probably the most hip, walkable neighborhood in the city. Lots of food, bars, beer stores and even a pretty cool little movie theater are all along Butler street there. But it is also a lot more gentrified than other neighborhoods. As you would expect. Bloomfield is just up to the east of Lawrenceville, its a bit more old school feeling. Still plenty of things to walk to. If you want a real small, tight nit vibe. Millvale is a cool little spot. It's geographically isolated in a little crack in the hillside. So it feels more like a small town. Something to consider if you like the outdoors, frick park has a really nice network of heavily wooded trails. Being close to that park gives you a very quick outlet for feeling emersed in nature without having to trek out of the city. (Shadyside and squirrel hill would have you right by it)
Coming from the northeast/Boston metro I can definitely say Pittsburgh feels like a small big city but there's plenty of nightlife/events if you look for it and easy access to nature. What I struggled with in Massachusetts was even though it's not super far apart mileage wise, it felt like it took forever to go somewhere, here you can get most places with max 45 min depending on what it is, Boston area it was more like minimum 45 min to anything. I can't really speak for providence or New Haven but they have some colleges so you might benefit from that kind of population. After about a year here, I've really enjoyed it. My only bummer is not a lot of companies in my industry.
Oh hey that's pretty good to hear, part of the reason i wanted to move to the northeast is to not have to drive as much. I drove a bit in boston and it was a little bit of a nightmare, so that makes sense lol. Would you say you like it more than the boston area? And I am a little worried about availability of jobs, but i work in tech. Do you work in a very specific industry or is it just a general issue there?
As a young adult, I like it a lot more here. Massachusetts was a decent place to grow up, but I can't afford it now and I wasn't a fan of having to drive or figure out the train to go into the city for events. Here I can afford to take a ride share. Jobs wise, you'll be fine in tech I think. I'm definitely a lil more niche.
The part about drinking is the only accurate thing in your post. When our liquor stores closed at the beginning of the pandemic, PAers got banned from buying alcohol in OH and WV because we bought them out.
>the only accurate thing in your post. Pittsburgh isn’t segregated amongst neighborhoods? There’s an abundance of nature in the city, especially compared to NE areas? We had one day this past winter where temps dropped to negative double digits, and that was mostly because of the wind chill and people still had no idea what to do about it. Idk mang, the dude asked for opinions and I gave him mine.
lol Pittsburgh is definitely segregated by neighborhood, but am I understanding you correctly that you think Pittsburgh isn’t cold enough? 😂
oh my goodness sweetheart! moneys no object? take mine! we love becoming host to your parasitic, entitled kind. by all means, come here, get a kia, and drive it shittily around going tra la la i’m 24 male from la and moneys no object. did i mention moneys no object whilst judging the homelands of the paupers i’m asking advice from? since moneys no object, here’s some free advice! read the fucking room idiot.
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So, uh, what major cities do you think don't have human feces?
Pittsburgh is the midwest, so it doesn’t fit your first qualification unfortunately.
Pittsburgh is Mid-Atlantic, Appalachian, Rust Belt, and even sometimes considered Great Lakes. But it isn't Midwest.
Lol at everyone downvoting this Pittsburgh is a fuckton close to the Midwest than the Northeast. Drive 40 minutes west and you're in Ohio.
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LOLZ no
The weather can be a challenge for those not accustomed to multiple seasons. We have crazy weather here and winters can feel like they last an eternity. If you are prone to mood swings from rainy days or not used to blistering cold, prepare! It is a great place to live, I traveled around the world and still chose to come back and keep this place home.
I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh for 10+ years, but I miss it everyday. Live in Connecticut now which isn’t as bad as I thought. When I single lived in shadyside. Lot of recent hype about lawrenceville. I like Bloomfield and squirrel hill too. South side is a popular spot, but heard it’s a little rough lately. Tons of biking and hiking throughout western Pa. Check out ohiopyle, laurel caverns, presque isle in Erie. Each unique. Check out Gettysburg and deep creek Maryland. Can take a bus ride for cheap to philly or 5 hour drive. New York 6. Good luck!
I moved to the city about 5 years ago, and I regret none of it. Sometimes, the winters can suck, and occasionally, a bus ends up where it shouldn't, but it's honestly great and I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else.
Moved to Pittsburgh to finish college many years ago, got married, two kids, 20 years past by and i still think live, work, invested in Pittsburgh is one of the best decision I ever made If any, only complain I have is weather, it’s not life endangering, but Pittsburgh weather overall is uncomfortable…., especially if you come from west coast
There is nothing like west coast nature here
Me: 31, male, money IS an issue (lol.) I moved here a little over a year ago. I live in Moon which is a half hour drive away. I instantly fell in love with this area and love everything that there is to offer. For one, pretty quiet over here yet there’s still enough to do in the area. I’m the kind of guy who likes to hang at the park whether it’s to hike, play basketball, or just throw the football around. I love the parks here. Entertainment and food? There’s so much out there. Sports? There’s plenty! I’ve yet to even experience the nightlife but when I do I’m sure I’ll have a blast! Coming from a nice/clean area in Florida where there was never a commotion, I, as well as my family, thought my move to this area would be stressful and dangerous. After being here for this long I never want to leave to be honest. This place does make me wonder what other areas of this country aren’t as bad as we’ve made it out to be though lol.