I am trying to understand specifically why I don't like it here. It could be because over the past decade the city itself (not the suburbs surrounding it) has become less livable, despite what the surveys say. We recently had a drastic cut in public transportation, the last of a large series in the past decade. The last few cuts were bad, but this round of cuts has affected bus service in the city core. Buses arrive late or don't show up, and when they do, they're packed. It's hard to get around with such infrequent service. The economy here has never been competitive in my experience. Despite the surveys and stats, the area had very sluggish job creation during the boom times of the late 90s and mid-2000s. I have struggled to find FT employment over large blocks of time, and the job market is very much about who you know. Despite having hundreds of professional contacts and attempting to stay active in networking, I've never gotten into the "inner circle." Many native Pittsburghers also have their own crowd, which they've had since high school, and which is not open to outsiders. Allegheny County has one of the lowest rates of in-migration of any major metro, so it makes sense. College is a great place to make friends, but I'm way too old for that scene. The people my age I've met already have their social groups set up and aren't looking to add on to them. These social groups go "way back" for 20 years or more. It's hard to break into that. The weather is also a downer for me. The Ohio Valley region in general has a lot of cloud coverage, even in the summer, so you can go a week without seeing the sun (including in summer – such as was the case two years ago). Locals pooh-pooh weather as a factor in happiness (though they sure do love to talk about it) but I need to be outdoors for 1-2 hours a day at minimum. That's impossible in a year like this one when most days have been too cold to go outside for the past 5-6 months. I also don't fit in, as others have mentioned, because I don't give a flip about professional sports. I tried, but no dice. I was recently criticized for being unaware, until right before the game, that the Steelers were headed to the Super Bowl. The natives "didn't buy" the fact that I was simply trying to earn a living, enjoy a few personal hobbies, and make my way, and was not listening to local news or talk radio.
Liz | Pittsburgh, PA | Report Abuse