I recently relocated to Pittsburgh
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3/13/2015
I was born and raised on Long Island, NY. Lived as an adult in NYC, and spent the last 20 years in south FL. I moved to Pittsburgh 1.5 years ago for an executive position in healthcare, when my husband retired. Things I love: the friendliest people I have ever met, ever, anywhere. Really inexpensive housing, my 85 year old Tudor, walking distance from restaurants, movies and shops, would have cost twice as much in FL and 3 times as
much in NY. Lots to do; great boating in summer, biking, hiking, museums, art, restaurants, theater, lectures, concerts, sports,32
colleges, it goes on and on. Lots of educated people, jobs in healthcare, tech and education, and active Buddhist community
( important to us). Amazing restaurants, green markets, yoga downtown area. On the down side is winter. Spring, summer and fall are perfect in my book, but, winter is gray and snowy, January and February are a good time to get away- the airport is 20 minutes away. Taxes in my community are double what they were in FL, because of the highly rated schools (I don't have kids). I think utilities are high, I pay gas, electric, water, sewer. There is state and city income tax. Food expensive compared to FL, and a mani- pedi is $40 at the cheapest place. The roads are terrible, there is no grid, the steeet signs are not helpful and potholes abound. I got lost alot when we first arrived, and I am accustomed to driving in strange cities.
Overall, we LOVE it here. My husband is retired at age 60, and volunteers at the National Aviary and the Zoo, and he loves the fact that we can walk to public transportation to get downtown, where there are Steelers, Penguins and Pirates venues within a one mile radius!
The city is booming at the moment. When I retire in a few years, we figure we can downsize our house enough to afford to spend most of the winter further south, and then we'll have perfection. Pittsburgh is a wonderful place to call home.
Barbara | Pittsburgh, PA