Pittsburgh, a wonderful place to live!
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9/28/2013
Before my girlfriend and I moved here to Pittsburgh in June of 2009, we researched many places in the United States to live. We were looking for a place with available work, and a low cost of living. At the time that we moved from Western Massachusetts, the total number of jobs listed on Monster.com within a five mile radius of Amherst, MA was a grand total of eight in all categories. At the same time, there were thousands of jobs listed here in Pittsburgh. Back in Amherst, a small wood frame house could cost more than $250,000. Within a few months of moving to Pittsburgh, we purchased a brick row house here for only $40,000.
Another reason that we moved to Pittsburgh is the city’s universities and medical facilities. We learned that Pitt is one of the top ranked schools for Occupational Therapy in the country and my girlfriend has now begun taking courses there for her Masters in OT. She was also looking for a place where she could teach, and she is now in her fourth year as an Associate Professor at a local University. Finally, through the research and support organizations here in Pittsburgh, we have been able to continue the work that we began in Massachusetts, supporting adults on the autism spectrum.
Since we arrived, we have also started a business building Search Engine Optimized websites, and we have found more work here than we have time to complete. What we have learned is that Pittsburgh has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and there are now more people employed here than there were at the height of the steel industry. Even through the recent economic downturn that has been compared with the Great Depression, both business and real estate have continued to thrive here in Pittsburgh.
However, there is one thing that I would like to change here in Pittsburgh, and that is the perception of many long-term residents that life is better in other places than it is here. What we have found is that there are enough resources for to live here comfortably, unlike other places I have lived. Pittsburgh allows us to have the culture of a city, with museums, theater, and music, while still living in a welcoming neighborhood community. More importantly, we have found the quality of the people living here to have the practical, low-stress, Midwestern values that makes Pittsburgh a wonderful place to live.
Phil | Pittsburgh, PA