One of America's worst cities
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11/20/2008
I lived in Pittsburgh for 1.5 yrs (2006- 2008) and it is a miserably depressing place. 300 plus rainy days a year (more than Seattle). In January 2008, we did not see the sun for 22 days in a row. Humid and wet - all houses have severe problems with mold. Not just in the basements, either. You have to clean the mold that grows inside your toilets every few days. Pittsburgh is America's second most polluted city (LA is #1) and has the highest number of pneumonia cases per year. If you have allergies or asthma, you will be in constant agony. The city is still rapidly declining - job and popluation losses. The state of Pennsylvania has the most vrestrictive liquor controls in the country (tied with Utah). If you are a wine lover like me, you will be miserable. Beer is sold at some distributors, but all wine and liquor is sold only at very small state owned stores with extremely limited selections and the taxes are very high. For example, if you want a Pinot Noir you will be lucky if you have a choice between two brands. My personal favorite wines are the Chateauneuf Du Pape of France, but you won't find a single bottle anywhere in the Pittsburgh area. Can I say anything positive about Pittsburgh? Yes, the cost of living is extremely low - about 15% lower than the national average. Houses are about 50% less than what you would pay in most cities. I bought a very well-maintained 3 BR house on a 1/4 acre lot for $85,000. You can actually find nice liveable homes in the $50,000 price range in many of the poorer neighborhoods. $300,000 will buy you a house that looks like a mansion. The sales tax is 7%, but "necessity items" such as clothes, food, and toiletries are not taxed so this adds up to huge savings. The hospitals are very good. And of course, you have two great sports teams in the Steelers and Penguins. The people are friendly, but it is very much a blue collar unsophisticated town.
DJ | Centennial, CO