Reviews & Comments
Pittsburgh, PA
My 2nd year in Pitt -
11/7/2022I moved to Pitt in August 2021 (I previously have lived in bigger cities).
Long story short.
Pros:
-Affordable rent and prices in general
-Very very quiet neighborhoods
-Wonderful summer weather
-Can meet truly good, helpful and religious people (a lot of blue collar people)
-Pitt is a historical city, has a lot to tell
-Has variety of events daily, weekly, monthly
-You definitely can learn something you will like in Pitt
-Good people (I repeat)
About "Cons" I have only 2:
Tap water quality (water crisis 2018) and Air quality (particular matters).
I just would like to share my personal experience and you make your own conclusions.
The weather is colder than I expected, but summer weather fixes everything.
A lot of people come to Pitt from neighbor states such as: West Virginia and Ohio from smaller towns for job opportunities, so usually they are not really used to deal with new comers or people they don't know.
Many people from wealthier states come to Pitt in search of cheaper rent and more balanced life.
Visually Pitt looks diverse, but in reality most of them are international students. The city infrastructure, food products variety and how people deal with immigrants in general tells another story.
Sky here is really cloudy and if you move from sunny place, make sure you are okay with that, because I didn't think it can really affect me, but it did, a lot (mood and energy level).
Unfortunately, Pitt is a part of high overdose rate area of country, but it does not mean they all are bad people (believe it or not).
Due to declining population and raising unemployment rate Pitt has many jobs to offer, so if you are a working person, then people treat you a bit better here.
Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Strip district, North Shore, University of Pitt area - are diverse, the rest isn't much or isn't at all.
Pittsburgh has a good amount of potential to develop, but haven't met much middle class people at my age (30+).
If you need to have that "uplifted feeling", the one you get, let's say, in New York, LA or Washington DC, as I do, then Pitt might will not work for you too, in this particular case.
It's really quiet here and if you need to rethink or build a new plan for your future, it worth to try Pitt.
Crime rate here is bad in certain areas, the rest looks safe to me, but still local people are aware of crime rate and act cautious.
You can see a lot of expensive, solid constructions and buildings, but unfortunately most of them are really old and rusty.
I rated Pitt with 3 stars and it's only because of the ecological situation here (water, air) and didn't see much opportunities to develop small business as me not being local.
P.S. I've lived in 7 states and in all US regions, every US state has something to offer and you can get a totally different experience in almost every state. So, to me, there are no "bad or good" places or cities to live, in my opinion it all depends on your expectations and what you are looking for.
Good luck!