5 ms·

Pittsburgh has a lot going for it, and it's been really cool seeing the growth since I moved to Pgh in 2009. I think the one thing it might have against it is

by cfallin 11y ago

Pittsburgh has a lot going for it, and it's been really cool seeing the growth since I moved to Pgh in 2009. I think the one thing it might have against it is a growing anti-gentrification/tech movement. It's nothing like throw-rocks-at-busses San Francisco, but you do see things like this graffiti: http://imgur.com/5T0iJQ6 http://imgur.com/5T0iJQ6 And it's not just the fringe with these views, but (in my experience) reasonable people who are frustrated with rising rents and they scapegoat tech growth. The housing market is also a little wonky. Pittsburgh is cheap on average, but it's sort of bimodal -- there are nice new shiny apartments being built, especially around Google (Bakery Square) and thereabouts, but they're going at maybe 1.5-2x the median rent. Then the rest of the apartment stock is just a little... old. I took for granted having parking and laundry and post-1950s wiring when I was on the west coast. There are a bunch of places here that haven't been renovated in 50 years. In any case, I agree with PG that there's a certain pragmatism here and I think really great things are coming if the growth continues.

beachstartup 11y ago
> I took for granted having parking and laundry and post-1950s wiring when I was on the west coast having lived in both sf and la, you really can't expect many rental places to have all 3 of these things (or even 2, really), except the newest developments. most buildings in both cities are cheap-ish mass housing built in the 40s-70s. the new stuff gets a lot of attention but is a tiny fraction of the city.
- cfallin 11y ago
  That's true... but I think it just depends on the market. I lived one year each in Mountain View and in Hillsboro, OR (a Portland suburb near Intel's campus), and while Mountain View was competitive, Hillsboro had oodles of nice, modern places ready right away. I ended up in modern (< 20 yr) construction in both cases. I'd still say average housing quality in both markets is much better than in Pittsburgh, at least in the neighborhoods near CMU (Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, etc). My current place was built in 1916, still has knob-and-tube wiring, and I considered it a good find. I'm moving to a 1950s building in August and I'm looking forward to having enough electrical capacity for a microwave. All that said -- everyone should still consider moving here -- it's a beautiful city, with a lot of culture, and the housing market will eventually come to a better equilibrium!
  - dgacmu 11y ago
    A core difference is that in Pittsburgh, you can afford to renovate the knob & tube. In MTV, you can't afford the house in the first place. :) In Hillsboro, you get very reasonable, new blah blah housing, but when you decide to walk to the region's major employer, it's four miles away with half your commute on a fairly bleah road that goes around the airport. And, ah, it's a little culturally isolated unless you drive the 45 minutes to Portland.
    - cfallin 11y ago
      No doubt, Hillsboro is not for the young and hip, nor anyone with a possible allergy to suburban un-culture or parking-lot-sprawl. A number of my coworkers commuted from downtown or the eastside (and MAX light-rail makes that pretty easy, modulo the time commitment). But, eh, I didn't mean to turn this into an ad for PDX! One thing I do appreciate very much about Pittsburgh is the walkability. It's hard to beat a 45-minute walk through Schenley Park as a morning commute, at least in summer, and I have... 5?... coffeeshops and as many pizza places within a 15 minute walk. And, yes, if you're in a position to buy a house, there is a lot of character to be had. Anyway, my views on the housing market may be slightly colored by PhD-student glasses (and the two-year west coast industry detour...). To anyone reading, do consider it here -- it's a very unique city.
endlessvoid94 11y ago
That's nothing compared to the graffiti in San Francisco!
theandrewbailey 11y ago
I was under the impression that the Marcellus fracking boom (not tech) drove up prices and scarcity. It's only in the past year or so that I've seen for rent and for sale signs springing up everywhere. Now that fossil fuels collapsed, the housing market pressure is being released.

by cfallin 11y ago

beachstartup 11y ago

> I took for granted having parking and laundry and post-1950s wiring when I was on the west coast having lived in both sf and la, you really can't expect many rental places to have all 3 of these things (or even 2, really), except the newest developments. most buildings in both cities are cheap-ish mass housing built in the 40s-70s. the new stuff gets a lot of attention but is a tiny fraction of the city.

cfallin 11y ago
That's true... but I think it just depends on the market. I lived one year each in Mountain View and in Hillsboro, OR (a Portland suburb near Intel's campus), and while Mountain View was competitive, Hillsboro had oodles of nice, modern places ready right away. I ended up in modern (< 20 yr) construction in both cases. I'd still say average housing quality in both markets is much better than in Pittsburgh, at least in the neighborhoods near CMU (Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, etc). My current place was built in 1916, still has knob-and-tube wiring, and I considered it a good find. I'm moving to a 1950s building in August and I'm looking forward to having enough electrical capacity for a microwave. All that said -- everyone should still consider moving here -- it's a beautiful city, with a lot of culture, and the housing market will eventually come to a better equilibrium!
- dgacmu 11y ago
  A core difference is that in Pittsburgh, you can afford to renovate the knob & tube. In MTV, you can't afford the house in the first place. :) In Hillsboro, you get very reasonable, new blah blah housing, but when you decide to walk to the region's major employer, it's four miles away with half your commute on a fairly bleah road that goes around the airport. And, ah, it's a little culturally isolated unless you drive the 45 minutes to Portland.
  - cfallin 11y ago
    No doubt, Hillsboro is not for the young and hip, nor anyone with a possible allergy to suburban un-culture or parking-lot-sprawl. A number of my coworkers commuted from downtown or the eastside (and MAX light-rail makes that pretty easy, modulo the time commitment). But, eh, I didn't mean to turn this into an ad for PDX! One thing I do appreciate very much about Pittsburgh is the walkability. It's hard to beat a 45-minute walk through Schenley Park as a morning commute, at least in summer, and I have... 5?... coffeeshops and as many pizza places within a 15 minute walk. And, yes, if you're in a position to buy a house, there is a lot of character to be had. Anyway, my views on the housing market may be slightly colored by PhD-student glasses (and the two-year west coast industry detour...). To anyone reading, do consider it here -- it's a very unique city.

endlessvoid94 11y ago

That's nothing compared to the graffiti in San Francisco!

theandrewbailey 11y ago

I was under the impression that the Marcellus fracking boom (not tech) drove up prices and scarcity. It's only in the past year or so that I've seen for rent and for sale signs springing up everywhere. Now that fossil fuels collapsed, the housing market pressure is being released.