#in the midwestern cities I've lived in people literally could not give a fuck

[killerchickadee]

The thing about it being my Midwestaversary is like.... sometimes I wonder if I really was that unhappy in Colorado?

Yes. The answer is absolutely yes, and I hated it almost from the very first day. Like I look at Facebook memory posts and even within the first few months I was like, "I hate it here, why the fuck did I move here?" And I stayed there EIGHT YEARS. I've lived in 6 different states and even though I have lots of mental health issues so I'm never really happy, and I have mixed feelings about a lot of the places I've lived in, I've never been as miserable as I was in Colorado. And even though I knew it was bad I didn't realize exactly how traumatic it was until I left. I've been back twice and both times ended up crying because I didn't want to be there. That's.... probably not normal lol.

So like, is my life going well? Not at all lol. Would I say I'm happy? Probably not, because my work situation is shit and I'm a little lonely here (and also the aforementioned mental health shit). But I'm a million times happier where I am now than I was there. I fucking love the midwest so much. Special shoutout to @thebrideofcaliban and her husband for getting me the fuck out here.

[rimouskis]

Hey! So there is a slight chance I could end up In Pittsburgh next year. As a resident, do you like living there? What are some of its selling points? (Some context: I’ve lived in or near every single big city on the northeast coast, from DC to Boston, so I’m used to cities. I’ve heard great things about living in Pittsburgh, so I’m curious about your perspective!)

oh hey! very cool, potential welcome to you, and I heartily recommend the city.

but: if you've lived in every big city in the east, pittsburgh is going to.... uh, not be like that! at all, haha. if you're looking for city living, I don't think you're going to find that in its purest form here.

my context is that I've actually not traveled the east very much; I've only been to DC and NYC. Neither feels remotely like PGH. actually-big cities like NYC, Chicago... probably Boston, though I've never been... they're cities, you know? they feel like it. they've got concrete jungle energy.

pittsburgh very much does not. pittsburgh, frankly, doesn't feel like a city to me, even though it has all the amenities of a city—we've got theaters and concerts and summers here are a total blast. pittsburgh feels like an oversized town in a lot of ways.

part of that is the geography and what it's done to the city as it has developed. the neighborhoods here are often really broken up by the topography. the hills and forested parts of the city still feel a little wild. some neighborhoods feel like they shouldn't be habitable at all because of how steep they are, lol (the very existence of rialto street feels Wrong to me). panther hollow being smack dab in the city speaks to that: we have a fucking ravine in the middle of this place!! I've seen so much wildlife here that I just haven't in other "urban" areas.

the other, bigger part of pittsburgh not feeling like a big city is the populace. you have a LOT of lifers here. did you know pittsburgh has the oldest population of any metro area in the USA? people are born here and they die here, haha. I know some of the local young people really don't like it (like, imagine all the people from your high school went to your college and then stayed in the same city after they graduated), but I find it to be really novel.

one of my old coworkers was born on the south side slopes and then moved to mt. washington as an adult. she's just never left the city, and that means I can literally play seven-degrees-of-[her name] with her because if I mention, like, anyone with roots in the city, it feels like there's an 80% chance she's going to know them or one of their relatives 😅 that's so fun to me! you can carve out individual pockets everywhere, and don't get me wrong, I don't have that kind of connectivity, but it's something that's possible here that doesn't feel possible in other cities and it gives it a very particular.... flavor.

that's part of the unique culture around pittsburgh that I'm very fond of. it was (is) a really good city to be a young person in, because it's big enough where there's stuff to do, buuuuut it's small enough that you won't feel eaten alive like you might in NYC. and while there are sooo many locals who are still local, there's a decent amount of transplants like myself too, so it's not like you'll be an outsider or anything.

I've also found really good people here. I like pittsburghers. they're pretty salt-of-the-earth (.... coal-of-the-earth? too soon?) and the culture is, like, very palatable to my midwestern sensibilities. if you're an east coaster you might find people a little too chatty or personable, but I'm used to it haha.

as for the living experience, I think it's pretty fabulous. winters get a bit grim (it's so GRAY here and people drive like MANIACS) but fall is very nice and summers in pittsburgh are just unparalleled. perfect weather—not too hot but not cold—and so so much to do. there's a ton of culture that happens, we love street festivals and art markets and night markets and each neighborhood does their own little twist on stuff. it's my favorite time of year, and there's also plenty of nature nearby. falling water is close by and I love it, and ohiopyle state park has good hiking. the cost of living can't be beat, too. I pay less in rent than both my siblings who live in another state, and I have a bigger living space. I was able to live really comfortably here when I made very little money. it's a great amount of flexibility, and you're not too far away from bigger cities if you want; the drive to DC is like 4 hours.

and, finally: if you're a pens fan, well. this IS the place to be! getting easier access to games has been such a blast. it's a fun life to live.

I will also say there are downsides. I'm from a blue state and I was honestly not ready for how red/conservative this area gets when you leave the bounds of pittsburgh proper. like, it goes pretty red pretty fast. that makes me uncomfortable, honestly, but that's the cost of living here. there was also a report put out a few years back that showed white residents in the city had "average or above-average standards of livability", but for black men it was "less livable" and for black women it was even LESS livable. there's some pretty serious segregation in terms of neighborhoods and the city is, on the whole, incredibly white. it isn't a very diverse place, which is of course a huge negative, and the city hasn't done the best job in making itself more livable for its black population. I think that's worth mentioning, especially if you're a person of color. pennslyvania is... well, this part of pennsylvania is very much part of the rust belt, and that shows in charming ways (old infrastructure and buildings) and horrible ways (systemic racism).

in sum: pittsburgh has been really, really great for me. I've met some wonderful people here, I've learned how to be an adult here, and I've really built a comfortable life here. that's involved a fair bit of privilege, though, so when I say I love pittsburgh, I'm aware that comes with asterisks.

if you have more questions, please reach out! you're actually not the first person who's considering a move to pittsburgh, and I really enjoy being an ambassador to the city :)