Pittsburgh: A Shadow Of Its Former Self - But Undeniably Beautiful

In 1960 Pittsburgh was commercially, culturally and in population one of America's 10 most dominant cities, including the city's GDP and per capita GDP, which was top 10 as well. Shortly after that the decline began, and now Pittsburgh is a shadow of what it was. The population has declined by over half. The steel industry collapsed, along with the accompanying jobs, and now Pittsburgh ranks around 30th in city GDP and 50th in per capita GDP. That said, I visited Pittsburgh expecting to see what news articles I have read in the past having described the city as dirty and polluted. Instead I found it vibrant and, surprisingly, quite clean and beautiful. A downtown full of people, and virtually no meter parking available (My $5 dollar a day parking budget doesn't allow for garage or lot parking). Regularly ranked as one of America's most livable cities. No, the city is not what it was in it's heyday, and in 2021, the city again declined in metro population as older citizens died off and too few new people moved in. Still, although it has some problems - crime is a bit high and there's issues with infrastructure - overall it's a really nice place with friendly people and a low cost of living.

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh
2.6 out of 5

Travel Vlog #67

#SteelCity #CityOfBridges #Pittsburgh

[niaking]

Not surprised the comment section is mad that’s common for Pittsburgh ppl to be mad. Majority of the ppl here are delusional about hearing critics about PA but this place is most definitely dying and is miserable not to sound biased at all but I’ve lived here for 7 years and it took me less than a week quit literally to find out this place is hideous in the scenery aspect and the citizens that live here. It’s funny bc they get so upset when opposite opinions are expressed about this city but they wouldn’t even know what they are talking about if 1 that haven’t lived anywhere else 2 barley traveled any where else 3 no someone from some place else etc Pittsburgh ppl are blatantly delusional and ignorant to how bad this place is but also that everyplace is not like this I could continue but I would be writing for a week straight so I’ll just leave it there and wait for the angry Pittsburgh ppls response….

[zd]

My roommate lived in Amsterdam until he was 16. He has traveled to France, China, South Africa, Nigeria, etc. Pittsburgh is his favorite city.

[mikewallin]

We moved to Pittsburgh suburbs 3 years ago from California and LOVE it here!😃

[Sidetracked_in_Macau]

I absolutely LOVE PITTSBURGH. I've been to 49 states and lived in a dozen different cities including Portland, San Francisco, New York, Minneapolis...and the city throughout America I love the most...despite seeing pretty much everywhere in the usa, is....PITTSBURGH. Such a cool ciity. I also liked that you saw Cumberland and Morgantown briefly along the way, ....two other places I think like so cool and interestiing as far as small cities go.

[thomfiel]

Pittsburgh is a very underrated city. It's well-endowed with museums, theaters, art galleries, and a lot of other attractions. It is a difficult city in which to drive, and an even more difficult one to find any parking. I strongly recommend staying at one of the pricey downtown hotels, so you can walk instead of driving (the city is VERY walkable). While it has its rough neighborhoods, Pittsburgh's overall crime is somewhat lower than average compared to other U.S. cities. And yes, most people are quite friendly and approachable. One drawback is the harsh winters. Summer is the best time to visit.

[rhondadeakin]

I think Pittsburgh's population will become more stable in the future. While many other cities/areas of the country face severe water shortages, Pittsburgh has 60 bill. gallons flow through it's downtown rivers everyday and will never have to worry about not having enough of it.

[Lexon]

This video was great. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh for 3 years now. I still think it’ll be a booming city in the future. It’s just not appreciated right now

[nickygmp_]

My only problem with the video is that the title makes it seem like you did a full tour of Pittsburgh when in reality you toured downtown and the most heavily decayed neighborhood. I liked the tour though just wished It was more in depth, because Pittsburgh is a very beautiful city with a rich culture and contrary to popular belief a thriving population.

[judithrees]

Love ❤️ Pittsburgh. Great town with wonderful people. Sorry you missed the town I know and love.

[andytaylor]

You missed so much of Pittsbugh! So many great neighborhoods and you chose one of the poorest, the Hill District. It's a beautiful city with a lot to offer and explore.

[matthewmockabee]

Where was he driving?! I'm born and raised and I love living in the south hills. He's on the hill district that's been bad since the 70s I believe.

[willbygosh]

Pittsburgh is doing better than most rust belt cities, it isn't booming but it's stabilizing instead of into deep decline like it was in the 80's..One of the first Rustbelt Cities that's recovered.

[christopherrobinson]

I like Pittsburgh it's a very peaceful City it's very quiet it's a very friendly City too

[jgesselberty]

Born and grew up in the Pittsburgh area, but not in the town itself. It has a lot to offer. Sports, world class health care, a world class symphony orchestra, vibrant arts community, superior educational opportunities with Pitt, Duquesne, Mellon, etc.. A transfer took me away many years ago. One derogatory saying we always did have about the Burgh. "The shortest distance between two points is under construction."

[kristingallo]

For reference the chairs in front of people's houses are used as parking space holders.

[jong]

Bro your title is hilarious. Drove through one of the worst neighborhoods in the city and is that what your basing it on? Every city has its areas. There are areas around the city like East Liberty, Southside, Lawrenceville that were also in decline that over the last 15 years have completely turned around and are modern and vibrant. Tons of tech companies alive and well in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s “decline” was the late 70”s and 80’s after the mills closed up. Mid 90’s through now the city has reinvented it self in many ways. As for people leaving you don’t mention about the amount of people also coming. Buying a house here right now is virtually impossible without making an offer 30-50k over asking price and often they are being bought sight unseen which is crazy. We were a finalist city a couple years back for a massive Amazon corporate office. Numerous projects are constantly going on. Your title is incredibly misleading. Not to mention we are a foodies dream place the variety, quality, and unique food here is absolutely insane. You could spend a week here doing nothing but eating at various eateries all day. Not going to mention how many parking garages you drove by. Maybe do a bit of research on where to park ahead of time. Where you ended up is only blocks from downtown not really outside the city at all. You mostly have the city good remarks so your title is incredibly misleading. Anyways anytime you venture back this way do a bit of fun research and eat all the food and visit some of our wonderful museums and our great zoo. Also make sure you get outdoors lots of great hiking and lakes not too far from the city that are very enjoyable to frequent.

[lindawarren]

Hi, I really enjoy your videos they teach me so much and I get to see cities close up. They are so interesting please keep them coming.

[gfmikols]

Love the NFL analogy! Thanks for going easy on my team and city, Buffalo !LOL. I really enjoy your channel. I traveled a lot when I was younger. America is an amazing and diverse landscape. I like how you are so open minded and honest. Thanks

[dannyflorida]

We escaped Florida to find a better place to live, and we chose Pittsburgh. We absolutely love it here and are beyond happy in this beautiful city.

We could have moved anywhere in the country. So, we conducted a methodical two-year search of medium to large cities, with our primary criteria being high quality of life, low cost of living, healthy job and business opportunities, and a progressive political environment. We narrowed our list to 20 cities from one end of the country to the other and then finally down to five, which we visited in person to scout them out. In the end, Pittsburgh won. We really don't think we could've picked a better place that scored such high marks in all four of our primary criteria and in our numerous secondary criteria. We found plenty of places with very high quality of life but with a matching high cost of living, for example, and we found perfectly affordable places but where we knew we'd be unhappy. Pittsburgh was the sweet spot. We quit our jobs, sold our house and moved here. We both eventually found good jobs, and after three years renting, we bought a house. We've lived in Pittsburgh five years now and plan on starting a business here soon.

We love how beautiful it is here in every season, the surprisingly rich cultural offerings (the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is considered one of the best in the world), the big city amenities, festivals and other activities; the vibrant and diverse city neighborhoods, business districts and parks; the historic downtown and Cultural District; the top-notch health care systems; and how the city has become acclaimed hubs for higher education and the medical, high-tech and robotics industries. The city and region have a bright future. Every time we have out-of-town visitors, they too are surprised at how amazing Pittsburgh is. In fact, one of our married couple friends decided to move here from Chicago based on our recommendation and their visit. We're working on others!

Of course, Pittsburgh's not perfect. No big metro area is. There is extensive room for improvement in multiple areas, such as with the roads and equitable economic opportunity. But I've lived in 14 cities in six states and have traveled extensively over my lifetime, and I can say truthfully that moving to Pittsburgh was one of the best decisions I've made. For the cost of living, there's not a better place to live and work in my book.

[captnmike]

As a lover of Pittsburgh I enjoyed your video. The content was fair but the title of the video is not fair. Pittsburgh has demonstrated to the rest of the country how a city that once thrived on heavy industry can re-invent itself when that industry evaporates. Visit again. Explore the fabulous parks and culture and nightlife of Pittsburgh next time.