Pittsburgh, Pa
By Steve on Jun 1, 2008 in Featured City, Living Car Free
Would you like to live in an award-winning city that is also very affordable? Consider Pittsburgh: rated as America’s Most Livable City in the 2007 edition of American’s Places Rated Almanac. Offering big city amenities without the problems of many other similar mid-size cities, Pittsburgh’s in-town neighborhoods are a good choice for someone looking for access to the arts, great medical facilities, major league sports,and a wealth of ethnic areas at a surprisingly affordable cost. Best of all, the Port Authority’s buses and light rail lines operate 365 days a year in the city of Pittsburgh and outlying suburban areas.
Pittsburgh offers
* Ethnic neighborhoods,
* In-town walkable neighborhoods close to shopping and transit,
* Major league baseball and football,
* Visual and performing arts,
* Outstanding medical care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which is rated as one of the best healthcare facilities in the U.S. It is also Pittsburgh’s largest single employer,
* More green buildings than any other U.S. city except Seattle.
* Outstanding public transportation-both bus and light rail
There are several very good neighborhoods that make it easy to go Car-Free. One of these is Squirrel Hill.
Squirrel Hill-
Located east of Downtown Pittsburgh, this neighborhood is surrounded by the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Greenfield, Hazelwood, Glen Hazel, Swisshelm Park, Regent Square, Shadyside, Oakland, and Point Breeze.
The Squirrel Hill neighborhood is one of Pittsburgh’s most popular, with a variety of ethnic restaurants, delis, bakeries, old-fashioned grocery stores (which still deliver), and landmark taverns, as well as chic new eateries, trendy boutiques, movie theaters, and upscale shops.
Frick Park and Schenley Park border Squirrel Hill, offering residents a wide range of recreational activities including biking (be prepared for hills), walking, rollerblading, ice-skating, tennis, and golf.
Homes in Squirrel Hill range from high-rise apartments on Forbes and Murray Avenues to sprawling brick mansions on Fair Oaks. Whether you’re looking for a quaint apartment, or a contemporary house with a garage, you’ll find it in Squirrel Hill.
Everyday Living Without a Car
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You Don’t Need a Car to Commute to Work, especially if you work downtown or at the University of Pittsburgh
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Bikers are Welcome in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has 36 miles of bike trails, including 21 miles of river trails. Port Authority operates 12 bus routes, including some in every major corridor that are always equipped with bike racks. In all, Port Authority has 350 bike racks in operation.
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Commentary from a Pittsburgh Transit Rider!!
Rider saves money by using transit..
Lynne Glover uses public transportation both for commuting and after work. “I own a car, but drive only when necessary for work,” says Glover.
Glover saves over $200 in parking costs alone ($10 a day, $70 per week), plus gasoline and car maintenance expenses, by buying a monthly transit pass.
Because her employer subsidizes her using transit to come to work, Glover’s cost for a monthly transit pass is $20 every month. (Even the regular cost of $60-$93 per month, or buying an annual pass for $660-$1,023 per year costs a lot less than buying gas, parking, automobile insurance and car maintenance and repairs.)
“It’s environmentally responsible as well as being an interesting lesson in sociology because of the cross section of people who use transit,” she says.
Transit Gets High Grades from a Pittsburgh Rider..
On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), Lynne Glover gives the Port Authority an 8 in the city and a 6 outside the city. “Service in the suburbs is not as convenient as in the city. There are fewer buses, and you may need to drive to park and ride lots to catch a bus”.
4 Comment(s)
By Presley Martin on Jun 6, 2008 | Reply
I lived in Pittsburgh from 1994-1999. I loved it for the most part, although the population is really old. I think it ranks second to some county in Florida as the oldest average population in the U.S. The living is cheap and there are gorgeous houses and architecture. When I left they were just completing bike baths along the river so I assume the biking culture has improved, but in general I’d say they could do a lot more to improve bike access. The cultural resources are far beyond what most cities this size have. I always felt that Pittsburgh was full of possibility. I haven’t been back for a while so hopefully some of that possibility is becoming a reality.
By Katy on Jul 2, 2008 | Reply
I live in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Virtually everything I need (groceries, dry cleaning, florist, doctor, hospital, restaurants) is within a mile and a half walk. I recently bought a bike and found that it really increases my range and I can easily get down to the South Side, downtown, North Shore, etc. For the most part, I would say this city is getting pretty bike-friendly. There are a lot of bike racks around now, and the narrow streets keep traffic moving pretty slow, which makes it safer.
I think there are lots of opportunities to live car-free in this city. The only hurdle I had to overcome was the inclement weather in the winter. But I bought some warm clothes and some fenders for my bike and I think it’s something I can get used to. The population in this area is aging, that is true, but there are 5 big universities in the area and the students are not always counted in the census. So in reality, the city is filled with young people.
I would love to see the bike trail completed from Downtown to McKeesport, then it would be much easier and safer to take car-free weekend trips or vacations on the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail.
By Gene on Sep 10, 2008 | Reply
I live on Pittsburgh’s Northside and while I drive as little as I can, it would be difficult to live totally car free. I walk to my office everyday and my wife takes a PAT bus to her’s. The problem is that there is almost no retail within walking distance; urban renewal tore down the two big shopping districts in the sixties so we’re missing a lot of essential services. There is a small supermarket but no hardware store, no dry cleaning, only one drug store, no movie theater, no clothing, etc.
By ???? on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply
good thanks a lot