Most Livable City in the Country

[tooluther]

I just saw on CNN that Pittsburgh was ranked as the most livable city in the country (Vancouver, BC in the world). But none of the papers have picked up on it yet. What's the deal with that? This can be HUGE for positive marketing and the headline on postgazette.com is still about a massive crime wave.

[PghUSA]

^ hey T, good observation, don't know where the coverage is before, as I was asked once about the best source for news on the 'burgh, I admitted this might be the site.

Urbanplanet was the first "local" media to break the Forbes Best Cities for Singles leap in the charts, and lookie here now we have been the FIRST to break this story "locally" (Pittsburgh centric news sources). Good find my friend. Hope to hear the local and national reaction to this soon.

[Evergrey]

Though I certainly believe that Pittsburgh is one of the most livable cities in the country... that fact that Pittsburgh TIED with Cleveland as the most livable in the US (26th in the world) casts serious doubts on the methodology of this ranking.

[city guy]

Excellent!

Congrats on being #1.

[TheGerbil]

I first heard it on the radio yesterday. Checked the Post Gazette and found nothing. The local papers are so quick to pick up on bad news, it seems, but slow to notice things like this.

But I am very glad it made it on to CNN. Lots of people watch CNN, and this could be very good publicity for us

Did we really tie with Cleveland? Blech. Would have been nice to beat our rivals instead of just tie

[tooluther]

Would have been nice to beat our rivals instead of just tie

Well since I can't fine the actual list anywhere I can't tell if we tied or edged them out. It is rediculous that its not in either paper today.

[urbanophile]

Did we really tie with Cleveland? Blech. Would have been nice to beat our rivals instead of just tie

The Cleveland media seems to feel the same way.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/...7890.xml&coll=2

[urbanophile]

In a way, it should be a no brainer than Pittsburgh is up there. It has alot of the big city amenities but, not being a really big city, it doesn't have the negative aspects of big cities like high cost of living, crime, traffic, etc. Its kind of ironic since much of the reason why Pgh is the way it is is because it was once a much larger city which has shrunk but has retained many of the amenities of a larger city.

The same can be said for Cleveland (except for the crime part). In my opinion, the tie is pretty ridiculous. Cleveland is nowhere near as liveable. Also, the city is mroe run down and there's much less going on there.

The one sour point for Pgh and Cleveland of course is the economy. But I think people overemphasize how bad it is. It is merely slow. On a world scale (which this survey is taking), it is better to be slow growing than to be declining. Also, while there are faster growing places like Phoenix and Atlanta, the flip side of that is that you have a higher cost of living, more traffic, and more instability (which can lead to moree crime). So often times the benefits of a fast growing economy have downsides on the liveability scale.

[TheGerbil]

From the Plain Dealer article linked above: Clearly, the judges missed a few things, Campbell says.

We've got a lake, for one. And "the Cleveland Browns are so much more fun" than the Steelers, she says.

LMAO, I know they're joking but... Do they realize that our rivers provide just as much water-related enjoyment as their silly old lake?

[tooluther]

We've got a lake, for one. And "the Cleveland Browns are so much more fun" than the Steelers

First-isn't that the lake that caught on fire b/c it was so nasty!!

second-"the cleveland browns are so much more fun" that just sounds stupid. What happened to our rivalry? Now its reduced to sounding like a game of playground tag!

[PghUSA]

They invented modern bankruptcies (post-Great Depression)

The lake and River caught on fire

and They were the source of the infamous east-coast black out in 2003 (or was it 2004?) that somehow didn't affect Pittsburgh and Philly but did affect NYC, Boston, Buffalo, Ohio and Michigan.

wasn't this the same mayor that never "paid up" on her bet with Murphy during a Steelers-Browns game? (Something about her having to wear a Steelers jersy for a week during news conferences, another politican that can't keep her promises).

Whenever I need a good laugh I always love reading about Cleveland.

Oh and Gerbil, in the immortal words of the greatest not-so-great Steelers QB Bubby Brister after a close home game loss in december at Three RIVERS . . . . "that cold wind was blowing in off the LAKE"

Hey Jane we got us a lake after all .

[chucka]

The Post-Gazette actually did have an article about the ranking a day after it came out.

This list finds we're tops in the U.S. for livability (but what's this about Cleveland?)

Even though I can't stand Cleveland, I am glad another so called "rust belt"/"snow belt" city ranked high for American cities.

[tooluther]

I am glad another so called "rust belt"/"snow belt" city ranked high for American cities.

Amen to that!! I'm absolutly SICK of dealing with that reputation.

"Hey are you going home for fall break? can you bring me a piece of Pittsburgh Steel?"-everyone in South Carolina

Thanks for getting that link up. It wasn't well documented, but it was a hell of a lot better than that Clev. article was.

[TheGerbil]

Good article. Though I did cring at this bit

"People in Vancouver engage in rock-climbing, white-water rafting and whale watching. We have potholes and the Three Rivers Regatta."

Umm, aside from the whale watching, we do have those things too.

[Evergrey]

Good article. Though I did cring at this bit

"People in Vancouver engage in rock-climbing, white-water rafting and whale watching. We have potholes and the Three Rivers Regatta."

Umm, aside from the whale watching, we do have those things too.

Yes, especially considering the Youghiogheny River, which is rated as the best whitewater rafting river in the East, is only an hour away from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh's hinterlands offer a wealth of outdoor activities.

[tooluther]

Yes, especially considering the Youghiogheny River, which is rated as the best whitewater rafting river in the East, is only an hour away from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh's hinterlands offer a wealth of outdoor activities.

Don't forget Venture Outdoors and their Kayak and Bike programs right in the heart of the city (rumor has it, they started the kayak program just because Cleveland had one!)

[PghUSA]

Very good info on the kayaking never knew that about the 'burgh.

[PghUSA]

HEY HEY HEY WHAT . . . . . is this!?!

http://www.mostlivable.org/

These guys didn't get the memo or what?!?!?!?!?

Who is with me on pummelling these jokers with some well-spoken and intelligent flame mail?

What is most disturbing with these posers is that they have the #1 hit on a Google and they even bought the .ORG!!!!

Again the Hollywood Blvd. and Madison Avenue ASSumptions at it again!

[TheGerbil]

Sigh. It does seem dumb that they left us out. I am all for emailing them and pointing out that they forgot us. Anyone got a link to the Economist list? Or to Rand McNally's lists?

It is such an uphill battle, improving Pittsburgh's image. We get some good recognition one day and are totally ignored the next.

[blueblackcat]

HEY HEY HEY WHAT . . . . . is this!?!

http://www.mostlivable.org/

These guys didn't get the memo or what?!?!?!?!?

Who is with me on pummelling these jokers with some well-spoken and intelligent flame mail?

What is most disturbing with these posers is that they have the #1 hit on a Google and they even bought the .ORG!!!!

Again the Hollywood Blvd. and Madison Avenue ASSumptions at it again!

You can pretty much see how arbitrary and subjective their list is just by reading the criteria. Anyone see the Richard Florida creative class brainwash in there? Every criteria begins with "creative places..." even though the title is "most liveable." Once again, we are screwed over by someone on CMU's payroll prolly just cos he's pissed off they got rid of the glory-holes in CMU's bathrooms. I'm pretty sure this list is actually designed from the ground up to make sure Pittsburgh comes in last place. Birmingham? Come on now, I've been there. NOT progressive.

Florida is such a disservice to Pittsburgh and to urban development as a whole. Now right-wing idealogues are attacking his crazy ideas as synonymous with being left wing or even Democrat. The Wall Street Journal even attacked Pittsburgh, which ranks *last* on Florida's list, but supposedly we epidemize this urban planning hype because our supposedly outrageous taxes supposedly go entirely towards a couple bike paths. Come on now, kick us while we're down. WSJ are asshats anyway, but now it's just asshats attacking asshats and reality got left at the station.

[PghUSA]

blueblack,

. . . a very uh descriptive post. You'll have to tell me the story on how the city got rid of CMU's GH's one day, that would be interesting.

I'm gonna datadump on these fools this weekend and will get back to you all.

[TheGerbil]

What's this about the Wall Street Journal? I hope you're refering to the article I think you are, because at least that would mean there isn't another one. It still pisses me off though.

PghUSA, please give them a piece of your mind while you are giving that website a piece of your mind. I'd do it myself, but you seem to be the facts man around here (you always have cool facts and data that I had never heard before, heheh).

I am so sick of misinformation about Pittsburgh being broadcast all over for the whole country to hear... Why does the bad news, even when it isn't true, seem to get way more press than the good news?

[PghUSA]

^^b/c people like to feel safe in thier assumptions . . . even though they might be 100% wrong.

Gerbil, I'll post my response to them here for all to read, and a few to the point comments from all of you with different e-mail addresses might not hurt either . They can dismiss one factmonster emailer, hard to dismiss half a dozen passionate ones.