The City of Pittsburgh, as many locals know, is a great place to live. You have seen The City of Pittsburgh listed on the top 20 lists of numerous magazines as “the most livable city” in Forbes Magazine and most currently one of “the most generous cities,” in Charity Navigator. It seems this city has a lot going for it, as photographer Clyde Hare once said, “Pittsburgh may be the last place east where people still smile at you…” This quote, to me, shows that Pittsburghers are friendly people.
The choices between neighborhoods within the City of Pittsburgh is vast, 90 neighborhoods in all. Yet each neighborhood is unique and has its own vibe. Let’s narrow this down to where the majority of young people are said to live.
In this blog series I will categorize several of the neighborhoods within the city and focus on what young people look for in a neighborhood. All of the neighborhoods highlighted in the articles are chosen for meeting some of the criteria many young people require: access to public transit, neighborhood business district, eclectic qualities, and (most important) affordable housing.
As for this article, we will dive into those neighborhoods defined by their great local commercial districts.
City of Pittsburgh: Lawrenceville
Some locals state the up and coming neighborhood of Lawrenceville is a great neighborhood. It has a vibrant arts center, growing business district with coffee shops, a bowling ally, and other eclectic places. Next to Lawrenceville is Bloomfield, a traditionally Italian neighborhood, Pittsburgh’s “Little Italy,” and has its share of young people as well. It also has a strong neighborhood business district with plenty of Italian eateries and even one of the best (in my opinon) Thai restaurants in the city!
City of Pittsburgh:Bloomfield
The communities to the east are some of the most well known neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Other neighborhoods located east of the downtown triangle with great local commercial districts are: East Liberty, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, and Greenfield.
To the south of the downtown triangle, lie the communities making up City South. Some of the most well known in this area are the South Side and South Side Slopes communities. The South Side has one of the most vibrant historically designated business districts in Pittsburgh. It has a mix use layout of row-houses (townhouses), apartments, condos, and single family homes. It is conveniently located near Oakland and downtown. This neighborhood has shown a growing influx of young professionals over the past decade and the trend does not look like it is stopping.
City of Pittsburgh: South Side
Other south neighborhoods that have a character all of their own is that of Brookline and the independent borough of Dormont. Both of these communities are tied together geographically. The communities boast historic housing stock, the advantage of the LRT (Light Rail Transit) near or directly running through the community and small local commercial districts. Brookline is known for being home to a variety of different shops and eateries on Brookline Boulevard. Dormont is also known for its eateries, with the Pittsburgh original Tom’s Diner and the famous Dor-Stop Diner.
If you would like to view data on each neighborhood within the city, I would recommend a new site published by the Department of City Planning called SNAP. It has census data, maps, and transportation data for each of the city’s 90 neighborhoods. Please stay tuned for my next blog on those neighborhoods that boast great public transit!
