I grew up in Harrisburg. Unlike Pittsburgh, there aren't any four-year colleges there, so most of the ambitious people left and, and after college, ended up in New York, Philly, DC, Toronto, etc.
Western and central PA have a reputation nationwide for producing a disproportionate number of hard-working, successful people... who don't move back. There's definitely somewhat of a "Pennsylvania diaspora" (as well as one for Minnesotans) community in New York.
I think Pittsburgh has a lot of potential to reverse that trend, seeing as it has two major universities and has come a long way in terms of being a good place to live.
'There's definitely somewhat of a "Pennsylvania diaspora"'
Around here we call it "Steeler Nation." :)
As for "good place to live," I was just talking to someone about the number of cultural institutions that Pittsburgh has. Being the home of robber barons like Carnegie, Mellon, and Frick, there were a lot of institutions and endowments left behind to assuage their consciences for treating so many steel workers so brutally to build their fortunes. Having kids, I'm especially aware of the excellent Carnegie libraries, Children's Museum, Science Center, and Phipps Conservatory. Not to mention the fore-mentioned universities, and all of the hospitals (UPMC is the region's single largest employer). One of the ironies for the city is that having non-profits as the largest employers means that a large portion of the city's economic activity is off-limits for local taxes.
> One of the ironies for the city is that having non-profits as the largest employers means that a large portion of the city's economic activity is off-limits for local taxes.
"Non-profit" only affects income taxes. You can still tax their property, purchases, activities, and employees.
Western and central PA have a reputation nationwide for producing a disproportionate number of hard-working, successful people... who don't move back. There's definitely somewhat of a "Pennsylvania diaspora" (as well as one for Minnesotans) community in New York.
I think Pittsburgh has a lot of potential to reverse that trend, seeing as it has two major universities and has come a long way in terms of being a good place to live.