Pennsylvania Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Population: 359,000

Located in Allegheny County

The heart of Pittsburgh. Is it just like every other city's downtown? Not really. Sure, it has the skyscrapers, the government buildings and the Convention Center, but it has its own unique personality, too. The looming black Steel Building stands tallest on the horizon, keeping watch over its lesser neighbors. The futuristic One Oxford Centre (we used to call it the Jetson's Building) shows the first signs of the Pittsburgh Renaissance, when we left the smoky city behind and headed for high technology. PPG's mystical gothic glass castle, an innovative architectural design by Philip Johnson, reflects Pittsburgh's changing culture, creativity and corporate success.

Our current economy has been described as "recession-proof," as demonstrated with our 1.6% growth in employment through February 2009. This success is due in part to a diversified economic sector and sustainable financial corporations. Nine Fortune 500 companies call Pittsburgh home. The two biggest employers are in the education and medical fields, giving the City an "Eds and Meds" approach to employment. These economic sectors have helped Pittsburgh attract and retain the much-sought-after "creative classes."

Pittsburgh is a City of neighborhoods. We have 90 of them, each with a character truly unique to its heritage. Pittsburgh has a mixture of walkable main streets, urban boulevards and open space unavailable in even the most picturesque European getaways. Our most inviting neighborhoods include Squirrel Hill, with its charming main streets and Tudor homes; Shadyside, filled with young professionals crowding its coffee shops and boutiques; Lawrenceville, home to the Pittsburgh art scene with galleries, urban lofts and exotic cuisine; and Summerset at Frick Park, an example of urban infill giving Pittsburgh a new community with a housing stock that ranges every income level in the middle of Pittsburgh's largest park. The Strip District is Pittsburgh marketplace by day and the City's home for nightlife. Residential real estate is not alone in its strength. Our commercial real estate market is also booming, giving Pittsburgh the title as hottest commercial market in the United States.

Pittsburgh offers life-long paths for learning, beginning with early childhood programs through post-graduate education. Pittsburgh Public Schools, the second largest school district in the state of Pennsylvania, shows its faith in our young people through the Pittsburgh Promise, a program that provides up to $5,000 per year toward college tuition for graduating Pittsburgh Public School students who maintain a 2.25 grade point average and 85% attendance. We also offer many private and charter schooling opportunities, including the many excellent schools supported by the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese. Pittsburgh is well-known for its array of world-class higher education institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Robert Morris University, Point Park University, Carlow University and Chatham University.

The Downtown area offers diverse cultural entertainment. From the classics to cutting-edge contemporary, The Benedum Center, the Byham Theater and Heinz Hall feature Broadway musicals and shows, dance performances, national and international tours, and local special events and performances. For film buffs, the Harris Theater offers alternative and foreign films. Addicted to art? There are plenty of galleries. Along with its diverse housing stock and cultural opportunities Pittsburgh is proud to have the third largest number of Green Buildings in the nation. We believe so strongly in Green Buildings that the City holds itself to building or renovating its new construction to LEED Silver certification standards.

Pittsburgh, once known for its smoky past, has re-emerged as a City of grand open spaces. Its topography and steep sloped terrain provide exercise opportunities through its 700-plus sets of City stairs, most of which offer extraordinary views of Downtown, the rivers, and other landmarks. Our park system, which includes parklets and playgrounds within our neighborhoods as well as its four large regional parks, provides an astounding 7.8 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. This system includes urban recreation, passive recreational areas, linear parks along all three rivers for biking, hiking, or relaxing, as well as some of the largest undisturbed habitat areas within an urban area. Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Heritage Trail is a wonderful bicycle/pedestrian trail and greenway system offering scenic recreation and vital commuting opportunities. Running for 37 miles along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is an almost complete public route for cyclists, walkers, runners, and, in some places roller bladers.

With so much to offer—and we haven't even mentioned our professional and college sports teams and world-class fields and stadiums—it's no wonder Pittsburgh is on the rise. Pittsburgh's housing market, defying the trends that exist throughout the nation, never reached the unattainable prices that were the story throughout the U.S. Even with a weakening housing market, Pittsburgh is experiencing an increase in home prices, due to the strong employment market and high quality of life that Pittsburghers have always known and outsiders are starting to find out about.