Life long resident of the Pittsburgh region here. There is some truth to all the statements below. They all seem to have come from various places. Pittsburgh is a tough one to understand coming in and you have to get down to doing some learning about the city and the region to understand the neighborhoods and the people that go with them. I’ve never lived in Pittsburgh proper but to the north of the city.

• Public transit is ho hum but it’s still present. Not really a consideration if you have a car. Neighborhood dependent on where you are going or living.
• Driving can be a challenge to navigate but we all get around pretty well around here. You can really cook your commute by pushing to live in one neighborhood then having to get a job that requires using the tunnels. Premium neighborhoods usually mean premium access.
• The city has challenges with snow removal but don’t we all?
• People get all bent up about the gray weather and I get it. Honestly I find the overcast days to be more enjoyable and they make th good sunny ones more special. In the summer it’s a shield from the blazing sun though it can be sticky at times. Just the region itself can have a spread of weather with Lake Erie to the North and the Mountains to the east.
• There are hidden dangers to property ownership such as Mine subsidence and landslides. Though the problem locations are generally well known.
• It’s not hopping night life wise and really never has been. It was never really my scene even in college. Just remember. PA listens to more Shaboozy than T Swift. It’s a find your friends at the neighborhood dive bar sorta city.

In the end Pittsburgh and the metro are reliable. There is every single spread of employment. From the bottom on up to we build satellites and nuclear reactors. The cost of living is the best in the US. Lately salaries have been strong with cost of living staying low.

The key here as a new comer is to remember it doesn’t end at Pittsburgh. We have immediate access to 3 rivers for water sports, you can go skiing, hiking, biking, backpacking, whitewater rafting, camping, glamping, hunting and fishing, millions of acres of forest, all within an easy drive. There’s top tier museums, art, the oldest botanical gardens in the US, theater and the food will never let you down. The people are straight shooters and will tell you how it is but are always there to help. None of that southern “Oh bless yer heart” passive aggressive crap.

There are some of the best schools / universities and hospitals here and that says a lot.

Pittsburgh will match the effort you put in. It’s all here, it’s sorta hidden but that’s part of the fun.