Skyline of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ed. Note: Where to Retire shares desired destinations for those wishing to relocate after retirement. Provided by author Warren R. Bland, these summaries offer a quick overview of the most desired retirement communities.
Strategically located where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio, Pittsburgh has a long and checkered history. Today it is hard to believe that Pittsburgh once earned nicknames of Iron City and Smoky City. Fortunately, legacies of its former industrial greatness and wealth like the Carnegie Library, Museum of Natural History and Music Hall, Museum of Art, and Carnegie–Mellon University remain to enrich the lives of residents.
Landscape: Pittsburgh stretches across a hill and valley landscape in the Allegheny Plateau of western Pennsylvania. The natural vegetation is broad-leafed deciduous forest. Most residential areas, parks and university campuses are nicely landscaped.
Climate: Pittsburgh’s summers are warm and moderately humid and its winters are cold, cloudy and damp. Precipitation is adequate in all seasons, with much of winter’s falling as snow. On average, Pittsburgh is sunny 45% of the time and frost free 180 days.
Quality of Life: Good to excellent. The city’s parks, museums and many shopping areas, including the lively and pedestrian-friendly downtown and Strip District, add to livability. The metropolitan area is connected by a very good transit system.
Housing: Housing costs are about 10% below the national average.
Goods and Services: Transportation is priced about 14% above the national average and health care is about 16% below. Costs for groceries, utilities and miscellaneous goods and services are all near national norms.
Taxes: State and local taxes in Pittsburgh are 8.9% of income compared to the U.S. average of 9.7%. State income taxes are at the national average, sales and excise taxes are below average, and property taxes are above average.
Transportation: Pittsburgh has good intracity and excellent intercity transportation. The busy street and freeway system is supplemented by excellent public transit throughout the city and suburbs. Intercity travel is possible by air, bus and rail.
Retail Services: A multitude of shopping opportunities to satisfy every pocketbook exists in Pittsburgh’s department stores, malls, specialty shops and restaurants.
Health Care: With more than 20 full-service hospitals, Pittsburgh provides a full array of medical services.
Community Services: Pittsburgh and neighboring communities offer bountiful basic public services and boast an impressive number of senior centers.
Cultural and Educational Activities: Pittsburgh’s passion for the performing and visual arts is particularly manifest in downtown’s Cultural District. At Pittsburgh’s many excellent public and private universities and colleges, one can audit a wide assortment of undergraduate courses or enroll in lifelong learning courses.
Recreational Activities: Pittsburgh and its surrounding region have much to offer outdoor enthusiasts and sports fans. The metropolitan area also boasts a good selection of movie theaters and restaurants.
Work and Volunteer Activities: Part-time work is mostly in the retail sector. Demand for volunteers probably exceeds supply.
Crime Rates and Public Safety: Crime rates vary considerably from place to place in Pittsburgh. Suburban jurisdictions and many attractive neighborhoods in the city are quite safe and worthy of consideration by retirees.
Conclusion: The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metropolitan area has much to offer where to retire, including excellent transportation, retail services, health care and a mix of cultural and recreational activities virtually unmatched by cities of its size. Its three rivers, attractive downtown, lovely rolling and wooded landscape, affordable prices and freedom from serious crime in most neighborhoods make for a high quality of life after retirement.
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