Pittsburgh
Who knew?

Adam, Anna and Ed have something in common besides their first names beginning with a vowel. The trio of young professionals all happily call Pittsburgh home.

Adam, 28, is a talented web designer, musician and outdoor enthusiast. With a degree from Brown University, Adam moved back to Pittsburgh because of its affordability, cultural offerings and close proximity to green space.

“Pittsburgh’s great because you can drive 10 miles in any direction and you’re in the outdoors,” says Adam, who enjoys camping and hiking with his wife. The pair also loves attending First Friday’s at the Frick, a free summertime concert event that takes place close to their Point Breeze apartment.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” says Adam about First Friday’s. “We get to hear a lot of different kinds of music, from blue grass to classical guitar.” Indeed, Pittsburgh’s music scene is important to Adam, who plays in a jazz band and is in the know when it comes to the city’s underground music scene.

“There’s really cutting edge music in Pittsburgh. When my out-of-town friends visit, they just can’t believe the music scene is so vibrant here,” says Adam. He’ll take them to concerts – many, which are free – at Hartwood Acres or Downtown for the Three Rivers Arts Festival. “My friends love it,” Adam says. “They can’t believe that there is this much music going on constantly in Pittsburgh.”

For 31-year-old Anna, who has lived in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, coming back to her hometown of Pittsburgh made bottom-line sense. “I could live better here,” says Anna.

“Every time I came home I realized what a great city Pittsburgh is and that the opportunities for professional growth were better here also. You’re not just one out a million like in the other big cities I lived in,” she says.

Anna, who works as a corporate marketing director, contends that Pittsburgh has everything – and more – than other cities have. “We’ve got great art, awesome parks, incredible riverfront trails and cool neighborhoods. There are pockets of culture here that just aren’t as available as in other cities.”

When out-of-town friends visit Anna’s Shadyside apartment, they can’t help but be impressed by how nice it is. “It’s in a tree-lined neighborhood right down the street from really cool shopping, bars and restaurants – and there’s parking! That is the biggest mind blower for them. They’re amazed at how little I’m paying.” The other thing that blows out-of-town guests away, Anna says, is how green the city is. “There are grassy nooks everywhere!”

Anna loves the fact that when she goes out to dinner, she is not relegated to chain restaurants. “There are so many great small bistros, café’s and bars that have this great Pittsburgh flavor,” she says. Now, when Anna’s friends come to visit they have their own favorite restaurants that they want to revisit. “They’re always so happily dumbfounded that there’s this unique food scene in Pittsburgh. From bistro-plated food to the artery-clogger – there’s something for everyone.”

Ed, the youngest of the three at 25, is already a homeowner.

“It’s so affordable here,” says Ed, who works as a researcher for a Downtown Pittsburgh nonprofit. “My friend, who lives in Washington, D.C., pays $1,250 a month for an apartment that’s barely above a college dorm room. And, he’s always broke.” Ed’s home, located just outside the city limits in Dormont, is just a few blocks from the “T,” Port Authority’s rapid transit route. “I don’t have to pay to park. I don’t have to sit in traffic. And it’s so convenient.”

Even with a monthly mortgage payment, Ed is able to routinely take in Pirates and Penguins games. “There’s a lot more to do than people might think. There’s always something fun going on.”

A night out for Ed and friends may start at Games N’ At, a low-key BYOB arcade on the South Side that offers everything from Pac Man and pinball to air hockey and XBOX. From there, Ed and company will check out the local “Yinzer bars” along Carson Street because they’re “different and cheaper” than many of the nightclubs. “We’ll have a drink in one place and then go down the street to another.”

Ed also enjoys hanging out in Mt. Washington, along Shiloh Street. “It’s very relaxed and it has an almost European atmosphere,” says Ed, who has traveled extensively. “There’s not much traffic on the one-way street and there’s a nice mix of people out walking dogs and socializing on the Adirondack chairs that line the street.”

Ed particularly enjoys all of the hills and scenery Pittsburgh has to offer. He notes, “I always see someone I know. It’s a small-town feel that way. I love Pittsburgh. It’s a great city. It’s beautiful. It’s clean.”

And, its young people are well educated, too. Among Pittsburghers 25 to 34 years old, 42 percent have graduated from college. More than 17 percent of these young people have also earned additional graduate or professional degrees – placing Pittsburgh among the top cities for educated young people – behind only Washington, D.C., Boston and San Francisco.

Contributed by VisitPittsburgh, the nonprofit organization charged with bringing conventions and leisure travelers to the Pittsburgh region.