Why I Left Pittsburgh

In 2019, I finally left Pittsburgh in my rearview. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. My family was there and thoughts of ‘home’ always conjured up good memories. But to be fair, home was never the City of Pittsburgh. I was born and raised in the Monongahela valley - just under 20 miles south of the city itself. So ‘real Pittsburghers’ might discount my opinion all together 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Although I am proud of where I come from, it was difficult living in Southwestern Pennsylvania again after having lived in Southeast FL for several years. Driving was a complete chore! Up and down hills - trying to navigate through dicey winter weather. And traffic that you would be forced to endure because there were no alternative routes to take. And good luck navigating around the region. You WILL get lost. Just leave an hour before you need to go anywhere — even the next town over 🙄.

In addition to the crazy #commute , I felt that the economy was a bit dysfunctional in Pittsburgh. Yes there were jobs. But they seemed to be heavily focused in healthcare and tech. I worked in commercial real estate - and while it wasn’t difficult to find a job, the pay was low. And folks seemed fine with that. There was this prevailing attitude that everyone was part of a multi-earner household and if you made $50k/year you should be more than happy with that. It was very discouraging as a Black woman who was striving for more.

Oh, which brings me to my final point: Pittsburgh is hella #racist. Sorry but not sorry! Truth is if you are a minority, the entire region is not for you. You can find diversity and culture in like 3 or 4 pockets of the city. High earning Black professionals are few and far in between. I was in Squirrel Hill when the Tree of Life massacre occurred 🙏🏾🕍. The areas around the city of Pittsburgh are full of ignorant, paranoid White supremists that exist from the trailer parks, up through the police 👮🏻‍♂️ to the politicians. Ugh 🤦🏾‍♀️.

I am 💯% aware that others may love Pittsburgh; and I can understand why. But thankfully I wasn’t totally tied down to the region - so I opted to make a life elsewhere. Ultimately home 🏡 is where the heart ❤️ is!

#relocating #pennsylvania #diversity #yinzer #whitesupremists #discrimination