Pittsburgh: Midwestern or Eastern???

[displacedyankeedem]

I've always debated people as to whether Pittsburgh is a midwestern city or an eastern one. Ohio is definitely the Midwest while Eastern PA is clearly the East Coast. I've always argued that it's midwestern since the culture is more reflective of the more industrialized Midwest.

Opinions?

[tishaLA]

1. Midwest

they call soda "pop" and have sports rivalries with Cincinnatti and Cleveland.

[SmileyBoy]

4. If Pittsburgh is Midwestern, then Fargo has to be on the Pacific Coast.

:):):)

[tishaLA]

16. Well, I've always believed that

teh midwest begins in Lancaster PA and ends in Lancaster CA. :P

[gyopsy]

6. They call it "pop" in many parts of the country...

not just the Midwest. One of my teachers who is originally from Rhode Island calls it pop also.

[napi21]

9. Oh for goodness sake! Pgh is the EAST!

I spent 40 years of my life there! Even they don't consider themselves anything but the North East part of our country!

Pittsburgh has also always been Democratic, whereas Phili has mostly bee "Pug. Pgh, at least was, a Steel Town with lots of mfg. and union workers. I don't know tht you can compare it with Ohio though. I'm still having a tough time accepting the idea that Ohio is the Mid West! Look at the map. How do you figure?

[JVS]

12. Rivalry with Cincinnati? No. We just know that the Bungles suck.

But Cleveland Brownies are a rival.

[displacedyankeedem]

22. Sports Team Wise

NHL: Penguins are in the Atlantic, the East Coast Division(although I think they would be a better fit in the Northeast and Boston should be in the Atlantic)
NFL: Steelers are in the NFC North, which is half Eastern, half Midwest(Baltimore,Cleveland,Cincinatti are also in it)
MLB: Pirates are in THE Central(read Midwest) Division(with Milwaukee,Cincy,Chicago,Houston <out of place>, and St.Louis)

[JVS]

23. Yeah but baseball fucked itself up with many expansion teams

We used to be NL East back in the late 80's

[displacedyankeedem]

25. Yeah, but

as I recall both Chicago and St. Louis were in the East. Atlanta was in the West for cryin' out loud and so was Cincy. The divisions made little sense back then.

[JVS]

27. They should have never let the West coast have any teams

that spoiled everything. They should have told them to go play soccer.

But the larger point is that you cannot rely on sports conferences to clarify geography and demographics

[gyopsy]

2. No, I say Eastern

It's in the Eastern time zone I belive. It's in PA which is along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean (even if the city itself is not on the coast.)

[displacedyankeedem]

10. But....

Detroit,Cleveland,Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis are all in the Eastern time zone.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. It has long been questioned why that is. I personally love being in EST.

It is light out until almost 10 in the summer! It didn't get dark until after 7 this evening. I am a daylight needer.

[JVS]

21. It used to be that according to the Pennsylvania Railroad central time was

anything west of Pittsburgh

[SmileyBoy]

3. Eastern.

Comparing Pittsburgh to Minneapolis, for example, is like comparing Denver with Memphis.

Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, St. Louis, etc. are Midwestern cities. Pittsburgh is not.

[JVS]

14. Too hilly and too Catholic to be Midwestern in the same sense as Minnesota

We fit in Ok with Detroit, but not Indianapolis

[madrchsod]

5. east

Ohio starts the mid-west.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. the midwest does not want Pittsburgh, meaning no offense,

so let the east coast take it; they can absorb it better, what with having NYC and Boston and Maine and Vermont and New Hampshire and etc, to sort of "cover up" the uh, presence of Pittsburgh. :-)

Though in reality, it is more midwest than east coast or new england in attitude, clothing style, home decor, "cultural" activities, etc.

[Sandpiper]

8. Pittsburgh's kind of a border city

Culturally it's more like a midwestern city, but geographically, it's too far east to be a midwestern city.

I would call it an eastern city though, because if you were to ask someone from Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, or St. Louis or Minneapolis if Pittsburgh was an eastern city, they'd probably all say no.

[JVS]

11. Rust belt

Take a swath from Chicago toward the East, extend to Buffalo NY. It should include Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh And Buffalo. If you don't see lot's of Eastern European names in the phone book then you've lost track of the zone.

[papercut]

13. We've never fit anywhere.

Even less so nowadays, with our population dying off and draining away, and everyone who's left busy packing to get out as soon as they graduate.

[JVS]

15. I'll be in Illinois in a few months probably

I read on someone's tourist blog once that Budapest reminded them of Pittsburgh. Inclines, onion domes, foods along the lines of Gulash and Halushki, old people plodding along etc.

[JVS]

17. Welcome to DU by the way

Do you remember when everone's dad lost his job? That sucked.

[JVS]

18. One could also view it as the Gleaming Metropolis of the Apallachians

Or North coast, within about 100 miles of a Great Lake seems to cover it OK

After all, I have a hard time believing that Buffalo is East coast in the way that NYC is.

[dpbrown]

20. Eastern

Come on. What does Pittsburgh have in common with Madison, Minneapolis, or St. Paul?

We're the midwest, baby!

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[bleedingheart]

24. We are an Eastern city!

While it is the largest city in western PA that doesn't mean its in the MidWest.

Our great city was first a french fort (Duquesne) and later a British fort.....our history alone makes us more in line with the eastern cities.

I love my hometown ...it is a unique city full of history and loads of things to do.

[durutti]

26. Pittsburgh = #1

I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

[JVS]

28. Yes, All Honor, Laud, and Glory to our fine city

May we one day rise up and make the rest of the world taste our steel!

[dsc]

29. Definately Eastern

Heavy reliance on public transportation, long history, demographics similar to Boston. Though the rust belt swath also works. Pennsylvania is a much different state than Ohio or Indiana. Schools are way better funded, roads way better kept and built, much more sense of public purpose. Even under Republican governors PA was vastly better run than Ohio.

[DoctorBombay]

30. Eastern

I grew up in Cleveland but have been to Pittsburgh many times, and it's Eastern, where Cleveland is more midwestern. It's why I like Pittsburgh better. Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo are more similar to Pittsburgh than Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Indianapolis, which are definitely midwestern.

[sleipnir]

31. It's the capital of the eastern Midwest!

Which includes far-Eastern PA, Western New York (that strip along Lake Erie, but before you get to Buffalo) and Ohio.

Pit is so midwest it's not even funny. I've lived in a lot of midwest areas so I'm one to talk. Anyway, Pit has it's own flair, but that's eastern Midwest attitude and feeling.