Information about Pittsburgh

Colleges & Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
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<p>With the incoming students (many of which have never set foot in Pittsburgh) here is some info concerning the city.</p>

<p>ABOUT PITTSBURGH</p>

<p>Pittsburgh, known as a city of opportunities, was once the chief iron and steel producer in the United States. Now that the mills are vacant, Pittsburgh is rebuilding into a new, high-tech corporate city known as the “Golden Triangle” (the city is surrounded by three rivers, forming a triangular shape). The skyscrapers are so new that they glimmer during the day and night, giving Pittsburgh a new image.</p>

<p>Pittsburgh has grown several distinct communities because of the number of hills and rivers in the area. Each section of Pittsburgh gives a unique impression; some of the more popular areas are downtown, Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill because of their convenience to campus and diverse shopping areas.</p>

<p>Consistently ranked as one of “America’s most livable” cities, Pittsburgh is the United States’ fourth largest corporate headquarters and has quickly evolved into a high technology magnet for service and computer firms. Pittsburgh has also become a city for students who are just getting started, because of the reasonable cost of living and diverse cultural composition. Pittsburgh’s crime rate is almost half the national average, far lower than in other cities; it has been ranked with Honolulu, Hawaii and Greensboro, North Carolina as one of the ten healthiest places to live.</p>

<p>With more than 200 colleges and universities in western Pennsylvania, higher education is a powerful force in the region. The University of Pittsburgh is home to the tallest academic building in the western hemisphere, the Cathedral of Learning. This gothic structure devotes the entire first floor to authentically decorated international classrooms; this is definitely one building to explore.</p>

<p>With four distinct seasons, Pittsburgh’s average temperatures range from lows in the 20’s to highs in the 90’s. The temperate climate creates rich green landscapes in spring and summer and colorful foliage in autumn. Beware of those extreme days, however; Pittsburgh can be remarkably humid in the middle of summer and frigidly cold on a blustery winter day.</p>

<p>TRANSPORTATION
Centrally located on major air and highway routes, Pittsburgh is only an hour’s flight from New York and Washington, D.C., and is just five hours from the West Coast. The Pittsburgh International Airport is the world’s first airport to contain a shopping mall, and is a treat to visit. There are also train and bus rides from the Amtrak and Greyhound stations downtown that are more accommodating to a student budget and only take about 6-10 hours to the most popular, nearby cities (including New York, Chicago and Boston).</p>

<p>Once in Pittsburgh, it’s pretty easy to get around, especially by car. Pittsburgh has an efficient bus system, affectionately known as PAT, which will accommodate anyone who does not have personal transportation. With a valid Carnegie Mellon Card, PAT bus rides will be free for students, based on a pre-paid fee with the tuition bill. </p>

<p>Pittsburgh also has a subway that is quite well known because it is
the shortest one in the United States. It is best used as a quick connection to Station Square, an urban mall built in and around a railroad station. The four subway stations downtown are worth a visit to see the large works of art that decorate them.</p>

<p>ACCOMMODATIONS
When coming to Pittsburgh to stay overnight, it is best to make hotel reservations far in advance. It is also good to ask about discounted rates for stays of a week or more. Some hotels also offer discounts if you mention that you are with Carnegie Mellon. The most convenient hotels to Carnegie Mellon are the Holiday Inn at University Center, the Hampton Inn in the Oakland area, and the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Forbes Avenue.</p>

<p>SHOPPING & RELAXING
Station Square is one place to go for convenient shopping without the sterile shopping mall atmosphere. The building has a lot of character and contains a nice variety of stores and boutiques. Station Square also has some delicious restaurants within its walls. Located near Station Square is the Gateway Clipper Fleet which gives river tours of the city and offers evening dinners and dances. The cruises are calm and relaxing, and they provide a complete view of the city by circulating up and down the three rivers. A cruise tends to be a nice close to a long day of touring, visiting museums, shopping and discovering the wonderful city of Pittsburgh.</p>

<p>The Strip District, downtown, is another fun shopping area to visit. The open markets specialize in wholesale food for bulk purchases, but there are some retail shops in the area that offer the best produce in town. It is a great place to head if you want a bargain. </p>

<p>Visiting Mount Washington is an exciting place to go for ending a day in downtown Pittsburgh, where you can
take the incline trolley ride up and down the side of the mountain from Station Square. The view from Mount Washington is best seen on a clear night because of the spectacular city lights, rivers and buildings. There is also a variety of excellent restaurants on Mount Washington where the view and food are worth the trip for a special occasion.
Note: Mount Washington was ranked #2 as the The 10 Most Beautiful Places in America <a href="http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030518/030518springtravel.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030518/030518springtravel.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/btezra/30974299/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.flickr.com/photos/btezra/30974299/&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/haikiba/83528581/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.flickr.com/photos/haikiba/83528581/&lt;/a>
<a href="http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pictures/l/bl_bridge_1.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pictures/l/bl_bridge_1.htm&lt;/a> (pictures)</p>

<p>Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are neighborhoods filled with shopping and dining opportunities and are located within walking distance or a short bus ride from campus. The Waterfront, a shopping and entertainment location, is on the site of the former Homestead Steel Mill. With the rich history of the steel industry in Pittsburgh, the Waterfront has maintained some of the relics from that era and incorporated them along with new theaters, restaurants and shopping venues.</p>

<p>ENTERTAINMENT
With 200 museums, galleries, theaters and performance groups, Pittsburgh rivals Boston, Chicago, San Diego and other cultural centers. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History was among the first to collect and study dinosaur fossils. The home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick is one of the most complete, best preserved and well documented Victorian residences in the
country; the Frick Art Museum primarily has Renaissance-era painting and sculpture. Carnegie Mellon has its own galleries as well, including Ellis Gallery, Hewlett Gallery and Forbes Gallery, which often display current student work. The Pittsburgh Zoo is also quite distinctive because the animals roam in natural settings. Pittsburgh is also home to the world famous Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, whose performances come alive in the elegant Heinz Hall located downtown; student rates are even offered for every concert. The Benedum Center, located just a block away from Heinz Hall, features the latest plays and musicals as well as dance companies such as the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater.</p>

<p>RESOURCES</p>

<p>The following websites are excellent resources for more information about Pittsburgh:
• <a href="http://www.ncew.org/web/2005/07/2006_pittsburgh.aspx%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ncew.org/web/2005/07/2006_pittsburgh.aspx&lt;/a>
• <a href="http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/&lt;/a>
• <a href="http://www.pittsburgh.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.pittsburgh.com/&lt;/a>
• <a href="http://www.pittsburgh.net/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.pittsburgh.net/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>-----------------Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh Page-----------------</p>

<p>Main page: <a href="http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/menuitem.d2e9501a52a7ddb019300710d4a02008/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/menuitem.d2e9501a52a7ddb019300710d4a02008/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Neighborhood Page: <a href="http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.neighborhoods%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.neighborhoods&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Fast facts:
Nickname: The Burgh
Population: 1.26 million (Allegheny County)
Location, location, location: Pittsburgh is within 500 miles of more than half the U.S. population, and the city is less than 90 minutes flying time from 20 states and Canada.</p>

<p>Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 as the best place to start as a young professional and to grow personal wealth. </p>

<p>Pittsburgh has been ranked seventh in the nation as the home of Fortune 500 headquarters. (USX, ALCOA, Heinz and PPG are located here.) </p>

<p>Entrepreneur magazine ranked Pittsburgh as the ninth best place in the country for small businesses. </p>

<p>The Pittsburgh International Airport was rated the top airport in the country and second best in the world by J.D. Power and Conde Nast Traveler, respectively. </p>

<p>Per capita, Pittsburghers are said to drink more coffee than people in any other city in North America. </p>

<p>Pittsburgh has 723 bridges, more than any other city in the world except
Venice, Italy. </p>

<p>More than 10 million people visit the Pittsburgh region annually. </p>

<p>The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh is the first certified green convention center in the United States and the largest certified green building in the world. </p>

<p>Besides the new Convention Center, several other Pittsburgh-region buildings are certified green buildings. In fact, the U.S. Green Building Council, which has oversight of the national certification program, points to this region as having the largest concentration of green buildings in the country. </p>

<p>Pittsburgh, today, is a global city with some 220 foreign companies representing both Eastern and Western Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim. Nearly half of these companies have located their U.S. or world headquarters in Pittsburgh. </p>

<p>President George W. Bush has referred to Pittsburgh as the “Knowledge City.” </p>

<p>Pittsburgh Firsts
View complete list
From the first bingo game to the first commercial radio station and first public television station, a lot of famous firsts originated in Pittsburgh, including the first polio vaccine, first double organ (heart and liver) transplant, first nighttime World Series game, first Big Mac and first banana split. Did you know that the smiley :-) was created by a Carnegie Mellon computer scientist? Learn more about Pittsburgh’s famous firsts.</p>

<p>Famous Pittsburghers
View complete list
A lot of famous faces got their start right here in Pittsburgh! Entertainers including: Christina Aguilera, Stephen Foster, Charles Grodin, Jeff Goldblum, Shirley Jones, Michael Keaton, Gene Kelly, Dennis Miller, Fred Rogers and Jimmy Stewart all call this area home. As do Kurt Angle, Mike Ditka, Ken Griffey Jr., Ty Law, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Arnold Palmer and Johnny Unitas. Aside from entertainment and sports, Pittsburghers have also made their mark through art and the written word – Rachel Carson, Gertrude Stein, Mary Cassatt, Burton Morris and Andy Warhol – just to name a few. See more of Pittsburgh’s famous faces.</p>

<p>Lights, Camera, Action!
View complete filmography
Hollywood film crews are drawn to Pittsburgh for its endless variety of architecture, neighborhood charm and great local support. More than 50 major films have been shot on location in the area during the past decade including the Academy Award-winning Silence of the Lambs, Lorenzo’s Oil and Hoffa. The cult classic Night of the Living Dead was also filmed in Pittsburgh. Wonder Boys was filmed on Carnegie Mellon’s campus and scenes from Creepshow and Flashdance were filmed on campus as well. Learn more about the numerous movies and TV shows that have been filmed in the Burgh.</p>

<p><a href="http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.fastfacts%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.fastfacts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>why do you insist on making CMU seem better than it is.. i know youre a student and rah rah go CMU!!11 etc etc</p>

<p>but seriously, pittsburgh is one of the ****tiest cities in america....</p>

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<p>It seems you have a history with making sweeping generalizations and statements you know nothing about (Cornell's student body, MCS, etc). That is fine since the whole point is to educate people. Though Pittsburgh is still "broke", it is getting much better than what it was during the transition from the old industrial age to the contemporary city you see today. </p>

<p>Also, hopefully the links will help people find hotels and accomodations as well as things to do during their orientation at Carnegie Mellon (I know I had some trouble picking out the right hotel for my parents to stay in as well as find places to visit during the first couple days). </p>

<p>Unless you want to disprove anything I've said (perhaps the site was wrong about certain companies being in Pitts?) I think your past history speaks for itself.</p>

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<p>Personally, I like Pittsburgh because it has a lot of big city benefits in a middle sized town. But Lbtg47 has a bit of a point. To me it seems that you encourage everybody to come to CMU no matter what their goals or fit criteria or financial situation is. I know you are enamored, but Pittsburgh and CMU aren't right for everybody.</p>

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<p>That's not true, in numerous posts I suggest that CMU is not for everyone and it depends on the individual (Stern posts, etc). In the CS posts I suggest CMU without such warnings which I probably shouldn't do. </p>

<p>About Pittsburgh, since MOST people have already made their decisions I'm just mostly highlighting some places in Pitts to check out when people come for orientation (which I felt would've helped me if someone had done that before I came) along with some facts that maybe some people do not know.</p>

<p>There is a reason I posted this along with the CMU job article AFTER May (the date when most people get their waitlist decisions) so that I am not influencing anyone's decision to enroll or not as most kids have already made up their minds.</p>

<p>I had this post saved for a while to release AFTER decisions so that the enrolled kids may learn something about the city :) This thread would've been posted way before May had I wanted to influence applicants.</p>

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<p>Lbtg47 - since you started a thread with a housing question, I'm guessing you'll be a freshman at CMU in the fall?? Do you live in western PA? Since you don't seem all that thrilled with CMU and you know - 'seriously' - that Pittsburgh is crap, mind if I ask why you're going to CMU?</p>

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<p>agreed. Till you've spent a lot of time there don't trash it. There's plenty to like about Pgh, it's a great city. Geographically beautiful and (big plus imo) without mile after mile of slums like other cities like Philly or DC, and it's compact. Has everything you need plus thousands of college students so what's the problem?</p>

<p>AA is offering advice about the city to people who don't know much about Pgh other than it'll be their home for the next 4 years.</p>

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<p>This might be off topic, but now that you gave us a background of Pittsburgh, give us a background of why CMU is called the Tartans.</p>

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<p>Diggz - I thought AA would be right on this, but he must be studying for a final - or out celebrating that he is done!</p>

<p>CMU's mascot is the Tartan (plaid woolen fabric of Scottish origin) - a reference to Andrew Carnegie's Scottish homeland. In recent years it's been displayed as coat on a cute Scottie dog - I guess to make the mascot more appealing?? Fabric as a mascot - odd, no doubt....but at least they won't have any problems with the NCAA and its Native American nickname uproar!</p>

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<p>Boo... Why can't we be something cooler?</p>

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<p>Oh I dunno, the scottie dog and bagpipes have a certain charm! :)</p>

<p>My SIL and her family had to move from Pittsburgh to a small town in North Carolina, and she regrets that she did not appreciate the amenitites in Pittsburgh until she moved to a place with nothing. It really is a great city, so I hope those who come here will venture off campus and find out for themselves.</p>

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<p>I know several who have lived in Pittsburgh in the past, and from everyone I heard, they have all said Pitts has made great changes from before... before it use to be a ****ty looking city, now its a lot nicer. My first visit I was taken back from who... dirty it looked (I live in CT.....) But!... that didnt stop me from applying. Hell, most of what we need will be in the dorms anyhoo</p>