The city of Pittsburgh added nearly 3,000 people in 2024. The city of Pittsburgh had “the greatest population increase by total number of people among all municipalities in Pennsylvania, according to an analysis of the data from the Pennsylvania State Data Center.”
This is pretty remarkable. Aside from a few tiny blips here and there, Pittsburgh (the city and region) has been losing population for more than 50 years, as the steel industry’s postwar boom faded.
Why are people moving here? Well, it’s many things, but two seem pretty important:
- Most of the region’s new jobs are in the city, not the suburbs or exurbs.
- Pittsburgh is the third-most affordable city for home buyers (according to Wallethub), after Flint and Detroit, two cities with economic apocalypses more recent than ours.
Yes, there are Pittsburghers who will see this as a bad thing. Pittsburghers are by nature a pessimistic lot, which is understandable. When people have been fleeing for greener pastures for five-ish decades, you learn to look on the bright side of things — while always expecting the worst.
But here’s the thing — we have room.
Pittsburgh was built for twice as many people. There are about 7,500 vacant houses and 16,000 vacant lots in the city, and many more outside of it. Certain neighborhoods are close to capacity, but for every Lawrenceville there’s six half-empty Hazelwoods. You can also add density/height to fit more people into the places they actually want to live. Nobody needs to be displaced.
If Pittsburgh started seeing super-charged growth like Austin or Charlotte, that would mean trouble. But that’s nowhere close to happening, so let’s concentrate on fixing our many, very real problems, and not theoretical maybe-someday problems.
For sale: 2120 Walton Ave., Carrick, $199,900.
So many Pittsburgh homes are made from that buff/yellow brick, which doesn’t always age well. After decades of heavy industrial pollution, it usually takes on a queasy color somewhere between cigarette-stained fingers and aftermath of a trip to Greenfield’s finest tanning booth. This one looks great, though! How did they do it?
For rent: 1439 Juniata St., Apt. A, Beechview, $1,500/month.
As a true connoisseur of crummy staging and bad real estate photography, I love to see a Dutch angle — a tilted shot that doesn’t line up with the horizon, connoting disorientation or instability — on a Zillow listing. Otherwise, this place looks bright and attractive, yet I feel compelled to scrutinize the ferns and coffee table for clues. Is that shadow passing through the curtains a harbinger of something sinister? Or have I tested my sanity once too often with Pittsburgh apartments? Who can say
For sale: 1225 Woodland Ave., Marshall-Shadeland, $169,900.
That spaghetti-on-a-stick of high-tension wires strewn atop every Pittsburgh street — how much of that is just grandma holding on to her landline in case the Pope calls? Could we get rid of even a little bit? That’s not a slight on this house, which looks great for a 1915-vintage wood-framer; most city neighborhoods look like this. It’s just that the photographer usually has the sense to leave the wires out of the frame. I don’t love the faux-wood flooring, but it’s hard to avoid even in historic homes now.
For rent: Wightman Terrace, 2130 Wightman St., Squirrel Hill, $1,060/month.
There are a lot of things that make Squirrel Hill a great neighborhood, but here’s one that almost nobody notices: these small apartment buildings. There are a lot of them, they’re quite dated — with window air-conditioners and cheap cabinetry — so you don’t have to be Mike Tomlin or Edgar Snyder to afford to live here. These kinds of apartments are very hard to build nowadays. Neighbors will find any excuse to block them, to preserve “character” or whatever. Luckily, that wasn’t the case 80-100 years ago, so we have these. Again, nothing special, but attractive enough and solidly built.
For sale: 427 W. Warrington Ave., Beltzhoover, $100,000.
Oh, Pittsburgh, never change. That basement is worth two Shenderoviches and perhaps a lesser Fishman. It’s got a black-and-white checkerboard tile floor, an ancient TV/VHS combo on a swivel mount, wood paneling, and red (and blue) lightbulbs that I hope flash like klaxons whenever the Pens score a goal. Sure, the exterior isn’t much to look at, but with a basement like that why would you even go outside?
For rent: 4711 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield, $1,300/month.
Wait, so I’m just learning that you can live above Donatelli’s Italian Food Center — which becomes your own personal pantry/deli — only after it closes for good (after 90 years)? Why, oh why, Dark Gods of Zillow, have you cursed me in this heartless manner? I wish small urban neighborhood grocery stores weren’t a dying breed, but there are a few left, so patronize them if you get the chance. My personal favorites are Las Palmas (Brookline, Beechview), Mayfly Deli & Market (Mexican War Streets), and Groceria Merante (Oakland).
This article appears in May 21-27, 2025.
