Columbus or Pittsburgh for ethnic/cultural diversity (Upper Arlington, Dublin: best cities, home)

[ambient]

I grew up in Columbus, OH and did grad school there... was in Pittsburgh a lot as well. No question in my mind that Pittsburgh is more diverse and actively cultivates it to a greater extent than Columbus does.

Honestly, though, Columbus is not bad. It's no cosmopolitan tourist destination, but it is big enough to have its amenities and options, especially if you have a good income.

[marsha1c]

Hello Tiger Beer-I am a graduate of The University of Pittsburgh that Beavercreek33 is refering to above. This area was (and probably still is) the cultural mecca of Pittsburgh. A cool thing to check out if you ever find your self in "the burg" is The Nationality Classrooms at UP~ http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/

[columbushome10]

Pittsburgh may have some appearances of diversity, however it is very divided and the people can be close minded. I just moved to Columbus from Pittsburgh and feel like Columbus is a much more welcoming place. Pittsburgh is the only place I have ever lived where I saw and experienced blatant racism and homophobia. I would not move back there. I will say that there may be more performance arts in Pittsburgh, but Columbus has a vibrant, young artistic community.

[Tenzo]

Columbus Diversity

[1watertiger]

pittsburgh hands down ! you cant even find a descent homemade pierogi in cbus, let alone a woman in a sexy babushka !

[StupidityPolice]

Originally Posted by columbushome10

Pittsburgh may have some appearances of diversity, however it is very divided and the people can be close minded. I just moved to Columbus from Pittsburgh and feel like Columbus is a much more welcoming place. Pittsburgh is the only place I have ever lived where I saw and experienced blatant racism and homophobia. I would not move back there. I will say that there may be more performance arts in Pittsburgh, but Columbus has a vibrant, young artistic community.

I agree. I have not met a Black person from Pittsburgh that did not complain about the racism especially as it relates to professional job opportunities and housing discrimination. Columbus is no NY or LA, but its one of the top rated places for Black businesses, that says something about the ease with which minorities can succeed.

[debo3osu]

Originally Posted by SteelersFan09

But although Pittsburgh may "feel" like a bigger city, keep in mind that it's not. Columbus is MUCH bigger in both population and size.

Not true. I assume this is based on the ever-useless "city population", which is based on arbitrary geographical boundaries. Given that Columbus is concentrated on flat land and Pittsburgh is spread out over hilly terrain, Columbus appears to be more populated (and probably is more densely populated within 15 miles of city center). A more accurate representation is metropolitan area (Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), in which case Pittsburgh is ranked 22 and Columbus 32. Once you get 15 miles outside of Columbus it is cornfields as far as the eye can see (literally). Pittsburgh is pretty dense up to 30 miles outside the city.

I grew up in Pittsburgh and have lived in Columbus (went to OSU) for 12 years. I would agree with an earlier comment that Pittsburgh is more black and white, with most of the "ethnic" white consisting of eastern European descendants (Poland, Serbia, etc.). Columbus is somewhat black and white as well, but the neighborhoods are distinctly separated, where as Pittsburgh neighborhoods are more integrated. The nicer neighborhoods on the outskirts of Columbus are 99% white (estimating), where as Pittsburgh neighborhoods are a mix of black and white.

There are a lot more hispanic cultures in Columbus. The fact that Columbus has the largest university in the country (50,000 students) and a good economy means than many ethnicities come and stay there. Other than Pitt and CMU, which aren't nearly as big, Pittsburgh just doesn't draw as many diverse cultures. In addition, the culture of Pittsburgh itself tends to embrace outsiders more slowly, which convinces many to leave.

In general, Columbus is "newer", cleaner, and easier to navigate. The fact that it is flat makes it easier to take care of. Pittsburgh still has the same street layouts from the 1800s, and has city budget issues due to all the additional expenses associated with bridges, tunnels, and such. Higher-end housing is cheaper and easier to find in Columbus (compare $300k houses in Dublin, OH to $300k houses in Pittsburgh suburbs), and I would say that Columbus is just more peaceful. No traffic issues, easy to get around, everything I need within 5 miles of your house. Of course, this lends to the urban sprawl and cookie cutter houses mentioned earlier. Still, I considered moving back to Pittsburgh several times and decided that Columbus was a better choice for settling down long-term.

From an ethnicity standpoint here is one thing to consider: Much of the white population in Columbus are rural farmer types that came to OSU and ended up staying in Columbus. This subgroup is much less tolerant of diverse ethnic backgrounds, and behind closed doors have no problem stating their opinions on such issues. Count the number of camofluage hunting caps you see around Columbus malls vs. Pittsburgh malls and you'll know what I mean. The day after 9/11 all I heard from Ohioans was stuff like "nuke-em all". Just generally more conservative in Ohio. Most Pittsburghers are from the city or from another city. This contradicts my earlier statement about acceptance, but Pittsburghers base their acceptance on others based on whether they are from Pittsburgh, whereas people from Columbus actually do base their acceptance on ethnicity in some cases. As long as you can embrace Pittsburgh culture (and speak the language: PITTSBURGHESE .com) while you live there you'll be fine.

[DulzuraDan]

I am afraid that cooks 50 is being a jokester.Pittsburgh is about as ethnically diverse a City of it's size could possiblly be despite losing 500,000 people since 1975.We have a distinct Italian neighborhood,Polish,Ukranian,Irish,Russian,Black American and so many more that do not come to mind.
Pittsburgh is not segregated,but Columbus is..you must take the word of a gentleman who has travelled extensively across America for 45 years.
Pittsburgh is to Columbus......is New York to Fargo.
Read Pittsburgh magazine and it will help you.I hope that I have eased your mind a bit.Good day.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by DulzuraDan

Pittsburgh is to Columbus......is New York to Fargo.

Terrible, dishonest analogy.

[Tenzo]

Seems right to me.