Is Pittsburgh Northeastern or Midwestern?

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Most people rightly assume that PA as a whole is part of the Northeast. Philly is linked to the Acela corridor and is tightly connected to the BosWash megalopolis. But Pittsburgh and western PA has much more in common with Detroit, Cleveland, and Gary than Philadelphia. It has much more of Midwestern Rust Belt feel to it than the rest of PA.

What say you?

[Illiniwek]

Yes, Pittsburgh is in the Rust Belt and the Great Lakes region, that makes it part of the midwest.

[bagelman]

The boundry between the northeast and midwest, if there is a definite one (probably pretty fuzzy) runs through central-eastern PA. Pittsburgh is solidly in western PA.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Yes, Pittsburgh is in the Rust Belt and the Great Lakes region, that makes it part of the midwest.

Yea, I agree. You could even toss in Buffalo in that group as well.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

We don't self identify as Midwestern, that's for sure.

[RINO Tom]

We don't self identify as Midwestern, that's for sure.

FWIW, no one I know would try to claim Pittsburgh as part of the Midwest ... it might not be fully "Northeastern," but even people in Cleveland and Columbus are starting to identify as more "eastern" than most of the Midwest, so Pittsburgh is certainly not a part of our region, at least not to me.

[Hoosier_Nick]

100% Midwestern. Imo Harrisburg is the border between midwest/northeast.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

both

[Lechasseur]

Pittsburgh's Midwestern, along with Western Pennsylvania in general and I'd say the same for Buffalo and Western New York

[RINO Tom]

Pittsburgh's Midwestern, along with Western Pennsylvania in general and I'd say the same for Buffalo and Western New York

Holy shlt, Buffalo, NY is not Midwestern!!  Being culturally different from other areas in your region doesn't just make you not a part of that region anymore.

[SWE]

Pittsburgh's Midwestern, along with Western Pennsylvania in general and I'd say the same for Buffalo and Western New York

Holy shlt, Buffalo, NY is not Midwestern!!  Being culturally different from other areas in your region doesn't just make you not a part of that region anymore.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone I know would consider us Northeast and be baffled that the question was even being posed. But I guess having abandoned factories makes us Midwestern now?

[Santander]

You do realize there are parts of the Midwest that are not part of the Rust Belt, and there are also parts of the Rust Belt that are not part of the Midwest... (Western PA, Western NY, Lehigh Valley)

Culturally, Pittsburgh is probably closer to Detroit than Detroit is to Des Moines or Omaha, but Midwest and Northeast are geographical regions, not cultural regions.

[Shameless Lefty Hack]

Controversial opinion: Pittsburgh is Appalachian, and so neither.

[dead0man]

Controversial opinion: Pittsburgh is Appalachian, and so neither.

I wasn't going to go that far, but I did come in here to mention that it is also a bit Appalachia.  Especially if you drive 30 minutes east of town.

Culturally, Pittsburgh is probably closer to Detroit than Detroit is to Des Moines or Omaha, but Midwest and Northeast are geographical regions, not cultural regions.

Traditionally that was true, but Pitsburgh has managed to do what most of the other rust belt cities have failed to do and that's move into the 21st century with their economy.  It might be more like Omaha than Detroit today.

[RINO Tom]

Controversial opinion: Pittsburgh is Appalachian, and so neither.

I wasn't going to go that far, but I did come in here to mention that it is also a bit Appalachia.  Especially if you drive 30 minutes east of town.

Culturally, Pittsburgh is probably closer to Detroit than Detroit is to Des Moines or Omaha, but Midwest and Northeast are geographical regions, not cultural regions.

Traditionally that was true, but Pitsburgh has managed to do what most of the other rust belt cities have failed to do and that's move into the 21st century with their economy.  It might be more like Omaha than Detroit today.

Maybe economically, but Des Moines and Omaha have a noticeably more "Western" and individualist feel to them, IMO.  Pittsburgh seems to still have a more "Rust Belt" community feel, at least to me.

[Linus Van Pelt]

I voted Northeastern.

I think it makes sense to divide the Northeast into a "coastal Northeast" and an "interior Northeast", the latter of which includes upper the New England states, upstate New York, and central and western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is part of the interior Northeast in this sense.

[dead0man]

Controversial opinion: Pittsburgh is Appalachian, and so neither.

I wasn't going to go that far, but I did come in here to mention that it is also a bit Appalachia.  Especially if you drive 30 minutes east of town.

Culturally, Pittsburgh is probably closer to Detroit than Detroit is to Des Moines or Omaha, but Midwest and Northeast are geographical regions, not cultural regions.

Traditionally that was true, but Pitsburgh has managed to do what most of the other rust belt cities have failed to do and that's move into the 21st century with their economy.  It might be more like Omaha than Detroit today.

Maybe economically, but Des Moines and Omaha have a noticeably more "Western" and individualist feel to them, IMO.  Pittsburgh seems to still have a more "Rust Belt" community feel, at least to me.

Yeah, that's true.  There are just too many ways we're better, I forget some of them

[The Govanah Jake]

Has a Very Rust Belt like feel for it and so does the whole of west Penn.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

You guys can call it Midwestern every day.  Doesn't matter to us.  We don't consider ourselves midwestern and never will.  Kthxbye.

[SingingAnalyst]

I'm a Census Bureau purist, so I have to regard Pitt as part of the Northeast.

However, it definitely has more of a Rust Belt feel to it-- like Cleveland, Detroit, or Gary. I've never been to Pitt, and I have to wonder whether the locals play Euchre. I understand the Euchre belt stretches to Niagara Falls, NY-- so maybe Niagara Falls should be considered part of Michigan. :-)

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I'm a Census Bureau purist, so I have to regard Pitt as part of the Northeast.

However, it definitely has more of a Rust Belt feel to it-- like Cleveland, Detroit, or Gary. I've never been to Pitt, and I have to wonder whether the locals play Euchre. I understand the Euchre belt stretches to Niagara Falls, NY-- so maybe Niagara Falls should be considered part of Michigan. :-)

Not much Euchre hear bro.  Pinochle, Gin Rummy and Poker. 

[Badger]

We don't consider ourselves Midwesterners, if for no other reasons than the state border separating ourselves from Ohio and the Appalachian influences, but culturally we are indeed closer to Cleveland, Cinci, and even Columbus, than we are to Philly, Boston, NYC, or Jersey.

[RINO Tom]

We don't consider ourselves Midwesterners, if for no other reasons than the state border separating ourselves from Ohio and the Appalachian influences, but culturally we are indeed closer to Cleveland, Cinci, and even Columbus, than we are to Philly, Boston, NYC, or Jersey.

I know in Iowa and Central Illinois, a lot of people draw a bit of a line at the time zones, too.  My sister lives in Indianapolis, and even there she said they're a bit regionally confused.  When it's convenient, they're "more eastern" compared to Illinois, "more Southern" compared to Michigan, "more Midwestern" compared to Ohio, "more Northern" compared to Kentucky, etc.

[heatcharger]

Glad to live in a bubble filled with Northeastern transplants and immigrants who don't care about silly things like regional identity.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Glad to live in a bubble filled with Northeastern transplants and immigrants who don't care about silly things like regional identity.

Ban the immigrants!