I live an hour north of Pittsburgh. My view of living here is colored by where we moved here from and by the fact that I live in a rural area near a small town. I compare this area to Boston, so when I say people are more polite and friendlier, that won't mean a thing if you are moving from an area that is super friendly and polite.
It snows a lot here, but not compared to Boston. I just hate snow. If we get over an inch (which we have, 5 years out of 7), that is too much for me. The summers are usually hot and humid (July and August), but I like that. People who live in Boston sometimes complain about humidity, but I'm from Atlanta, and Boston's humidity only registered with me one time in 20 years. It rains a lot and the sky is overcast a lot. One cool thing is there are cloudbursts here. Suddenly buckets of rain will pour from the sky, and a few minutes later, it stops. I have never experienced anything like that before.
It can get cold here -- a couple of winters ago the high was -15. Heating oil is very expensive (except for last year), so try to move to a place that is heated with gas.
My extended family (who doesn't live here) is always getting excited about house prices being so low. Yeah, well, they are low for a reason ... they are old, need lots of work, and are in drug-infested neighborhoods (at least where I live). Pittsburgh has a shortage of rental housing, and it is cheaper to buy a house and pay a mortgage than to rent. Of course, house prices depend on location. I can get a house here (not a crappy one) for about half what we'd pay in the Boston area.
The library system is really good, and if you read books on the Kindle, you can join the Philadelphia Free Library, where they have a large selection. I think it costs $50/year to join if you live out of state.
It is very green here ... the grass, amazingly enough, stays green through the winter. It is very hilly and the areas with a lot of trees are beautiful.
If you like to go to plays, there are plenty of opportunities. Even in my small town, every play I've been to has been wonderful except for one (why anyone would choose that particular play -
Welcome to the Monkey House -- is beyond me). I go to plays put on by community theater groups and the local community college. I hear that
Hamilton will be coming to Pittsburgh, but the ticket prices will be very high. That's the case with most professionally produced plays and music, though.
Health insurance is a lot cheaper than it was in Boston. We've found excellent physicians here. Veterinarians are not cheaper. Food is not cheaper.
People complain about Pittsburgh drivers, but they are fine compared to Boston drivers. When I am in the left lane at a light that has just turned green, no one suddenly turns left from the right lane. That alone is worth the price of admission!
The public transport system in Pittsburgh is not great if you are used to a subway system ... unless you like buses.
Not much diversity in small towns or in Pittsburgh itself, except for at university campuses. Again, this is a comparison to both Boston and Atlanta. If you are thinking about moving to a town that is located an hour from Pittsburgh, I will embellish this train of thought. There are tons of small towns in more rural areas, and they are not like living in or adjacent to Pittsburgh.
When we move here, I really looked forward to seeing the Amish. If that is a draw for you, I will tell you what I learned, which was quite different than what I'd previously learned about them from books.
I've always been teased because I like gravy on my fries. Moved here, and found out that is normal. The first time a waitress asked me if I wanted gravy on my fries, I nearly hugged her!
Frankly, I think New England is the most interesting place to live in the US. If the cost of living weren't so high (and the snow so deep and winter so long), we'd still live there.
Here's a link to a forum for people who live there or who are moving there:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/pittsburgh/
