Q: Pittsburgh very nearly fell off the map when the steel industry died in the ‘70s and ‘80s. What kept that from happening?

An especially large offensive line, anchored by Hall of Fame center Mike Webster

The exploded concrete-and-rebar remnants of Three Rivers Stadium, holding the city down in a landfill somewhere

The Mineo’s vs. Aiello’s pizza feud

The weight of knowledge from Galaxy Brain Ball-Knower “Bort (yes, Bort) from Export,” who calls into sports talk radio to utter the magic phrase “FAHR TOMLIN!” after every loss (also, after every victory)

The colleges

Yeah, it’s the colleges. We basically have a tech industry because of Carnegie Mellon, and a lot of accumulated expertise in medicine because of Pitt. This wasn’t inevitable, and we shouldn’t take it for granted. No country in the world has the depth and range of universities that we have, and few regions have as complete a set as Pittsburgh. It attracts the best and brightest to our shores.

Or, well, it did. Our federal government hates college for some reason and seems bent on throwing this advantage in the dumpster for ideological reasons. But hey, we can all go work in the coal mines again!

That’s not to say that our system of higher ed is without flaws (though there’s probably not a country on earth that wouldn’t trade for it in a second). However, a new report from Wallethub ranks the states by who spends the most on education, and Pennsylvania is the most expensive, with a 72.48% “Cost of Education as a Share of Median Annual Household Income.”  We spend $55,144 per year and have a median income of $76,081. Yikes. (Utah residents spend 27.69% of their income on education, the least amount).

Hey, you get what you pay for, but this is kind of ridiculous. Want to fix education? Start here.

For rent: 1 Parkview St., Crafton, $1,250/month.

If you’re looking for a nice, quiet neighborhood with historic homes that doesn’t look or feel like a McMansion sprawl-burb, but is actually a suburb, then Crafton is probably for you. (Do people like this exist, or did I just make up a whole new kind of person in my head?) This is a wild color for a house in Pittsburgh — turquoise/aquamarine — but it looks good. It’s even got central AC, which is never a given in old Pittsburgh homes.

1032 Haslage Ave. Credit: Courtesy of Zillow

For sale: 1032 Haslage Ave., Spring Hill, $250,000.

Is this the most exquisite “weird little Pittsburgh house” combo: yellow brick and blue siding? There’s even a strange racing stripe of gray brick in the middle of the concrete foundation, which is definitely a choice. But the inside is so bereft of color that that it seems only achievable under laboratory conditions. I learned this week that some call this “Millennial Gray,” which seems intended as an insult.   

1709 Fifth Ave. Credit: Courtesy of Zillow

For rent: 1709 Fifth Ave., Uptown, $1,450-$2,550/month.

You’d never know it from this listing, but this is actually one of the better-looking apartment buildings constructed around here in the past few years. Because this photo — the only one in the listing — looks like someone built it on a too-steep Pittsburgh hill and all its contents slid to the back, leaving only a weirdly empty hallway to live in. No idea what’s going on here. Uptown has never been able to support much useful retail, but this place has Redhawk Café & Market on the ground floor, so maybe that’s changing.

2907 Main St. Credit: Courtesy of Zillow

For sale: 2907 Main St., Munhall, $189,800.

I’m a sucker for eccentric décor and the kinds of character that send your average real estate agent screaming into the void. But it’s entirely possible to make an old house look updated, yet tastefully so, without spending a ton of money — like this place in Munhall. It’s even kind of greige, with cheap flooring and carpet, and still looks good. A fresh coat of paint, some art on the walls, a few plants, and furniture that looks comfortable — is that so hard? And it’s all clearly staged, because where’s the giant TV — THE PENS ARE ON!

1738 Reed St. Credit: Courtesy of Zillow

For rent: The Reed, 1738 Reed St., Hill District, $1,459/month.

I used to think the general idea with real estate listings was to show a property’s good side, to get people interested. But I’m starting to question that, because it looks like this was taken from the window of a speeding car (or is this a rendering?), and the second photo is of a closed elevator door. Again, there’s probably nothing wrong with this place, and a lot to like about the location. But if you’re going to pick a pretentious name like “The Reed” at least take some decent photos.

1514 Methyl St. Credit: Courtesy of Zillow

For rent: 1514 Methyl St., Beechview, $985/month.

Ever walked into your own kitchen and wondered if you were entering a chess match against the concept of hunger itself? I mean, it raises the “steaks” a bit (ugh, sorry). So, yeah, that chessboard flooring in the kitchen is outstanding and anything under $1,000 in this day and age is impressive, so hopefully someone snaps this place up before someone drops the greige-bomb on it and ups the rent to $1,800.

This article appears in Nov. 5-11, 2025.

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