Comments on: Hail to the…Steelers?

By: Jeff Whalen

Jeff Whalen — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:55:48 +0000

As far as the steel mills closing, job loss etc...alot of people left the city, but moved to the suburbs or smaller srrounding towns, the population went from something like a 1/2 million people in the city/only 100,000 in burbs...to 300,000 some in the city and over 2 million in the "metro" area.

By: Dave McKenna

Dave McKenna — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:45:11 +0000

Stephen:
or "We'll Still Pay for Terry Hanratty's Autograph!"

How many t-shirts should I put you down for, Steve?

Again: Terry Hanratty?

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:13:20 +0000

...but then a Pittsburgh ex-pat would put a brick through your windshield.

Pittsburgh's slogan should be: "A Great Place to Be From."

By: Dave McKenna

Dave McKenna — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:14:16 +0000

Stephen:
I like your Ireland/Pittsburgh simile.

Far as I can tell, Pittsburgh's slogan should be: "Great Place to Live, But I Wouldn't Want to Live There!"

I gotta go print up bumper stickers...

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:24:20 +0000

It's helpful to think of Pittsburgh like Ireland: Everybody's got some relative from Pittsburgh, and that person's Pittsburgh-ness, manifested primarily in his/her Steelers obsession, is passed on to those around him/her, resulting in clusters of Steelers fans in families and friend groups, etc.

I'm in New York (originally from a suburb of Pittsburgh) and probably less than a third of the rather large group of people I watch Steelers games with are actually from Pittsburgh.

By: Mike DeBonis

Mike DeBonis — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:37:54 +0000

If the steel jobs theory were true, there'd be a whole lot more folks from Northwest Indiana here besides, well, me.

By: Dave McKenna

Dave McKenna — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:15:06 +0000

Spyboots:
i should have written the steel mill closings would explain the immigration through the 1980s, since I'm pretty sure the biggest plant shut-downs occurred in 1986.

As you were...

By: jw

jw — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:06:59 +0000

We're everywhere!!!

By: Dave McKenna

Dave McKenna — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:06:06 +0000

Spyboots:
The steel mill closings would only explain the immigration of Pittsburghers to DC in the 1970s.

But it sure seems to me that the migration of Western Pennsylvanians to DC continues, long after after Pittsburgh transformed itself from a steel town and started winning all sorts of Most Livable City polls.

Here's a story that says folks are still leaving Pittsburgh more than any other city in the country:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07105/778164-85.stm

So, it ain't about steel. And, again, I've always viewed this as a tale of two cities: Pittsburgh can't keep anybody; Philadelphians stay put.

Thanks for your thoughts.

By: Spyboots

Spyboots — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:40:55 +0000

When the steel mills closed back in the 70s (unemployment), many Pittsburgers had to relocate for jobs and are now all over the country, all 50 states, their children and children's children now also part of the Steeler Nation. Don't know if the relocation issue hit the other teams as hard, but this is one reason why there are so many Steeler fans in other areas.