What does Pittsburgh have that Minneapolis, and Burlington, VT don’t? Plenty, according to the LaBalme family, who relocated from San Francisco last fall. “Pittsburgh is one of America’s undiscovered gems,” says Elaine LaBalme. And she should know—after a comprehensive, eighteen-month, nationwide, city search landed them in the walking district of Mt. Lebanon.
Elaine and Fen LaBalme, both professionals working from home, knew as their young son, Steven, approached school age, they would have to leave their beloved San Francisco and settle their family in a more livable city.
Fen, a partner with
CivicActions.com, (Pop City highly recommends checking it out) who works virtually, providing services to progressive companies and political campaigns, and Elaine, a freelance food and travel writer, cherished their Pacific Heights neighborhood. They loved the parks, museums, local shops and other amenities. They were the only family living in their apartment building of singles and couples—proudly calling their two bedroom top floor walk-up home—but the high cost of living and sub-par public schools left them no option but relocation. (California schools rank 46th nationally.)
Where to Now?Having Steven “on the other side of 40,” Elaine and Fen had maintained high expectations of their hometown, and frankly did not ever plan to
leave their incredible city on the bay. To answer the vast, open-ended question, “Where should we move?” Elaine and Fen quickly devised a list of evaluative criteria to consider. Stellar schools, affordable housing, cultural arts, progressive politics, weather, and proximity to higher education, quickly topped the list.
Internet research on blogs like
DailyKos.com and
MorganQuitno.com led them to compile a list of viable cities: Portland, Boulder, Seattle, Asheville, N.C., Pittsburgh, Burlington, VT. and Minneapolis all hit the mark.
Further research revealed that Midwest cities were vibrant while coastal cities were generally overgrown. In comparing their criteria with the list of potential cities, the LaBalmes slowly hit various roadblocks, making each option literally fall off the map. Asheville housing was already too pricey. Although they preferred a university town with four seasons, Burlington was too small. Minneapolis had a public school lottery which was out of the question. Portland, while culturally rich, had higher real estate prices and public schools that did not measure up.
The Big Collective HopePittsburgh met the baseline criteria and a first visit to our fair city sealed the deal. In September of 2006 Elaine visited Pittsburgh on assignment for her “Travel with Kids” column at
Sallys-place.com. In one week, she fell in love. She still revels in the skyline view of the golden triangle. Fen grew up here, but his family moved when he was fourteen and he never looked back. After living in Boston and San Francisco, Pittsburgh was simply not an option. It took Elaine’s thorough research and new found passion about “the ‘burgh” to convince him otherwise.
On their first visit to Pittsburgh, Elaine and Steven discovered The Children’s Museum, rode the incline, and visited The Carnegie Science Center – which they find far better than theirs at home. Coming from San Francisco, they are charmed and comforted by our hills. They see
Pittsburgh’s kid-filled yards as magical. Something about the subtle “Mayberry” aspect of our city drew them in. San Francisco, (California in general) is full of transplants and transients, and the LaBalmes were aware of the undercurrent there of people “just passing through” who don’t create lasting relationships. Here, they were greeted with small town kindness – thoughtful and sincere – which instantly gave them the secure feeling of comfort and familiarity.
Cold hard facts supported their warm and fuzzies. Fen recalls how a friend in San Francisco paid $185,000 for one parking space. He jokes that for a bit more he and Elaine got a two-car garage and a house to go with it (yard and all), in Pittsburgh. Fen, who recalls when Pittsburgh proudly wore its reputation as a dirty, smoky city during the industrial revolution, was thrilled to discover that we now boast being green. (The city of Pittsburgh is home to 21 LEED-certified buildings, ranking it third in the nation.) Elaine loves the $6 cost of Pirates tickets and riding the trolley to the games. Pittsburgh’s parking tickets are much cheaper too!
The LaBalmes were drawn to Mt. Lebanon by the affordable and charming old homes, walking up-town district, neighborhood schools, and top-notch public education. The district has won multiple National Blue Ribbon School awards, was rated #1 in Western Pennsylvania in 2005 by the Pittsburgh Business Times, and routinely has higher standardized test scores than many others in near-urban areas.
“Steven has really taken to it,” boasts Elaine. “He has only a block to walk to school and his best friend lives just across the street. He has
discovered ice skating, and with that…. hockey!” The adults are settled here as well. They recall their arrival when various neighbors brought food to welcome them. The local pharmacist knows them by name and the bread store stocks their favorite muffins. Elaine grins when she thinks of the bright eyes, energy and enthusiasm of the teaching staff at Foster Elementary School.
Overall, the LaBalmes see Pittsburgh as a city rich with hope. Fen has started a local chapter of “The Grateful Dads,”
gratefuldads.com, an outdoor enthusiasts group for fathers and sons. Elaine’s interests range from personal to political. She has honed her food critic skills by organizing a neighborhood Ladies Night Out group and started the blog,
MamasForObama.net, in hopes of getting her candidate elected.
They are excited to be here now, when the prospect of moving forward is great. The LaBalmes believe Pittsburgh is on the precipice of growth for families, parks, schools and services….a place for young people to shine and stake a claim. Fen says, “Pittsburgh is bullish on bringing in energy – people energy.”
Sure, they miss a few things about San Francisco, like their friends, ethnic food options, and being able to buy wine and beer in the grocery store, but the warmth of our people has exceeded their expectations and they see themselves staying in Pittsburgh for the long haul.
Beth Evans is a freelance writer living in Mt. Lebanon.
Photographs of Elaine, Fen, and Steven LaBalme copyright Brian Cohen