Stereotypes – both good and bad – have etched a place in our culture, even if we might not want to admit it. Those of us who live in Pittsburgh know our city and the people well but those who do not live here or who have never visited may have negative stereotypes of Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers. Here are eight wrong Pittsburgh stereotypes (plus one really positive one for good measure):
- Pittsburgh is dirty…
Flickr/brian donovan Maybe once upon a time when the steel mills reigned, Pittsburgh’s air was thick with dust but today – well, just check out the photo above to see how spectacular our city looks in the 21st century.
- And a blue collar city where…
Flickr/Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Where Pittsburgh was once a predominately blue collar city, today it is a melting pot of cultures, blue collar and white collar workers, artists, writers, tech geniuses, medical innovators, and so on.
- Everyone loves sports…
Flickr/Via Tsuji It’s hard to believe, yes, but some Pittsburghers do not love sports. They don’t stay home on Sundays to watch the Steelers or flood downtown to cheer on the Pens after their Stanley Cup victory. It’s not a bad stereotype – just not a 100 percent accurate one.
- Goes to Pitt or Penn State…
Flickr/Heather Paul To some out-of-staters, the only two universities we can attend in the state are Pitt or Penn State. Yet, Pittsburgh is home to a whole range of colleges and universities – Point Park University, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh to name just a few.
- Identifies as conservative…
Flickr/DonkeyHotey Pittsburgh has a healthy mix of conservatives and liberals but it did make the 19th spot on the list of most liberal cities in the United States in 2014, which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited.
- And can’t drive very well…
Flickr/Kordite Well…we might not be perfect drivers but we’re not that bad, right?
- Pittsburghers top their pasta with – wait for it – ketchup…
Flickr/Antti T. Nissinen The way some people talk you’d think that all the Italian restaurants in the city serve pasta topped with ketchup instead of marinara, Alfredo, and other popular pasta sauces. How many of us have actually seen someone eating pasta with ketchup?
- Can’t stand people from Philly and…
Flickr/Keith Allison Sure, there’s a pretty fierce interstate rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philly sports fans’ but can’t stand them? Nothing could be further from the truth. A little interstate rivalry just spices things up.
- Overall, are generally pretty friendly and welcoming…
Flickr/Amphis d’@illeurs This is one stereotype that definitely falls into the column of truth and that’s why it’s not counted in our eight wrong Pittsburgh stereotypes. We’re a pretty friendly and welcoming city. In fact, sometimes a simple smile at the bus stop or sitting on a bench will lead to a long conversation between strangers who quickly become friends.
Do you agree that these are eight wrong Pittsburgh stereotypes? Are there any that are missing from the list? Let us know in the comments!
Flickr/brian donovan
Maybe once upon a time when the steel mills reigned, Pittsburgh’s air was thick with dust but today – well, just check out the photo above to see how spectacular our city looks in the 21st century.
Flickr/Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Where Pittsburgh was once a predominately blue collar city, today it is a melting pot of cultures, blue collar and white collar workers, artists, writers, tech geniuses, medical innovators, and so on.
Flickr/Via Tsuji
It’s hard to believe, yes, but some Pittsburghers do not love sports. They don’t stay home on Sundays to watch the Steelers or flood downtown to cheer on the Pens after their Stanley Cup victory. It’s not a bad stereotype – just not a 100 percent accurate one.
Flickr/Heather Paul
To some out-of-staters, the only two universities we can attend in the state are Pitt or Penn State. Yet, Pittsburgh is home to a whole range of colleges and universities – Point Park University, Carnegie Mellon University, and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh to name just a few.
Flickr/DonkeyHotey
Pittsburgh has a healthy mix of conservatives and liberals but it did make the 19th spot on the list of most liberal cities in the United States in 2014, which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited.
Flickr/Kordite
Well…we might not be perfect drivers but we’re not that bad, right?
Flickr/Antti T. Nissinen
The way some people talk you’d think that all the Italian restaurants in the city serve pasta topped with ketchup instead of marinara, Alfredo, and other popular pasta sauces. How many of us have actually seen someone eating pasta with ketchup?
Flickr/Keith Allison
Sure, there’s a pretty fierce interstate rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philly sports fans’ but can’t stand them? Nothing could be further from the truth. A little interstate rivalry just spices things up.
Flickr/Amphis d’@illeurs
This is one stereotype that definitely falls into the column of truth and that’s why it’s not counted in our eight wrong Pittsburgh stereotypes. We’re a pretty friendly and welcoming city. In fact, sometimes a simple smile at the bus stop or sitting on a bench will lead to a long conversation between strangers who quickly become friends.
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