Pittsburgh Attracting More College Graduates
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There was a time in Pittsburgh when young people moved out of the city, in droves.
Now though, it appears young people are staying put and more college grads are actually moving here from other places.
It used to be that after graduation, Carnegie Mellon University students would fan out to either coast in pursuit of their careers.
But a new study shows that more and more homegrown graduates are staying put and New York transplants, like chemical engineering student Jonathan Goldman, are looking for jobs right here.
"If I can, I'd love to stay here rather than move to a big metropolitan area, like New York or one of the California-based areas," said Goldman.
The report called the "Young and Restless and the Nation's Cities" shows that Pittsburgh and other older industrial cities have become a magnet for young college graduates.
In the past decade, the number of young graduates living in the city has jumped from 99,000 to 127,000. Those 28,000 young grads represent a gain of 29 percent, which is a very healthy infusion of young blood making the city a more lively and vibrant place to live.
"We always say small town feel, big city amenities. Pro sports, the best arts, museums, and all of the outdoor activities you can imagine," said Dave Mawhinney, of Carnegie Mellon University.
CMU has spawned dozens of start-up tech companies and attracted the giant behemoths, creating opportunities computer and software engineers to choose Pittsburgh.
"Google and Apple and Disney and Intel, they want to tap in. They want to be part of the research as it's happening, and they want to hire the folks when they graduate," said Mawhinney. "But they're finding out that people want to stay here, so they're establishing presences here."
Young professionals are choosing to live in neighborhoods like Lawrenceville.
Hampton-native Daniel Gurwin moved Lawrenceville after graduating from Ohio State. He was drawn back to Pittsburgh for affordable housing and the opportunity of being a part of a city on the way up.
"There's space and there's also sort of an attitude that people want to help each other. They don't want to get one over on each other," said Gurwin.
So, the trend is a very positive one for Pittsburgh, a city that once lamented the loss of its young people has now become a magnet for new ones.
Click here to read the "Young and Restless and the Nation's Cities" report.
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