Moving to Pittsburgh

Pittsburghers take great pride in their city – and have from the day French settlers staked claim to the land because of its excellent trading location. When the industrial revolution came around, workers and steel magnates alike touted the ease of shipping supplies to Pittsburgh. Today, Pittsburghers beam when they exit the Fort Pitt Tunnel on U.S. 19 and see their city’s
skyline shine.

It all has to do with the convergence of three rivers: the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela. This confluence provided plentiful food for early Americans, a trading route to other states, and an easy supply chain from West Virginia coal mines. Boats still chart this path, giving it the name the “Golden Triangle.”

The rivers may be a spectacle to look at and useful in many ways, but rivers and hills can make any area a tough place to navigate. Pittsburghers knew this, however, even back at the city’s founding. Starting with stone, and soon turning to steel, Pittsburgh built 446 bridges to help its citizens get around. That’s more bridges than Venice, Italy.

If you want an affordable way to reinvent yourself, moving to Pittsburgh is a good choice. Ranked No. 45 out of America’s top 100 places to live by Livability, Pittsburgh continues to evolve. The Steel City began as a blue-collar town in the heart of Allegheny County, exporting - you guessed it – steel. Today, Pittsburgh is much more than steel and manufacturing. Burgeoning technology, robotics and healthcare sectors with companies like Duolingo, ESTAT Actuation and Viatris are a testament to the city’s ongoing reinvention.

Even with such growth and reinvention, Pittsburgh is still one of the less expensive U.S. cities to live in, with a cost of living less than Pennsylvania’s overall rating, according to Sperling’s Best Places. Pittsburgh’s average housing cost is less expensive than the rest of Pennsylvania’s – including Philadelphia – with a median value of $125,000. The average rate of natural gas and electricity is competitive with the national average, and homeowners can find the plan that works best for them by comparing energy rates and switching natural gas and electricity suppliers.

Pennsylvania is an Energy Choice state, which means you get to choose the company that supplies electricity and natural gas to your home. The process of generation, supply, and management is done by three separate companies:

Your supplier buys energy wholesale from generators and sells that energy to the consumer through fixed and variable rate plans. Fixed rate plans provide a consistent monthly rate throughout the course of a contract, while a variable rate can fluctuate month to month, rising and falling with the market. You can also find suppliers that purchase electricity from clean or renewable energy sources.

Electricity rates in Pittsburgh for homeowners average about 11 cents per kWh, which is 3.7% less than the national average of 12 cents per kWh. At $107 a month, you’ll tell your friends, “The average electric bill in Pittsburgh, Pa. is a-Okay!” If you’re moving your business to the Steel City, the mean commercial electricity rate is only 4 cents per kWh, over 60% less than the national average rate of 10 cents per kWh. With a good plan, however, your rate could be even lower.

Once you’ve chosen a plan, your new supplier will work with your utility company to make the switch. The primary electric utility company in Pittsburgh is Duquesne Light. Natural gas utility companies include Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Peoples Natural Gas, and Peoples Natural Gas - Equitable Division.

After picking a supplier, you’ll need to complete a few other steps before packing up the van for the Steel City. These five steps will save you five headaches down the road, especially on move-in day.

1. Inform your insurance provider: Before making the final move, make sure your insurance provider knows you are moving so they can help you find new policies should you need them. This step is especially important if you’re moving into the state for the first time.
2. Set up energy services: Make sure you set up service with your utility company before moving so you can turn on the lights when you reach your new home. If moving in the winter, you’ll want your home to be warm upon stepping through the door. Setting up is as easy as choosing a supplier and enrolling online or by phone.
3. Change your mailing address: Many homeowners forget to change their home address on sites such as Amazon, Zappos, and even Doordash. Soon enough, these homeowners find themselves giving a treat-yourself item to the next person living in their old home. You’ll want to change your address about a week in advance in case you order
   something for quick delivery at your old home and it doesn’t arrive in time. You wouldn’t want to worry about someone else’s expensive shoes arriving on your doorstep, so don’t make a hassle for the next homeowner.
4. Connect your Wi-Fi: After a long day of unpacking, you’ll want to turn on the TV and relax. Make sure there’s something you can watch by setting up internet and cable beforehand to access your media. Wi-Fi can be set up similarly to other utilities online or over the phone.
5. Landmark your necessities: To feel more at home and save you time, find the places that have the necessities. You’ll need to know where the nearest grocery store, car repair shop, gas station, and hospital are located. You’ll save precious time that might otherwise go wasted if you have to search on your phone with bad Wi-Fi or driving around aimlessly.

When Pittsburghers come home, they love to use the Fort Pitt Tunnel on the city’s west side. Once you emerge, the skyline looks magnificent, giving you the best view of the Steel City. To appreciate the skyline even more, check out these area attractions

Pittsburgh’s rise to fame during the industrial revolution and revival in the 2010s gives the Steel City its unique history and infrastructure. Here are some of the more interesting ways Pittsburgh developed.