Pennsylvania's city of Pittsburgh is emerging as a lifestyle and culinary destination in the U.S. Various media has acknowledged the city for having an improving landscape of tourism, especially in the youth-driven food and beverage industry.
The New York Times' Jeff Gordinier reported extensively on the city's booming youth-driven food. "Ford decades, Pittsburgh was hardly seen as a beacon of innovative cuisine or a magnet for the young. It was the once-glorious metropolis that young people fled from after the shuttering of the steel mills in the early 1980s led to a mass exodus and a stark decline," he wrote.
But everything's different now, as more and more people, especially young people, are swarming the city to enjoy various attractions that it has now. A combination of cheap rent and a voracious appetite for culture have attracted people, especially artists. Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Uber also taps in for local tech talent. It's also the factor of the cheap rent that also inspired chefs to pursue their own projects, leading to the spurring of culinary in the area.
Pittsburgh's mayor Bill Peduto acknowledges the food boom to have played a pivotal role in restoring neighborhoods, evidence of an "entrepreneurial attitude throughout the city." The mayor is determined to improve and replenish his city. As he puts it, "We had to reinvent ourselves."
Other media has also cherished the city as a new food and lifestyle destination. According to Next Pittsburgh, in the past four months alone, the city has racked up a significant number of national media accolades, including The New York Times reporting itself. Restaurant survey service Zagat mentioned Pittsburgh as no. 1 food city. Food travel publication Saveur named the city as a "beer and spirits destination". Lifestyle magazine and publication Vogue also emphasized that "Pittsburgh is not just a place to visit - increasingly, people, especially New Yorkers, are toying with the idea of moving here."
The momentum is also being supported by initiatives from local organizations and authorities. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported about a program launched by The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP), a funding program with grants up to $10,000 for small businesses. The BetaBurgh grants have just selected four projects to be awarded the funding.
Pittsburgh's emergence as a happening city in food and lifestyle, especially for youths, is widely supported by the government as well as local organizations. The food and lifestyle sector has been booming and improving as more youth swarmed the city to pursue personal projects, encouraged by the city's cheap rent.
Join the Conversation