Better here, because it was never great?

This article, from the New York Times, caught my eye this morning. At first, it made me want to give myself a high five for moving back here during these Woeful Economic Times. But is Pittsburgh really safe(r) from recession, unemployment, downsizing, and foreclosures? Or were Yinzers never greedy enough (or ambitious enough) to buy into the artificially inflated economy? And why does everybody outside of this region seemed obsessed with continuing to label us as the Steel City? It's been ages since that was a reality - by the time I got out of diapers, the Burgh was already being nominated as most livable city.

The truth is, things are still rocky here - even the sturdy university and healthcare sectors are laying off workers, or at least in the case of Pitt, instituting hiring freezes - but it doesn't feel as bad to fall, because we aren't falling very far. I think people like to romanticize Pittsburgh's steel history, but even though that era is long gone, remnants are every where, from the broken down towns along the Mon, to the smokestacks that tower over the Waterfront shopping development. Maybe once you suffer an economic collapse that great, it makes sense not to aim too high. Maybe the whole country could benefit from this lesson.