As some of you may know, I posted a survey on my Facebook page about Pittsburgh and its attractions. Besides some standard demographic question, I also asked people what they like most/least about Pittsburgh and about some of the more popular things to do here. After 25 respondents, I took the answers and made some pretty little charts and graphs to better visualize everything. People were allowed to pick more than one answer for most questions so a lot of answers add up to more than 25. Hopefully this gives me a better understanding of my readership and some ideas for future blog topics (which I am ALWAYS open to).
As far as demographics go, most people (16 out of 25) who answered were in the 18-25 age range, with 7 in the 26-35 range, and 1 each in the 36-45 and 46-55 ranges. I didn’t bother making a chart for the gender responses since they were pretty much equal: 13 respondents were female and 12 were male. The same applied for a question asking if the person was currently a college student: 13 said no, while 12 said yes.
Click the map for actual, useful information!
I also asked people what areas of Pittsburgh they lived in, such as Downtown or the East End, and plotted them on this map (click on the image to see the interactive Google map). Important note: I didn’t ask for exact locations so the pins on the map represent the area, not that specific point, where someone is located. The number of people that responded for each location can be seen on a list on the left or by clicking on a pin. Four people were not from Pittsburgh (come on, yinz guys!) and their locations are plotted too. Most people were from the eastern areas of Pittsburgh, with, surprisingly, no one from the western side.
Not surprisingly, people said they liked the sports teams and parks and rivers the most, two prominent features of Pittsburgh, with restaurants and people rounding out the top 4. Some of the other answers written in were the geography, topography, history, location, walking distance, architecture and skyline. All super great stuff!
As for what they like least about Pittsburgh, almost everyone said the weather and traffic, which is a shock to absolutely no one. I’m a little sad that someone said what they like least is the people. We love you, Mr. Grinch, whoever you are! One person said the construction is their least favorite thing (can’t argue with that) and the person from Durham said the fact that it’s 8 hours away. Good point.
Expectedly, the Steelers were most people’s favorite professional sports team in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins and Pirates sharing second place.
The neighborhood love was pretty evenly spread out, with Squirrel Hill getting the most mentions. Someone (who lived Downtown) answered Station Square too but poor Bloomfield got nothing! Not sure what that’s about because Bloomfield is awesome, especially for Little Italy Days.
Now onto the really good questions: Most people thought riding the incline, eating at Primanti’s, and going to the Strip District on a Saturday morning were musts for Pittsburgh visitors, and rightfully so. In terms of quintessential Pittsburgh-y things, those three (along with sporting events, which ranked 4th) are pretty indisputable. As for the other options, people said the bookstores, Phipps Conservatory, the Ducky Tour, and taking people Downtown to show them all the buildings.
Lastly, in a question semi-related to the previous one, the Warhol Museum came out the clear winner. Phipps, the Cathedral of Learning, the Heinz History Center, and attending a Penguins game rounded out the top 5. Three wonderful Pittsburghers had done everything on the list and I want to shake their hands. Other great suggestions were kayaking downtown and spending a spring day at Hartwood Acres. But wait, no one’s been dying to go to a Pirates game??? Maybe next year, Buccos.
Overall, this survey gave me some great ideas. The Warhol, Phipps, and the Strip District are definitely higher up on my list of places to check out, with maybe some more activities aimed at students. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Pittsburgh Staycation 