Carnegie Mellon University
- Local Atmosphere

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Carnegie Mellon University - Local Atmosphere - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.24

Local Atmosphere

Quick Stats

Fun Local Trivia
  1. The Duquesne Incline and the Monongahela Incline are cable cars that run up the side of Mt. Washington and provide riders with a fantastic view of the city.
  2. If you like nice stadiums, Pittsburgh has two of them. Both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Steelers have two state-of-the-art facilities on the North Shore.
  3. In addition to being called one of America’s most livable cities, Pittsburgh is also known as the City of Champions, thanks to its legendary sports teams.
  4. The Mothman Prophecies, Dogma, Silence of the Lambs, The Wonder Boys, Kingpin, Night of the Living Dead, Inspector Gadget, Smart People, Adventureland, and many more movies were filmed here.
  5. Pittsburgh is a beer town. Home to a number of breweries, the city makes its local favorite, Iron City, right here.
Notable Natives
  • Christina Aguilera
  • George Benson
  • Rachel Carson
  • Perry Como
  • Stephen Foster
  • Jeff Goldblum
  • Ahmad Jamal
  • Michael Keaton
  • Gene Kelly
  • Henry Mancini
  • Dennis Miller
  • Mr. Rogers
  • Gertrude Stein
  • Andy Warhol
  • August Wilson
Local Slang
  • Gumband: Rubber band
  • Pop: What a Pittsburgher calls soda
  • Redd up: Clean up
  • Yinz/yunz: Rumored to have originated from "you ones"; similar meaning as "y’all"
Points of Interest
  • The Andy Warhol Museum
  • Carnegie Museum of Art
  • Consol Energy Center
  • Heinz Field
  • Kennywood Park
  • The Mattress Factory
  • Mr. Small's (concert venue)
  • Oakland
  • PNC Park
  • Point State Park (The Point)
  • Schenley Park
  • Shadyside (Walnut Street)
  • South Side (Carson Street)
  • Squirrel Hill (Murray Avenue)
  • Stage AE
  • The Waterfront

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

While officially located in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Oakland, Carnegie Mellon is in fact bordered by three very different local neighborhoods and is a short bus or cab ride away from dozens more. Oakland is sort of known as the "college neighborhood," at the center of which are Forbes and Fifth avenues. Oakland stays awake until the wee hours of the morning to cater to the thousands of college students that spill onto the streets at around 2 a.m., after the parties are broken up, and the bars are closed. Shadyside is the more residential of the three neighborhoods bordering Carnegie Mellon's campus. Take a 15- or 20-minute walk down Fifth Avenue, and you arrive at Walnut Street, which is a popular section of Shadyside among CMU students. During the day, students frequent the mix of middle- and upper-class shops, like J.Crew, Banana Republic, Gap, American Apparel, Coach, and more. At night, Walnut Street turns into an entertaining, yet relatively laid-back environment—the bars open, and some restaurants transform into bars peppered with CMU students (and the residents of Shadyside, who range from mid-20s to those creepy old men that love to buy students drinks). 

If you are looking to get most of your daily shopping and chores done, it's best to make the quick trip on a 61 bus up to Squirrel Hill. Located just up Forbes Avenue,  this is the place to find record shops, ice cream and frozen yogurt shops, the grocery store, and more! While Pittsburgh has dozens of other interesting neighborhoods, some CMU students manage to live four years without leaving these main three.

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Carnegie Mellon Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Carnegie Mellon University

Anonymous

Carnegie Mellon University Student

4.2
A-

Not a Big City but Plenty Stuffs Around

Pittsburgh is not a very big city but you have lots of stuff around to do and go about.CMU may not be a partying college but you would have lots of opportunities for free food and some parties here and there.Pretty helpful and cordial atmosphere out here.

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Local Atmosphere at Carnegie Mellon University

kshark

Mechanical Engineering '15

3.8
B+

Pittsburgh

People say there isn't much to do here, but I have found plenty! Visiting all the museums at least once is completely worth it, since it is free with a CMU ID. Plus there is ice skating in the winter and plenty of places to go shopping and such.

Apr 03, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Carnegie Mellon University

Kd93k5

Information Technology '15

3.1
B-

I Mean, It's Pittsburgh

If you try hard enough you can find stuff to do, but the nightlife isn't that great, and there isn't that much variety.

Apr 03, 2012

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User rating for Carnegie Mellon University - Local Atmosphere is 3.5 out of 5 based on 54 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Monroeville Mall
  • Ross Park Mall
  • Southside Works
  • The Waterfront
Major Sports Teams
  • Pittsburgh Penguins: NHL
  • Pittsburgh Pirates: MLB
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: NFL
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Baltimore: : 4 hours
  • Cleveland: : 2 hours, 30 minutes
  • Washington, D.C.: : 4 hours
Did You Know?
  • Pittsburgh is actually comprised of 89 different neighborhoods, so there is no possible way to ever be bored when going to school at CMU, unless you just aren't getting out there.
  • You can drive around Pittsburgh by signing up with Zipcar. For a $60 annual fee, plus hourly rates for whenever you actually use the car, you can reserve a Zipcar from different places around the city. There are understandably lower rates during the week and higher rates on weekends, but it can be extremely convenient when you simply need to drive some place and don't want to spend money on a taxi. There is one Zipcar port in CMU's East Campus Garage and another just down Forbes Avenue.

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

AMC Loews Waterfront 22
300 W. Waterfront Drive
Homestead
(412) 462-6550

Cinemagic Manor Theatre
1729 Murray Ave.
Squirrel Hill
(412) 422-9851

SouthSide Works Cinema
425 Cinema Drive
South Side
(412) 381-1681

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Raina Bradford-Jennings
Hometown
Brookfield, CT
Major
Professional Writing
Grad Year
2014

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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