During the Great Migration, a number of roads led to Pittsburgh. Before that, the city was perched on the edge of a great frontier. As the Rooneys recently reminded us, the region was the gateway to the West. Pittsburgh was built on the backs of immigrants.
For most of its past, the road has been very good to Pittsburgh. But moving is in the blood of its citizens. What attracted people to Pittsburgh would eventually lure them away from home, again.
Pittsburgh should celebrate this tradition, just as Fayette County is embracing its place in history along the National Road. Ex-Pittsburghers honor the frontier experience in Charlotte, Phoenix, and Tampa Bay. These new digs and new opportunities are a hyphenated identity. The Western Pennsylvanian is a traveller, taking Pittsburgh with them wherever they go.
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