Oakland sits to the east of the Hill District in the City of Pittsburgh, and is the third largest employment center in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh.  There are over 100,000 people there daily – as students, employees, residents, and visitors to the universities, hospitals and many cultural amenities that Oakland has to offer.  While “meds and eds” are a big draw for this Pittsburgh community, Oakland has so much more to offer. 

Oakland is home to high-tech research companies and as a Keystone Innovation Zone, technology students will be nourished to develop into full-fledged companies.  In addition to the high-tech field, Oakland is home to a variety of businesses ranging from small start-up firms of one and two employees to larger companies like RAND Corporation, an international non-partisan think tank. 

The business community and property owners are very forward-thinking – they have to be to meet the demand of college students, one of the most sophisticated consumer markets out there!  Oakland certainly has the population, but the challenge for businesses is to effectively market themselves to these target populations to get them in the door.  High real estate costs in the neighborhood mean that retail businesses must be savvy and must adapt quickly to meet demand just to stay in business, meaning that “junky” retail stores will not survive Oakland.

Oakland’s neon district has resulted from the need for storeowners to change their façades along the sidewalks of Fifth and Forbes Avenues, a virtual highway traveling through the heart of Oakland.  Neon and 3D signs are a catchy way to allow visibility by both pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  Several restaurants that have joined the growing trend in Oakland are Joe Mama’s Italian Deluxe, Dave & Andy’s Ice Cream, The Original Hot Dog Shop, Fuel & Fuddle, and Q’Doba’s Mexican Restaurant.

Oakland is the cultural center of Pittsburgh with a huge focus on the arts and a large number of international residents.  Over 20 ethnic restaurants offer international foods ranging from Thai, African, Vegan, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Greek, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Korean, and serve as not only places to eat for Oakland employees and students, but as community meeting places for international residents far from home.  Over 17 houses of worship serve Christian, Greek Orthodox, and Islamic religions, including the only Muslim Mosque in the city.  Terina Hicks of the Oakland BID sees Oakland as a big melting pot as a result of so many cultures coming together in one neighborhood.  “There’s just so much to offer everyone!”

Families and residents in Oakland love that they can walk to anything and everything – museums, schools, shops, work, hospitals, parks – and since Oakland is a major transportation hub of the region they can get anywhere without needing a car, making it a true urban environment.

The challenge, according to Georgia Petropoulos, Executive Director of the Oakland BID, is to get more adults to see Oakland, not just as a college town, but as a great place for all.  She thinks that many adults remember Oakland from their days as a student there and have kept those same perceptions without realizing the tremendous amount of amenities offered to people of all ages.  She feels that “Oakland is all to all people”.  While it is a place for more than just college students, the universities contribute by producing many of the future artists, medical practitioners, doctors, and entrepreneurs that live and work in Oakland”.  If you were a college student in Oakland or experienced the neighborhood many years ago, it is time to go back and get the whole experience!

Links

Oakland Business Improvement District (OBID)

Oakland Planning & Development Corp. (OPDC)

Cool Space Award Winners

Hillel Jewish University Center (2005)

Miller, Werrin & Gruendel Dentist Offices (2005)

Forbes Avenue

The "O"

Joe Mamas Italian Deluxe

Fifth Avenue