Pittsburgh usually fares well on lists not because of its superlatives but because of what it lacks. Back in the 80's Pittsburgh was always near the top of the Places Rated Almanac and was the champion in 1985 and again in 2007. In the 1985 rankings, Pittsburgh didn't excel in any one of the metric but avoided the negatives -- notably crime and cost of living.
I was born there and spent my youth in the 'Burg. As far as the weather is concerned, the only real downside as cited in the Almanac was the number of cloudy days. They (Rand McNally) applied positive points for regions with a lot of sunshine.
s/Burg/Burgh/ ...as one who knows just how important that trailing 'h' is!
Lots of people back there complain of SAD’s.(Seasonal Affective Disorder)
It never bugged me.
Honestly? Texas Sun takes the tar out of me.
I agree. The metrics are suspicious. The only thing that is questionable about the weather safety is the “grey” in winter. Maybe it is better that people don’t know.