11 Reasons Why People From Pittsburgh Are Unbelievably Tough

We Pittsburghers don't let anything get us down. Sure, Pittsburgh has faced adversity and tragedy - what city hasn't? - but somehow we always rebound, coming back stronger than ever before. Here are just 11 reasons Pittsburghers are tough.

1. Pittsburghers were made tough. After all, our ancestors who survived the Great St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936 taught us that the old saying what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger is 100 percent true.

2. We’ve faced tornados, blizzards, and floods yet always come back stronger and better than before.

3. The steel mills shut down but that didn’t bring Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers down. Instead, the city transformed from a steel town to a town known for its medical and technical innovation.

4. As kids we went to school even as a foot of snow sat on the ground and snow kept falling. School was never canceled back then and that means…

5. We know how to survive in the coldest, harshest winters while still maintaining our sense of humor.

6. And, as kids we didn’t have air conditioning in school and some schools didn’t allow shorts to help us stay cool. That means…

7. The suffocating temperatures and unbearable humidity of summer doesn’t keep us locked indoors in air conditioning now. In fact, we embrace those hot summer days.

8. Many of us grew up without the benefit of smartphones, the internet, and social media. We used the card catalog instead of Google, maps instead of GPS, and played for hours outside in the summer instead of on computers.

9. Our toughness comes from our patience, learned in part by sitting in front of the Squirrel Hill Tunnels, sometimes on a daily basis, and from…

10. Navigating the city and suburban streets during summer, the season of road construction.

11. Pittsburghers cheer for the home team – the Steelers, the Pens, and the Bucs – and still support their team, even in the wake of devastating losses because we knows there’s always next year.

Your turn! What are some of the reasons you think Pittsburghers are tough? Share below then check out the 17 reasons everyone should love Pittsburgh.