The perception of Pittsburgh as a tired rust belt city, without much going for it, lingers. Even those who have relocated here say they had this impression before they saw it for themselves.
Garfield is almost invisible. Many people do not know it at all. It is not marked nor it is signposted. There is little media coverage of the neighborhood, good or bad. Buses travel along the edge of the neighborhood, Penn Avenue and bus drivers don’t know where it is either. There are no suggested bike routes through Garfield on Pittsburgh’s bike map and driving through the neighborhood is a detour. It is not a destination nor is it a through route. If someone does know of Garfield, they perceive it as a dangerous place.