Is Beaver County good area to raise kids? (Pittsburgh, Butler: rental homes, crime)

[nikicole134]

looking to move to Brighton township.....anyone have any info on this area?
Schools? Community? Shopping? We are from Buffalo, NY and would love any information about this area you can provide....

[Katiana]

Why are you moving there? Not to be snide, just want to know. There is a small mall near there called Beaver Valley Mall. I grew up in Beaver Co., haven't lived there for years. Can't really speak to the schools, community, etc.

[nikicole134]

My husband was offered a position in Pittsburg. We found a house we really like but wanted to know about the area before moving ahead....do you know anything about the area now? Is it a safe community, near attractions, perhaps a park?

[nikicole134]

We are being relocated to the pittsburgh "Region" for work. I don't have a specific reason for that particular location other than one of the houses we like is there. We are trying to discover which suburbs/towns are favorable.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by nikicole134

My husband was offered a position in Pittsburg. We found a house we really like but wanted to know about the area before moving ahead....do you know anything about the area now? Is it a safe community, near attractions, perhaps a park?

I don't know much about what's happening now. It's safe, the whole area is safe with some pockets of crime (not there). The "attractions" are mostly in Pittsburgh: sports, museums, etc. Don't know about the parks, you could try google and google maps for more info.

[retej2261]

Brighton Township is a safe place to live and it neighbors Route 60, which is our expressway - so you would have easy access to the Pittsburgh Airport and downtown area. (Probably about a 45 minute drive on a lite traffic day into downtown.)

As far as shopping, the Beaver Valley Mall is about 5 minutes from Brighton - again, via Rt. 60, in a town called Monaca. It's a small mall with a Macy's, Sears, JCPenney, Dick's and Boscov's and about 20 other shops. The area surrounding the mall includes a Target, Super Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Marshall's and other shops/restaurants. They are constantly building something in the area, so I imagine more and more stores will keep coming. Also, Brighton Township neighbors the town of Beaver, which has a lot of cute main street shops and a few eateries. Beaver has a nice gazebo park and a few fast food restaurants as well.

Don't know too much about the schools except that Brighton Twp residents attend the Beaver School District. I am sure you could visit the district's website for more info.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions - I have family that lives in Brighton Twp., so I am fairly familiar.

Good Luck!

[nikicole134]

Thank you for the information...it is very helpful!!! Coming from Buffalo we do not know what areas are good to raise a family, so we are relying on this site to help us out....you all seem to have alot of information!! Please keep it coming! We do not necessarily have to live in Brighton Twp...my husband can live anywhere in the Pittsburg surrounding areas. He will not be working in the city, he will be traveling around the area to various locations. We just found a home we really like there. Now we just need to put in a bid!...and to find some friends!!!

[debischlabach]

I grew up in Beaver County and loved it. I grew up in Conway (Freedom school district - one of the best in the county - small school). Beaver County as a whole is nice, although a little run-down. It still has that blue-collar feel to it. The people are incredibly friendly and the housing costs are much more affordable than, say, Allegheny county. You get A LOT more house for your money. Some of the nicer areas w/good school districts would be: Chippewa/Darlington/Patterson Heights (Blackhawk schools - this MAY include Brighton Twp.), Beaver (Beaver schools - also, may include Brighton Twp.), New Sewickley/Conway (Freedom schools - very rural, but very close to Cranberry, which has TONS of shopping), Center (Center schools - I'm not completely familiar with this area, but this is where the mall is located and the schools are good). In my opinion, you want to stay away from these areas/schools:

- Beaver Falls
- Aliquippa
- Rochester
- Ambridge
- New Brighton (at least when I was in school 10 years ago)

Another option for you to consider, if you can afford a little more in housing, then you should look in Butler county...near Cranberry. The area near Cranberry has a COMPLETELY different feel than Beaver County. It is a growing community with lots of shops. It's pretty busy, but the areas around it are nice. Some nice areas are: Mars, Treesdale, Gibsonia, Wexford, Seven Fields, Hampton...the list goes on and on. Some of these places run into Allegheny county...and most of them are upscale and somewhat pricey. But, my mom has friends who live in these areas and they are, by no means, wealthy. They are normal families. The upside to living in the Cranberry/Wexford area is that the commute to Pittsburgh is cut in half and the quality of life is better...I think. If we move back, which we are hoping to do this year, then we are going to look in the Wexford area, even though it's a little more expensive. It's just a nicer area. Beaver County is still nice...in it's own way, but it's not really growing. There aren't any major parks either, except for Racoon State Park. I don't recall what's there though. I think I can really help you out, but it's hard to get it all down on one post. :-) So, if you'd like to exchange e-mails somehow let me know. My entire family is still in Beaver County, so I'm there constantly. :-) It's home. :-) Oh, by the way...prepare to become a Steelers fan!!!! :-) If you're a Bills fan...good luck! LOL!! Pittsburgh is a football city (all sports, actually!), that's for sure...and we are proud of it!!! Let me know if I can help you out anymore...I'd be more than happy.

[Katiana]

Note: Blackhawk schools do not include Brighton Twp. Just FYI.

[toprebrokr]

I was just looking thru the internet for homes wanted and I found this site and your posting. I was born in Beaver County, but moved to California 40 yrs when I was just 11 yrs old. My husband and I are RE brokers in Calif, but we were looking for a good place to buy investment property to retire on. I have a lot of family in Beaver CO., so it made sense to come back here. We have been buying rental homes here for 2 yrs, but we actually moved back here in January. Having been in the RE business for so many yrs, and having just gone thru a big move myself, I would really recommend that you move here first into a rental home, even if for only 6 mo., and really get to know the area before buying. The county overall is a great place to live and raise kids, but some school dist are MUCH better than others, and the proximity of entertainment and ammenities varies greatly! Also, Beaver Co, has MUCH better property tax rates than Allegheny Co., but there is a vast range between cities within the county, because some have much higher school taxes, so you will want to watch out for that. My husband and I have really gotten to know all of the school dist., and distances to just about everything, and would be happy to help you get familiar with all areas before you have to make a final decission. Even though we are not Realtors here in PA, we have been helping people relocate and find new homes for about 28 yrs, so it is just in our blood:-) Good luck on whatever you decide, and feel free to contact us if you want some help! Laurie