looking for a pgh. neighborhood.... (Pittsburgh, Slippery Rock: apartment, houses, neighborhoods)

[afewgoodcommunities]

Hello!

As my husband and I continue to consider eventually relocating from Northern VA, back to Pittsburgh (where I'm originally from), I'm trying to zero in on neighborhoods that fit our needs.

We're primarily looking for a neighborhood with progressivley minded folks. What I mean by that is people who realize that taking care of your property doesn't mean dumping pesticides all over the lawn. We want yards full of weeds, yet well maintained by trimming etc. People who are interested in growing their own food, keeping chickens etc., and taking care of it!

We want neighbors who communicate with each other and are involved in each other's lives to a reasonable degree (although, i'm sure you'll find this anywhere in pittsburgh to a higher degree than northern va)

We want houseprices somewhere around a comfy 175,000-200,000 level.

A yard of between .25 and 1 acre. Nothing huge, but definitely able to grow some of our own food.

A relatively unpolluted area. By clean, I don't neccesarily mean clean to the naked eye. I know that Pittsburgh has a rampant history of horrible pollution, and even though it's come SO FAR in cleaning up pretty much everything, I'm not sure how long that stuff sits in the soil and water leaching into our food if we would plant crops, or our feet if we would go for a swim in the local creek.

Although I think we would do well somewhere in the East End, I don't know where we would get a yard bigger than .12 acres there. Also, the amount of residual contaminants from Pgh.'s hayday as an indstrial mecca worries me. Any insights?


I am willing to go outside of Pittsburgh- even outside of the county. Are there any small towns surrounding the area. What about that swath of college towns that cuts though PA- slipppery rock, westminster, allegheny college, etc. Any of those towns sound like they might meet the above critera.

Then again, sometimes small town values can be much more "chem-lawn" oriented than cityfolks.


I appreicate your input!

[Jrn14]

You want a yard full of weeds in a non-polluted neighborhood....

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Jrn14

You want a yard full of weeds in a non-polluted neighborhood....

with chickens...

Stay outta my neighborhood.

[Aran]

You don't need a quarter acre or more to grow some of your own food. We have maybe 50 square feet of garden and grow more than we can eat ourselves before it starts going bad.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by Copanut

with chickens...

Stay outta my neighborhood.

LOL, a hired guy at the apartment building next to us once told me, "I livez in Garfield, they got city chickenz there".

[BrianTH]

In some of the City neighborhoods or immediately surrounding municipalities, you can find community gardens/farms which address the small lot size issue.

[fleetiebelle]

I know that someone was keeping goats in my neighborhood a few years back because they got loose and were running around the streets.

[greg42]

My yard is full of weeds and is 1/3 an acre. You can have it as is for about $120k. The neighbors, though, some of them like to keep their lawns nice with Scotts and ChemLawn. (The lawns on either side make mine look bad.) And I don't see them that often and wouldn't say we are involved in each others lives that much. It's more incidental than purposeful. I think you would put them right out with chickens!

Anyway, let's see. You don't say how big a house. Or mention children/schools. I'm guessing these aren't that big of a concern.

Pollution: You seem to be worried about polluted ground, etc. I can't think of too many residential places that are actually built on former industrial sites. (Summerset at Frick Park, that's one, but you wouldn't consider it anyway given the lot size and price.) Especially as you go farther outside the city and outside Allegheny County, and away from the river areas, most likely the houses are on what was farmland or other open land. In the city, the residential areas have mainly been that for many decades.

You are, with few exceptions, likely to have extremely different ways of operating if you choose a place like Slippery Rock, say, vs something in the East End. In the East End you can walk to businesses, etc. You won't get too much of that even in the downtowns of most outlying "towns", especially if you are pushing for the larger lot size. And yes, I suspect you'll get more ChemLawn out there than in some East End areas.

I think you should settle for smaller yard and look in the East End. Consider not having any grass/weed yard at all. What's the purpose of it if you don't keep it up as grass? Make it rocks, make it other sustainable plants. (There's a plant nursery in Squirrel Hill that sells only plants native to PA.) Unless you're thinking you're not going to venture into the city much (which, given some of your requests, seems unlikely to me; you sound like folks who are going to be interested in various amenities here), I don't think you'll be happy needing to drive 45-60 min to get there. That would negate any environmental aspects of your choices. There are lots of places to supplement your own growing with other local food: weekly farmers markets all over the city, East End Co-op, etc.

And you might have to give up on the chickens. Or maybe not, dunno. Go vegetarian, that would be better anyway.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

This may be the most bizarre thread I've seen on here so far.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

This may be the most bizarre thread I've seen on here so far.

Why (besides the use of the word "comfy," which I loathe)?