Pittsburgh visit, very disappointed (McKeesport, Wilkinsburg: crime rate, neighborhoods, live)

[Heit]

Originally Posted by Copanut

If that's your opinion of Pgh, I'd advise you to not move here.

I'll second that.

[Bazzwell]

Originally Posted by Copanut

If that's your opinion of Pgh, I'd advise you to not move here.

Yeah, I'll add my vote in for that thought. There's enough negative to go around.

Think of it this way......the baby might be ugly, the parents can call the baby ugly, but a complete stranger should never be so rude.

[KoobleKar]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

My first stop was Carnegie (pronounced carNEgie, inexplicably)

My favorite part!

Of course the people who LIVE there and in Pittsburgh, Andrew Carnegie's home town, are the ones who don't pronounce it correctly!?

[Copanut]

Yeah, like North Versailles an'at.

[groar]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

The pronunciation is pretty explicable. It's how Andrew Carnegie pronounced his name.

ha, i remember being surprised when my high school history teacher in connecticut pronounced carnegie's name that way. now it's totally ingrained in me. i even call carnegie hall in nyc carneggy hall.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

I said, okay, lets look at housing. Hah. My first stop was Carnegie (pronounced carNEgie, inexplicably)...just a nightmare, houses built in the 50s or earlier, everyone packed armpit to armpit, no stores, no gas stations...

Gasp! Houses built in the '50s or earlier! (eye roll). Carnegie is more of an older small town than typical suburbia, but as a suburb of Pittsburgh most people go to the popular shopping areas (Waterfront, Robinson, downtown, etc.) for stores. There are definitely small mom-and-pop stores and gas stations in Carnegie, though. That said, Carnegie is charming and historic like most of the small towns around Pittsburgh.

My next stop was Robinson Twp... And don't forget this is right next to beautiful scenic McKees Rocks, where houses can be bought for $20k. (Hint, don't buy a house for 20k)

I'd love to hear your reasons why not (I bought a $10k house and it has been a great experience). You know, it's possible in most Pittsburgh neighborhoods to find housing under $20k. It actually makes you smart if you take advantage of it.

I live in McKees Rocks. It's not beautiful or scenic, but it certainly has more character than Durham.

I guess my expectations are a drug free fairly safe neighborhood, with gas stations, grocery stores, etc. Somewhere you can walk around and feel safe.

Minus the drug-free part (don't know anywhere you can say that about, even my parents in small town Michigan hear about drug problems), you just described most Pittsburgh neighborhoods and suburbs, even the "bad" ones like (gasp!) McKees Rocks! In McKees Rocks, I can walk to gas stations, grocery stores, and believe it or not I feel safe. I think you will be fine in Robinson or Moon!

I lived in urban Houston for a while, and at the end there were assaults, rapes, and murders routinely, and vehicle and condo breakins were an every day occurance. I am not going back to that, no matter what.

Well, I work in the ghetto of Pittsburgh (Lincoln-Lemington), live in an impoverished neighborhood (McKees Rocks), and I am just your typical college-educated young professional white boy. I have never been a victim of any crime (I guess nobody wants to steal my antiques), although someday it may happen (you just never know). I have lived in and around the city for going on three years now, both in suburban and city areas. The worst I can say is that I have voluntarily given a lot of money (over the years) to the homeless population, especially when walking around downtown at night... lol

Sometimes you have to do your thinking for yourself, and move to an area that you personally like, and what other people think be damned. Pittsburgh really isn't for sheep. If you don't like it here, why come here at all. However, if you think you can learn to appreciate the history and grit and character, and a building that might be older than the 1980s, give it a try.

[MissNM]

Originally Posted by DaBurgh

Upper St Clair, Bethel Park, Mt Lebanon, Bridgeville areas may work.

These areas are great. Since apartments are hard to come by, have you considered renting a HOUSE?

[groar]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Minus the drug-free part (don't know anywhere you can say that about, even my parents in small town Michigan hear about drug problems)

ha, yeah. back to my teen years in ct again, most of the biggest druggies i knew back then were from the toniest ct suburbs, which are some of the most expensive and most apparently pristine places to live in the country. i can personally attest that my quaint, walkable little town was chock full o drugs. kids get bored out in the suburbs and the country, and they will find things to occupy themselves that aren't always all that wholesome or legal.

and i love that this dude sees affordable real estate as a downside. god forbid someone should buy a house over 10 years old that they might actually make their own.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by groar

kids get bored out in the suburbs and the country, and they will find things to occupy themselves that aren't always all that wholesome or legal.

Exactly. I grew up in the suburbs, or really exurbs, of Detroit. It was the most boring place. You had to drive 45 minutes to get to any kind of city (Flint, Detroit, Lansing), and the city wasn't all that great! Fortunately, my parents let me have a classic car to keep me occupied. But if it wasn't for old cars, I would have gone crazy! Suburbia is not a fun place for young people, and I think that is why we are seeing such a shift of young people to the city.

I wish parents would realize that isolating their children in the country or suburbs does not safeguard them from bad influences. Give your kids something productive to do that they enjoy and that will help keep them out of trouble. I didn't enjoy sports or hunting as a kid, and there isn't much else to do in the country, unless you want to sit around and play video games and watch TV all day. I think obsession with video games has a lot to do with being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do.

[KoobleKar]

BTW....I have a friend who lives in a pretty nice apartment complex in Oakdale but I don't know the name of it. So obviously they're out there though.