Living in East Liberty (Broad St) (Pittsburgh, Highland Park: apartments, crime, Home Depot)

[aman.scm]

I asked this question earlier but a senior member recommended me to start a new post on this.

I am new to Pittsburgh area and looking for a decent /safe area. I have heard about new developments going on in East Liberty area and the proximity and ease of transportation to the town is of particular interest to me. In addition I am trying to focus on a new locality on Broad St (Fairflield Apartments).

I would appreciate if people who have lived in Pittsburgh area long enough ,or for that matter close to the neighbourhood in question, could give me some suggestions /info about this area.

I know the commute to and from the town is very very easy if we are in this area.But considering that my wife will be alone all day at home and I might be commuting late nights sometimes, how safe is this area?
I am asking specifically about general safety and well-being, like no stray bums knocking the door of my home while I am away , you know what I mean...!!

Thanks in advance

[BrianTH]

Moving our conversation from another thread over . . .

So we go to that section of East Liberty quite a bit. We use the Home Depot and Trader Joe's somewhat frequently, we have gone to local restaurants and bars in the evening, we have taken our son to the new library, I'm sure we will be using the new Target when it opens, and so on. Our regular bus Downtown also uses the East Busway, and stops in East Liberty. That is why I would personally have no problem living there--we are there frequently anyway.

That said: right now living in that area you will see some poorer people on the streets, some rundown buildings, some less-than-upscale stores, and so on. The sense of improvement is unmistakable, but so is the fact the area is improving from a not-so-good condition not long ago.

I don't think random people are going to be knocking on your door or anything like that. But as I suggested before, this really comes down to your personal comfort level--some people have no problem living in transitional areas, and it makes some people anxious, so you have to know yourself.

[chielgirl]

Having been a Highland Park resident most of my life; I'd find a different neighborhood.

There's a lot of petty crime in the area; not violent, but bothersome.

[aman.scm]

thank you Brian for your help.
Like you said it really comes down to a person's personal comfort level, this shows when I got mixed kind of comments from people. Some people say its a very nice area and developing well and some people say that it wouldnt be safe to walk from bus stops to home on Broad St. during night time.

So this is confusing and it makes even more sense to me to check out the area by myself.