Relocating to Pittsburgh from San Francisco (Advice Needed) (Lebanon, Upper St. Clair: best neighborhood, home)

[Hopes]

I've heard interesting things about Quaker Valley. Quite a few years ago, I heard that all students were issued laptop computers for class notes, tests, research, etc. I thought that was such a wonderful idea. Teaching high school students how to use laptops as an education tool will definitely prepare them for college. I'm not sure if Quaker Valley still does this. It might have only been a pilot program.

[scottfleisher]

Sorry for the delay: we've been exploring options, crunching numbers, and contemplating what it will feel like to say goodbye to San Francisco. At this point, it looks like we're going to take the plunge, and the winner is...

Mt. Lebanon!

We'll be making another trip in November to make our final decision (and if all goes well) buy a house.

I could now use as much info on Mt. Lebo as possible:

1. Best neighborhoods (and what neighborhood is where - it's tough to find that sort of thing on a map)

2. What neighborhoods feed to what elementary schools (and does it matter? it does around here...)

3. Best locations to start a business (i.e. where do people go?), etc.

4. Good restaurants, shops, and a hotel (last time we stayed at the Omni) for our next trip.

Thanks Everybody!

PS: Oh yeah, and if anybody thinks Lebo is a bad idea…why?

[guylocke]

PS: Oh yeah, and if anybody thinks Lebo is a bad idea…why?

I think people on this forum get tired of recommending Mt. Lebanon, but it truly is a classic and great place to live in Pittsburgh. I could never say enough nice things about it. You might have some people say it's a bit snotty in some areas, but coming from CA, I'm sure they will be quite grounded to you. LOL.

WELCOME!!!!!! Let me know when you are in town and I will take you around a bit if you're interested and aren't afraid of strangers, lol.

[la_torquemada]

Here's the Mt Lebanon community page -- there's a link to the school district over on the left: Mt. Lebanon, PA - Official Website

As for which parts are best, you can pretty much go by price in Mt Lebanon -- the pricier, the better. If you want to be near some walkable shopping, there's a very cute shopping district on Beverly St. The main shopping and library are on Washington Road.

[Alexus]

Originally Posted by scottfleisher

Sorry for the delay: we've been exploring options, crunching numbers, and contemplating what it will feel like to say goodbye to San Francisco. At this point, it looks like we're going to take the plunge, and the winner is...

Mt. Lebanon!

We'll be making another trip in November to make our final decision (and if all goes well) buy a house.

I could now use as much info on Mt. Lebo as possible:

1. Best neighborhoods (and what neighborhood is where - it's tough to find that sort of thing on a map)

2. What neighborhoods feed to what elementary schools (and does it matter? it does around here...)

3. Best locations to start a business (i.e. where do people go?), etc.

4. Good restaurants, shops, and a hotel (last time we stayed at the Omni) for our next trip.

Thanks Everybody!

PS: Oh yeah, and if anybody thinks Lebo is a bad idea…why?

Best of luck and please update this board after you move on how things are going and what your impressions are.

[PAMamma]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I've heard interesting things about Quaker Valley. Quite a few years ago, I heard that all students were issued laptop computers for class notes, tests, research, etc. I thought that was such a wonderful idea. Teaching high school students how to use laptops as an education tool will definitely prepare them for college. I'm not sure if Quaker Valley still does this. It might have only been a pilot program.

I remember reading that too but I thought to myself - eek a 3rd grader with a borrowed laptop to worry about ! And I too wonder how it worked out...

[PAMamma]

Originally Posted by boylocke

I think people on this forum get tired of recommending Mt. Lebanon, but it truly is a classic and great place to live in Pittsburgh. I could never say enough nice things about it. You might have some people say it's a bit snotty in some areas, but coming from CA, I'm sure they will be quite grounded to you. LOL.

WELCOME!!!!!! Let me know when you are in town and I will take you around a bit if you're interested and aren't afraid of strangers, lol.

I agree that it's such an old standby that it's often overlooked in discussion due to boredom. And now, this is all 2nd hand, but I have heard that Mt. Lebo is not snotty compared to say, Upper St. Clair. That it's residents are more civic minded and involved, smarter, younger, and less pretentious. And it is surprisingly affordable for all that you here about how elite an area it is. We would have easily moved there but alas, it is essentially landlocked and we needed property. Plus, I just preferred the North Hills even though all my family and friends live in the South Hills.

[beeswax]

Scott,

We're relocating from the West Coast, too, and your comment about contemplating what it will be like to leave SF resonates with me. While I'm confident that our move from the Pacific NW is a really good move for us, its still going to be a very weird feeling for a while, not unlike putting jello down your jeans...weird, indeed! but maybe funny in the right context.

I cannot remember if you've mentioned what line of work you're in - but maybe all of the West Coast newbies can start our own thread to share moving gripes, our lists of best restaurants found in PGH, and anything else we find. While it certainly is a stretch to assume this, I'm guessing that anyone coming from SF will have similar tastes as ours and maybe some of the same hopes of/for Pittsburgh.

Maybe I'll just start that thread now. I'll call it... the NewBurgher List. I'll add favorites in there as I find them in the Burgh. Anyhow, happy house hunting!

[apteafan]

Locating from San Fran, if you miss the hills, the South Side Slopes and the McKees Rocks heights above Island Avenue and Stowe Twp Island Heights areas are cool.

Also plenty of hills above Saw Mill Run Blvd and throughout the West End and Mt. Washington Area. Also Troy Hill area is cool.

[jhprentiss]

We looked at Quaker Valley schools when we were looking for a place. I don't know about laptops, but we did visit an elementary school with friends. It was amazing, brand new, and they were teaching the kids Cantonese! We weren't crazy about Sewickley though and decided to go with Mt Lebanon. We're happy here so far, found it to be pretty friendly and grounded.

I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years, so maybe I'd qualify for that western state relocator thread.

If you need any help, let me know. I know how hard it is!